Best computer for vet school?

[vetvetvet333]

I am looking to purchase a new device for vet school and there are so many options! I have heard good things about surface pros and iPads. I’ve always used OneNote, but people who have iPads seem to really love the different note taking apps they offer.

If I were to get an iPad I would still need to purchase a laptop as well because the school advises against test taking on iPads. My old laptop is not reliable enough to continue using.

I would love to hear what devices people like using!

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[EB73674]

I have a regular-size iPad that I bought first year of school & a Macbook Pro that I purchased about a year ago. The size of the iPad Pro is definitely nice, but I feel like I do just fine with my regular size! If you can afford it, highly suggest getting products that will sync with one another automatically - I can't tell you how nice it is to have all of my notes & textbooks sync between my laptop, tablet, and phone for easy studying in various places. Try to get things that you know will last you the full 4 years, i.e. as new as you can afford, just because it's the most insane PITA to not have a working device when you need it, especially if your school doesn't allow you to use iPads for test taking. My laptop went kaput about halfway through my first year, and I had a full-on breakdown about it in the middle of finals while trying to get it fixed. I use Notability between all 3 devices, and I really like it & find it very intuitive to use.

 

[BiranM54]

I really loved my iPad/MacBook combo with GoodNotes in undergrad but Mississippi State CVM requires you to have a Microsoft Surface so I transitioned to OneNote. Both are really great, but if I had a choice I would’ve stuck with my Apple products because it’s more versatile and the system I’m more comfortable working with but the Microsoft does have much better storage and it runs hefty programs like ExamSoft a lot smoother.

 

[vfischeri]

Buying an iPad has been one of my best investments so far in vet school. In undergrad, I took all my notes by hand on paper, and transitioning to taking notes on Notability has been seamless. I love being able to backup my notes to Google Drive, too!

I also have an older Dell XPS 13 that's serving me well alongside the iPad.

Do what's best for your wallet, but if you can afford an ipad, it's been a game changer.

 

[battie]

Whatever your preferred computer is that meets the requirements. I hate apple products, so used a refurbished Microsoft surface Pro 4. Got it July 2016 and it just died two months ago yep years after graduating.

 

[PetVet23]

I used a Surface Go, a little smaller/more tablet-sized and a little less expensive than the Pro and absolutely loved it! I don't get along with Apple products so I loved that this still had all of the functionality of a traditional laptop while still having the flexibility of a tablet

 

[DVMdreamcometrue]

I, too, don't get along with Apple products and I loved my Surface Pro during vet school. It's light weight enough to bring anywhere, classrooms, labs, study groups. I especially love the surface pen stylus for drawing and annotations. I even used it in my first half of internship before finally investing on a new laptop.

 

[ukrainiandude]

Windows laptop, because it’s compatible with everything you might need. Don’t worry about the high end machine, buy whatever you can afford without going into the credit card debt. Just buy an external hard drive for backups plus use Google drive or one drive for backing up your important stuff.