As a college student, it’s always helpful to have a recorder handy so that you can either record your own notes for future reference or so that you can record your professor’s lecture and take notes later.  Recorders for college are extremely cheap in today’s world.  You can find some really great ones for less than $50.  Here are the top three that I came with when I did some research:

Olympus VN-4100PC Digital Voice Recorder

The Olympus is amazing when it comes to usability and style.  It’s sleek and it easily fits in your pocket.  The Olympus can record up to 144 hours.  The cool thing I like about this recorder is that you’re able to organize each recording.  So, if you have 4 different classes, you can add each recording to each class, which makes this really easy to use.  Instead of naming it and wondering which one belongs to which class, the organization is wonderful and a must have.  The Olympus can last up to 25 hours on it’s battery and is very easy to upload to your computer.

Olympus WS-311M Digital Voice Recorder and WMA Music Player

The difference between this Olympus and the one mentioned previously is that it’s going to cost you a little bit more but with this one, you’re going to get a music player as well.  Since I don’t really think your voice recorder needs other gadgets besides recording.  I guess if you want to play music as well while in class instead of learning, you should give this recorder a look.  You can record up to 138 hours and can listen to up to 120 mp3′s.

Sony ICDP620 Digital Voice Recorder

If you’re looking for a recorder besides an Olympus, you may want to check out this Sony voice recorder.  With the Sony, you’re going to find one of these for about $50-$60ish, depending if you buy new or used.  I highly recommend you buy new, you’re going to pay a little bit more but it’s worth it.  With the Sony, you’re going to get to be able to record a lot more information at 260 hours.   You’re going to have 3 recording modes and 4 message folders.  What I like about the Sony is it’s large LCD display.  Other than that, you’re going to get a little bit more storage for about the same price as the Olympus’ mentioned above.

Voice recorders are a great way to record all of your lectures.  It makes note taking a lot easier, trust me on this one!  Most of these recorders above can be found for less than $75.