Is a Laptop Necessary for College?

[Chelsey]

Ok...I was just asking for your opinions, no need to start flaming me. I'm glad I have some people who have been there done that to give me advice. They didn't even have laptops when my mom was in college

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
I have a desktop that I'm planning on taking. I was concerned about not being able to take notes fast enough. I have enough problems in the college classes I am taking in high school, much less veterinary medicine!

Toastedlightly, I am indeed a girl...hello to you too

if your big concern is note taking, you're better off using a digital recorder than a laptop.

it will also allow you to focus your attention 100% on the professor, which I personally found to be more helpful than notes. half-way through Sophomore year, I stopped taking notes entirely because I found that I learned things significantly better if I just paid attention in class (took out the need for cram sessions before finals too )

 

[gwlam12]

I have a laptop and I use it to do my homework. But I'm a Computer Science major. With my laptop, I can program wherever I'm at.

 

[RbSX]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
I have a desktop that I'm planning on taking. I was concerned about not being able to take notes fast enough. I have enough problems in the college classes I am taking in high school, much less veterinary medicine!

Toastedlightly, I am indeed a girl...hello to you too

Read my post again.. it's just as inconvenient and difficult to take notes on a computer.. you'd better believe it.. you spend so mucch time tabbing the bullets and going back up and adding notes to some other part the prof skipped the conevience factor is almost non existant.

 

[SaturnX]

If you're takin' and math courses, a laptop will be utterly useless in class, unless you can somehow use Equation Editor faster than you can write or know LATEX better than you can copy.

--Mark

 

[SSP]

My program require laptops. But in class, I use the good ole pen and paper.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
A laptop isnt necessary, but a computer is.

Not really, any college worth its salt has tons and tons of high-end computers for the students to use whenever they want.

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: RyanSengara

Originally posted by: Chelsey
I have a desktop that I'm planning on taking. I was concerned about not being able to take notes fast enough. I have enough problems in the college classes I am taking in high school, much less veterinary medicine!

Toastedlightly, I am indeed a girl...hello to you too

Read my post again.. it's just as inconvenient and difficult to take notes on a computer.. you'd better believe it.. you spend so mucch time tabbing the bullets and going back up and adding notes to some other part the prof skipped the conevience factor is almost non existant.

I have to agree with Ryan here. Like I've said, I've seen students use Tablet PCs very effectively, but you will end up with hand written notes.

That being said, having a laptop is very handy. You can do work wherever... in the library, in the cafeteria, etc. With wireless internet popping up all over campuses, laptops are getting better and better. I have both a laptop and a desktop, but I'm a graduate student. I used my laptop in my office, I teach with it, I take it to conferences. I do a lot of work on my laptop, but if I need to do any serious writing, I always use my desktop. Better screen, full sized keyboard, more power.

Ryan

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: Gobadgrs
A laptop isnt necessary, but a computer is.

Not really, any college worth its salt has tons and tons of high-end computers for the students to use whenever they want.

yeah, but it sucks to have to schlep out to a computer lab if you have insomnia at 3 am and feel like hacking away at a paper.

 

[Chelsey]

Would it be beneficial to find a recording device that could convert the sound bytes into MP3s and then move them to my computer? I think I'd do best if I took notes in class and then listened again to the lecture while taking notes on a computer.

Just to clarify:
I do have a reliable desktop with a large harddrive for all of the papers and crap I'll be writing in college. Even if I did get a laptop(which I'm currently rethinking thanks to you guys ), I would still upgrade my computer before I went to college.

 

[Reel]

Let me preface this with you don't need a laptop. I got the black friday deal laptop this year for $500. It is basically as bad of a laptop as you can get while still being new. It is all I needed to take it to school. I follow along with lectures from the online files. I look up things that come up in class that spur my interest and I work on my projects on the side. I thoroughly enjoy it and I use it because it increases my efficiency while on campus but I don't need it.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...6683&enterthread=y

Check that one out. It is about what I got. If you have a good desktop, that is about all you'd need in a laptop.

 

[NakaNaka]

I have a laptop. I don;t think you will use it for notes. However, it's great for a) going to the library b) going home. Also, I have a lock on my laptop and I don't know anyone who has had theirs stolen. It also depends on the school you go to. Have thefts been a problem?

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
Would it be beneficial to find a recording device that could convert the sound bytes into MP3s and then move them to my computer? I think I'd do best if I took notes in class and then listened again to the lecture while taking notes on a computer.

my junior year roommate had pretty bad ADD, and that's what he did. worked out pretty well.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
Ok...I was just asking for your opinions, no need to start flaming me. I'm glad I have some people who have been there done that to give me advice. They didn't even have laptops when my mom was in college

If I read this thread correctly it looks like you're going to college to become a vetenarian. I'll have to concur with everybody in this thread in stating that you do not NEED a laptop, especially since you already have a desktop system. My sister went to college to become a RPN (that's short for registered practictioner of nursing, or something like that) and while she did have a laptop (mine actually) she never took it to class. Believe me the courses she took were VERY heavy on notes and while she can type very well she found she was better off writing down her notes. The only time she used the laptop was to type papers. Frankly I'd recommend a digital voice recorder.

Just an add-on thought here that I saw pointed out once already. What you might want consider is getting a Dell Axim X50 (or something similar) and a keyboard to go along with it. With a setup like that you could take shorthand notes at the same time it's recording the lecture. There are programs available for PocketPCs that also record in mp3 format.

 

[Chelsey]

Originally posted by: ReelC00L
Let me preface this with you don't need a laptop. I got the black friday deal laptop this year for $500. It is basically as bad of a laptop as you can get while still being new. It is all I needed to take it to school. I follow along with lectures from the online files. I look up things that come up in class that spur my interest and I work on my projects on the side. I thoroughly enjoy it and I use it because it increases my efficiency while on campus but I don't need it.

I would probably be doing the same thing.

 

[silverpig]

Not necessary.

I'm getting one soon for my school stuff, but it's for convenience, I know it, and I'm paying for it. I just have a few long breaks during the day and I want to be able to do some work while at school. There are other reasons that will make my life easier, but I'm the one paying $2000 to make my own life easier and that's my decision on how to spend my money. I don't NEED one though. It's more of a toy that helps me do my work better as well.

 

[FleshLight]

Hook up your tape recorder to your line in and tell Soundforge/whatever-freeware-audio-editing-program you're using to save as mp3.

Or your Ipod/Nomad will do it for you.

 

[cjgallen]

My brother got a laptop for college. I'm typing on it right now. Shows you how much use he's getting out of it.

 

[Chelsey]

Originally posted by: loki8481

Originally posted by: Chelsey
Would it be beneficial to find a recording device that could convert the sound bytes into MP3s and then move them to my computer? I think I'd do best if I took notes in class and then listened again to the lecture while taking notes on a computer.

my junior year roommate had pretty bad ADD, and that's what he did. worked out pretty well.

I don't have ADD, but I do have problems taking tests. I have a tendency to think that I know things, but then take the test and find out I don't. In addition, I read SUPER fast, and sometimes I can't catch every detail even if I reread.

 

[isekii]

Only if you show your pic

 

[bootymac]

I doubt you'll need it. My friend got a PDA this year (Grade 11) and all he does is play Solitare on it

 

[Gibson486]

I toook my laptop to class....i did my Algarithmn and Data Structures homework. That said, I got a C- in the class.....yeah, I should have listened to the lecture. No, you don't need a laptop if you already have a computer to bring.

-When I screw up taking notes and have to erase, I miss important stuff
-I'm a perfectionist, so every letter has to be perfect and my handwriting has to be neat

those are very dumb reasons and they require quite a stretch to believe.

-I would rather not have to type papers at the same place all the time

then go to the school computer lab.

Really...the only time i ever took my laptop out of my dorm was when i went home (my mom's business documents are in there).

 

[MartyMcFly3]

I too thought I absolutely NEEDED a laptop at college. Fortunately, my parents helped me realize I wouldnt have used it before spending the chunk of change. I have seen some people use them in classes but not many. And yes, the typing can be really annoying depending on the type of room you are in for class.

I would recommend as some people have said, that if you need to type out your notes and stuff, just record the lectures and then type out the notes on a desktop. Just talk to the professor beforehand about it (for some reason some have a weird phobia of being taped) and I am sure they will let you.

 

[SSP]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
Would it be beneficial to find a recording device that could convert the sound bytes into MP3s and then move them to my computer? I think I'd do best if I took notes in class and then listened again to the lecture while taking notes on a computer.

Just to clarify:
I do have a reliable desktop with a large harddrive for all of the papers and crap I'll be writing in college. Even if I did get a laptop(which I'm currently rethinking thanks to you guys ), I would still upgrade my computer before I went to college.

Recording is good IF you need to go back and check what the proff said. BUT you can read your notes a hell of a lot faster then listening to lectures, unless you speed up the file, but then you wouldn't understand anything.

Since its required that I take my laptop to some classes, I use it to record the lectures with the built in mic and save it to the harddrive. I still take notes, since its faster/easier then listening to a recording.

Some MP3 players have built in mics. Mine does and it does an ok job of recording voice in a large lecture hall. But sometimes its hard to understand if some jerk is talking near me. I saw some JVC (i think) voice recorder which automatically save to MP3. So you can try to see if you can get something similar in your price range.

 

[Chelsey]

isekii: PIC OF ME