thinking of going back to school and wanting to use my laptop to record the class lectures onto mp3’s?

Microsoft Onenote is a program that allows the recording if you have a mic built into the laptop.

However, be aware that all colleges have some sort of recording policy when it comes to lectures and you should abide by those policies because it would be stupid to get kicked out of school for simply recording a professor’s lecture. Most professors dont mind being recorded you just have to ask them first.

You are better off taking notes than recording the lecture. Even if the sound quality is fantastic, it may not pick up discussions. More important, taking notes keeps you engaged, allows you to jot down your own thoughts and interpretations, and can be reviewed more quickly than listening to the entire lecture.

But please don’t take your notes on the laptop. That clackity-clack sound drives some of us nuts.

i just came across your question and i don’t know about any free software but i just wanted to give you a heads up that some profs won’t let you have laptops and/or record their lectures. so make sure you email them ahead of time to see what their policies are.