Contemplating to buy an iPad. Is it the right choice for me?

Sounds like you'd get your moneys worth if you do buy it, since you already listed plenty of justifiable reasons to get one. I'm also in school, finishing up my senior year, and I'm getting one soon for a few of the reasons you have listed as well.

 

wait till school starts, get one, if you like it and it's useful keep it, if you don't (check the return policy where you purchase) return it...simple
we cannot make the choice for you as it is a large purchase (money wise) but you may want to try something smaller and see if it fits your needs

i find it productive (light usage coupled with a mba) and it helps pass the time when i'm on the road for business

 

There are rumors of a smaller iPad coming soon, with a 7.85" screen. No one really knows yet though. Personally I feel it's safe to buy it now, but September 12th is the next keynote where they'll definitely be announcing the new iPhone and maybe the iPad mini. They may revise the current iPad with the new smaller dock connector, but again, it's just a rumor. Buying now would be my suggestion.

As for storage options, I'm going with the 16gig simply because I don't plan on storing a whole lot on there. I have my music collection on my MBP, and for the music I wanna carry with me at all times I put it on my Galaxy Nexus. But I can only speak for my situation. If I had your exact usage I'd probably go with the 32gb. But that's just me.

 

You should always go for the biggest size,

I plan on geting a Ipad and I know it would be full quick if its a 16gb as my little ipod is 16gb,

 

Hand written notes on the iPad are of no use if you take a ton of notes. There is no search functionality in any of the apps I've tried - if there is one, feel free to correct me.

OneNote is the only good Notebook app but ONLY the Windows app right now. Their iOS version sucks compared to the Windows version. The problem with that is (currently) all of the Windows tablets suck hardware-wise.

An iPad with OneNote that matches the Windows version would be the perfect note taking machine - it just doesn't exist.

 

Ah, then any tablet out there should suffice.

 

From all of what you have said, I would definitely recommend getting an iPad. Would you make much use if the 4G? If not just buy the wifi only version and tether if needed.

If you want an iPad now, buy one. There may possible be an iPad mini in September but the 4th generation won't be out until around March 2013, so you may as well just buy one now.

 

You have pretty much summed up all that you could use an iPad for in your post. The only advise I would recommend is don't get an iPad 2 or the upcoming iPad mini, and invest in an iPad with a retina display. It will make a world of difference when you have to read that many documents.

 

If your school have a WIFI/hotspot then you don't need 4G/cellular. Save your money.

 

An iPad is always the right choice. Get the best one you can afford.

 

This. I had a 3g ipad 2 and used the 3g once in about a year. If your near wifi on a regular basis, save the money or spend it on more storage. I bought a retina ipad and went through the 32 GB like it was nothing.

 

school wifi is normaly blocked off from websites like facebook. also school wifi is always slower because of so many computer, phones and users, useing the network.

 

Maybe in high school, but I've never seen a college campus block Facebook.

 

You can always look into a "hotspot" option from your phone if you need a secondary internet connection. I always planned to get a WIFI only ipad and whatever the current mifi hotspot device is from my provider with the savings.

 

I think you would be well served with an iPad. I am totally paperless since 2010 when the first one came out. Unless you want to carry around a lot of music, videos or photos, I would go with a 32 GB. I wasn't able to fill my 64 GB in over two years. Save the 100 bucks to invest it in some music streaming service, if you like.

Also, I don't think you need a 4G model. Mine is WiFi only, and besides school, home and coffee shop, I am just fine with WiFi.

For your thesis you should look into Papers or Sente. These are PDF management systems, and both have Mac apps as well. For note taking: Notability is a good app, and I like the Jot Pro stylus most.

You should definitely check out my blog about using iPad for research, teaching and learning. There you will find a lot of more info on what size / model is a good one, what are great apps for students, and what accessories are useful and which ones are not. The link is in my signature line vv

 

Or you can buy an iPad with LTE but you don't have to sign up for LTE service until you are ready.

 

Don't listen to this guy. I don't know why people say this, as everyone has different usage purposes. My iPad 2 was 16 and that was totally fine. I did opt for the 32g for the iPad 3 to allow for extra movies when I travel. If I had spent the money for the 64 it would have been a waste for both devices.

 

Very good choice ! You will love it.

For upcoming mobile need you still would add just a mobile wifi router also useful for your MBP. So a WiFi only iPad is actually enough.

For notes in meeting I use iThoughtsHD (a mind mapper); easy to reshuffle and cross reference items. I could imagine its also helpful in learning situation. I actually had recently a three week training and used it a lot. Was very nice to review after class.