<p>TOM, you are right that not all programs run on both computers, although nowadays most do. The real problem is switching from one platform to the other since some companies make two different versions; you might own software for one platform that then has to be duplicated when you switch to the other.</p>
<p>I have never purchased Windows for my MacBook, so I can’t say how well it runs. If it works well, then the PC to Mac switch would not be as problematic as a Mac to PC switch, provided that you’re willing to buy Windows.</p>
<p>If you have windows and a dual core Mac, then the windows will run natively on the intel chips. So if you prefer Mac, but need windows to run certain programs, you can have it both ways.</p>
<p>If you need a specific program at college anyway, 99% of the time you’ll be able to use the program on a campus computer. Many programs used in math/science fields are expensive to buy, even with a student discount, and the school has licenses for most of them so you can use it at no cost. Yes, you can’t use these programs in your room, but the availability of these expensive programs on campus shouldn’t affect whether you purchase a Mac or PC (so choose whatever is more comfortable for you). In many cases, you’ll find that a number of the students in your classes will also be using publicly available computers to use the same programs, so you could even coordinate times and create an instant study group (or, in the case of some of my computer science classes, I knew which labs my classmates were likely to do their homework in, so I could stop by those rooms if I wanted company in lamenting the assignment or someone to bounce ideas off of). </p>
<p>(I’ve had to use one program in six semesters that wasn’t available in computer labs. It came with the purchase of my textbook, and I installed it to my H: so I could access the program from any on-campus computer.</p>
<p>My 2nd D is starting college this fall and we bought a Compaq laptop for her for about $550. We’ve recently been seeing ads for laptops for about $500: dual core; 512 MB - 1 Gb of memory; dvd burner. Our experience has been that these are good for general use. Neither one of our daughter’s is using any graphics or calculation intensive programs. Even if they were, these are probably good enough; they may not be the fastest machines money can buy, but they are good value for the money for a student.</p>