Practical getting a laptop for uni? (1 Viewer)

[Mr legend]

Hey, so I'm studying engineering this year and I'm deciding on whether or not it's practical for me to get a laptop. I'm worried that I won't be using it much because Maths is obv a pen and paper subject and idk if it's easy pulling out a laptop for every lecture/runnin around campus with it in my bag. Ideas any1??
Cheers

 

[OzKo]

As far as I'm concerned, using a laptop for lectures is too much of a hassle, and in your case, not very applicable to units which pertain to your degree.

If you think you need an upgrade in regards to performance, in contrast to the machine you currently use, then by all means go ahead but I don't think you will be using it that much for note-taking.

 

[MrBrightside]

Hmm I was wondering this too. My current laptop is wayy to big and heavy to drag around everywhere. Esp since unis have those small tiny desks. I'd recommend a lecture notepad or maybe a tiny netbook (but not to small, because then it's just annoying to type on). You could always scan your notes via a scanner if you wanted an electronic copy.

 

[Shadowdude]

Lots of people just have MacBooks or small notebook computers/ultrabook sort of things.

 

[kcqn93]

You probably won't need it all the time at uni. But get one if you're planning to study on the go or at the library.

You don't really need a super computer either since you're just going to use it for word processing. So a netbook or a cheap 13" laptop would do.

If you're a big spender and want something really light and thin with decent performance, then go for an ultrabook or a macbook air.

 

[Politic]

Thoughts on waiting to get the iPad3 to use in part at uni?

 

[OzKo]

Thoughts on waiting to get the iPad3 to use in part at uni?

Use a pen & paper.

 

[seremify007]

Pen and paper is fastest for scribing notes and graphs particularly for content which isn't just words. That being said having a laptop is very useful when you want to update your assignments, type up notes in breaks, check uni mail (not all uni emails work well on a smartphone and you may want to keep society work away from your phone), research something quickly (although a smartphone could do this too) and ultimately it just helps time pass when you have nothing to do.

Unless you need it for games or something, I recommend you go for an ultraportable. The 11" MacBook air is perfect and if you can, spring for the up spec model with more ram and bigger storage space on the ssd. It's incredibly fast at booting and it sleeps easily which make it very good for Uni when you suddenly need to pack up and go.

Only thing to be weary of is whether your course has any specific programs or applications which are important and only run on windows.

 

[seremify007]

Thoughts on waiting to get the iPad3 to use in part at uni?

iPads don't really do too well in class for anything other than as a notepad with a stylus. The detail isn't there and it's difficult to multitask and search stuff compared to using a laptop. In all honesty though pen and paper works best because you are not bound by any structure an can write or draw as you like.

 

[Mr legend]

Thanks for the replies x)

 

[physio12]

Hey, im in the same boat too. I'm just about to start physio and i guess it is a lot more note taking than engineering, so should i then be bringing a laptop? or still just pen and paper?

 

[OzKo]

Hey, im in the same boat too. I'm just about to start physio and i guess it is a lot more note taking than engineering, so should i then be bringing a laptop? or still just pen and paper?

Pen and paper still trumps unless you're a devilishly slow writer.

Buying a laptop is a significant investment so I would suggest holding off until you start your lectures and tutes before making a decision.

 

[Shadowdude]

Pen and paper is fastest for scribing notes and graphs particularly for content which isn't just words. That being said having a laptop is very useful when you want to update your assignments, type up notes in breaks, check uni mail (not all uni emails work well on a smartphone and you may want to keep society work away from your phone), research something quickly (although a smartphone could do this too) and ultimately it just helps time pass when you have nothing to do.

Unless you need it for games or something, I recommend you go for an ultraportable. The 11" MacBook air is perfect and if you can, spring for the up spec model with more ram and bigger storage space on the ssd. It's incredibly fast at booting and it sleeps easily which make it very good for Uni when you suddenly need to pack up and go.

Only thing to be weary of is whether your course has any specific programs or applications which are important and only run on windows.

like surfing bos

 

[alstah]

I guess for a subject like law, a netbook/ultrabook would be more practical than in engineering/science, since theres alot more actual note taking rather than diagrams, graphs, maths etc. Right?

The only reason i'm getting a net/ultrabook for uni is because I type faster than I write and if I need to write fast its really messy and I wouldn't be able to read it later anyway.

Another question, do we have to bring our textbooks to every lecture/tutorial, like we did in highschool?

 

[izzy88]

I guess for a subject like law, a netbook/ultrabook would be more practical than in engineering/science, since theres alot more actual note taking rather than diagrams, graphs, maths etc. Right?

The only reason i'm getting a net/ultrabook for uni is because I type faster than I write and if I need to write fast its really messy and I wouldn't be able to read it later anyway.

Another question, do we have to bring our textbooks to every lecture/tutorial, like we did in highschool?

You will also notice that 95% students studying law at USYD will have a laptop in class (not sure about firt year, but by later years mostly everyone has given up on handwriting - I find my typing much faster then handwriting and easier to decipher later!

Regarding textbooks - you don't need to bring them to class. Some lecturers have this weird idea that you should, however if you brought every textbook to class you would have severe back problems by the end of the day - law books are massive and heavy! I've never used a textbook in class - if they do refer to it, you just write down the page number for later.

 

[Shadowdude]

I guess for a subject like law, a netbook/ultrabook would be more practical than in engineering/science, since theres alot more actual note taking rather than diagrams, graphs, maths etc. Right?

The only reason i'm getting a net/ultrabook for uni is because I type faster than I write and if I need to write fast its really messy and I wouldn't be able to read it later anyway.

Another question, do we have to bring our textbooks to every lecture/tutorial, like we did in highschool?

Make sure that you can actually type fast on the laptop that you get.

 

[Dylanamali]

is there free wifi at most unis?

 

[Omnipotence]

Yes

 

[alstah]

Make sure that you can actually type fast on the laptop that you get.

Very good point! I'm going to try it out before I buy it now lol

 

[ShinjAngel]

if you want to use a laptop for rendering instead of doing it at uni you could do that, or you could take stuff home and do it there. really does depend on preference. try both methods in the first week or two and see what happens?