<p>are laptops necessary for college?
do people really take notes on their laptops in class?</p>
<p>pros:
saves space
mobile
tech savy
take notes in class
quieter than desktops (usually)</p>
<p>cons:
a grand or more usually
can be stolen
can break easily
no ergonomic keyboard</p>
<p>Depends on the classes. If you’re taking mostly science and math like me, then taking notes on a laptop in class doesn’t really work. But it’s definitely convenient to have one–when the roomate’s being noisy you can take it somewhere else and still do work, and really, a desktop takes up almost all your desk space in the small dorms. And you can get them for under 1000 if you look hard enough, mine’s an HP and was lots less than that and works great.</p>
<p>i think note-taking with a laptop is pointless unless you want to copy down everything the professor says</p>
<p>what i mostly do is listen and comprehend and then just write out a paragraph for myself. </p>
<p>leaving the comp on for all that time would be a waste of batteries and also would lead to procrastination and distractions</p>
<p>just my opinion</p>
<p>It’s possible to take notes on a laptop even in math and science classes. You just have to get really good at LaTeX (or Lyx, if you’re lazy). </p>
<p>tired_student: Whether you write on paper with a pencil or type has nothing to do with the content of your notes. I fail to see your point.</p>
<p>I have a desktop, and I’ve never regretted my decision. I have a nice keyboard, large flat screen monitor, tons of hard drive space, and a killer sound system. And it was cheaper than a laptop. I don’t know anyone who actually takes their laptops to class or out in general. </p>
<p>Therefore, it is not necessary to have a laptop, though some may find it more convenient.</p>
<p>If you live far away from your school, remember that you can’t just take a desktop on the plane</p>
<p>i think it’s nice to have, but DEFINITELY NOT necessary</p>
<p>Laptop discussions on this board have taught me that Olin is rare in this, but kids take their laptops everywhere here.</p>
<p>It’s much more convenient to have a laptop. You can take it around with you. It depends what kind of campus you are on as well, if it is at least some part wireless might influence your decision. I have desktop and it’s a pain connecting things, and it takes up a lot of space, and it’s just kind of bulky. Yes, it’s not NECESSARY, but definitely much more convenient and I regret not buying a laptop. I think I will next year and give my family my desktop, because our house needs a new computer anyways.</p>
<p>evanescenteuphoria - you may want to base part of your decision on the school you will be attending - as some schools now REQUIRE laptops - especially for certain majors - taking one to class to take notes is also usually a futile arrangement - unless the class REQUIRES you to have it there.</p>
<p>Laptops are quickly becoming the norm for most students these days - and BTW can be locked to something line your desk or whatever. You can also transport it with you when you go home pretty easily as well. Another benefit of using a laptop is that you can - at many many schools - utilize the wireless in other places besides your dorm room - like in the lounge, on campus, Starbucks etc…</p>
<p>Just stuff to think about</p>
<p>Heres the problem… laptops are nice to bring to the study lounge, library, etc BUT I cannot stare at a tiny screen all day… so some say get a bigger screen… well a 17" laptop isn’t exactly portable. So I got my 19" flat panel display with my desktop and then my tiny laptop. Some say its stupid to have a laptop & a desktop, but the cost of getting a docking station/keyboard/screen was nearly the same as getting a full desktop. Whatever… I know plenty of kids who have JUST a desktop and they’re fine.</p>
<p>Our kiddo is far from home - she travels with her laptop all the time - great for watching a movie - listening to music - playing games - etc… in the airport or while flying lol - or doing school work when she is not on campus - she has also had situations where she was away from campus and had a paper due or something like that - and was able to do it online and send it - so would be there by deadline. Just find laptop alot more convenient.</p>
<p>There are plenty of laptops that have good sized screens as well - they just generally take up alot less space than a desk top. It does end up being a personal choice - what is best/comfortable for you.</p>
<p>If the school has wireless all around campus … a laptop is A MUST.</p>
<p>Laptops are very convienent you can do research almost anywhere on a modern campus, get away from your roomate or working as a team in a coffee shop. Hand written notes are still convienent. Taking notes by hand and stopping to review them as you put them onto your laptop would not take long and would force a daily review of classes.</p>
<p>Honestly, laptops are only a must if you will be using it outside your room or are required to have one by the school. My friend with a laptop told me this morning that she kind of wishes she didn’t have one because it never leaves her desk (and yes, there is wireless on campus). I have a desktop and almost never wish that I had a laptop (except for when I’d like to be able to work from bed). I only take my computer home for the summer and use a family computer over breaks, but my parents drive me to and from school at move-in/out and I bring a book and my iPod if I’m going to be taking a bus or flying.</p>
<p>I actually find that laptops are really useless in most of my classes. Unless I had a tablet pc, I definitely can’t use the laptop for note-taking in Math class! In my Materials Science lecture, I’ve seen many use their laptops to keep track of the professor’s powerpoint, but I just print it out beforehand and write any notes on the printout. The great thing about the laptop is I can take it to study groups or the library whenever I need to. Other than that, mine stays on my desk in my dorm most of the day…and it’s not just me, all my suitemates rarely take their laptops out of their rooms.</p>
<p>Overall, though, I like having the laptop. Since I’m from waaaay out of town, bringing my laptop with me on the plane (which provided me better entertainment than the standard plane offerings) is more convenient than having my desktop shipped by some courier.</p>
<p>Cost isn’t really a huge issue nowadays because you can get a decent laptop for about $700 to $800 that will handle anything a college student would need, like word processing, internet, playing music, burning CDs, and watching DVDs, except maybe for games.</p>
<p>not really…millions and billions of people have gone through college w/o laptop…it’s more of a capitalist ploy</p>
<p>I have both and its very convenient. I had to send my laptop back to the manufacturer for repair and in the meantime i used my desktop. </p>
<p>Late ron when I got my laptop back, I had to finish up an assignment before 5pm and sne dit to my teach electronically…I brought my laptop with me to school and after classes, I found a comfortable spot, connected to the wifi network, did my work and sent it to my professor on time.</p>
<p>Likewise sometimes I just feel like doing work on my bed instad of at a desk…other times I want to sit up.</p>
<p>Each one has its pros and cons, but the main thing is, do you really want the portability of a laptop? If I was forced to choose one over the other, I would probably pick the laptop because I can take it with me (I bought mine originally for studying abroad…prior to that I only had a desktop and it wasquite a chore when I had to move in and out of dorms).</p>
<p>Just make sure that you have something you can backup your stuff on…maybe a backup hard drive, a usb drive or an ipod or something…just in case your system crashes or gets stolen.</p>
<p>Edit: btw, my desktop cost about $1350 when I got it (DELL) in summer 2002. In summer 2004, I got my laptop (Acer via Newegg.com) for about $1450 and it had better specs.</p>
<p>i wouldn’t really care to use a laptop on the airplane. if there’s no internet, there’s really no point. no mouse to play my first person shooter games anyways. </p>
<p>i much rather put on some earplugs and sleep or read.</p>