As a lecture began in Fisk Hall, some students flipped open notebooks while others turned on laptops. Arden Li of Highland Park, New Jersey, placed their small red journal and bright pink felt pen on their desk. Li said taking handwritten notes helps them remember the content better.
“I’m proactively considering what I’m writing down and taking in,” Li said. “It also helps me filter out the key points and mental landmarks.”
Charlie Tobin of Menlo Park, California, also takes physical notes because he said it connects his brain more and eliminates digital distractions.
Typing her notes on Google Docs, Alice Xiao of Beijing said digital note-taking is more convenient and easier to read.
“Physical notes seem disorganized and harder to edit,” Xiao said. “So far I have accumulated 29 Google Docs. I’m definitely going to bring all these notes back to my school newspaper, and since a lot of people can’t read my handwriting, these should be easy to understand and apply.”
Instructor Peter Slevin said he prefers handwritten notes but allows his students to choose what works best for them.
“I recommend having no computers open in cherub sessions unless they’re necessary for an exercise,” Slevin said. “My advice for students during lectures is simple and old fashioned: Avoid looking at laptops and phones, concentrate on what is being said and speak up.”
Though preferred note-taking methods differ, cherubs’ reactions to the program’s engaging and informative lectures often overlap.
Li said they learned a lot and enjoyed being surrounded by people who share a similar enthusiasm for journalism.
“All the lectures were engaging and thoughtfully articulated, which made for good notes,” Li said. “But it was also interesting to see how the instructors were truly passionate to be here and teach the next generation.”
Tobin said he appreciated all the advice and wisdom instructors had to offer.
“The people talking to you are some of the best in their field,” Tobin said. “It’s really incredible that we get to learn from them for an hour and a half. Some lectures that were great were John Kupetz’s, Bret Begun’s and Cynthia Wang’s.”
