Some advice for those on tight budgets or those who don't want to graduate head-over-heels in debt. 1. if you're not in graphics design, you don't need the power and fancy screen of an iPad Pro. Note-taking doesn't place much demands on hardware. One of the less expensive ones, perhaps even one purchased second hand, will do as well. 2. If you like having the Apple Pen to take hand notes and draw sketches, check out the new iPad that Apple designed specifically for schools, the 2018 iPad. It's remarkably powerful for the price, so you'll get years of value out of it. It's also the only iPad other than the iPad Pro (at twice the price) that will work with that marvelous pen. 3. Max out your storage. Nothing will frustrate you more than not being able to store all the apps, pictures, and documents you need on your iPad. That's particularly important in healthcare, where the educational and reference apps can be huge. The stock 2018 iPad comes with 32GB of storage. Spend an extra hundred dollars for the 128GB version. That's four times the storage for less than 30% more. That is a deal. 4. Get a keyboard for your typing. It'll be faster and more accurate. I'd suggest getting a compact one with a keyboard layout designed for iPads, but any Bluetooth keyboard will work. Also get a case to protect your investment. 5. Check around for the best price, not necessarily falling for student discounts. Here's the one I bought. Not having to pay sales tax made a big difference. www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1400415-REG/apple_mr7j2ll_a_9_7_ipad_early_2018.html Good luck with your schooling and after. --Michael W. Perry, author of Embarrass Less: A Practical Guide for Doctors, Nurses, Students and Hospitals
This is so helpful thank you!!! They came out with the new iPad TWO MONTHS after I got this so I could use the pencil 🤦🏻♀️. Oh well. Thanks again for the advice! I think people will find it very useful
Thanks for the feedback. The store I've been looking at has some 2017, 10.5 pros marked down, but they're still $200 more even for the 64 GB version. They're the LTE version which I don't need, but that still keeps the price up a little. Your comment has me leaning toward the regular version now.
i have to have an ipad for nursing school and this is SOOOOOOO HELPFUL THANK YOU i just shared this with all my little student nurse friends and they're freaking out :) thank you!
I’ve been following you for a while but I just got accepted into an NP program and I’m freaking out! I’ll be binging ALL your videos because they’re so helpful and relatable. Thank you!
I'm SO glad I stumbled upon this video!! I've been wasting so much money printing out all of my notes so that I could write on them. I'm working on my pre reqs for nursing school and I'm strongly considering going and buying an iPad to make the entire process easier. Thank you!!
Kelsey O'Donnell oh good! Yeah I went through a TON of ink and printing money before discovering this 🤦🏻♀️. Good luck with your pre reqs! It gets so much more fun when they are done
This has completely changed my life! I watched your videos on how to study and how to take notes and even though this is my first week or so trying it I’m not dreading reading and making notes. It’s actually really fun and I just had a prompt to sketch and label a neuron and getting to play with the colors and sizes of the pencil to draw it was so much fun! Thank you so much for this!!!
I love Notability and my IPad Pro! I used the recording function in Notabilty during microbiology lectures this past semester and it was a lifesaver. If you are unfamiliar with this function then it is definitely worth checking out. I think that function will be super helpful during my 4 hour lectures when I start my nursing program in August. Thanks for the great videos!
gabriel comerford I knew it existed but I haven’t had the chance to use it yet. Thanks for the heads up!! I’m glad I’m not the only one who uses notability 😝. Best of luck with your nursing program! So exciting!
Thanks so much for this in depth video! I'm actually a pre-nursing student and was looking to get the iPad for school! Seems like it'll be very beneficial
something I also like doing when i take notes in class is to record the class in case i missed anything during lecture i can add it to my notes later. I love this app! thanks for the video liz
Holyyyy crap. I'm in my second semester of nursing school and WISH I would've seen this sooner! I have an iPad and don't know how to really use it for note-taking but now I'll 100% be taking notes on it the rest of this semester. THANK YOU!!!
I have a surface book 2 and I am in love. the pen is awesome though not included with the initial purchase. the screen detaches to become a tablet. I bought it for my photography business but gonna start school in the spring so looking forward to trying it out for notes!
I just bought a new iPad Pro 10.5 and can not wait to try good notes. After watching your videos about bullet journaling, I bought one and have been obsessed!! Can’t wait to play around with some bullet journaling on my iPad! 😆
Shara A. Nelson YESS!! Those are some of my favorite things! Let me know how you like bullet journaling on the iPad! I’ve been thinking of migrating to that. It looks interesting! And I hope the note taking goes well! It’s kinda fun. Or as fun as note taking can be haha
Nurse Liz i will still do the physical book. Nothing like the feel of paper! But I’m working on writing a 30 devotional that will have bullet journal templates included for people who want to bullet journal their devos daily. I can easily make the templates with good notes. How is moving going?!?
Shara A. Nelson I remember you mentioning that. Such a cool idea! Moving is a disaster 🤦🏻♀️ but it’s almost done! My mom is here to help organize and manage Avery. Thank. Goodness.
Thank you for making this video. I have avoided getting a printer with every fiber in my being bc the lecture notes are anywhere from 20/30-120+ pages and i can’t bring myself to do that. I can see this being very helpful. Idk how i haven’t gotten carpal tunnel in my right hand yet from all the notes i take for nursing school lol. ❤️
I was thinking about getting an HP pavilion, until j saw these videos about IPad pros. Could you please tell me if you can do hand written notes like these on your pavilion?
I’m contemplating on getting an iPad. Would you recommend to visual learners? I find if I type my notes I don’t retain anything. I’m one who has to use pictures & also writing my notes over and over. I’m just not sure if I’ll retain info the same on a screen vs paper. But would love to not be using so much paper if I could help it!
I use notability during classes but I make my appointments in goodnotes. Notability is great to record and fast writing. But goodnotes have more color and size options.
This video was so helpful! I just applied to a couple FNP schools so fingers crossed that I get into at least one of them lol. Do you have a video on how you actually study with your ipad notes? When I was in nursing school I printed out EVERYTHING and was anti e-book. When studying I would sprawl out all my powerpoints printouts and notes along with my books and just get to work. I think I was affraid that I would miss something if I didn't have papers to physically sift through. But now I think it would be way more cost effective to use the ipad and ebooks and would love to transition! Just wondering what your actual studying process is using the ipad notes and ebooks. I have 2 small children and once I'm in school I need to use my time wisely! Thanks!
Ashley Murray hey! Fingers crossed for you on NP school! I have two videos that may be helpful! Check put my ones on taking notes in Nursing school and the one on studying in nursing school. They should be in the NP school playlist! If you can’t find them or they don’t answer your question let me know 🙂
Love the video!! I recently got the Apple Pencil with a paper like screen protector for my 10.2 inch iPad, I currently use OneNote for my nursing school notes, have you used any other note taking apps along with notability during your time at nursing school? Notability does look really good, just not sure if it’s worth the price? 🤔
ONE NOTE! Because it is so damn powerful and works on all platforms. IMO, Apple makes the best phones and tablets. However, Windows 10 is still a better OS than Mac and so I use a Windows laptop. This all-feature cross-platform support is a smart move by Microsoft. For those not tied to the Apple eco-system, do give onenote a try. I guarantee you will love it.
I didn’t study nursing. I studied IT at college in the UK I used my iPad to take notes but I didn’t know that any of the note apps were available in the App Store when I was studying
Hi! I need a little help 😭 -- How do you save the powerpoint with multiple slides in 1 page as a PDF in a macbook? Also how do you make it black and white in the PDF? -- An answer would be much appreciated. Ive been searching for videos on how to do it but unfortunately cant find one :( THANKS!!
Hi! So go to "print" and under that print page, you can choose "layout" and choose 6 slides per page or whatever you want. YOu can also change the color here. Then instead of printing it, there should be an option to "save as pdf" hope that helps!
Hi nurse Liz, Love your channel!! I'm getting ready to start my nursing program, saw this video and was sold on getting an iPad pro for my main technology item for school. Was just wondering if the iPad was what you mainly used for everything from note taking and papers that were due, etc, or if you also used a laptop as well? Thanx :) also which one out of the two would you suggest to use, if you could only have one or the other?
Hey! So I got this at the END of my program. Which is annoying because I only got to use it for 1.5 semesters 😫. So I used a laptop for the majority of it. If I had to pick one, I’d choose a laptop. Much easier for research purposes, assignments, and paper writing. Also they have come out with the new iPad which lets you write on it and you don’t have to buy the pro! When I got mine the pro was the only option for compatibility with the pencil, but that’s changed and you definitely don’t need the pro if you are just going to be using it to take notes! Save some $$ for sure!
Thanks for your tips on taking notes on ipad pro. I was told that in order to have notability its best only for people who also have a macbook computer..... is this the case? I am about to invest in a ipad pro for nursing school but I don't have a macbook computer.
thehotpinkrd I personally don’t use my MacBook to do anything with notability. BUT. Lots of people on here have been recommending goodnotes to me. So maybe check that app out! I don’t believe either of them would need a MacBook though. Should be able to convert it to a pdf and email it to yourself or upload to your google drive with either!
Okay thank you so much for your prompt response, so from there I would be able to print these notes out correct if need be? Just making sure, I d/k to much about this b/c it would be my 1st ipad.
Yep! So what I usually do is I save them as a PDF to my google drive, and then I can download them onto my computer and print them from there! I'd double check and make sure goodnotes lets you do that if you go that route (their app description should tell you), but I know notability does!
My program was hybrid so most of my classes were online, but we were on campus once a month. When we were on campus I brought it! Notability is ten dollars I think. It’s a one time fee
Hi Liz Help…I’m currently studying for my Nclex boards do you by any chance have a video on creating dividers or sub categories within the topics of the notebooks? I accidentally lost all my pharmacology notes in an attempt in creating the dividers…any suggestions
How much extra time does this add to your note taking? Maybe it was just for the video, but it looks complicated (not in a difficult way) as far as switching colors, etc... I'd probably miss half the lecture with all the switching back and forth. On a serious note, do you feel this offered you a significant advantage over paper, pen, and a pack of highlighters?
Once I got the hang of it it didn't add any time, and I liked that I wasn't using TONS of paper all the time and ink. It also made it easier than carrying around a ton of binders.
I bought the iPad 2018 with 32 gb. I have a MacBook at home and plan to just use the iPad for note taking, then sync and store notes and documents on cloud services after I am done with the semester. Do you think that would be enough storage? Thanks!
Hey nurse Liz, does the notability app offer a control + f option where you can search a designated word throughout the document? I need that feature for some open note exams!
I would honestly ask the apple people based on what you need! I think all of the ipads are compatible with the pencil now..maybe?! which is awesome! So they should all be fine! Just depends on how much storage you need and what you want to do with it.
Either the most or the middle amount (sorry I don’t remember exact numbers 🤦🏻♀️) so that you can store textbooks and notes without worry! I also have a lot of pictures on mine that take up space. But I would avoid the smallest size storage if you can! I’ve found things pile up fast
Nurse Liz is right. In the case of the latest iPad, the 2018 version especially designed for students, the low-end version ships with only 32GB. You're likely to find that isn't enough and wish for more. Spend another $100 for the 128GB version. It's four times the storage for less than 30% more. Don't forget that, unlike some computers, with iPads you can't add more storage. What you buy is all you will ever have.
My only concern is what if it dies or stops working do you jump to your phone from a cloud or something is that allowed not sure how nursing school feels about phones
Seenie AuCumulonim I just upload as a pdf and it comes out with great quality on a standard sheet of paper when printed. Not sure the exact dimensions, sorry! You can pull things into notability so the drag and drop text shouldn’t be an issue
Definitely. I ordered one that'll arrive tomorrow. Even apart from the fact that it's the only iPad other than the pricey iPad Pros that works with the Apple Pen, it's quite powerful for the price. And being Apple's latest iPad, the support should be around for longer than for the aging models. I'd also suggest spending an extra hundred dollars to get the 128GB model rather than the 32GB one. The only minus might be the 9.7" screen size. There are models with bigger and smaller screens, so you might compare them to see what you like best. And as for whether you need this new item think of digital gadgets as filling different gaps in your life. Is there enough of a gap in what you do between your MacBook Pro and your smartphone to justify an iPad? If there is, get it. If not, shift those tasks onto your laptop or your smartphone, spending the money on something else.
Clara Kallwies hey! I watched videos just like this and use “fake calligraphy”. But just leave it open instead of filling it in! She’s WAY better than me so I’ll leave a link to her video here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vIUx5fauDCI.html
How do you save your powerpoint from class as a PDF? I can't seem to figure it out. I use blackboard for school and our powerpoints are posted on there, and I want to know how to save them as a PDF so I can transfer them to goodnotes. Ill be getting an iPad soon for note taking! Thanks a lot!!!
Kurstin Martin I would probably argue that it’s even more efficient. Since you can pull in tables and pictures and you till get the benefit of writing the info down. At least that was the case for me!
Nurse Liz i was playing around with it in the shop.. and its really amazing.... am a doctor and when i use the anatomy apps thats really amazing with the big screen...
Nurse Liz all the reviews i saw about the ipad 90% of its users are either med students or nurses or doctors... i guess it just makes our lives either hahahahaha
darkhorse mekanizd I use it without it, and just clean it when it gets smudged. But I could definitely see how it would be helpful so your hand doesn’t get stuck to the screen! I may try one out since I’ve noticed that can happen after awhile if you drag your hand
The downside of screen protectors is that they create a bit of fuzziness. The upside is that they do protect the screen and that matters even more if you're using the Apple Pencil. The Pen tip is harder and thus more likely to scratch than your finger. That said, the chief cause of scratching is dust on the screen. If you keep it clean, that's not likely to be a problem. Some people also like the feel of running the pen across the protector over running it over slippery glass. The protectors only cost a few dollars, so they're worth trying. At the same time, if you have a Pen, you might also order a set of little plastic clips to keep the little pieces of the Pen from getting lost. They're also cheap and will prevent hassles. Apple should have included them with the Pen.
Does the app need internet to work? I want to get one for my classes but the signal is terrible so i'm worried i wont be able to even use the ipad to take notes.
Am buying the ipad pro 12.9 Is it enough for me to buy the 64gb ? Or the 128gb ? I live here in the philippines , the 128 GB is very expensive around 66,000 pesos . 😅😅😅😅
yep! When printing from a PDF, those are automatically in regular dimensions for printing. and When making them from scratch in notability, it formats it to regular printing paper size. Its pretty convenient!
Tried it out in store today. Holy cow it is amazing. Do you prefer the 10.5 over the 12.9''? I'm kind of leaning towards the 12.9 since its easier to multitask in split screen mode but the portability of 10.5 is ideal..
You just cant do stuff on an ipad that can easily be done with a surface pro. I can easily transfer notes from USB drive which ipad cant do. I tried an ipad pro...and its so limiting. Taking notes like this would be near impossible: i.imgur.com/b3RlMDk.jpg