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Buying a Computer for School


Here’s a quick rule: You probably don’t need to spend as much on a computer as you thought.

And another rule: If you had a working computer in high school, it’s probably just fine for college.

So maybe your high school computer is really dead or a rich uncle wants to give you a great gift for your college career. What to get?

What to avoid

  • Big, heavy, expensive gaming computers. You will want something you can reasonably slip into a backpack and carry to the library. Besides, you won’t have that much time for games—your college schedule is a lot more demanding than your high school schedule. Another point: I hate to say it, but theft is sometimes a problem on campus. If you have a $2500 Alienware, it’s more attractive to the dishonest than a $150 Chromebook.
  • New just because it’s new. I’m typing this on an eight year old Mac Mini, which is my at-home desktop machine. My traveling machine is a seven year old MacBook*. My computing needs are probably more demanding than yours, and I’ll keep using these until something burns out. Modern computers last a surprisingly long time.
  • Tablets. When the iPad first came out, every freshman had one, but they soon discovered that typing a four-page paper on a glass screen is very slow and annoying. The tablets probably have enough computing power to do the work, but the keyboard is the issue. If you’re interested in one of those “tablet plus a keyboard” things (the Microsoft Surface is one example), spend some time in the computer store trying out the keyboard. Go ahead! Type a few hundred words on it and see if you can really imagine yourself doing a four-page paper on the thing. If not, try something else.
  • Smartphones. OK—Nearly everyone on earth has a smartphone, and in all of my classes there are at least two students who cannot rip themselves away from theirs for more than 45 seconds (these are the students who usually get the poorest grades), but if your paper-typing strategy is to do them on the phone, you do need something better. A college paper is not a Tweet. You need to be able to type 1500–2000 words at a stretch.
  • Expensive word-processing software. If you have an Apple, you get Apple Pages free. We all have access to Google Docs. Microsoft offers MS Word free for all students. (There’s a link on the campus IT page.) You don’t need to buy software for college.

What to buy

  • Apple or Windows? I’m a great Apple fan (have been since the 1980s), but the choice is really up to you. Both work just fine for college. Both will run MS Word. Our cheerful IT people in Patterson Hall understand both.
  • Chromebook? The price is very appealing, and Google Docs will work for all the papers we write, but the day may come when you want more computer. Still, for a beginning freshman, the Chromebook should do everything you want. One thing to be aware of, however, is that the Chromebook must have access to an Internet connection (not generally a problem on campus, but if you live off campus, that’s something to think about).
  • Extended warranty. I’ve used both AppleCare and the plan sold by BestBuy, and I’m a believer. Laptop computers suffer a lot: getting dropped, getting things spilled on them, overheating when you use them in bed. Buy the warranty.
  • Antivirus. This is a maybe. Apples don’t seem to need antivirus, but if I was using a Windows machine on campus, I’d want a program. Buy a real one from someone like Norton, and only have one on your computer. (If you have two, they fight.)

* Full disclosure: Soon after I posted this, the laptop got replaced. The battery was failing, and I wanted something reliable for the new semester. The computing part was going just fine, though.

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