Is there someplace on/near campus that is recommended for new students to buy laptops and softward?
This is a great question, @rugbymom2. I haven’t found anything so far in my search. PS-Main did have a computer store, but the school closed it down years ago. If you are employed, does your employer offer an employee discount purchase program? This may be an option. In fact, I need to take a look at my employee program.
For software, you can download it from here:
Microsoft office is free for students.
https://software.psu.edu/info/microsoft-office-licensing