Is a laptop needed for college

emoore1223

Hi all, I finished the leaving cert and am planning on going to college in september. I want to study science.

So my question is..... will I need a laptop or notebook???

Thanks for any replies in advance,
Thanks

Gone West

Yeah, you will need a laptop.
Any basic enough laptop with a 13" screen or bigger will do.
Mac OSX, Linux or windows 7/8 will do nicely.

emoore1223

Thanks, I'm planning on using it as a secondary pc as I have a desktop at home. Would a mini pc suit, if so could you suggest a few models or the specs to look out for (I'm familiar with desktop specs for gaming as I build my own pc but have very little experience with laptops)

Thanks for your help

Tom Dunne

Don't get a netbook, that's one piece of advice I would give.

I briefly used a netbook and you simply cannot type for any length of time on them.

To choose a laptop, pick a price point and buy one you can afford. For what you want to use it for, specs are not important. An entry level to mid-level laptop will do. Buy one that feels right on your hands (keyboard, weight, screen).

teddyhead

Why is a laptop necessary ? I am hoping to get by with my desktop in september. Noone had laptops ten years ago. Why are they vital now ?

Tom Dunne

teddyhead wrote: »

Why is a laptop necessary ? I am hoping to get by with my desktop in september. Noone had laptops ten years ago. Why are they vital now ?

I wouldn't say they are vital, just very handy.

It frees you from the hassle of having to go to a computer room, wireless access is usually provided all around the campus, so you can have a coffee while typing. It's more convenience than a necessity.

teddyhead

Tom Dunne wrote: »

I wouldn't say they are vital, just very handy.

It frees you from the hassle of having to go to a computer room, wireless access is usually provided all around the campus, so you can have a coffee while typing. It's more convenience than a necessity.

Makes sense. Still , I think I will be better off not having access to Boards,reddit,politics.ie and all my other favourites during lectures:cool:

Tom Dunne

teddyhead wrote: »

Makes sense. Still , I think I will be better off not having access to Boards,reddit,politics.ie and all my other favourites during lectures:cool:

There is actual evidence to show that people who use laptops during class actually fare worse in exams and assessments than those who takes notes the old fashioned way with a pen and paper.

I can link to you a load of academic papers on the matter, if you are bored interested.

emoore1223

Hi everyone, thanks for all the replies. I'm looking for a computer as my secondary pc as from past experience, the notes I take in classes either end up lost or destroyed by something, I just think files on a pc or usb would be easier and a lot lighter!

Any tips on any good deals anywhere or any shops that have good prices,

thanks

ted1

Fuzzy wrote: »

Yeah, you will need a laptop.
Any basic enough laptop with a 13" screen or bigger will do.
Mac OSX, Linux or windows 7/8 will do nicely.

No that's wrong , it depends on the course, program's like Autocad are memory intensive

TimeToShine

You won't need one really, it depends what college you go to but the computer facilities are generally more than adequate. Since you're doing Science you won't be using any software consistently so you should be alright.

If you want suggestions try the computers & laptops forum, if you give me a budget I can throw a few ideas your way.

the_syco

Tom Dunne wrote: »

To choose a laptop, pick a price point and buy one you can afford. For what you want to use it for, specs are not important. An entry level to mid-level laptop will do. Buy one that feels right on your hands (keyboard, weight, screen).

Aye, pick a price point, and the lads and ladies here will see if we can hunt a good one for ya

teddyhead wrote: »

Why is a laptop necessary ? I am hoping to get by with my desktop in september. Noone had laptops ten years ago. Why are they vital now ?

People had laptops ten years ago. They were the ones still able to work when every single computer was taken up by yahoos browsing bebo and watch stuff online.

Manach

From personal experience, a laptop is worth it. It adds in the assimilation of the lecture notes and one can download study tools like mindmapping kits to place the notes in context. But (always is a but),disable the network functionality during class - least the temptation to browse boards proves too great.

the_syco

Oh, and keep an external hard-drive at home, that you NEVER BRING TO COLLEGE!

Laptops, like anything else loose and shiny, can get stolen. Thus your backup will save your ass if this happens. Sign up for a DropBox account whilst you're at it.

Turtwig

Needed?
Depends on the course. Also depends on the utilities provided to you. If folks in your course get their own computer lab and there's enough computers for every student then you'll be more inclined to make use of those facilities. If there's a shortage of available computers then a laptop becomes invaluable.

Helpful?
Most definitely. One big caveat. You cannot type ideas as fast you sketch or scribble them. Paper and pens are still the best tools. Laptop has uses though. Results for any report can be inputted directly rather than recording them on a piece of paper and then transcribing them onto your document. You can use Google and other tools to aid you with stuff in lectures. Caution is advised though. Know what you wish to Google before opening Google. For example if you're in a calculus lecture you can look at visual illustrations of the functions your lecturer is using if they're not provided.
The key thing to remember is if you put garbage into the laptop that's all you'll get out of it. Use it sparingly only when necessary. It's a learning aid, but like a highlighter using it improperly does more harm. If you can't discipline yourself then it's probably best to only have it switched on for when you need it. Take notes the old fashioned way. And if you don't yet know how, spend a while learning how to so. Being able to learn efficiently is one of the biggest assets you can have in college and life in general. Take the time to experiment and learn how to learn best. It'll save so you so much time in the future.

Laptop?
Lightweight. 13" or smaller. Anything bigger can be cumbersome to carry. If not a specialised software course then high performance isn't necessary. Comfortable keypad is a must! You're going to be typing on this thing so you don't want painful wrists or fingers. At least not pain linked to typing anyway. Get a handy pocket wireless mouse too.

Scuid Mhór

Tom Dunne wrote: »

There is actual evidence to show that people who use laptops during class actually fare worse in exams and assessments than those who takes notes the old fashioned way with a pen and paper.

I can link to you a load of academic papers on the matter, if you are bored interested.

Hi, just popping in. I'd be quite interested to read some papers on the matter, being someone who can never decide whether to bring in his laptop to lectures or just use the classic a4 pad and pen.

the_syco

Turtwig wrote: »

Lightweight. 13" or smaller.

On the "or smaller" bit; ensure the keyboard is roughly the size of a normal keyboard, or get a cheap keyboard (or better, a foldable one) to write your essays with, as typing on the small keyboard is not something you'll want to do for more than 15 minutes.

Tom Dunne

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

Hi, just popping in. I'd be quite interested to read some papers on the matter, being someone who can never decide whether to bring in his laptop to lectures or just use the classic a4 pad and pen.

No problem. The evidence is fairly substantial - taking notes with a pen, from a learning and retention perspective, is far more effective than typing on a keyboard.

Here's a few (for copyright reasons, I cannot post the actual papers, but below are all the details you need to look them up on your university's information systems):

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking, Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, Psychological Science 2014 25: 1159

Canadian university students in wireless classrooms: What do they do
on their laptops and does it really matter? Patrick Gaudreau , Dave Miranda, Alexandre Gareau, Computers & Education 70 (2014) 245–255

Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Faria Sana, Tina Weston, Nicholas J. Cepeda, Computers & Education 62 (2013) 24–31.

Scuid Mhór

Tom Dunne wrote: »

No problem. The evidence is fairly substantial - taking notes with a pen, from a learning and retention perspective, is far more effective than typing on a keyboard.

Here's a few (for copyright reasons, I cannot post the actual papers, but below are all the details you need to look them up on your university's information systems):

The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking, Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, Psychological Science 2014 25: 1159

Canadian university students in wireless classrooms: What do they do
on their laptops and does it really matter? Patrick Gaudreau , Dave Miranda, Alexandre Gareau, Computers & Education 70 (2014) 245–255

Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers. Faria Sana, Tina Weston, Nicholas J. Cepeda, Computers & Education 62 (2013) 24–31.

Thank you. I'll search them up on Jstor later tonight.

miezekatze

I just finished my degree in a business and IT subject and the only time I brought in my laptop was for several classes during my final year. I would say that I really needed a laptop that year. Before that, it wasn't really necessary to bring in a laptop, I never really used it for taking notes (prefer pen & paper for that), only for the more practical subjects.

stephenamccann

Laptop is a must, helps especially with things you never think of. Notebook can online run certain things. better safe than sorry

chinacup

Tom Dunne wrote: »

There is actual evidence to show that people who use laptops during class actually fare worse in exams and assessments than those who takes notes the old fashioned way with a pen and paper.

I can link to you a load of academic papers on the matter, if you are bored interested.

Me please! Must remember this!

jaymcg91

I'd struggle without a laptop, my college has like 20 computers available...for a couple of hundred students. Even if I do get one the effect of 19 other people using theirs simultaneously seems to slow them down to Windows 95 level ha.

challengemaster

teddyhead wrote: »

Why is a laptop necessary ? I am hoping to get by with my desktop in september. Noone had laptops ten years ago. Why are they vital now ?

Having a laptop could mean the difference between walking 5/10/20 mins /getting the bus back to wherever you're living for the year, just to do some work, or being able to instantly work on campus.

Even for killing time between lectures - you may have anywhere between a 1-6 hour gap between lectures. Obviously if it's on the larger side, you could go home and come back later, but for 1-2 hours it's usually easier to grab a coffee and pull out the laptop. Even if it is only for browsing.

Depending on what college you're going to, it may not have that many computer suites available. The other issue is - comp suites get booked regularly for classes, tutorials, exams, etc, so they're not always available even if they exist. They also tend to get quite packed veering towards exam times.

Also if you ever want to study in the library, there's usually "reading rooms" provided, along with actual library floor space, but there can be a significant lack of desktops in the library, and it's first come first serve. I can't see you moving your desktop into the library for study week!

You can get by without one, but I'd say you're causing yourself undue hardship. The people that use laptops in lectures for taking notes (or dossing) are usually plonkers*, and I'd advise against that.

*or may have some learning difficulties and require the use of a laptop.


TL;DR.
Not necessary, specifically not necessary for in-lecture note taking, but it's the out of lecture times where you're hanging around campus that you'll see the true value of a laptop.