Good laptop computers/software for MT majors???

nydancemom
Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:40:42 +0000

Just wanted to chime in about desktop vs. laptop, etc. Our D has a laptop which she purchased with some scholarship money she had won before she left for college. She had always used a desktop PC here at home, but she bought a Macbook laptop (not Macbook Pro–she couldn’t afford that and it seemed like overkill for what she would really need). She LOVES having the Mac and LOVES having a laptop. I really can’t imagine how she would survive with a desktop since she is rarely actually IN her room! Many days she leaves her room for an eight AM class and doesn’t return until well after midnight. As an example, for the last three weeks she has been rehearsing or performing in four different productions, is filling her required tech assignment on another production and still has to do homework for all of her classes including her dance classes. She told me she has been lucky with her tech assignment because she sits stage left with a headset on and occasionally has to follow a direction to close a curtain or start a fog machine, etc., but has quite a bit of time to actually do homework. Since she is currently researching for a movie she is making for her biology class, she has been able to do some of her work while sitting backstage. Also, as mentioned, traveling is another reason to have the laptop. We live 11 hours away by car, so she flies home for breaks. She always has her laptop to use in the airport and while she’s here. She also attended three summerstock auditions out of state, and had her laptop with her for those weekends. She is FAR too busy to be able to take a weekend off and NOT have access to her homework and research. She is taking 20 credit hours, including both MT and gen. ed. type classes, but honestly has papers to write, journals to keep, etc. even in her MT classes. There is SO much work to be done! We bought the Mac when they were having the college sales in August, at the Apple store, and got a free Nano with it. Her college gives the kids the word processing software since they want everyone on campus to have the same type–either PC or Mac version. We also bought the service plan through Apple, and also bought separate inexpensive insurance through NSSI which covers theft or breakage. We have not had to use either, thankfully, since her Macbook has worked great all year. Seriously, I can’t imagine how she would survive in her MT program if she did not have a laptop!