I stopped typing during lectures, and my grades actually went up

Why I stopped typing during my CS lectures

I used to be that student—the one typing so fast I sounded like a machine gun in the back of the hall. I thought if I captured every word the professor said, I’d be set. I was wrong.

The "Stenographer" Trap

When you focus on transcribing, you stop understanding. Your brain is just a middleman between the audio and the keyboard. Last semester, I tried something different: I let an AI tool handle the raw notes while I just... listened.

My new workflow:

1. Listen for concepts: Instead of words, I look for the "why".

2. Review the AI summary immediately: I spend 5 minutes after class checking the structured summary. It sticks in my brain way better.

3. Add my own "aha!" moments: I only type when I have a personal realization.

If you're still frantically typing, you're missing the best part of the lecture.