<p>At Stony Brook, what is more convenient, a desktop computer or laptop?</p>
<p>Can you bring laptops to class and take notes? </p>
<p>Is work mainly done in the dorm?</p>
<p>Is there wireless signals available throughout the entire campus for wi-fi connection?</p>
<p>The reason I ask is because desktops are much cheaper.</p>
<p>I can’t speak to individual students – perhaps some of our students who float through here can help – but wireless is available in quite a lot of places, but not everywhere. The residence halls are not wireless (yet?), but you can always plug a cord into the laptop. I do see students working on laptops in every lounge I pass by, and all over the library, so they’re certainly popular. And there are enough computer labs around that you can always find one.</p>
<p>That said, I’m a laptop guy myself, so I’m biased; I wouldn’t buy a desktop these days, as I like portability. Hopefully you can get some more responses; if not, poke around our admissions page and ask some of the students we have who blog there.</p>
<p>-Chris</p>
<p>Can any current students comment on this topic?</p>
<p>How often do you actually take your laptop out of your dorm to do work?
Are you allowed to take notes in class with your laptop?
Are thefts common?</p>
<p>:quote: How often do you actually take your laptop out of your dorm to do work?:/quote:
hardly ever… but thats just me- im a clutz.</p>
<p>:quote: Are you allowed to take notes in class with your laptop? :/quote:
yep. some classrooms/lecture halls even have outlets at the tables so you could plug your laptop in [and save battery]. I see a lot of people bring their laptops to large lectures…</p>
<p>:quote: Are thefts common? :/quote:
its not going to get stolen unless you leave it unattended.</p>
<p>can you buy a laptop through StonyBrook and get a considerable discount?</p>
<p>I have a laptop, which has worked pretty well for me–particularly when I was commuting. Now that I dorm, my laptop hardly ever leaves my room, but I’m still glad to have it because it gives me more options for arranging furniture and leaves more space on my desk. It’s also nice to bring it home easily on vacations and have the option of working in my common room (so as not to wake the roommate and such). People do bring laptops to classes, and there is pretty good wifi coverage in many of the academic buildings. I prefer longhand notes though, and loud typing in class is a very “that guy” thing to do. On the other hand, the extra bang for your buck you can get with a desktop can be awfully nice, and you’ll never actually <em>need</em> a laptop–it’s a nice option, but so is a faster machine that doesn’t overheat :)</p>
<p>Two of my suitemates last year got their laptops stolen, but that was because their door was open because one of them lost her key. Don’t leave your door unlocked or leave your laptop unattended, and you’ll be fine.</p>