<p>I want to save money by not buying a computer & just using the computer lab. Do you think this is a bad idea? How productive would this be? Is the computer lab far from the dorms? Is it always crowded? </p>
<p>Btw, I’ll be staying at Reiber.</p>
<p>Rieber Hall has a 24/7 computer lab on the ground floor. It’s definitely doable but I wouldn’t suggest it… it’s a lot more convenient to have a laptop to bring to campus if needed.</p>
<p>Depends on your major, but I would say that it’s a pretty bad idea.</p>
<p>It is absolutely doable, though. Rieber has a 24-hour lab and you can print there (free up to a limit, and then pay-per-page after), and you can even rent a laptop from the on-campus libraries to use for a few hours at a time. To sync your files, you can use Dropbox/Google Apps and you can load a flash drive with applications from portableapps.com. If you’re an engineer, you can connect via SSH to Seasnet’s machines if you need Linux.</p>
<p>However, it’s always nice to have your own laptop or even a netbook. You can install the applications you need so that you’re not stuck using whatever’s on the lab machines and you’re not restricted to cloud storage when it comes to accessing your files. Furthermore, being able to work in your room, your lounge, or someone else’s lounge is pretty valuable in my opinion. Going to the lab to make every little change to your digital assignments could get pretty annoying, I would imagine. You can’t always expect to be at Rieber or even on campus when you need to get work done, so having a machine you can take on the go is pretty useful.</p>
<p>As everyone has said, it’s doable, but highly not recommended. </p>
<p>The lab hours are rather “eehh,” and even then, there sometimes aren’t enough computers. I used to work in the residential labs as a proctor, and I can guarantee you that the computers fill up on occasion, especially around midterms/finals, of course, that’s when you need it most. (Often times, I see people from the same class asking for help printing lecture notes or past exams etc…)</p>
<p>Even if that doesn’t bother you (I guess you could come early, or not procrastinate and don’t have to use it during peak hours), there also comes the issue of enrollment. There’s always a chance you will get a really late or early enrollment. Even though you’ll be near the Rieber 24hr lab, keep in mind there’s only about 8-12 computers in there (meaning it can be filled up pretty easily-- though, it’s generally not that bad of a problem since there’s always someone who’s just there briefly), and about 1-3 occasionally don’t work (don’t ask me why, I don’t know).</p>
<p>^ BTW, just to clarify, the labs are generally/most of the time not full. But it’ll pack when you need it most.</p>
<p>I’m gonna be a freshmen at UCLA next year so I’m not necessarily basing this on experience, but I think everyone should have their own laptop for college. It’s much more convenient and if you don’t care about the specs that much, you can get decent ones for around $400. It’s not that much compared to the rest of the college expenses, and you can get a netbook for a little lower too.</p>
<p>the school will let you use their macbooks, which have windows installed, for up to four hours at a time (although you can renew it online for even more time.) With that, there’s basically no need to have a computer. </p>
<p>With smart phones now a days, that’s all you really need, just something to get updates, emails, etc. If you don’t have one of those, though, then i’d definitely suggest at least getting one or the other.</p>
<p>As nice as laptops and netbooks are, they do add weight which can be a pain to carry depending on where you live. However, if you’re an internet field, like i assume the rest of us are, then yes it will be a pain to not have your own, but if you were, i would assume that the option of not having a laptop wouldn’t be a big deal to you.</p>
<p>several of my friends at school either don’t have their own laptops, or if they do they barely use them. If you’re one of these people, you totally don’t need one and just borrow one from the school when you need to use one.</p>
<p>It’s not that bad if you plan to study in the library. Powell library has a 24 hour computer lab (part of the Night Powell).</p>
<p>If you’re a engineer, you can have access to the engineering softwares at the SEASNET lab in Boelter Hall, which opens 9am - 11pm. There are usually lots of spaces after 6pm, even in midterm/final weeks, but the computers in the SEASNET lab get slow when you are working with 100000 data points in Excel.</p>
<p>Not getting a laptop doesn’t really save you money.</p>
<p>If you want to save money, try to get cheap textbooks (look up in the library, buy old textbooks from friends, upperclassmen, etc…).</p>
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<p>I kinda agree with this, but a data plan + smart phone costs about two or three times as much as a pretty good laptop over a 2 year period.</p>
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A smartphone is NOT cheaper than a computer. -.-</p>
<p>Smartphones require expensive data plans that often exceed $30/month. Just $30/month times 12 months is $360, more than the price of a new laptop! That doesn’t even factor in the worthless texting and talk plans spliced in. </p>
<p>Furthermore, the bulk of smartphones aren’t even cheaper than computers. A decent, unlocked smartphone costs $400+. High-end models such as the iPhone 4 are $600+. Compare this to a $200 netbook or $300 baseline laptop.</p>
<p>The bottom line is smartphones are not a cost-saving alternative at this point in time and have potential to cost several times the price of a computer over the course of just one year.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! I’m going to buy a cheap laptop then.</p>
<p>ah, my mistake 
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<p>Good luck with your laptop!</p>