Class of 2019!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Oh wow, I guess I'm not the only one with a vintage mac. My macbook pro is a late 2007 model. It sucks that apple no longer puts out a laptop with a matte screen (they stopped sometime in 2013 😕). I'm just not a fan of glossy displays for school related tasks. I'm actually looking into buying a refurbished MacBook Pro from 2011-2013. If I can't find one, then I'll likely get a lenovo, or continue to use the one I have :shrug:

Sorry about your mac @Tman90 🙁
 
On second thought, the spirit in which Farmerboy offered his advice is familiar, despite the wacky specifics. Does anyone else feel like you started out the application process with nothing but questions, many of them stupid, and now you feel like you have all the answers? Before my first interview I had no clue about what was about to happen. Then once I got an acceptance, all of a sudden I wanted to go around saying, "You see, the real key to interviews is..."

What Farmerboy did worked for him. He thought he was helping by sharing his ideas with everyone. Maybe he wasn't crazy, really, or not any more crazy than us.
 
Ace Khalifa said:
I retract my earlier statement after reading this: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/lenovo-yoga-3-pro-review-a-2-in-1-macbook-air-killer-103483664889.html

Definitely getting surface pro 3 or macbook air, just gotta decide if familiarity with windows outweighs apple's longer battery life.
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I like Macs because they keep me from purchasing and playing lots of the Windows-only video games. :laugh: Does wonders for my productivity.

breakintheroof said:
I tried to figure out what that guy's deal was. Apparently he used to have this advice on his MDApps:

I think he must be a combination of brilliant and crazy.
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I love his bio: "I worked on a farm as a child/teenager."

Sadly, Farmerboy, some of us just don't have the athletic prowess to do a sport at an international/varsity level (my UG didn't even have varsity sports haha). 🙁 But damn... that must have been one hell of an app.


Tman90 said:
FWIW I think it's pretty easy to switch over to macs since they are pretty user friendly, however I'm really not tech suave so take my opinion with a grain of salt.


This is really helpful, thanks!

How do people feel about paying more for extra memory space? My inclination is the couple hundred isn't worth it since most things will be stored on the cloud anyway... And thoughts on retina display?
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Hmm... I have a 250 GB MacBook now and only about 150 GB of it has been filled over my past 7 years of use. (And I take lots and lots of photos, do graphic design, and lots of photo processing). I think it depends on how much stuff you plan on putting in your computer and if you wouldn't be opposed to getting a removable hard-drive. However, when I went to the Mac store last week the sales guy was like "lol no get the 15" 512 GB Pro u won't regret it."

I was thinking about getting the 13" 128 GB Air, using it strictly for school stuff, and doing all my personal work on my old computer.

Protip: with a student ID you'll get $50 off the Air and $100 off the Pro!
 
hellanutella said:
I like Macs because they keep me from purchasing and playing lots of the Windows-only video games. :laugh: Does wonders for my productivity.
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LOL I wouldn't have to worry about that. I'm going to a non P/F preclinical curriculum school and trying to match ortho. I won't have time for video games since I'll be working tirelessly to get H's and AOA lololol.
 
breakintheroof said:
On second thought, the spirit in which Farmerboy offered his advice is familiar, despite the wacky specifics. Does anyone else feel like you started out the application process with nothing but questions, many of them stupid, and now you feel like you have all the answers? Before my first interview I had no clue about what was about to happen. Then once I got an acceptance, all of a sudden I wanted to go around saying, "You see, the real key to interviews is..."

What Farmerboy did worked for him. He thought he was helping by sharing his ideas with everyone. Maybe he wasn't crazy, really, or not any more crazy than us.
Click to expand...

Truth. I definitely know that feeling. What works for us may not work for another. I know SDN supplies an awesome wealth of information to the great, wide pre-medosphere... but it's hard to delve into the specifics for each individual app. This is why I think the general, conservative advice provides the most mileage for your average premed.

@Ace Khalifa: awh dude, you'll still need a breather from your studies! I refuse to believe that you'll be nose-to-the-grindstone 24/7.
 
hoihaie said:
I use a mac retina pro 13'' (display is awesome) and the weight is pretty light, not that much diff compared to the air, while having better specs. Memory wise, i doubt you'll need all the extra memory. If you do, external hard drive is becoming super cheap now.
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Wrong. Most light laptops these days do not use hard drives. SSDs are not the same as external hard drives. HDDs crash; SSDs don't. You're paying for flash storage that is lightning fast and almost never crashes. If you want music, movies, pictures, screw the cloud. Local storage will never be obsolete as long as cloud storage has a high chance of crashing.
 
I've heard that the Surface Pro 3 is a really good option for med school. I currently have a Mac Book Air, which I'm happy with but I think the touch screen on the Surface Pro would be really convenient... I'm also planning on getting a larger screen monitor to connect to at home.
 
I wouldn't buy an air. If this was going to be my dedicated computer, I'd buy something with more processing power so it doesn't go obsolete 2 years in...

You can keep an external HD and monitor etc at home if you want it, but I'd prefer a slightly faster computer unless you have a desktop or something at home.
 
sunflower18 said:
I'm so glad your drive was safe!!!! I can't drive in the snow, so that sounds terrifying. Thank goodness you made it, despite it being a frustrating journey.

Awww you talked about me?! Good things I hope... 😉
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Of course good things!!!! you're such a sweetheart and I only have good things to say about you!
 
Guys, surface pro 3 or macbook air? I want to have a decision by spring break when I will most likely go out and buy the new computer for med school.
 
What's the hurry? computers usually go on sale before back to school time in the summer around when newer models are coming out.
 
Ace Khalifa said:
Guys, surface pro 3 or macbook air? I want to have a decision by spring break when I will most likely go out and buy the new computer for med school.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/surface-pro-3-vs-macbook-air-2014-6

"The keyboard (for Surface Pro 3), for which you need to pay an extra $130, is fully functional but not nearly as durable and pleasant to type with as the MacBook Air’s." Do you enjoy using a nice keyboard? I know I do. Or do you like touchscreen?

Looks like it'll ultimately come down to whether you prefer using a tablet or a notebook.
 
I'm torn as well regarding the touch screen aspect. I'm pretty sure I'll end up getting a Pro, but having a touch screen for apps like Notability would be wonderful!

What about an iMac desktop for home (cheeper than macbook pro) but with a lower tier iPad for on the go? Syncing them would be easy...
 
M12B said:
I'm torn as well regarding the touch screen aspect. I'm pretty sure I'll end up getting a Pro, but having a touch screen for apps like Notability would be wonderful!

What about an iMac desktop for home (cheeper than macbook pro) but with a lower tier iPad for on the go? Syncing them would be easy...
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you could buy an accessory pad thingy that lets your write on it
 
hoihaie said:
you could buy an accessory pad thingy that lets your write on it
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Macbook Pro + accessory pad? I've never heard of an accessory pad, I'll have to look into those. How do you know where you're writing?
 
I'm so out of it tech-wise haha, maybe I should stick to pens and paper lol
 
M12B said:
Macbook Pro + accessory pad? I've never heard of an accessory pad, I'll have to look into those. How do you know where you're writing?
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Maybe something like a Wacom tablet? It's popular with graphic designers. I personally cannot deal with using a stylus to write on an iPad because 1) my handwriting is too small for the blunt stylii 2) it is very difficult to tell exactly where my marks will be when I write 3) I usually write with the side of my hand resting on paper, and I can't do that with a capacitative touch screen. Using a Wacom would be much more preferable because you have more control over everything (although it would be something else to carry around with you!). I personally like writing with the Microsoft stylus on the Surface, however it's not worth it for me to get one as I already had an iPad when it came out. :/
 
dechristine said:
Maybe something like a Wacom tablet? It's popular with graphic designers. I personally cannot deal with using a stylus to write on an iPad because 1) my handwriting is too small for the blunt stylii 2) it is very difficult to tell exactly where my marks will be when I write 3) I usually write with the side of my hand resting on paper, and I can't do that with a capacitative touch screen. Using a Wacom would be much more preferable because you have more control over everything (although it would be something else to carry around with you!). I personally like writing with the Microsoft stylus on the Surface, however it's not worth it for me to get one as I already had an iPad when it came out. :/
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My handwriting is practically microscopic, I've never had a tablet and have never really used a stylus before but I can see how they could be annoying. Perhaps I'll just stick with a MacBook Pro and carry some good old spiral notebooks hahaha.
 
logic-hiring-salespeople-spock.jpg

RIP, Mr. Spock.
 
For reasons unknown, sdn is spotty when it comes to alerts from my watched threads, so I haven't checked in for awhile. Just saying hello and suggesting--you've probably already seen it--this interesting thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...-almost-anything.1055932/page-4#post-14928428. Just one adcom's take, but I read all the posts! Wishing luck to everyone as the Moment of Truth approaches. . .the sword drawn, the bull cornered, the crowd shouting. Not a great fan of Hemingway or the corrida, but some images do work!
 
dechristine said:
Maybe something like a Wacom tablet? It's popular with graphic designers. I personally cannot deal with using a stylus to write on an iPad because 1) my handwriting is too small for the blunt stylii 2) it is very difficult to tell exactly where my marks will be when I write 3) I usually write with the side of my hand resting on paper, and I can't do that with a capacitative touch screen. Using a Wacom would be much more preferable because you have more control over everything (although it would be something else to carry around with you!). I personally like writing with the Microsoft stylus on the Surface, however it's not worth it for me to get one as I already had an iPad when it came out. :/
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+1
I have a Wacom Graphire 3 (think I got it <$70) and it's awesome! I aways found iPad styluses to be hard on my hands due to the lack of pressure sensitivity. Graphics tablets are kind of awkward to carry around to class, but I use mine at home to draw diagrams (esp. cell bio pathways and anatomical diagrams). It's kind of a cool, unconventional alternative.

Never tried the Surface Pro, but after accidentally hitting an ad banner on my workplace PC and getting the virus from hell, I think I prefer my Macs... 🙁
 
Ace Khalifa said:
Guys, surface pro 3 or macbook air? I want to have a decision by spring break when I will most likely go out and buy the new computer for med school.
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Honestly, option 3: macbook pro, and I used to be a hardcore PC guy. The air isn't any thinner than the pro, really; it just tapers on one edge. And the better processing power+retina display are more than worth it. To be fair, I haven't tried the surface 3, but I can't imagine using it as my only computer.
 
sunflower18 said:
Yeah, I'm conflicted between MBP and MBA...
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MBP all day erryday. The difference in weight is real, but not THAT big of a deal imho. The processing power and other specs, on the other hand, will make a big difference - especially a few years down the line. Also, I'm personally not a big fan of tiny computers. I don't want to be hunched over a small screen and itty bitty keyboard. The MBA just feels too small to me.

hellanutella said:
+1
I have a Wacom Graphire 3 (think I got it <$70) and it's awesome!
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I've been thinking of getting a Wacom tablet ... can you use it to annotate PDFs?
 
Flintwire said:
MBP all day erryday. The difference in weight is real, but not THAT big of a deal imho. The processing power and other specs, on the other hand, will make a big difference - especially a few years down the line. Also, I'm personally not a big fan of tiny computers. I don't want to be hunched over a small screen and itty bitty keyboard. The MBA just feels too small to me.


I've been thinking of getting a Wacom tablet ... can you use it to annotate PDFs?
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Yup! Although I do stand by the fact that it's a bit cumbersome to carry a laptop + Wacom. I took up an entire table at Starbucks with my gear and got a lot of strange looks.

My animator friend has the Wacom Cintiq and it is beautiful (though waaaay out of my price range).
 
hellanutella said:
Yup! Although I do stand by the fact that it's a bit cumbersome to carry a laptop + Wacom. I took up an entire table at Starbucks with my gear and got a lot of strange looks.

My animator friend has the Wacom Cintiq and it is beautiful (though waaaay out of my price range).
Click to expand...

I thought that was par for the course for being you.

😛
 
hellanutella said:
Yup! Although I do stand by the fact that it's a bit cumbersome to carry a laptop + Wacom. I took up an entire table at Starbucks with my gear and got a lot of strange looks.
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Lol - Consider me warned! I'm okay with strange looks as long as it makes taking notes easier ... Did you need any additional software to markup the PDFs? How does it work?
hellanutella said:
My animator friend has the Wacom Cintiq and it is beautiful (though waaaay out of my price range).
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Yeah, that's ... gulp.
 
I was thinking at least like a Mac Pro should be enough: http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

But on a more serious note, I'm required to buy an iPad for where I'm going, so Surface Pro 3 is out of the question. I'm just debating between the 13" and 15" MBP which I'll buy the summer before school starts (in case new model/sales/etc). I do have a 24.5" monitor I usually dual screen with when I'm home but I keep feeling that the 13" might be too small for me (cue the dirty jokes) but that could be cuz my last one was the 15" that crapped out on me....and also the ~$500 difference. Decisions decisions....
 
Sandmeezy said:
I was thinking at least like a Mac Pro should be enough: http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

But on a more serious note, I'm required to buy an iPad for where I'm going, so Surface Pro 3 is out of the question. I'm just debating between the 13" and 15" MBP which I'll buy the summer before school starts (in case new model/sales/etc). I do have a 24.5" monitor I usually dual screen with when I'm home but I keep feeling that the 13" might be too small for me (cue the dirty jokes) but that could be cuz my last one was the 15" that crapped out on me....and also the ~$500 difference. Decisions decisions....
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I have an old 13" MacBook, and I agree, I'd like the bigger 15" pro (another reason why I'm not inclined to get the Air). I know it would have been more weight to haul around, but I'm actually disappointed that they did away with the 17" Pro.
 
M12B said:
I have an old 13" MacBook, and I agree, I'd like the bigger 15" pro (another reason why I'm not inclined to get the Air). I know it would have been more weight to haul around, but I'm actually disappointed that they did away with the 17" Pro.
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Ehh 17 was too big imo. But I mean my brother has the new 15" retina and it's seriously not hard to lug around. The new models are very lightweight, sooo I'm just stuck now 🙁.
 
M12B said:
I have an old 13" MacBook, and I agree, I'd like the bigger 15" pro (another reason why I'm not inclined to get the Air). I know it would have been more weight to haul around, but I'm actually disappointed that they did away with the 17" Pro.
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I have a 17" from way back when. It's massive and super heavy. Not a huge fan...

I went to the Apple Store and they told me that for my purposes, I should get an MBA. So hmm.
 
sunflower18 said:
I have a 17" from way back when. It's massive and super heavy. Not a huge fan...

I went to the Apple Store and they told me that for my purposes, I should get an MBA. So hmm.
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Wait so basically if I just tell them, "Yo I'm going to med school in August, which device would best suit my needs?" then they'll give a good suggestion? That's great!
 
Ace Khalifa said:
Wait so basically if I just tell them, "Yo I'm going to med school in August, which device would best suit my needs?" then they'll give a good suggestion? That's great!
Click to expand...

That's literally exactly what I did! The guy said that for my uses, the MBA and MBP would be the same speed and the Air is both cheaper and lighter. He said that MBPs are really for people doing graphic design or heavy duty multimedia work. His example was that I could use 3D anatomy apps on the MBA no problem, but I should get the MBP if I was the one making those apps.

@Sandmeezy, how is the processing power tangibly experienced to an owner only using the computer for word processing, Internet browsing, and Netflix?
 
sunflower18 said:
That's literally exactly what I did! The guy said that for my uses, the MBA and MBP would be the same speed and the Air is both cheaper and lighter. He said that MBPs are really for people doing graphic design or heavy duty multimedia work. His example was that I could use 3D anatomy apps on the MBA no problem, but I should get the MBP if I was the one making those apps.

@Sandmeezy, how is the processing power tangibly experienced to an owner only using the computer for word processing, Internet browsing, and Netflix?
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Oh well if that's the case, I'd go Air (However I highly suggest waiting till the summer for the 12" Air with Retina releases!). I'm just a hardcore computer geek who really likes his hardware to be on point (both a blessing and a curse, mainly to my wallet). The Air should suffice for your purposes though!
 
Personally, I feel like the performance difference as well as the screen resolution between MBA and MBP are minor and for our purposes, inconsequential--at home I plug the laptop onto a wide HD screen to watch video. The battery life and the weight of MBA makes it a much better option for us. I almost never have to use my adaptor in school. The best part is the price difference.
 
Sandmeezy said:
Oh well if that's the case, I'd go Air (However I highly suggest waiting till the summer for the 12" Air with Retina releases!). I'm just a hardcore computer geek who really likes his hardware to be on point (both a blessing and a curse, mainly to my wallet). The Air should suffice for your purposes though!
Click to expand...
Has a definitive release date for the 12 inch Air with Retina been announced yet?
 
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