technt77

One of my colleagues is preparing her daughter for her first year at college. Her daughter has convinced her that she NEEDS a laptop for success. Maybe I'm getting too old and out of the college scene, but are laptops necessary in college? Don't computer labs still exist? A laptop just seems like one more thing a student has to watch over.

savvytechno

I think now-a-days its important for the college goers but provided they does not misuse it coz now-a-days when any people are going for MBA the college itself is providing everyone with laptop.

technt77

True -- a lot of the schools around here (colleges) do offer or require students to utilize their school-issued laptops. By the end of their career, the laptop belongs to the students based on their fee-schedule during their tenure with the school. I wonder if those come with any anti-theft devices.

kitkat86

Every college and university that I know of has several computer labs, computers in the library. Some have a lab on every floor of the dorms. If you are staying on campus, I don't think it is necessary to have a laptop. Yes, a computer in the dorm room is nice, since many of the labs are not open 24 hours. I bought a laptop when I went back to college, because I drove 80 miles round trip, and my schedule was so weird, I would spend all day at the school. With the laptop, I could work on stuff at home and not have to worry about remembering to email it to my school account or vice versa.

Desiree

I dont know if you NEED it but WANT it is a probably the big word for those who take classes in journalism and such who have to right 10 page essay Then a lap top probably comes into good use. But DO THEY NEED IT NO

cabbie

meh.
they probabaly don't need a laptop.
if they "needed" a computer of some type, then they would be fine with a desktop as well, no?
but regardless, I don't have a laptop and I'm starting my third year.
i do have a desktop though.
but i'll bet you that if her mom were like "i'll get you a laptop, but all you can have on it is microsoft word & the internet with only school-sites" (if it were possible to do that), she would flip.
cuz she probably 'needs' it for more than just school.
unless part of school is staying social (msn, facebook etc), too, which is possible.
[pretty much all schools have computer labs though.
case in point: they're very nice to have but probably not (yet) a necessity.
and if the school requires it, it'll tell you. most don't, i don't think, and if they do, they can usually provide them (like nursing students do).

Desiree

Agreed cabbie I dont think its time for them to NEED them...