One thing all Canadian University students are going to need these days is a laptop. A laptop’s main advantage over a stationary PC is its size and portability. For many degree programs, a laptop can be an indispensable tool for most if not all of your classes. In the modern digital age, most professors or class lecturers are using PowerPoint or Adobe formats for their class notes and presentations. Most provide copies to students via class websites for download and printing and many classes even require them as daily classroom material. While printing the notes or presentations and following along is a perfectly okay way of managing your classes, the use of a laptop puts everything in one place.
Just imagine sitting in class, following along with the notes and typing your own remarks or memory aids just below each slide. At the end of class, hit Save, close the laptop, go to your next class and rinse/repeat. While this may seem obvious it is the not-so-obvious benefits that are causing more and more students to switch from the old paper and pen system to a digital one. While you’re following along in class, you can be catching up on e-mails, using Wikipedia or Google for further explanation on topics you’re not 100% sure of, or even participating in real-time class discussions about the very notes you’re covering! I had one professor who encouraged laptop usage not only for managing digital notes but also to participate in a live Twitter feed he would set up each day. Rather than raise your hand and ask a question out loud risking embarrassment and ridicule, he would have students Tweet the class Twitter account and answer student questions that way. I’ve never seen such useful and extensive class discussion as I did in that class, even if it was partially digital! Anyway, on to the tips!
Tip #1 – Choose The Size Wisely!
While 16″+ laptops are easy to look at and very comfortable to use, they really aren’t that practical for a student intending on using them in class. Here’s why: Many lecture halls and classrooms try to pack in as many desks and students as possible. As a result, personal space is not all that abundant. Some classes have long tables with chairs that can accommodate a large laptop, but most definitely do not. Most lecture halls have chairs with an attached surface which is sometimes as small as 12″ wide! They were built with sheets of paper and clipboards in mind, not 16″ supercomputer laptops. So beware of larger “entertainment” laptops and always keep in mind what you’re really buying this laptop for. I’d recommend going no larger than 15.1″ and even then they can be a hassle at times. Try to go as small as you can tolerate.
Tip #2 – Battery Life
For most students, a day at school can be 6 hours or more. While much of your time is spent racing from class to class or grabbing lunch or coffee, the rest is spent sitting in class likely using your brand new laptop. This is where having a laptop with excellent battery life really pays off. If buying from an electronics store, ask the salesman how long you can expect a full charge to last on average. Try to find a laptop that has a battery capable of at least 2 hours. Apple laptops are famous for their long battery lives often lasting 4 hours or more, but they’re also famous for being rather expensive and probably won’t be an option for anyone choosing a budget laptop. If you’ve found a laptop you like but you find it has a poor battery life, buying a spare battery is always an option. If your salesman is working on commission, see if he or she will throw one in for free. If all else fails, stuff the power cord into your backpack and keep your laptop charged during breaks between classes.
Tip #3 – Memory
There are two kinds of memory in a computer, RAM and Storage(hard drive) Memory.
- RAM is what your computer uses to load programs, play video, music, etc. Think of it like a handyman’s work bench. The more room he has, the more projects he can work on simultaneously and the faster he can access each of them. More is always better when it comes to RAM, so don’t try to cut costs on this feature but don’t break the bank going to large amounts either. 4GB should be plenty.
- Storage Memory is what your hard drive is. It’s where all the stuff you install and save get stored. If you plan on using your laptop for music, video, games, etc. you’ll want as big a hard drive as you can afford. If your laptop is going to be used just for casual web browsing, e-mailing, IM’ing, essay-writing, etc. then this is definitely a feature you can minimize to save some $$. I would advise getting at least a 100GB hard drive as Windows, Microsoft Office, and other essential programs can really add up in memory usage over time.
Tip #4 – Processor Speed
This again depends on your planned usage. If you want to play movies and games you’re going to need a processor that’s beefy enough to handle it. But if you’re just doing casual tasks like web browsing, e-mailing, etc. then this is another feature you can cut costs on to save lots of $$. Don’t go lower than 1.6GHz though, this should be your bare minimum.
