Quite a few (but certainly not a majority) of undergrads I have seen use an iPad to take notes. The most popular note-taking apps are Notability and GoodNotes.

Unless you go for the larger iPad Pro (12.9"), screen sizes are the same for the smaller iPad Pro and regular iPads (within 0.1 inch). See the comparison chart at the link below

https://www.apple.com/ipad/compare/?modelList=ipad-pro-11-4th-gen,ipad-air-5th-gen,ipad-10th-gen

I would not go with the larger Pro b/c it is bulky (I have one). A regular iPad or iPad Air would work fine. Main difference is that with the regular iPad you can't use the 2nd generation Apple pencil. The two pencils are compared at

https://mediapeanut.com/apple-pencil-2-vs-1-what-is-the-difference-compared/

Hope this helps some.

Frosh DD is asking for an iPad to take notes in some college classes, but I can't get any more details from her (finals!). Love if anyone has a kid who uses an iPad and let me know which kind. Also interested if anyone uses an iPad Pro and if you like it.