Note taking is one of the most common tasks of every student’s academic life, but it can pose a great challenge for some students.

However, note takers provided by Boston University’s Office of Disability Services are one solution for students unable to take their own notes in class due to certain disabilities.

Rather than replacing actual studying or class attendance, the accommodation is simply meant to supplement learning, said Daniel Berkowitz, assistant director for the Office of Disabilities.

If a student misses class without a valid excuse, the note taker is not obligated to provide notes for that class.

‘They make it more equal,’ said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Alex Sholes, who has used the service since the beginning of her freshman year.

The partially deaf English major continues to take notes in her classes, and uses the note takers to supplement them because she sometimes misses information when a professor turns away, preventing her from reading lips.

The service is free for students who require note takers, and note takers are usually paid $7 per hour, though some students volunteer for the position.

However, the office prefers students to be paid because the sense of responsibility is increased, though ‘if people want to volunteer, it’s wonderful,’ Berkowitz said.

Before a student can qualify for the service, they must undergo a thorough application process that includes a meeting at the Office of Disability Services and a review of medical and educational records. Whether a note taker is necessary is determined on a case-by-case basis, Berkowitz said.

‘We look at each student individually,’ he said.

Once a student has been accepted into the program, the Office of Disabilities contacts the student’s professor and the student and professor can work together to find a good note taker from the class. However, finding a note taker is ultimately the student’s responsibility.

‘What makes it hard is that I have to do it myself,’ Sholes said.

The professor often has access to test scores and GPAs, and working with the professor can give the student an opportunity to get to know their professor better than many of the other students in the class will, Berkowitz said.

‘It really provides the student [a chance] to connect with the faculty member,’ he said.

While the student and note taker generally communicate with each other about the service, the note takers are expected to keep their services confidential.

In many cases, students and note takers benefit beyond the note taking commitment itself and become study partners, friends and even roommates, Berkowitz said.

‘I’ve definitely gotten to be good friends with people,’ Sholes said, referring to some of her note takers.

Also, the process often makes the note takers more conscientious about their own notes, and will ‘make students more aware of the academic environment,’ Berkowitz said.

Overall, Sholes said her experience with the program has been positive. She said she has had no problems obtaining the service, and the Office of Disabilities has been very helpful in offering her other accommodations.

Programs similar to the one at BU are common at colleges and universities across the country. The BU service has not encountered any major problems because of BU’s high caliber students, Berkowitz said.

‘Here at BU, we’re confident that you are all good students,’ Berkowitz said.