?

don't buy one until the beginning of your third year of med school. The prices will have dropped and the technology will have significantly changed by then, and you don't really need one during your preclinical years.

 

By the time most people applying now will be in clinicals (3 years from now), most pdas will probably have good wireless internet functionality and perhaps cell phone functionality for the price of an average PDA right now.

Definitely worth waiting, because the next big jump in PDA tech is wireless data and cellular telephone voice communications. Some models are out now, but theyre $$$. They should be the standard by the time we're doing clinicals though.

 

Wait, unless you're a technophile like me. Then you can buy one now and replace it in your third year under the pretense of "updating" your hardware.

Some schools provide PDAs too.