[online]

So yeah quick question do i need one?
I'm not too sure if the course needs written papers or what not but I thought it would come in handy for notes...then again i do do alot of browsing on the internet ahaha

can i survive using computers at unis?
do you guys have one? if so have you insured them?

[korean_dillema]

Hello!!

So last year was my first year at university!!! and i had a computer with me bc, at my dorm we could check laptops out!! i was fine and it turned out my computer ran a lot faster than all my friends new laptops (my computer is like 4 years old). Then that december my dad bought me a laptop because my sisters had gotten one too. I didnt get the best laptop in the world. I got a compaq - it was a really good deal though. it had all the same features as my sisters hp and we thought it would be just as good bc hp makes compaqs now. my comp i think had a warranty on it for a couple months, but you have to pay a lot to insure it. my dad is really good at computers, but if it means losing everything to fix it, it just happens. but make sure you make backups of EVERYTHING you want to keep, its a saftey precaution. i havent had any problems with my laptop, it really came in handy when i wanted to just write my papers in my bed or go to the study hall instead of being trapped in my room on my computer. This year i think i am taking both back.. i havent decided yet.

but if you dont have a computer, then you should definently invest in a laptop. even though you are going to be a financial.... something major, you will have to possibly take classes that make you write papers, or you might even have homework in your math classes online or with cds like my class. So i suggest investing in one and make sure you choose a good one. do research i know this is probably short notice if you're about to start school, but you can still look around and get advice from people. Best Buy people are really helpful!!! even if you dont buy one you should still go to places like that and talk to the people.

Hope this helped!

[rhaize]

It's convenient to have like when you want to study at friends place, or study groups with classmates and need computer. Majority my friends have one and take it around quite often.

[SouthernBelle82]

Depends I guess on if you'll be writing a lot of papers. If you're doing basic classes now like math, science etc. where not a lot of papers will be due I wouldn't get one just yet. Also check out if your school has a computer lab and see how many papers you can print out (my school the limit is ten). I'll just wait and see what classes you'll be doing and how much work you'll be doing on a laptop. However I love mine and use it for internet stuff too for my own thing.

[PAPERDOLLOVE]

I've never carried a laptop to classes. It's such a hassle and I personally hate hearing keyboard clicking during lectures. I also learn better when I write things down so it helps me to write.

^the person above said is also reasonable.

[asianpanthers]

hm. well, laptops are convenient, but i used a desktop while i was in undergrad and had no problems at all. if anything, i would think that it would be more time consuming altogether WITH a laptop in lecture because you'd have to make your real notes after lecture from slides and what you typed.

your best bet is bringing a digital voice recorder. totally worth the money. i love those damn things

[watcher]

So yeah quick question do i need one?
I'll be doing finance & accounting, I'm not too sure if the course needs written papers or what not but I thought it would come in handy for notes...then again i do do alot of browsing on the internet ahaha

can i survive using computers at unis?
do you guys have one? if so have you insured them?

i went through 3 years of business school just fine without a laptop. heck, i went through another 2 years of computer science and graduated just fine without a laptop. it's not so much an investment as it is a convenience. it's pretty convenient, taking it around and staying wired. most of the time i preferred going to the comp lab though. i'll run into classmates and/or friends. only bad thing was limited open hours and sometimes it gets packed. other than that, save urself about 800~1K. [unless ur folks wanna pay for one, then take it. lol]

[DKYang]

The computer labs are always packed during the semester at my school. It's inconvenient to walk around and camp out, like with parking. We have multiple labs and they are always full most of the day. Laptops are just convenient and depends on personal preference.

[online]

o0o replies! thanks soompiers

I've a year yet 'till uni, just thought I'd plan ahead and browse laptops. at your uni does their internet block certain sites... for example my school blocks games, myspace msn etc.

I was thinking I'd like one for easy access to msn to keep in contact with friends and family and easy access to myspace and soompi

korean dilema, what do you mean by checking laptops out..unis give away free laptops?

asian panther, same with voice recorders you'll have to re-write note up haha..oo maybe i'll record them by webcams..

yeahh about computer labs, I'm not sure whether the uni's I'm going to are like... the uni open days don't really mention things like that...I'll have to ask around in atthe next open days
laptop owners another q. have you innsured them?

[watcher]

o0o replies! thanks soompiers

I've a year yet 'till uni, just thought I'd plan ahead and browse laptops. at your uni does their internet block certain sites... for example my school blocks games, myspace msn etc.

I was thinking I'd like one for easy access to msn to keep in contact with friends and family and easy access to myspace and soompi

korean dilema, what do you mean by checking laptops out..unis give away free laptops?

asian panther, same with voice recorders you'll have to re-write note up haha..oo maybe i'll record them by webcams..

yeahh about computer labs, I'm not sure whether the uni's I'm going to are like... the uni open days don't really mention things like that...I'll have to ask around in atthe next open days
laptop owners another q. have you innsured them?

when i got my sis a laptop, i got insurance with it. she never had a laptop before, so if something went wrong, i wanted her to be able to get it fixed without the hassle. and if it broke badly, she could replace it no no questions asked. i think it's convenient, but if you know how to take care of your computer, you don't really need it.

most universities don't block the basic social networking sites but i have heard special cases. if you're going to a big university, you shouldn't worry about it.

same with computer labs. the bigger universities will have multiple computer labs, some of which will usually have a spot. the main areas like the lab in the library will be packed, but the smaller labs prbably will not. but in the off hours, you should have no problem finding a computer anywhere.

[XtremeNuisance]

korean dilema, what do you mean by checking laptops out..unis give away free laptops?

I think korean dilema meant that you can go to the library and you can check a laptop out for n number of days. My school makes it so that you can check out all sorts of electronics, so no worries...

I had to take my computer to a lot of my classes my first semester because it was one of those college of engineering (computer engineering) requirements or whatever. Even then, some teachers don't even allow you to even pull them out in class (unless you have a disability that requires you to use it). Um... I don't know about everyone else around here, but everyone I know that WASN'T in my college needed their computers because we had online homework (webassign). And it was always one of those things that people forgot until fifteen minutes before the assignment was due (11:45 PM/midnight/10 AM/whatever time your teacher does it).

So yeah. It's up to you. (Wanna know an interesting fact about my school? The amount of money from our tuition that goes towards the school's computers is greater than or equal to the cost of purchasing a lap top. It's insane.)

[baoi]

It's so convenient to have your own. I started without one for about a month, and i spent most of my time in the Computer Lab during breaks, and the computers were alwyas busy. I couldn't install any programs that my professor wanted us to use (though not mandatory).


I love to go to a Starbucks to type up my papers too, or just house sit my friends place, so it's very convenient.

[online]

nice one guys thanks for all you help... i think i'm going to opt for a deskop computer! I was wondering how laptops connect to the internet?
if it's wireless does is need to be in a room containing 'wifi'?.... (I did average in ICT )

[jae_aomjung]

definatly

cause it's your everything
work love friend even prop!!!

or else

carry it anywhere

[eimin]

nice one guys thanks for all you help... i think i'm going to opt for a laptop!

this might sound stupid but, because I only ever had a laptop I was wondering how laptops connect to the internet?
if it's wireless does is need to be in a room containing 'wifi'?.... (I did average in ICT )

Good decision!! In Holland we don't carry around our laptops in school, but in our restaurant it's really a great thing! I realy like to have my own music, own documents etc. so yeah It's really great.

About your question (I'm not a very pro w ith computers either), but when it's wireless you don't NEED to be in a room with wifi. Wireless routers can reach to a certain distance. So suggest there is a classroom with wifi in it. You should be able to get connected to if you're nex to that room, but the connection might not be as strong as in the room itself.

How it connects to the internet depends on how you set your preference settings. You can set it on automatic, so it will connect to any available router or you can choose one connection yourself.

I hope this answers your question ^^ Oh! When buying a laptop, don't think that the most expensive one is also the best. Ask around a bit and search the model of the laptop on the internet if you can ^^ Maybe in these sort of things it's best to compare prices and functions the best. Don't buy a luxurious pricy one just because it has a function you'll never use.

[watcher]

nice one guys thanks for all you help... i think i'm going to opt for a laptop!

this might sound stupid but, because I only ever had a laptop I was wondering how laptops connect to the internet?
if it's wireless does is need to be in a room containing 'wifi'?.... (I did average in ICT )

most campuses have bridges set up so that you can log on anywhere on campus, but this is more of a big school thing [or small private schools with lots of funding]. some smaller schools may not provide extensive coverage. you'll know once you get there and try it out.

to connect to the internet, be sure to buy a laptop with wireless lan enabled and has a wireless card in it. once you start up your machine and the OS loads, there's an icon on the bottom right of your screen, that looks like 2 monitors. this is the network icon, and if you click on it, you can choose the option to 'connect to a network.' click on it and you will see the networks you can connect to. choose the one that your school provides and you should be able to connect to the net. often times, you will be asked to enter in your user id and password for school, to verify you are a student accessing the network.

your school should have instructions on any specifics u might need to know to connect from ur laptop, but what i wrote should cover the general idea of what you need to do. good luck and congrats

[DKYang]

Nowadays, all new laptops have wifi adapters, unless you opt out on one, but double check to make sure. You just have to be in the area where the wifi is located. My school has a little map of where wifi is available on campus, so the school you plan to go to probably has one also. Also, most, or some, schools monitor the traffic and use of limewire. The RIAA can't do much, but they can surprisingly come at you, happened at my school.

If you ever have questions about laptops, you can always visit the tech section.

[itrayya]

i think it is a necessity.
it helps out A LOT.

if you are willing to stay up late nights at the lab, sure thing too.
but it comes in handy when you need a quick type up or something.

i suggest students to get one,
but if it's impossible, it'll take a lot of time and energy to go the lab and all.

it's up to you and how you work.
if you can go without one and use the lab, up to you.

take care.

[Kang1004]

a laptop is indeed in my opinion necessary. But I just hate how much it actually distracts you and makes you ultimately less productive haha

perfect example...right here...writing this instead of studying 0_o

[online]

watcher, thanks your information was very useful
DKyang, yup i''l sure look out for that when i buy a laptop I was thinking of the sony Vaio

Sony Vaio

So, I take it that internet connection in university campuses are freee...niiiiice?!