Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.

Technology is really taking over, and if you don’t get with it you seem to surely be falling behind.

College puts us all on a budget. From buying textbooks, paying tuition bills, rent and still hoping to have a little cash left over for the occasional weekend outing, college is anything but cheap. When I got to college, the first week, I decided to buy myself a MacBook because I thought a little splurge would get me a tool that would be a lifesaver. Well, yes, my MacBook has saved me more than once in my college career. It really isn’t all that different from the Chromebook I used in high school. Instead, it often just offers more distractions such as going through the photos that I have and getting all my text messages synced from my phone to my computer. After my first semester here at school I thought it was time to get back to the old-fashioned way, the way that I know works. So I put my computer away and put pencil to paper. This only lasted for about three days as I finally came to the realization that times were way ahead of this old-school method that had worked for me for countless years. 

So there I sat, forced to use my computer loaded with distractions, trying to type away verbatim what my professor was saying. One day, zoned out in class, blocking out the professor’s monotonous voice, I could hear one thing, and one thing only. Writing. Pens at work scribbling away, but aw what? I knew pencil and paper simply wasn’t feasible in this college day and age with all the documents and presentations being online. There it was, like a meteor coming right for me. A screen, but not that of a computer, an iPad. I thought these tablets were outdated or simply for moms to place their three-year-olds in front of while they did laundry. Boy was I WRONG. People were using what I came to learn was an Apple Pencil to take handwritten notes on a digital app. An app that the professor often worked directly with, allowing their notes to coincide with the layout of iPad note-taking capabilities. So I decided once more to break the bank, and trade in a couple weekends of going out with friends to buy myself one of these magnificent machines, and it changed my life. Seriously, I haven’t looked back since.

No longer was I having to type hours upon hours of lecture material just trying to comprehend what was happening at that moment in time. I was able to utilize the professors’ presentations that they posted on my iPad and no longer have to write out all their points. I could simply write the important information, the questions I had, and the topics that puzzle me. It felt like having a fill-in-the-blank worksheet for all my lectures. Additionally, all of this was directly saved on my school’s platform, Canvas. This is commonly used at many major universities, big or small, and works best with an iPad. No longer did I have to try and crop my notes or run to the printer to print off worksheets that had to be written out. Many TAs and professors of mine encouraged us to do it on the iPad so that they could make digital edits and send it right back to us as students! 

This next part might sound silly but once you get a few semesters into college, you will realize there is nothing more true. Having a sore back is the worst from a heavy backpack full of pounds of paper. With an iPad weighing in at about 2 lbs depending on the version you get, say bye to that backache cause the relief is a gift from heaven. The iPad itself has specific applications made for school use, allowing you to schedule, collaborate and note-take more efficiently. I know this is a huge investment as most newer iPads range from about $700-$1,000 and then accessories have added on costs on top of that. Apple does offer a student discount for full time college students, with about $150 off and a discounted rate for their apple pencil. If you are like me and crave that feeling of pressing a freshly sharpened pencil into a crisp sheet of paper, the apple pencil’s pressure technology gives you that exactly. 

I fell in love with my iPad on day one and have never looked back. When people say nothing makes college easier and you are always sleepless and stressed, try purchasing an IPad and then decide if you agree with that. Welcome to the iPad world, once you’re in there’s no looking back. I’ll see you on the iPad side.

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
shannon O'Leary

Wisconsin '26

I am a Sophomore at UW Madison who loves the chilly winter season with lots of snow. Writing gives me a way to express myself and also learn more about the world around me!