What Kind Of Computer To Bring To College?

Elfan writes "We've discussed laptops in education before and the importance of condoms and lockpicks. However, since its not to early to think about the Fall semester for incoming freshman, I was wondering what electronic devices people found most useful for college now. How do you keep yourself organized, a PDA of some sort or an old-fashioned calendar? What to take notes with, pencil and paper? Laptop? Palm pilot? Tape recorder? Or just too cool to take notes like in high school? One laptop for everything, with a docking station back in the dorm perhaps, or just a desktop? Both? All of this is made more complicated, of course, by the lack of funds most college students enjoy."

Comments

Laptops are bad

[ameoba]

Laptops are slick and all, but really, not such a good idea. The portable aspect is overrated, since any worthwhile school will have computer labs everywhere you go, not to mention that portability is a great asset to would-be theives. Get yourself a decent desktop (don't bother with a printer... the aforementioned computro labs will have plenty of them) for your gaming needs and call it good.

Not only is a desktop going to be significantly less expensive than the equivalently powered laptop, people will more likely steal your door (friend had this happen...) than their PC.

The organization method that's worked well for me through my undergrad days and seems keep working now is a stack of spiral notebooks, one for each class.