A college student comparing the 13" MBP and 15" MBP!

[maflynn]

I'd say that the 13" is a better solution for the school. While the 15" is only slightly larger and heavier, you're not carrying only the computer but books and such around too. The 13" occupies less space in a backpack and is much easier to deal with imo.

btw, I own a 15" and find it quite portable but I think the 13" is a better tool for every day mobile usage - just my $.02

 

[upinflames900]

Pen and paper are best for taking notes in class.

Not at all...
1. Easier to read because it is typed
2. Easier to revise, add to, correct, etc
3. All subjects are in the same place
4. I, like many people, type way faster than I write
5. Harder to lose.... you have to lose your MBP which is pretty hard to do

I know I repeated a lot of the same stuff as the previous post, but I want to reiterate that MBP for taking notes is definitely better (for like 99% of people at least).

 

[airplaneman]

For those of you who have the 15" Macbook Pro, how does it feel carrying it around everywhere?

I like the screen size of the 15" but I love the portability of the 13"

I'm debating on both of the 2.53 GHz models. I'm leaning towards the 15" because it seems like it would be nicer to have the added screen size. I'm a big dude 6'4".

Those with the 13", do you feel cramped with the small screen size (I'm not buying an external monitor)

I'm loving my 15". Not cumbersome at all and you won't regret getting the bigger screen. I would say get the 15".

 

[Richard1028]

There is literally nothing you can't do on the 13" macbook when compared to a larger one.

The extra size and weight though is another story.

 

[uberamd]

There is literally nothing you can't do on the 13" macbook when compared to a larger one.

The extra size and weight though is another story.

Bingo. I go to a decent sized university. In our upper division classes, we have ~60 person rooms with tables. The room is designed to support 60 people but not comfortably, and you better believe they cram all 60 people in there. Desk space is a premium. This is where having my 15" Macbook Pro hurt, as the footprint gave me less space to work with. Having my laptop and pen/paper out was cramped. Sure the 13" footprint isn't a ton smaller than the 15", but it still makes a difference. As I said, I have a Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. For the rest of my college career, it will be Air only to classes. Less weight is good, more desk space is good, and the power of a 15" isn't needed for classes.

Just my 10 cents.

 

[sn0warmy]

I suggest the OP just handles both at the apple store and figure out which one he'd rather carry around. I'd personally never get anything past 13" if I wanted it to carry around from place to place. In fact, I wish apple would create a 12" laptop.

I completely agree. As well as taking that time to also compare web browsing and possibly document writing on each screen. It seems like the screen size is really the biggest factor for the OP.

 

[seaofcrap]

Who actually takes their laptop to class?

from my experience, most kids don't take their laptops to class. taking notes on a notebook is so much easier, especially in math and engineering classes where you may have to draw diagrams, etc. some professors even look down on laptops because they think its a distraction.

i suggest the 15 inch. you will be spending A LOT of time on your computer. the real estate is worth it.

 

[kingcrowing]

13" Will feel a lot more portable especially if you're planning on taking it to class daily. However, most students don't end up taking their laptops to class. The only times I ever do is for IS classes where I need to be able to use access or some other database program.

 

[Wombert]

I'm 6'4", too, and often enough I wish I had the 13" rather than the 15". It's a bit lighter and it takes up less space on a desk. With the money you save, get a 24" LCD and a Griffin Elevator for when you're using it at home (plus keyboard/mouse, obviously).

 

[RobT]

I have a 15 and I kind of hate to say it but I'd go with the 13 for college. Save the cash...the 13 is powerful enough. The nvidia 9400 graphics are great.

 

[sn0warmy]

Who actually takes their laptop to class?

from my experience, most kids don't take their laptops to class. taking notes on a notebook is so much easier, especially in math and engineering classes where you may have to draw diagrams, etc. some professors even look down on laptops because they think its a distraction.

i suggest the 15 inch. you will be spending A LOT of time on your computer. the real estate is worth it.

I assume it really depends on your major. I agree that in math classes a laptop is pretty useless. But as a marketing major I was constantly looking at slides and having to take notes for new marketing campaigns that i would need to create. Since I type faster than I write I was able to take more detailed notes with my laptop.


How to use your laptop to get an "A" in a college class:
And in most classes, I would leave a blank document open and open the class slides for that particular day with Keynote. As the professor would go through their slides on the projector they usually put emphasis on a certain text from individual slides and say "this will be on the exam". Then I would just copy that exact text/slide into the blank document. When it was time to study for the exam I would briefly go over all the slides and spend most my time studying the exact text/slides that I pasted into the document.

Not to mention all the times a professor would say something like, "if anyone can answer this yuo get extra credit points. What was the main topic on CNN today?". After a quick browse to CNN.com's home page and a glance at the featured article, I would raise my hand and end up with an extra 10 points.

I would honestly say that having my laptop in class was one of the biggest factors in graduating with a 3.5 GPA from a Big 10 university.

 

[miles01110]

I have made it through 3 years of college taking notes on my laptop whenever it is allowed (for all professors but a small few).

I made it through 6+ years of college taking notes on pen and paper. It was always allowed.

I can type way faster than I can write, its easier to read because there is no such thing as sloppy typing if you are good, but when trying to write fast my handwriting gets very sloppy.

I never had to write very fast, because I am intelligent enough to realize that transcription ≠ learning.

Come test time I can print out sections, do a find through my notes to find terms, etc.

Come test time I can copy my notes to a digital format if I want as a method of studying.

Also, I have 1 folder on my computer with all of my notes, class materials, etc for each class. Everything is digitally saved unlike notebooks that get lost.

Notebooks don't get lost if you don't lose them. Also, it's not as if your hard drive can't die.

(And btw, your site failed both validation tests you put at the bottom)

No they don't?

Not at all...
1. Easier to read because it is typed
2. Easier to revise, add to, correct, etc
3. All subjects are in the same place
4. I, like many people, type way faster than I write
5. Harder to lose.... you have to lose your MBP which is pretty hard to do

Personal preference, I guess.

1. Easier to read, because I have legible handwriting.
2. Easier to revise, add to, correct, etc because my pencil has an eraser and it's quicker to navigate to the area that needs revision with my hand instead of a cursor.
3. All subjects are in the same place.
4. I, like many people, write faster than I type.
5. Again I'm not really sure how "harder to lose" is an argument. Care to quantify that statement? Say your hard drive dies. Is that any better or worse than losing a notebook? Given #3 you've also lost everything else, not to mention your music, pictures, applications, etc.

Besides all of the practical advantages of pen and paper, listening to someone type away on their laptop is just annoying. Unfortunately I've been in lectures where everyone uses a laptop... I don't know how they can hear the lecturer over the din.

 

[uberamd]

I made it through 6+ years of college taking notes on pen and paper. It was always allowed.



I never had to write very fast, because I am intelligent enough to realize that transcription ≠ learning.



Come test time I can copy my notes to a digital format if I want as a method of studying.



Notebooks don't get lost if you don't lose them. Also, it's not as if your hard drive can't die.



No they don't?



Personal preference, I guess.

1. Easier to read, because I have legible handwriting.
2. Easier to revise, add to, correct, etc because my pencil has an eraser and it's quicker to navigate to the area that needs revision with my hand instead of a cursor.
3. All subjects are in the same place.
4. I, like many people, write faster than I type.
5. Again I'm not really sure how "harder to lose" is an argument. Care to quantify that statement? Say your hard drive dies. Is that any better or worse than losing a notebook? Given #3 you've also lost everything else, not to mention your music, pictures, applications, etc.

Besides all of the practical advantages of pen and paper, listening to someone type away on their laptop is just annoying. Unfortunately I've been in lectures where everyone uses a laptop... I don't know how they can hear the lecturer over the din.

CSS still fails (Sorry! We found the following errors (16)). The other one failed earlier today as well.

And whatever works for you I guess. I can say a vast majority of people in my classes use laptops, but I guess they are all just sloppy writers who haven't been enlightened by the mighty power of the pen and paper. Heh...

I do not copy things verbatim, but obviously you went to an easy school because its a well known fact that many college classes go incredibly fast and writing as fast as the professors go is impossible, especially in Computer Science when they are going over code. I would gladly duke this out with you. I type, you write, whoever is done first wins. I type at 110+ WPM, can you possibly legibly write that fast? And my keyboard is virtually silent.

Oh, and backups protect against hard drive death (external hard drives, iDisk Sync, etc). Also if you forget your laptop you can login to the cloud from any machine and still get your data. With a notebook, you need to walk home. And if you lose the notebook, its gone forever. Digital copies are easy to backup in a matter of seconds, thus protected.

Moreover, many colleges (mine included) have laptop requirements meaning everyone needs a laptop every day for class. Why is that do you think? Because paper/pen note taking is better? Yeah... that must be why...

 

[designed]

Carrying around a 13" laptop is of course much less a burden than "hauling" a 15" but having done both, it's a matter of taste, workflow and environment. As someone said here before: 13" if you take your computer to lectures a lot, 15" if you only use it for assignments and so on. I prefer the 13", altough I'd get it with more resolution in an instant if Steve made one.

As to the whole "taking notes with a computer" debate: it's of course another workflow thing, but for me taking notes with a computer is pretty much the only way to stay even awake at lectures. I remember falling asleep a lot even during interesting afternoon lectures on the first semester at university when trying to make it with pen and paper. No such problem with a laptop, where I can wonder off to the Internet almost too easily...

There are of course other advantages as well to taking notes with a laptop: no messy handwriting (major plus for me), easy formatting (well, that does depend, charts of any sort are much easier to copy with pen), and you can score some points from your classmates by being able to easily send your notes over email (One day I'm cashing in all those countless favours)...

 

[feelthefire]

I assume it really depends on your major. I agree that in math classes a laptop is pretty useless. But as a marketing major I was constantly looking at slides and having to take notes for new marketing campaigns that i would need to create. Since I type faster than I write I was able to take more detailed notes with my laptop.


How to use your laptop to get an "A" in a college class:
And in most classes, I would leave a blank document open and open the class slides for that particular day with Keynote. As the professor would go through their slides on the projector they usually put emphasis on a certain text from individual slides and say "this will be on the exam". Then I would just copy that exact text/slide into the blank document. When it was time to study for the exam I would briefly go over all the slides and spend most my time studying the exact text/slides that I pasted into the document.

Not to mention all the times a professor would say something like, "if anyone can answer this yuo get extra credit points. What was the main topic on CNN today?". After a quick browse to CNN.com's home page and a glance at the featured article, I would raise my hand and end up with an extra 10 points.

I would honestly say that having my laptop in class was one of the biggest factors in graduating with a 3.5 GPA from a Big 10 university.

I wish my classes were like this. After freshman year, if anyone asked what was on the exam, the professor said "everything."

No point in laptops for us. It was handwritten notes since 80% of my notes are diagrams, molecular structures, or pathway charts.

 

[applebook]

Plenty of my classmates used laptops.

I personally did not take notes with a notebook but certainly can see the value in it. People who dismiss others' experiences are simply ignorant and hardheaded. Just because YOU can work better with paper and pen (and I personally prefer it myself), it doesn't mean that others cannot prefer a computer.

One real advantage that digital note-taking has over a pen is that when composing your essay, you can copy and paste passages that you are quoting and can save yourself a lot of time when doing, over the course of 4 years, more than 5 dozen papers.

Oh, there is one thing that a 13" MBP can't do, which its bigger brethren can --play newer games at decent frame rates

 

[miles01110]

CSS still fails (Sorry! We found the following errors (16)). The other one failed earlier today as well.

Ah, the CSS. Seems the problem was some plugin's CSS code.

its a well known fact that many college classes go incredibly fast and writing as fast as the professors go is impossible, especially in Computer Science when they are going over code.

If that qualifies as a "fact", no wonder you're delusional. If they're just going over code, why can't you just ask the professor for his file in the first place? Not to mention you're still missing the entire point- is it better to copy someone's code verbatim or actually understand what the code is doing and reproduce it yourself, perhaps making improvements or solving the problem in a clever way? I guess this depends on your educational philosophy.

I type at 110+ WPM, can you possibly legibly write that fast?

No. But nobody needs to write that fast. If you can type functioning code at 110 wpm, you need to stop posting here and apply for a job at Google. Anyone can type meaningless information very quickly.

And my keyboard is virtually silent.

Not as silent as a pen.

Oh, and backups protect against hard drive death (external hard drives, iDisk Sync, etc).

A little common sense protects against notebook death.

With a notebook, you need to walk home. And if you lose the notebook, its gone forever.

Unless you find it.

Moreover, many colleges (mine included) have laptop requirements meaning everyone needs a laptop every day for class. Why is that do you think? Because paper/pen note taking is better? Yeah... that must be why...

There are several reasons why colleges and universities require laptops for their students, reasons that do not include "because taking notes on a laptop is better." The two biggest reasons are

- They have deals with manufacturers.
- They require a personal computer for e-mail, grades, and online material.

 

[maflynn]

There are several reasons why colleges and universities require laptops for their students, reasons that do not include "because taking notes on a laptop is better." The two biggest reasons are

- They have deals with manufacturers.
- They require a personal computer for e-mail, grades, and online material.

No but as others have stated, taking notes on a laptop is by far superior to writing them on pen and paper. I don't know when you last took a college class but I think you're in the minority. I'm no spring chicken myself - I come from the time when there were no calculators available and as a student I had to do math the old fashioned way - on paper

Anyways the college classes I have taken over the years and recently I see the advantage of typing over writing. Especially given that many professors do not slow down their presentation to allow students to catch up. Kids and young adults are much more adept at typing then writing and while that's an argument for another thread they are better prepared to learn by using a laptop.

There's no harm in providing kids all of the tools to enable them to increase their education.

 

[uberamd]

There are several reasons why colleges and universities require laptops for their students, reasons that do not include "because taking notes on a laptop is better." The two biggest reasons are

- They have deals with manufacturers.
- They require a personal computer for e-mail, grades, and online material.

Strike 3 buddy. The technology director of my college is also my boss. I work at the college as well as attend so I know first hand the reasoning behind decisions, and that has nothing to do with it. It is a laptop requirement, not a computer requirement. You *must* bring a laptop to class every single day, and if yours is broken we provide 60 laptops for checkout. As you can tell, we really need students to bring their laptops every day unless a professor specifically states it won't be used on X day.

Why? The note taking is faster. Professors say on the first day, "bring your laptop so you don't need to keep asking me to slow down or go back to the previous slide."

As far as finding your notebook, thats a stupid argument on your part. If its lost, its lost. So if you lose your notebook for good, all of your notes are gone, no way to get that back.

And have you ever taken a Computer Science class? If you dare ask the CS professor for the code samples he is going over, they will tear you a new one in front of the class. It is our responsibility to get the code. And if we just sit and try to understand high level code without copying anything down, its very easy to forget small but important details.

I guess we each have our own style. I am still in college, and I have the benefit of working for the technology team so I get a first hand experience behind technology related decisions and how they statistically impact students performance.

But yeah, for math classes laptops are useless.

 

[miles01110]

Strike 3 buddy. The technology director of my college is also my boss. I work at the college as well as attend so I know first hand the reasoning behind decisions, and that has nothing to do with it.

Blah blah blah. Puff your chest out as far as you want. If you want to make a blanket statement about *all* colleges and universities based on the practices of yours, that's fine- but also shortsighted.

It is a laptop requirement, not a computer requirement. You *must* bring a laptop to class every single day, and if yours is broken we provide 60 laptops for checkout. As you can tell, we really need students to bring their laptops every day unless a professor specifically states it won't be used on X day.

Congratulations!

Why? The note taking is faster. Professors say on the first day, "bring your laptop so you don't need to keep asking me to slow down or go back to the previous slide."

You transcribe the professor's lecture when you can just get the slides from said professor? Sad.

As far as finding your notebook, thats a stupid argument on your part. If its lost, its lost. So if you lose your notebook for good, all of your notes are gone, no way to get that back.

How does this hold any less water than "well you can just make a backup!" Backups die too, you know. And if your computer dies you're out of luck anyway.

And have you ever taken a Computer Science class? If you dare ask the CS professor for the code samples he is going over, they will tear you a new one in front of the class. It is our responsibility to get the code. And if we just sit and try to understand high level code without copying anything down, its very easy to forget small but important details.

No, but then again I'm not a CS major. In physics we either use someone else's package or create our own way of solving a problem. I guess that's "old-fashioned" ? And if you copy the code verbatim, how is that any different/better than just asking the professor? I am genuinely confused.

 

[Grayer]

This thread is kinda going off topic

 

[uberamd]

Blah blah blah. Puff your chest out as far as you want. If you want to make a blanket statement about *all* colleges and universities based on the practices of yours, that's fine- but also shortsighted.

Not meaning to be a blanket statement but a growing trend. My friends colleges are similar. And feel free to blah blah blah me all you want, I know first hand what goes on. There are numerous colleges that discuss with each other various merits of laptop requirements, we have workshops for utilizing laptops in the classroom, etc. But blah blah blah me because I actually know what's going on. That works too.

You transcribe the professor's lecture when you can just get the slides from said professor? Sad.

What? Where did I say we get the slides from our professors? We don't. The professor doesn't want us to ask him to go back a slide, so we need to take notes fast. What's sad is your reading comprehension.

How does this hold any less water than "well you can just make a backup!" Backups die too, you know. And if your computer dies you're out of luck anyway.

Oh? Your statement is as dumb as never backing up your data. Having a notebook is the equivalent to having a computer with 0 backups. The chances of my iDisk failing and losing my data is none. The chances of my DropBox or Mozy backups failing is none. The chances of my time machine failing is none. I have 4 points of backup, minimum, for all of my classwork. A lot more security in comparison to your notebook.... get over it.

No, but then again I'm not a CS major. In physics we either use someone else's package or create our own way of solving a problem. I guess that's "old-fashioned" ? And if you copy the code verbatim, how is that any different/better than just asking the professor? I am genuinely confused.

Did I say verbatim? No, but being as you haven't ever taken a CS class, I will just ignore your comments on looking at code during a lecture.

If you want pen and paper, good for you. That is a dying trend in colleges from what I have observed, because for most people, with you and a handful of others being the exception, it is easier to take digital notes. Few people in my 130+ person lectures take paper notes. I wonder why.

This thread is kinda going off topic

The OP left a long time ago anyway.

 

[miles01110]

Not meaning to be a blanket statement but a growing trend. My friends colleges are similar. And feel free to blah blah blah me all you want, I know first hand what goes on. There are numerous colleges that discuss with each other various merits of laptop requirements, we have workshops for utilizing laptops in the classroom, etc. But blah blah blah me because I actually know what's going on. That works too.

No, you really don't- for the simple reason that I have no reason nor inclination to believe you when you make fantastical claims about your employment, experience, or education. I don't really care, either- no matter what your background, the claims you make in this thread are enough for me to form an opinion of how much you actually (don't) know.

What? Where did I say we get the slides from our professors? We don't. The professor doesn't want us to ask him to go back a slide, so we need to take notes fast.

You look at the slides, correct? Have you asked for the presentations? In my experience most professors that know how to make a powerpoint make the presentation available somewhere. You seem to go to an unusual school though, so maybe this isn't the case.

The chances of my iDisk failing and losing my data is none.

Hahaha.

The chances of my DropBox or Mozy backups failing is none.

Man, 3 instances of guaranteed data integrity!! Wow, you MUST be a computer science student! Only computer scientists are so naive about the real world. Oh, and philosophers.

The chances of my time machine failing is none.

Digging yourself a little deeper...

Did I say verbatim? No, but being as you haven't ever taken a CS class, I will just ignore your comments on looking at code during a lecture.

I think you place too much value on what your professor says and not enough value on actually solving your own problems. If you were really in the real world, you wouldn't always be able to copy from a book, lecture, or transcribe what someone else is saying in order to succeed. I'll let you learn that lesson on your own, though- part of growing up.

Few people in my 130+ person lectures take paper notes. I wonder why.

Because they're busy on AIM, most likely.

 

[gumbyx84]

Pen and paper are best for taking notes in class.

I agree with this fully. My school gives students a laptop their freshman year and while most say they use their laptops to take notes, they are usually playing games, checking their email or bank portfolio (yes I have seen this), or IMing each other instead. I know some people can better retain information by typing it out, but I know most people I know can't. I can't do it myself.

No but as others have stated, taking notes on a laptop is by far superior to writing them on pen and paper. I don't know when you last took a college class but I think you're in the minority. I'm no spring chicken myself - I come from the time when there were no calculators available and as a student I had to do math the old fashioned way - on paper

Why hit low and say he hasn't been in college lately? He is not in the minority. I have been in school for 7 years (transfer student that lost 3 years of credits; long story) and I have always used a pen and paper to take notes. A fair amount of good students take notes on paper (note I said good students). Most of the professors I've had actually prefer their students to take notes on paper as most of the time students are not taking notes when their laptops are out.

Anyways the college classes I have taken over the years and recently I see the advantage of typing over writing. Especially given that many professors do not slow down their presentation to allow students to catch up. Kids and young adults are much more adept at typing then writing and while that's an argument for another thread they are better prepared to learn by using a laptop.

Those are your own personal opinions and experiences. Doesn't mean everyone else in the world agrees with you or has to agree with you.

There's no harm in providing kids all of the tools to enable them to increase their education.

This right here is what causes non-techies to get angry. Heck, its gets me slightly steamed. I am all for giving students tools to help their education, but why are laptops always these "tools"? What happened to re-instituting study hall or putting the money into a program to help students with their studies? They money used for laptop programs can be better used in many different areas of education, let it be elementary, high school, or college. They are not going to have a computer in front of them to take notes on all the time. They need to learn how to write notes down. I know that in all the meetings I have had at my various jobs (IT), I have not had a laptop in front of me to take notes with. I have always had or been provided with a pen and pad of paper.

The excuse that "Kids and young adults are much more adept at typing then writing" is a crock because there are just as many tests that prove it that disprove it.

This thread is kinda going off topic

Agreed.

The OP left a long time ago anyway.

So? Doesn't mean people can use his thread as their own personal soap box. You make your own thread for that.

I know I am doing the same thing, but reading the argument between you two just made me angry. Not saying I'm right to preach here though.


Back on Topic:

I'm a pretty big guy myself and I use a 15" MBP and love it. I will say that if you plan on setting up a workstation on your desk at home or at the dorms, I would highly recommend getting a external monitor, esp if you go with the 13". I am nearsighted, but I still have issues reading smaller text when I am over 2 feet from the screen.

Also, if you are worried about carrying it around, I recommend getting a backpack with a laptop pocket instead of a backpack and laptop carrying case. Less to carry and its easier on your arms and back.

 

[uberamd]

No, you really don't- for the simple reason that I have no reason nor inclination to believe you when you make fantastical claims about your employment, experience, or education. I don't really care, either- no matter what your background, the claims you make in this thread are enough for me to form an opinion of how much you actually (don't) know.

I don't really care if you believe me about my job or not plenty of people here know about what I do for a living.

You look at the slides, correct? Have you asked for the presentations? In my experience most professors that know how to make a powerpoint make the presentation available somewhere. You seem to go to an unusual school though, so maybe this isn't the case.

Unusual school? I go to a major university. Many professors don't give out lecture slides because that lets people skip class and still get material. You must live in a hole or attended school 20 years ago.

Man, 3 instances of guaranteed data integrity!! Wow, you MUST be a computer science student! Only computer scientists are so naive about the real world. Oh, and philosophers.

I guarantee to you that my data backed up in 3 clouds is a lot more secure than your notebook sitting in a room.

Digging yourself a little deeper...

My Time Machine is a XServe RAID (RAID-5, 2TB in size). So yeah, my time machine is redundant, and secure. Nice try.

I think you place too much value on what your professor says and not enough value on actually solving your own problems. If you were really in the real world, you wouldn't always be able to copy from a book, lecture, or transcribe what someone else is saying in order to succeed. I'll let you learn that lesson on your own, though- part of growing up.

Have you taken my classes? Do you know how my professors teach? As a matter of fact... in the REAL world you are allowed to use books, the internet, and whatever other resources you want at work to get a job done. For coding, you can use the internet and books to look up information. So no, the real world isn't sitting in a cubicle coding with no books or other helping sources like the internet.

And I am taking a class... to learn. I am not an expert on the subject so I need the material to succeed. Once I finish college I should be able to do quite well without the material, but I am paying how many thousands of dollars? For what? To ignore the expensive material and just listen to wisdom from a professor? Yeah right.