sounds good - except the paper thing... i prefer to make my cheat sheet notes on the computer and regular intervals (like before the midterm and again before the final)... i'll then print out those notes (which are grossly condensed)..

the text book isn't always a necessity either :p it really depends on the teaching style of your professor as well as your budget for that semester

Ya, I agree with Andrew, paper sucks.

I try and keep everything as a soft copy. I just can't justify it to myself to print out 100's of sheets of paper that I might only look at for 30 seconds each. That and my printer is slow / expensive. It would take me longer to print the stuff than I would spend looking at it.

Hmmmm...I'm like ryan, depending on the subject, e.g. DSP, good luck reading that stuff off a computer. You need paper notes and paper to redo problems on. Paper is just so much more editable. In the end I rewrite (on paper) the entire course in an extremely condensed format. Usually takes 6 hours non-stop per course. I don't like interrupting my rythem.

As for textbook, in my 4 and a half years at Ottawa U, I bought ZERO, I repeat ZERO textbooks for CSI courses. I think I bought one for George White SEG course...what a waste.

Only if the textbook is being used by the prof will I actually buy it. Heck I did MAT 3321 without a textbook! I just wrote the problems off of someone, did them. Then wrote the midterm and exam using the problems.

I also have study sessions with friends where you have to teach the material. If you can't teach it to someone else, then you don't know it.