loose leaf or exercise books for these subjects (1 Viewer)

lydiaodehh

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english adv
maths adv (was thinking of separating into hw and theory)
chemistry
legal
modern
geo
bio
physics
eco

so many subjects because i might be changing lol.
and i would like actual answers not people telling me whatever suits you. thx
 
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jazz519

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Doesn’t really matter honestly. Using either is not going to impact your marks. Just have to pick what works best for you in terms of studying. So experiment with both and see what you like
 

skiddys

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I use both. Generally I take notes in an exercise book/bring exercise books to school. Then I handwrite my revision notes into loose leaf. This works for me as the loose-leaf notes will be condensed and more like portable cheat sheets.

I put the loose-leafs all in one binder and bring it around with me everywhere during exam season. I don't use A4 but B5 instead because it's more portable so I can legit carry it everywhere with me. I got mine from Japan but I think they stock at Muji too!
 

gudetamago

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Hey! I'm a loose leaf enthusiast and I would set out my notes for your subjects in this way. However, please take this post with a grain of salt. The art of notetaking varies with the individual depending on style, practicality and personal preference. :)

Personally, I think both are great. However, each has their pros and cons and what they are best used for:
  • Loose Leafs - for subjects with overlapping topics, easier to organise and rearrange and add to your notes

Pros​
Cons​
  • IMO, a lot more cheaper
  • Good brands have amazing quality paper (Kokuyo, Muji etc.)
  • Some brands have an unconventional and 'aesthetic' colour (off-white)
  • Easier to customise
  • Notes can easily be organised, re-organised, added to, removed etc.
  • Can be placed in a binder that can hold many subjects
  • Best for STEM subjects where a lot of topics overlap
  • Good for English since it's easy to hand written essays to a teacher for feedback without ripping your book
  • Only need to bring a couple number of sheets to school for each day - reduces load
  • Used in binder with multiple compartments - you can stick in loose folder sheets to keep all your worksheets together with your notes
  • Best for revision notes - forces you to condense your notes so you can easily bring them around in a small folder wherever you go
  • If not taken care off, tends to rip easily
  • Binders can be quite pricey, depending on which ones you buy
  • Binders can be buly to carry around. Thin notebooks are more convenient and lighter. (You can atest to this by trying out folders)
  • If not careful, can be easy to loose sheets
  • Notes may be hard to find if you forget to organise them
  • Notebooks - keeps your notes in one place, best for subjects where chronological/ordered/systematic notes are not essential

Pros​
Cons​
  • Can be lighter and more convenient than carrying binders of loose leafs
  • Pages/paper tends to stay in better shape throughout the year (less tears from binder holes etc.) - depends on the way you treat your workspace
  • Best for subjects like maths where you can keep your working solutions all in one place
  • Relatively inexpensive (but at the expense of poor paper quality)
  • Quite restrictive - limits creativity with your notes in terms of organisation
  • Loose sheets/worksheets are just stuffed into the front of the notebook (if you don't have a separate folder)
  • Impractical for revision notes
  • Impractical to hold notes for multiple subjects
  • Whenever your teacher wants to mark something but you don't want them to take your entire book since you have to revise your notes over the weekend... yeah it's gonna be a struggle
Based on the reasons above, I would categorise your subjects this way:


Loose leafs​
Notebooks​
  • English Advanced - essays
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Economics - can organise alongside printed case study articles, economic forecasts/reports, etc
  • English Advanced - Module notes, classwork
  • Maths
  • Legal
  • Geography
  • Legal
  • Modern
But personally, I'm a more loose-leaf person, so I would ultimately favour this option for any of my subjects.


Have fun organising your notes!
 

skiddys

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Couldn't you just use your laptop to type up notes and then handwrite them/print it out..
I used to type notes, but I just found myself not really thinking about what I was typing but just brainlessly churning out words. Whereas when I write (first in exercise book and then loose-leaf notes), I genuinely think about what I'm jotting down and I end up retain information much more actively. Also rewriting my notes for a second time in a more condensed format not only reinforces my memory, but also makes them easier to look over and revise before an exam. That means that sometimes when I write my cheatsheets, I only need to read it over once or twice before and exam, whereas with typed notes I find myself re-reading it over and over again and still not taking in the knowledge.
 

idkkdi

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Couldn't you just use your laptop to type up notes and then handwrite them/print it out..
I used to type notes, but I just found myself not really thinking about what I was typing but just brainlessly churning out words. Whereas when I write (first in exercise book and then loose-leaf notes), I genuinely think about what I'm jotting down and I end up retain information much more actively. Also rewriting my notes for a second time in a more condensed format not only reinforces my memory, but also makes them easier to look over and revise before an exam. That means that sometimes when I write my cheatsheets, I only need to read it over once or twice before and exam, whereas with typed notes I find myself re-reading it over and over again and still not taking in the knowledge.
Hey! I'm a loose leaf enthusiast and I would set out my notes for your subjects in this way. However, please take this post with a grain of salt. The art of notetaking varies with the individual depending on style, practicality and personal preference. :)

Personally, I think both are great. However, each has their pros and cons and what they are best used for:
  • Loose Leafs - for subjects with overlapping topics, easier to organise and rearrange and add to your notes

Pros​
Cons​
  • IMO, a lot more cheaper
  • Good brands have amazing quality paper (Kokuyo, Muji etc.)
  • Some brands have an unconventional and 'aesthetic' colour (off-white)
  • Easier to customise
  • Notes can easily be organised, re-organised, added to, removed etc.
  • Can be placed in a binder that can hold many subjects
  • Best for STEM subjects where a lot of topics overlap
  • Good for English since it's easy to hand written essays to a teacher for feedback without ripping your book
  • Only need to bring a couple number of sheets to school for each day - reduces load
  • Used in binder with multiple compartments - you can stick in loose folder sheets to keep all your worksheets together with your notes
  • Best for revision notes - forces you to condense your notes so you can easily bring them around in a small folder wherever you go
  • If not taken care off, tends to rip easily
  • Binders can be quite pricey, depending on which ones you buy
  • Binders can be buly to carry around. Thin notebooks are more convenient and lighter. (You can atest to this by trying out folders)
  • If not careful, can be easy to loose sheets
  • Notes may be hard to find if you forget to organise them
  • Notebooks - keeps your notes in one place, best for subjects where chronological/ordered/systematic notes are not essential

Pros​
Cons​
  • Can be lighter and more convenient than carrying binders of loose leafs
  • Pages/paper tends to stay in better shape throughout the year (less tears from binder holes etc.) - depends on the way you treat your workspace
  • Best for subjects like maths where you can keep your working solutions all in one place
  • Relatively inexpensive (but at the expense of poor paper quality)
  • Quite restrictive - limits creativity with your notes in terms of organisation
  • Loose sheets/worksheets are just stuffed into the front of the notebook (if you don't have a separate folder)
  • Impractical for revision notes
  • Impractical to hold notes for multiple subjects
  • Whenever your teacher wants to mark something but you don't want them to take your entire book since you have to revise your notes over the weekend... yeah it's gonna be a struggle
Based on the reasons above, I would categorise your subjects this way:







Loose leafs​
Notebooks​
  • English Advanced - essays
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Economics - can organise alongside printed case study articles, economic forecasts/reports, etc
  • English Advanced - Module notes, classwork
  • Maths
  • Legal
  • Geography
  • Legal
  • Modern
But personally, I'm a more loose-leaf person, so I would ultimately favour this option for any of my subjects.







Have fun organising your notes!
Doesn’t really matter honestly. Using either is not going to impact your marks. Just have to pick what works best for you in terms of studying. So experiment with both and see what you like
Why has no one said anything about the fact that this guy does 18UNITS with TRIPLE SCIENCE. WTF. Literally, 24/7 textbook reading. 9 exercise books - jeez. Your bag is going to be dropped down to the floor. Personally, I don't write fast enough to juggle 18 units and study properly. If I was in your scenario, I would rely on ultra-fast typing speed, and doing homework in books if need be.

Edit: noticed he said so many subjects because changing.
New opinion: exercise books, cause loose-leaf can fill up quickly and you don't want to be flipping around a dodgy binder thing with a large chunk of pages. Edit edit: actually kinda confused about what loose leaf is now. If it's exercise books with rings then that's fine. I thought loose leaf meant those massive marbig binders with pages in it - easy ripping.
 
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