question to "going to college" pple

[Tex-Twil]

Hello,
I've been reading these forums for a while 'cos I'm waiting for the MBP update to switch from PC to MAC and I'm very excited about that.

I've seen many people who are going to college in august and they say they have to have a MBP/MB before the lessons start. It looks like most of them can't even think about going to college without a notebook.

I would like to ask you if it is really so necessary to have a notebook in a US college. I live in Europe and went to college there and I got my 1st laptop only once I finished my studies (1.5 year ago). I have a Master degree in network security and cryptography so a laptop would have been welcomed but it was far from being a must have.

This thread is not exactly related to Apple, I know, but I was just wondering how it works in US

Thanks,
Tex

 

[bsamcash]

Well, no, not for most majors anyway. But I have a MacBook which I use for school. But if you're still in computer or IT related classes it might help. Plus, you can never go wrong with a Mac!

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Hello,
I've been reading these forums for a while 'cos I'm waiting for the MBP update to switch from PC to MAC and I'm very excited about that.

I've seen many people who are going to college in august and they say they have to have a MBP/MB before the lessons start. It looks like most of them can't even think about going to college without a notebook.

I would like to ask you if it is really so necessary to have a notebook in a US college. I live in Europe and went to college there and I got my 1st laptop only once I finished my studies (1.5 year ago). I have a Master degree in network security and cryptography so a laptop would have been welcomed but it was far from being a must have.

This thread is not exactly related to Apple, I know, but I was just wondering how it works in US

Thanks,
Tex

It's a requirement in some schools and has become a bit of a social requirement in US schools.

 

[Bootsie]

Unless you want to spend many long hours in the Library writing papers and doing research, then yes you need to have some kind of computer to use at home, and most students prefer a notebook for obvious portability.

But no it is not required and many students get by without it.

Also many people are switchers and want to get their computers set up and get used to the new OS before worrying about getting things done for classes. (That is my concern anyway)

 

[26139]

Hmmm

For most people it's a communication tool rather than just a computer.

I think the obvious answer is the simplest: because everyone else has one.

 

[MowingDevil]

Look, do yourselves all a favour then and get a MacBook or an Air.
Seriously, the MBP is way overkill for general post secondary studies. Get the PRO if you're recording audio, capturing video or doing some kind of graphic arts. For doing web research, writing papers and running basic programs the regular Macbook is more than adequate. Save the extra money for beer.

 

[winninganthem]

In this day and age, it's pretty important to own a computer.

When students move away from home to dorm for college, most pick a laptop because it's portable.

 

[gandalf79]

All colleges require you to have access to a computer. My school, Virginia Tech College of Engineering, requires a laptop. Other colleges at Virginia Tech only require a personal computer of some kind.

I find a laptop convenient when working at group meetings at school between classes. Before I got my laptop, I really did not see a need for one. Now that I have a laptop, I don't want anything else.

 

[B1rdman]

Look, do yourselves all a favour then and get a MacBook or an Air.
Seriously, the MBP is way overkill for general post secondary studies. Get the PRO if you're recording audio, capturing video or doing some kind of graphic arts. For doing web research, writing papers and running basic programs the regular Macbook is more than adequate. Save the extra money for beer.

I totally agree, most don't completely need all the power, but personally, the main reason I feel I want the MBP over the MB is the screen size. Honestly, I don't have bad vision at all, just that the 15 inch screens I find much more manageable for having multiple windows open when writing research papers...the 13in screen kills the macbook for me. If they offered a cheaper 15in mac laptop I'd be all over it, but prob not gonna happen, right? Maybe I shouldn't even be looking at apple's then you might say...?

And to the OP: having a laptop in college has become the social standard. so as I think another poster was saying:the majority conform. It's a huge convenience.

 

[bsamcash]

the 13in screen kills the macbook for me. If they offered a cheaper 15in mac laptop I'd be all over it,

It doesn't have to kill it. With the money you save by buying the midrange MacBook you can get yourself an external for your term papers and research. That way you have less weight and size to carry to classes, and a pretty screen (larger than 15 inches) waiting for you when you get back home.

But that's just me being a total MacBook fanboy. I love the Pro also, but I find it to be overkill for anyone that isn't seriously going to use the power.

 

[BullMooseFilms]

My school also requires a MBP laptop, we have to be able to do editing work with Final Cut (it's a film program) and they want us to be able to write or whatnot all over school or if we're out on sets. Our school is downtown Chicago and it's in two buildings, one is the main campus on 3 floors, and our studios are about a mile away in another building, so for the stuff we do, we do need a laptop.

 

[Tex-Twil]

ok thanks for your opinions. In my university, we had a lab with some desktops and it was reserved only for students of our year. Everybody had his PC in this lab to work on the projects on. We could come whatever hour (I remember working till 4am ) there so it was also a "communcation tool" with families.

Look, do yourselves all a favour then and get a MacBook or an Air.
Seriously, the MBP is way overkill for general post secondary studies. Get the PRO if you're recording audio, capturing video or doing some kind of graphic arts. For doing web research, writing papers and running basic programs the regular Macbook is more than adequate. Save the extra money for beer.

I didn't open this post to find out which MBP/MB/MA is suitable for college. One can buy what he wants. This is off topic.


Tex

 

[Metuas]

Look, do yourselves all a favour then and get a MacBook or an Air.
Seriously, the MBP is way overkill for general post secondary studies. Get the PRO if you're recording audio, capturing video or doing some kind of graphic arts. For doing web research, writing papers and running basic programs the regular Macbook is more than adequate. Save the extra money for beer.

It's somewhat overkill - but a refurb 2.2 SR MBP from Apple is very reasonable and is a little less than $1500 - which is perfect for those with horrible vision (like me) and need a big screen, but don't need all the power of a brand new one.

I just ordered one - it's arriving next week. Now excuse me while I jump around with glee.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm a teacher in college, and I'd say a personal notebook is pretty indispensable these days. When I was an undergrad, (back in the days of the last recession) the few computers on campus were the preserve of nerds and geeks, were generally under lock and key, or were otherwise inaccessible, with endless queues and much mystification as few outside of the esoteric ones even knew how to use them; meanwhile the rest of us used pen and ink for lectures, and borrowed electric (the IBM golf-ball was a great machine) or portable type-writers to submit assignments.

Nowadays, teachers expect quality papers - legible quality papers - from students and it helps to have your own machine, rather than queuing endlessly in educational establishments that might have limited resources. (I know the US largely has well resourced colleges, but this has not always been the case in Europe). One of the places I have worked in now expects the students to submit all of their work online, so personal email addresses and access to personal computers are a must, not a luxury.

Re the actual machine, my advice is to get the best you can afford. Apple is always superb, (I'm a recent switcher) and I love my (recently acquired) MBP. In any case, you can always sell it subsequently if it is excessive for your immediate needs, but my sense is that with the demands colleges increasingly place on students, the higher power specs and faster speeds will come to be necessary for simply doing your work over the coming years, rather than it all being something of an optional extra. Good luck with it.
MBP 15.4", 2.4ghz, 2 GB RAM, 160 HDD
iPod classic, black, 30 GB

 

[fr4c]

Yes they do.

For access to Facebook.

I get network troubleshoot requests like that from move-in week until about a month into the semester.

 

[wadejc85]

It's a requirement in some schools and has become a bit of a social requirement in US schools.

Agreed completely!!

For me, I never once used a computer in class for my engineering classes. We were too busy drawing diagrams or writing equations (i.e. typing was useless).

 

[RITZFit]

so far I've never been in a situation where I absolutely needed a laptop on me at all times...we have a good bit of computer labs on campus. For me, getting a laptop was more for convenience, especially since I don't spend all day on campus and have a way to do crap at home or on campus...or wherever

 

[26139]

hmm....

Agreed completely!!

For me, I never once used a computer in class for my engineering classes. We were too busy drawing diagrams or writing equations (i.e. typing was useless).

That's funny, I used my laptop in class all the time as a journalism major. I didn't draw too many diagrams or write many equations, either. Come to think of it, no one was...

 

[dukebound85]

Agreed completely!!

For me, I never once used a computer in class for my engineering classes. We were too busy drawing diagrams or writing equations (i.e. typing was useless).

me either. imo, i dont see the point in bringing in a computer for class. a notebook (the paper kind lol) is so much more versatile for me anyday!

that said, when i started college, i didnt have a computer until a month or 2 after classes started. ended up getting an emac but then junior year upgraded to a mb. not for daily portable reasons other than i hated moving the emac home during the holidays haha

now, after graduating i still have a mb and have since built a hackintosh lol

 

[wadejc85]

That's funny, I used my laptop in class all the time as a journalism major. I didn't draw too many diagrams or write many equations, either. Come to think of it, no one was...

Well, if you were a journalism major, you would need a laptop to type up class notes or to follow along with presentations.

me either. imo, i dont see the point in bringing in a computer for class. a notebook (the paper kind lol) is so much more versatile for me anyday!

that said, when i started college, i didnt have a computer until a month or 2 after classes started. ended up getting an emac but then junior year upgraded to a mb. not for daily portable reasons other than i hated moving the emac home during the holidays haha

now, after graduating i still have a mb and have since built a hackintosh lol

I commute to college right now, and I hate lugging around my 4 year old HP when I need to work and research on campus.

Heh, emac.. both of these expressions come to mind: and

My girlfriend didn't know why she was "highly recommended" to have a laptop when she first started law school. Halfway through her first semester she bought one because a) she was the only person who didn't have one and b) all tests were taken on the computer via some sort of essay writing software.

 

[Firefly2002]

Look, do yourselves all a favour then and get a MacBook or an Air.
Seriously, the MBP is way overkill for general post secondary studies. Get the PRO if you're recording audio, capturing video or doing some kind of graphic arts. For doing web research, writing papers and running basic programs the regular Macbook is more than adequate. Save the extra money for beer.

Please don't presume to tell me what it is I need. I like to game, something I cannot do on an Air (which I would never consider) or a MacBook. I also use Photoshop quite a bit, am starting to like Lightroom and Aperture on my old Beige G3, and intend to keep this laptop for a long time to come, when whatever extra power over the MacBook it provides will be welcome when it's stretched thin (as it's not very expandable).

As I'm very much looking forward to Diablo III, I think I'd be left a little bit out in the cold by the Air's or the MacBook's capabilities, don't you? Even if that were not the case, I find I need all the screen real estate I can get when it comes to laptops.... the 1280x800 on my last Toshiba did NOT cut it (I found the 15" screen just big enough though), and I'm not sure even the 1440x900 will be enough, hence my hoping for an increased res on the next-gen MBPs. And that's not even counting wanting to run Soul Caliber on a Dreamcast emulator.

As for beer.... lol, the $200 or so I might save would kinda only be a down-payment.... unfortunately I have an expensive taste, and me and my roommate need to drink quite a bit before we're good.

 

[mixmacface]

Unless you want to spend many long hours in the Library writing papers and doing research, then yes you need to have some kind of computer to use at home, and most students prefer a notebook for obvious portability.

But no it is not required and many students get by without it.

Also many people are switchers and want to get their computers set up and get used to the new OS before worrying about getting things done for classes. (That is my concern anyway)

+1.

i am in art school, and they highly recommend a laptop or a personal computer of some sort. there are always projects that need researched, or something that needs access to a computer. spending too much time in the library is crazy, especially with it being on the other end of the campus from the art studios.

but i would have to say it's more of a social requirement. . nobody likes a real-life friend when there are friends on facebook

 

[dukebound85]

Well, if you were a journalism major, you would need a laptop to type up class notes or to follow along with presentations.



I commute to college right now, and I hate lugging around my 4 year old HP when I need to work and research on campus.

Heh, emac.. both of these expressions come to mind: and

My girlfriend didn't know why she was "highly recommended" to have a laptop when she first started law school. Halfway through her first semester she bought one because a) she was the only person who didn't have one and b) all tests were taken on the computer via some sort of essay writing software.

my roommate freshman year said the emac looked like a boob. now every time i see in emac from behind, i think of boobs lol

 

[masse]

my roommate's brother went to georgia tech for computer science 3 years ago and never had a computer the whole time. However, it's becoming more and more necessary to stay connected (homework and grades all posted online, notifications by email), but nothing that requires anything more than an old powerbook like mine.

I only felt the pain once while trying to make a video of pictures and music, and a few times in matlab and photoshop. I would like to video chat without hogging all of my resources though (use xbox live camera).

All in all I don't need a laptop for school but kind of do at the same time. It's a lot more convenient than going to one of the computer clusters on campus.

 

[Tex-Twil]

After reading all your posts, it appears to me that it is really more a social requirement and a bit help to the college life but not really a must have .