<p>I’m attending McCormick in the fall as well (2018!) and from what I’ve read and heard and otherwise digested, there are certain engineering softwares and programs that are not compatible with Macs, but with technology these days, that is largely irrelevant. At the worst, you can simply install software like Parallels or Bootcamp and run Windows on the Mac to get around this.</p>
<p>I would go with power user just to be safe, as engineers will use CAD software (my dad is an engineer and he’s constantly nagging me about these things, engineers rely on this and that, blah blah blah, you get the point) and I am relatively sure that those 13’’ Macbooks can, but won’t run stuff like CAD at an optimum performance. They will do the job, just not like the 15’’ stuff will. If your D was a Medill student, I would have recommended the 13’’ without a doubt. The extra oomph you get with the 15’’ (more powerful CPU, which btw, goes beyond the number by the GHz. Generally i7 > i5, in this specific case, the CPU for the 15’’ is definitely more powerful and better than the one in the 13’’, which isn’t that bad either; more memory, et cetera, cetera) will be much more convenient as an engineer. </p>
<p>So to sum it up, Apple laptops are fine for engineering and definitely go for the power user guideline.</p>
<p>To clarify, though. The 13’’ probably is going to be enough, but I would get the 15’’ just to make sure. Both CPUs are fine for the job, it’s just the 15’’ does it better. Just don’t get the cheapest 13’’ option nor the most expensive 15’’ option. The former has too little memory IMO and the latter is overkill in certain aspects and you’re just throwing money at that point. </p>