Just how handy is a laptop for college?
 

I have a decent enough desktop PC that I will be brining to college, but am still considering getting a laptop.

But I want to know from people firsthand how useful their laptop ended up being to them?

The only real use I can see for it would be easier note taking, but I have two points I'm concerned about. First, I don't take too many notes in the first place. Secondly, typing them out doesn't help retention as well as writing them by hand does.

It might also be nice since I can bring it to the library and take all my work with me in one nice package, but it might also distract me there when I try to study (I get distracted pretty easily).

So how have people's experience been with a laptop during college?

While I barely had a computer when I was in University (used my girlfriend's Tandy 1000 running DOS and that was only from third year on) I would say from my experience in owning a laptop that it is especially convenient to be able to work pretty much anywhere.

I would have appreciated being able to write an essay in the library or being able to write it in a spare period rather than having to wait until I returned home.

Time management.

By the way... I would have still taken my notes by hand.

The people in class typing notes were as annoying as the ones chatting on their cell phones at the movies. CLICKETY-CLICKETY-CLICK TAP TAP CLICKETY... Lecture halls are pretty quiet, and those keys ring out.

Typing in the library might have been nice, but now any science major can grab any journal article they might need online through the university account.

One place where a laptop might be nice--if you're having a party, or just have a dumbass roommate, the little 'puter can go into a drawer somewhere so it doesn't get beer spilled all over it.

It gave me something to do while hanging around between classes.

So...I just sent my daughter off to college, with a laptop, so she could play games between classes? :hmm:
Somebody better be tellin' me, and pretty darn quick, why she needed the laptop. :mad:

Before you buy you should also check and see if the University requires anything special or if junior or senior year in your program you'll be required to buy a specific laptop. At my school pretty much all of my teachers use Powerpoint for their notes and it makes it easier to just have it right infront of you while they're lecturing; but otherwise the laptops mainly used for keeping me awake and msn during class.

That's fine as Science major but as an Arts major, I had books, books, some articles and more books.

I also had a lot of down time that I could have used more efficently. I lived off campus and getting home wasn't just a hop skip and a jump.

I know for a fact that my wife (recent Education grad and now teacher) used her laptop all the time while at school. It made working and going to school that much easier...

I found I had no need for a laptop over the course of my college career. Why? For one, I prefer taking notes by hand. Not many other students use a laptop in class, especially in liberal arts. For two, if I wanted one to tote around the library with me, my school checks out laptops at the circulation desk. I can save my work to my server space and access it from any computer on campus as well as my home computer (after some configuration). My school, being an engineering school, always has top of the line computers, so I just find it easier to use theirs :)

I think it pretty much depends on how much you will use it away from your desk. Personally, I don't think I'd want to take a laptop to class for notes or anything like that, seems like too much of a hassle to me, I'd just as soon write them out myself.

If you think you will take it a lot of places, and take advantage of the portability, I'd say go for it. As someone else already said, you could always just use it to play games on when you're bored ;)

I am taking Business currently and I find that my desktop PC is just perfect. A laptop is not convienent(sp?). Having to carry that big piece around and extra weight on top of your papers and books can be a pain. Walking for 45-60 mins in day in total with that extra pounds would suck. Also... nowadays most schools have 24 hour labs and stuff too.

Another piss off about laptops is the small keyboard and the touch mouse. I HATE IT!... i press like 3-4 buttons when im trying to press one.

And lastly... u could definetly use that extra $$ that u saved from not buying a laptop towards books, booze, drugs.. whatever your thing is....

I brought along my desktop PC to college, which was good for me because like you, I retain information better when I write my notes by hand. So I only needed my computer when I was in my dorm room anyway.

However, laptops are good for dorm-life just for the fact that if your room gets too noisy you can just take your laptop to a quieter study place or to the library on campus. Or, if you want to go off and study with friends it's easy just to take it wherever.

Also, when moving around between semesters, a desktop PC can be extremely inconvienent... heaviest freakin' boxes that I had to haul up and down flights of stairs and always bother with hooking it up when I moved in and when I lived with my dad during breaks.

I guess it's really a matter of whether or not you'll be taking it out of your room that often. :)

I have a laptop but it acts as my pc. It's best for me because I have practically no desk space and they frown upon people bringing their own furniture from homeit just folds up and slides into a corner, which will be handy when I start classes and need a desk.

Think of how you process information. Do you work better with a computer or pen and paper? Also, does your school have wireless internet all over the campus? From what I've seen, having access to it during class makes for easy distractions and lots of temptation.

Oh certainly. That's why I qualified it. My wife went through a community resource development program and spent her whole academic career looking through the parts of the library most people didn't know existed. She'd come home late at night smelling of mould and would set off my allergies.

I should also say that laptops were pricey and were practically luxury items when I was an undergrad.

By "something to do", he of course meant "study really hard".

In the IT field (at least where I'm from) it's generally accepted that the vast majority of people who buy laptops do not need them and this applies doubly to students. If there's a legitimate need in class for a laptop for Powerpoint or what have ya, then yeah, you'll want to get one. If not, then there's really no point in spending the money which could probably be better used somewhere else.

Some things to consider:

Are you living in residence on campus? Rez students rarely need a laptop since home is so close to hand during the day. If you desperately need something off your computer and it's a five minute walk that's a bit different than if you need it and it's 20 minutes by car/bus. If you're halfway organized this will likely not be an issue, but shit happens sometimes.

Is the scalability a concern? The two major disadvantages of a laptop are scalability and cost. While they're getting better in both fields, it's still much easier to upgrade and alter a desktop PC to possible changing needs than a laptop. Laptops also aren't as good for gaming, generally speaking, so if you do or plan to do a lot of PC gaming you may want to stick to the desktop.

What about cost? Is money an issue? Again generally speaking it costs more to get the same amount of power in a laptop than it would in a desktop. Is that a concern?

All things considered I'd say if you needed a laptop you'd already have one by now. The very fact that you feel the need to ask for opinions is a sign to me that it's not really something necessary for you. Are they handy? Yeah, there's no denying that, especially if there are wireless access points set up on your campus. Being able to take the internet with you is a huge plus. The only question is if the benefits justify the cost. Given the drawbacks, ask yourself if this is going to improve your life enough to justify spending over a thousand dollars. If it is, go for it. If not, than use the money for beer instead.

Alternatively, you could throw the cash in a savings account and wait until you're at school. Wherever it is you're studying there'll be a store where you can buy a laptop if three days into the semester you decide you can't live without one. Try going without first and if it's too much of a pain in the ass then get one.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It seems people didn't really find that a laptop helped too much, so I think I'm just going to stick with my desktop and tell my parents to use that money to pay for the twelve thousand dollar loan they had to take out. It wasn't going to be a fancy, expensive, laptop, but rather just one that could be used for word processing. I was thinking around $400, which doesn't seem much for this type of thing at all, but that four hundred can help in other places.

Yeah, I think I can work better with pen and paper -- at least in the brainstorming stages. And there is wireless internet, which did worry me for the very reasons you listed.

Scalability really isn't a concern as I said I'd be getting a cheap one anyway. Secondly, my desktop PC is capped out pretty much and would need a full rehaul (motherboard is AGP 2x/4x and supports up to 2.4ghz processor). I won't be upgrading my desktop for at least over a year. While I played online games quite a bit during highschool, I'm going to keep gaming to a minimum so I'm not concerned about that. Anyway, I'd rather play games at my desktop because I hate laptop screens.

Thanks again for the replies everyone.

I've seen some people bring PDAs with foldable keyboards to lectures, which seems awesome since a PDA's so portable and you can do pretty much the same things as a laptop for your needs.
I'm not sure if this is possible, (someone mentioned in passing) that maybe you can hook up a keyboard to your cellphone, (a new one, obviously.)
I don't know the details, but the PDA option seems.

I got my laptop at the end of April, and while I haven't had the experience of taking it to school yet, so far the benefits have been astounding.

I can go to my local coffee shop that has wireless internet, and do anything there that I could at home. Also, I'm sure note-taking will now be a breeze, and if you have any papers to write, if you need to go to someone else's house for a project for any reason, you can still work on it, and have everything you need in one place.

I start school on Tuesday, so I'll let you know more then.

I love my lappy. It's extremely handy for taking notes in class, looking up course materials, etc. I am a computer science major, and having the ability to look anything up on the fly during class via wireless connection is a boon that rivals no other. I also type much faster than I write, which also helps.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still prone to goof off during class at times, but the benefits of having the laptop in class far outweigh the disadvantages. Just get a good backpack that has comfortable cushioned straps - the weight of the laptop is a minor inconvenience, but if you can't handle an extra 5-8 lb. of stuff carried on your back, you have way too much stuff in there already or shouldn't be using a backpack anyway. If you have back problems, you should probably be using a rolling attache case anyway.

I disagree with those who say having a laptop is not that handy in school. For those like me who are too easily distracted in their rooms (or at home, when I was in grad school) to get their work done, being able to pick up everything and go to the library with your computer was very handy.

I used my laptop all the time in school. Not for class or note taking, just when I wanted to use the internet in my dorm. It's hard to lounge around on the couch with a desktop. Very uncomfortable. I've got to second the space issue too. I just fold mine up and slide it out of sight. Just be sure to check the size of the laptop. So many people get the huge ones, which are really fast, but they weigh more than a loaded semi and are close to the same size. I recommend the really little ones, maybe even forgo a cd drive for a dock with one.

Will you be going home very often and more importantly, does your family have a computer for you to use while there? That was the most annoying thing about having a desktop the first two years of school. I would go home for weeks and have to deal with their computer, so wonderfully contaminated by the sisters. It's even more important now with traveling about half the time.

Honestly, how many people need expandability? I built my computer going into college with that mind set and never once added anything on. Not even RAM. All in all, laptop all the way.

You can get along fine in college without a laptop. The main reason for having one has to do with lifestyle and the need for quiet. As somebody else said, if your dorm room or floor is noisy and you can't do work, you can always pick up the laptop and move it somewhere quieter, like the library or a lounge. After you spend some time in the dorm, you'll know whether this is important to you or not.

The second advantage comes if you move into a shared house with other students. Places like this tend to be pretty crowded and noisy as well, and again a laptop will allow you to work in the backyard, driveway, or wherever you want, and spare the not inconsiderable space that a desktop with computer desk takes up. Also, if the household decides to spring for DSL, you can all set up a wireless network with a single router and be connected wherever you are. (I'd pop for the faster DSL, though :-) )

But you won't be missing out on anything by not bringing a laptop to class. The way to learn is to take fewer notes and ask more questions, not write a transcript of the teacher's remarks :-).

I do use a laptop, but thats more so for me because actual writing is a tad difficult for me, whereas I can keep up with lecture notes by typing.
However, I don't use my laptop in any math classes, as well, they're a real pain to type notes in (and the notes aren't usually very intensive)
I have a subcompact laptop (like 10"x8"x1") so it's not a pain to carry around, lighter than my textbooks actually.

Not worth the cash, you will not use it.

People steal stuff.

Laptops take up less room in the dorm though...

I have a laptop, but only because I went to Japan.. and bringing a desktop was not something I could do.

When I get home... I doubt I will carry this to college... Because it is stronger then my PC.. I guess i'll just use it until some new cool shit comes out :)

Don't know if it's too late, but I went all through undergrad with just a desktop. Some of my roommates had laptops, others didn't. When it came to grad school I got a laptop. I did used it to take notes in class, but where it came in most handy for me was in situations where my room was too much distraction to do work. With the laptop you can pick up and head to the library, or you can bring it to group projects, etc. Very, very useful in my experience, especially with the widespread use of wireless on campus these days. I highly suggest one if possible having been through both experiences.

"For two, if I wanted one to tote around the library with me, my school checks out laptops at the circulation desk. " ones...what school do you go to? They would trust students to check out laptops? Were they good ones or pretty crappy laptops? Just curious...everybody at 'SC had their own laptop if they wanted one, but I still couldn't imagine them lending laptops.

Of course, it's personal preference. If you aren't good at working on a computer (which easily permits distraction), then the benefit will be less than if you work well on a computer. So, here's a list of reasons why I preferred a laptop at school (mind you, I also had a desktop computer in my apartment and in my campus-office):

1) Easy to carry around all of your digital work
2) Can work anywhere (outside...I loved working outside on a sunny day, in the shade so I could see the screen :-)
3) Can work at any time (especially helpful if you had to commute to school, like I did)
4) Quicker (for me) to type than write
5) Better data retention (for me) than millions of sheets of paper

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Truly with the advent of different websites and shit where you can keep everything online with 100% guaranteed not to lose it like yahoo briefcase or gmail, and universities typically offer something along those lines as well, there's no reason not to work out of computers labs if you're anxious to save some money.

I've yet to meet anyone who needed a laptop at my school, (University of Texas) probably because they have a copious amount of microcomputer facilities and separate labs for engineers / CS students / RTF people.

I got a laptop before going to college (last year) and I hardly used it outside of my room. True it was kinda hefty (7 lbs) but I only started to use it later on to take notes in class, but then I discovered that I hardly review what I typed down, lol thats my own fault. But you really dont need a laptop unless you like typing notes for safekeeping and spend a lot of time at the library.

Unlike what you hear, I don't think most students take as much notes on a laptop as tv and other media would seem to portray. Of course there are the handful of class rooms loaded with students typing notes into a laptop during a lecture but in my experience it's an over exaggerated stereotype. Not to say the laptop wasn't handy when I was in college. I used it most everyday, I did alot of typing of papers while at school with it as well as used programs that aided with labs and my course. Personally I'd say a laptop is a pretty good school supply generally and a space saver for a dorm going student over having a full size desktop in the dorm room. On the other hand, laptops aren't required to get things done in college (at least not yet) so it is possible to live without one for most students. You really gotta attend your classes and decide for yourself if a laptop is worth the money.

Definetly, in one of my 350 person lectures, there i probably maybe 15-20 laptops. That seems to be about the percentage for laptops, definetly under 10%. more students have them, but few take notes on them.
For me, I type a lot faster than I write, so it's a no brainer.

Do you know your daughter? That's about the only thing that matters in figuring that one out.

I got mine late in my senior year of undergrad, and quickly became addicted. While i do use it for distraction at times, the major use i had for it was working away from my room. I had mostly done work in my dorm for the first three years, but with major projects and better friendship with my roomie, it wasn't as productive there as i needed it to be.

i now take all my notes that way (my handwriting is simply terrible, and this saves me a lot of trouble when reviewing) and use it to work and email between classes. being at a place with WIFI makes a huge difference...i don't think i'd use it half as much if that wasn't there.

here at divinity school, it's pretty popular. in my old testatment lecture (one of the largest classes at the school) there are about 1/3 laptop users. smaller classes often less so. but i've gotten a lot out of having all my work at my fingertips when in class...i can look up pdfs, fact check before i raise my hand, or consult a paper i've written previously.

I can get distracted so easy that I don't think I should get one...
Its like... "MSN...no...must...resist...Ah, what the hell, fuck it."
I'll just settle with my desktop.

This term I didn't have any internet access at home, and that really helps when you're studying. Mostly because you're so bored you decide that anything is better than doing nothing.

My friend decided to uninstall MSN messenger for a semester. His grades went up dramatically.
I'll probably consider it in the future.

My first semester at school I had a desktop. After that, I bought a nice laptop that will serve me for the remainder of school, and probably several years after that.

The PC was too bulky and unwieldy. It fit under my desk, but took up a big chunk of leg room - and I couldn't push my chair in all the way. I had a nice LCD flatpanel, but that plus keyboard, plus mouse, just took up too much space. The keyboard was a big space waster. In the time I used it I got pretty good at typing from my lap. It was also too loud. I couldn't keep it on overnight it was so loud.

My laptop only occasionally leaves my desk. I don't use my laptop to take notes in class. No one does, actually (and I'm a physics major!) But when I want to move it, I can - and that makes all the difference. I can go to the library, other rooms, outside, anywhere. The laptop gives me more room to work than I previously had. It can go on the extreme side if I need to have a lot on my desk already. I even have room for small electronics projects. Having the laptop open, right there, is very helpful. I have a standard mouse, along with my printer and external hard drive, that I keep plugged in when at my desk. My Thinkpad keyboard is full sized and feels great to type on. It's fast enough for my purposes - Internet, Office Applications, Mathematica, and Music. No games, the occasional DVD. I can't imagine needing much else in the next few years.

I consider the laptop to be a wise investment. Sure you can get buy without one, but the compactness and portability more than make up for any negatives, at least for the student's purposes.

If I find that a laptop is extremely useful for mobility purposes, I might get a used one, and make it my secondary computer.

Ill be a senior after this semester, so far I have had no need for one whatsoever.

A couple of points, just random things that came to mind while reading this, some positive, some negative...

1) More and more universities are requiring laptops. Mine does--all incoming freshman have to have one that meets certain standards.
2) It's nice being able to work wherever--library, coffee shop, even in class if you arent getting anything out of it.
3) Watch out for distractions. I tend to be easily distracted, so I have to make sure not to take my laptop out in class, or I'll spend the whole time goofing off instead of paying attention.
4) Most of the time, pen and paper is better for taking notes.
5) Some classes (at least at my school) are setup for a notebook. Many classes use software that you'll want to be able to use in class. There are quite a few at my school that even have the tests on the student's laptops, in the class.
6) If your laptop is too heavy to carry to class, you probably bought the wrong laptop. Laptops are meant to be carried around, not to be desktop replacements. Don't buy one of the ones that weighs 13 pounds and has a TV sized screen.

Dorms were almost always small and uncomfortable, with no place to sit except for my bed or a flat wooden chair. Being able to use my laptop, well, on my lap was very helpful because I could sit anywhere in the room where I could find even a small measure of comfort. Having a desktop computer means living at a desk, which nobody's bum ever seems to be happy about.

I haven't heard of a single university requiring that a laptop be purchased for school. There are a lot of disadvantages for laptops as well.
1) Less value for your money (a $1500 desktop could very well be a $2400 laptop)
2) Security - easily stolen
3) Easily broken, a "accidental warranty" will run around $300 for a 3-year warranty, no questions asked policy.

I would advise for a desktop, a lot of places have laptops for rent. For example, at our student center, you can rent a laptop free of charge when you are there, and at the library it is the same deal. Wireless internet in both locations as well. So there goes the mobility advantage, for me at least.

I'm finding my laptop incredibly useful. The computers in the institute where I study are in dire, dire need of an upgrade (Read Win 98 SE) and run incredibly slowly. There's no way to save your work unless it's onto floppy (No e-mailing your work to an account so that you can pick it up later elsewhere, as something is messed up network-wide and no USB key disks either).

The machines in the library are running some kind of Linux (I think it's Mandrake) and while they are modern, I just can't get used to the layout. Plus, something in the brower settings (Konquerer) crashes it every time I try and go onto the institute's own web site to get class updates, info etc. Add to this the fact that I just can't get used to a French keyboard (Shift+comma for a full stop or period(!)) and I've got a prime excuse for using my laptop.
Moving a desktop over to another country is not an option, and I tend to do all of my non-note related work on my computer anyway - it's neater.

All of these things combined make my personal choice obvious, but what about a "3rd way" - Small Form Factor or SFFs? I know you need all the extra kit such as a screen etc but even once those having been added on, if you're not going to be using your machine for note-taking or (as in my case, rubbish uni computer replacement) then it may work out as cheaper and less of a hassle. Laptops can be horrifically overpriced, especially for top-of the range model. The one thing I would point out is the ease of wireless networking with the newer models - good if home's a way away and the on-site machines are rubbish/unaccessable etc.

In college you'll want to have the freedom to spend some time studying outside with classmates or hanging out at the library. So a laptop would be very handy.

While I can't really afford one, all my friends who have one suffer in class because they just play Contra an Mario al the time. errgh...*cough*tspikes51*cough*

I have four laptops in the house that work......One each for the big Kids...which are pretty much Night Lights most of the time. My sweet Harpies laptop is running as long as she is awake (she Mods online role playing)....and My own, which hasnt been used since the Get Together......I guess one out of Four isnt bad .....heh

I love my laptop. I don't think I could ever go back to a desktop. The freedom of having one is great, especially if you travel a lot. Plus, it's nice to get a change of scenery every once in a while. I would stay away from Gateways though. They usually are only good for about a year. Sony Vaios are good and of course Apples if you can afford them. Good luck :)

I'm popping my head into this thread (i usually hang in computer and games) to mention that in a dorm situation, it is almost imperative to have an extended warranty with accidental damage coverage. I know that extended warranties are usually garbage and the way that places like Circuit City and Best Buy make most of their money, but since I've been working in IT i've seen several occassions where a roommate has damaged a student's laptop and left them in a bad position.

I usually recommend ppl purchase extended warranties on laptops IF they cover accidents.

I LOVE MY LAPTOP.

Would not think of living without it. If your needs don't require a large, bulky, standard system's increased capacities, I recommend going for a laptop. And make good use of it, too! It will become your best friend. It's also more energy efficient and cuts down the elecricity bill, which I suppose wouldn't be of much use if you're in a dorm.

In any case, the portability of a laptop and the ability to TYPE YOUR NOTES really really makes a difference. Especially when you're planning on sharing those notes.

I have enjoyed my laptops (been through 2 in my college career) and wouldn't trade their utility for the world.

I guess they're not for everyone though. I did have one friend in the dorms a few years back who never took her laptop anywhere, used the computer labs on campus for all of her work. She didn't like the tiny keyboard. My response: get a secondary standard-sized keyboard! Silly. In any case, I recommend a secondary keyboard, laptops do tend to go through keyboards quickly, and they're a beast to replace.

a handy tip...especially with laptops and school work, make sure you have an external backup drive, or other data redundancy. the more you shake/move/whatever a hard drive, the faster it fails...

i just signed off on nearly a grand in charges for data recovery...or as i've nicknamed it, "The Stupid Tax." Don't get hit by it...

I only had a laptop for the last 2 years of college. I wish I had my current Tablet PC, it would have been so much better.

External USB hard drives are great. Get two and use one to do semi-frequent backups when you go home to your parents house.