Best Recorder for College
If you have a macbook, the microphone quality isn't bad (for macbook pros, not macbooks), and just use Microsoft Word in notebook mode to hit record while lecture begins. This is if you are TYPING the notes.
For me, that option was not possible in my science classes due to the heavy amount of drawing diagrams, and molecules. In those scenarios, I bought this livescribe pen ($200), which was not that worth it. The quality of the recordings were pretty up there (better than iRecord or something like that which attaches to an ipod, tried that, not a good option).
Only one class out of all of mine was useful for it: this literature class that required SPECIFIC regurgitation on tests that referenced her disorganized lectures and bizarre diagrams (but outlines gave away her emphases). Again, highly unusual class that made my life easier with recording it.
So in the end, the reality is this. Unless you are a literature or humanities major, recording lectures are generally a waste of time. Also, professors generally give handouts and podcasts, which makes recorders kind of useless.
You need to specify class type, and how you take notes to have someone respond with information that is actually relevant.
If you are just looking for a mere recorder, where you have to manually import/export files, and that is compatible with a mac, you can either go with your current macbook (assuming you have one) or a third party recorder like the ones SONY sells. Granted, of course, these recorders are all limited by how far you sit in lecture, whether you will actually return and listen to the lectures, etc.
Just my opinion.