Computer for med school: suggestions?

[medicomel]

is it really hard to learn a mac in a couple month's time? i intend to buy one next summer before matriculating.

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[lazygunner]

I have had a Dell for 2.5 years, hasnt given me any problems. I'm sure Mac makes a good laptop, although I havent had any experience with them. However, I imagine there would be some limitations in software/3rd party apps outside of the overpriced Apple software.

And if you game, then Macs are not for you.

Dude...DON'T get a dell. The reason they have such great tech support is because their computers are made to last for about 20 minutes. When mine completely melted down after a year and a half (no viruses, actually had something to do with the cd drive), I wen't out and got myself a Vaio. Haven't had a single problem, looks great, and the screen is amazing.

 

[unfrozencaveman]

is it really hard to learn a mac in a couple month's time? i intend to buy one next summer before matriculating.

Not even close. It'll take as much time as one plays with a brand new computer before the excitement to wear off. A week?

I talked my friend into getting a mac this summer, and she kept calling me like "how do I install... what software do I need to...", about all of her peripherals, and I just kept being like "try plugging it in and see what happens". She literally couldnt get used to just trying something the easiest way you could think of getting it to work. It was pretty funny.

 

[medicomel]

that's precisely why i want a mac...i've heard they're remarkably user-friendly. thanks!

 

[jbrice1639]

is it really hard to learn a mac in a couple month's time? i intend to buy one next summer before matriculating.

Definitely not hard! I just didn't want to take any crap from all the windows junkies who complain because the little button to close a window is on the opposite corner or whatever.

I made the jump in 1999, and I'd never go back to a pc again. The mac is stable and extremely easy to use. Enjoy it

 

[Handle]

I've been looking into tablets for a while. They're coming down as far as prices go, but I'm still worried about their practicality/usefulness. Can it offer that much better of a an experience? I think I'm just getting drawn in because of how cool it looks.

I'm really interested in a Tablet as well. I actually contacted the computer stores of the schools where I got accepted, and they have GREAT academic pricing on some models (IBM, HP), $200-300 off retail.

My question is - does the gimmick ever wear off? What exactly do you use the tablet functionality for -- taking notes on powerpoints? on pdfs? How do you incorporate it? I find that I type faster than I write, as well... which is weird.

and as for the gimmick thing... I had a pocket PC for a while, but I only used it for a month or two and then just stopped using it. I can see myself using a tablet quite a lot initially, but then being complacent and lazy about using it... but that's just my personality. I had a laptop in college, but after a few months, I just left it in my room...

So here is my routine. My school provides us with printed "syllabi" with notes generated by our profs that go along with each lecture. Its a great resource (basically a summarized textbook tailored to our lectures), and in class I take notes on the paper syllabus for that class. If electronic copies of the syllabi were offered I've no doubt that I'd use the tablet in class to ink over the syllabi.

After class, I rewrite notes with the tablet. I've found that I retain more when I handwrite notes rather than type them, even though I can type much faster than I write. And the big thing for me is the color; I'm a very visual learner so the ability to write in 8 colors (and many more if you play with the settings; this is with OneNote) is huge for me. Other features that are very useful include the ability to move text and drawings around if you find they fit better somewhere else, have all your notes in one place, sketch (useful in gross), and write and rewrite important things without wasting paper (example...cranial nerve diagrams or bioch pathways). The handwritting recognition is fairly good, but my handwritting is poor enough that I don't bother with it.

The gimmick hasn't worn off for me; I did well with this method in my first semester and I plan on using it again this semester.

Some examples of different ways I use the tablet to take notes:

http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet50bx.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet49zy.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet36ea.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet29mo.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet14qv.jpg

 

[Pewl]

I need to buy a computer (laptop), but want one that will also be useful for med school.

I don’t need fancy and expensive stuff, but any advice on what features, programs (large memory and programs for viewing slides, downloading big files with pictures, Wi-Fi or not?) are helpful for med school is appreciated. Any suggestions on good computer brands/deals?

Thanks.

Dude, build your own pc. Get one of the new dual core processors that are out right now. The Geforce 7800 is also the lately cutting edge video card. I've been building my own desktop for years. I wouldn't do it any other way. Laptops are cool and convenient but her is no way I could get by with just a laptop. I need a powerhouse desktop at home too. =D

 

[ChocolateKiss]

I need to buy a computer (laptop), but want one that will also be useful for med school.

I don’t need fancy and expensive stuff, but any advice on what features, programs (large memory and programs for viewing slides, downloading big files with pictures, Wi-Fi or not?) are helpful for med school is appreciated. Any suggestions on good computer brands/deals?

Thanks.

Don't get a comp till you know where you're going. Some schools require specific computers. Some even give you a computer when you start (Duke)...

 

[Handle]

Don't get a comp till you know where you're going. Some schools require specific computers. Some even give you a computer when you start (Duke)...

Yeah, this is a good point. No harm in looking around though to see what's out there in case you get options/have no reqs.

 

[thegenius]

Dude...DON'T get a dell. The reason they have such great tech support is because their computers are made to last for about 20 minutes. When mine completely melted down after a year and a half (no viruses, actually had something to do with the cd drive), I wen't out and got myself a Vaio. Haven't had a single problem, looks great, and the screen is amazing.

Funny, my company bought 25 VAIO laptops and 12 of them froze during the first year. 2 of them had hinges the fell off. I can't remember what model they were but we were thorougly UNIMPRESSED.

I've had wonderful success buying Dell laptops. I think Thinkpads are also very reliable, but ugly. This happens to be what the industry thinks as well (Dell and Thinkpads are top sellers, despite your unfortunate experience.)

 

[SirTony76]

Antivirus for a Mac is a waste of money.

Were you to get a Mac virus, you would quite literally be the first person to have one. There are no known viruses for Mac OS X at this time.

haha, I must be some kind of record holder or something...

 

[SirTony76]

I'd buy an IBM laptop. Those things are ****ing tanks!

I have my own computer business along with my brother and IBM is my recommendation.

Personally though, I have a Sager. It is a nice computer but it is like a Ferrari.

That isn't a compliment. It is fast as hell but breaks down all the time.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

So here is my routine. My school provides us with printed "syllabi" with notes generated by our profs that go along with each lecture. Its a great resource (basically a summarized textbook tailored to our lectures), and in class I take notes on the paper syllabus for that class. If electronic copies of the syllabi were offered I've no doubt that I'd use the tablet in class to ink over the syllabi.

After class, I rewrite notes with the tablet. I've found that I retain more when I handwrite notes rather than type them, even though I can type much faster than I write. And the big thing for me is the color; I'm a very visual learner so the ability to write in 8 colors (and many more if you play with the settings; this is with OneNote) is huge for me. Other features that are very useful include the ability to move text and drawings around if you find they fit better somewhere else, have all your notes in one place, sketch (useful in gross), and write and rewrite important things without wasting paper (example...cranial nerve diagrams or bioch pathways). The handwritting recognition is fairly good, but my handwritting is poor enough that I don't bother with it.

The gimmick hasn't worn off for me; I did well with this method in my first semester and I plan on using it again this semester.

Some examples of different ways I use the tablet to take notes:

http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet50bx.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet49zy.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet36ea.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet29mo.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet14qv.jpg

Thank you VERY much, Handle, this really has sold the Tablet for me, as it's exactly what I'd be doing.

How easy was the tablet technology / software to figure out? It seems like you've got it all set...
How easy is it to switch colors?
In the images, you've got a lot of fine little lines, something you'd expect if you were using a fine-tip pen -- is the tablet really that sensitive? I'm just thinking about what happens when you draw in paint with your mouse, you get thicker lines than you expect.
So I suppose in the course of a semester, you'll have accumulated a ton of notes... in different courses/subjects, for studying, etc. etc. is there a decent way to organize everything together? Can you use OneNote to combine the PDF's/outlines/your own notes into some sort of organizational structure?

any other comments? Thanks so much. I think I'm going to purchase the IBM, since it's got good reviews, and is fairly light.

 

[gary5]

I have a Dell D600 Latitude and LOVE IT! It's more of a business / professional system. Otherwise, they have more playful student models with colors, etc.

 

[SirTony76]

Some examples of different ways I use the tablet to take notes:

http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet50bx.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet49zy.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet36ea.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet29mo.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tablet14qv.jpg

Does the screen scratch much? I have a Dell Axim X3i and I am constantly replacing my screen protector because of scratches.

 

[sanford_w/o_son]

isn't buying a tablet of 'electronic paper' like buying bottled water?

jk, the tablet pc seems interesting. i'm going to look into it. but i do wonder whether its environmental impact is ultimately less than that of scribbling on paper after paper. our single biggest source of pollution is the creation of electricity.

 

[OSUdoc08]

I have a Dell D600 Latitude and LOVE IT! It's more of a business / professional system. Otherwise, they have more playful student models with colors, etc.

I second this. I also have the D600.

 

[unfrozencaveman]

isn't buying a tablet of 'electronic paper' like buying bottled water?

jk, the tablet pc seems interesting. i'm going to look into it. but i do wonder whether its environmental impact is ultimately less than that of scribbling on paper after paper. our single biggest source of pollution is the creation of electricity.

I could also see myself just printing everything out. Those screen shots are a lot cooler than I thought though.

 

[deuist]

Microsoft stated that it will be called Microsoft Windows Vista. Look it up. It should fix a lot of Windows XP problems.

Yes, and knowing Microsoft, it will open up a whole new set of problems.

 

[neovenom]

i'm really starting to look into macs as an option, esp because of the safety issue. the mac mini seems to be in my price range. i have a few concerns that i'm hoping can be cleared up some of the current mac users:

i imagine i'll need to use a word processor, PDF files, and a powerpoint-like program. what kinds of programs does apple have? and could i open the microsoft versions on a mac?

 

[ND2005]

i'm really starting to look into macs as an option, esp because of the safety issue. the mac mini seems to be in my price range. i have a few concerns that i'm hoping can be cleared up some of the current mac users:

i imagine i'll need to use a word processor, PDF files, and a powerpoint-like program. what kinds of programs does apple have? and could i open the microsoft versions on a mac?

You can buy Office for the Mac. This will take care of your word processor and powerpoint (as well as Excel, if you need that).

You can download a mac-compatible version of acrobat from adobe's website (Apple and Adobe are quite "friendly" b/c of the large number of graphics people who own macs and rely on photoshop). Also, Mac's preview program is by default capable of reading PDFs.

 

[jebus]

i imagine i'll need to use a word processor, PDF files, and a powerpoint-like program. what kinds of programs does apple have? and could i open the microsoft versions on a mac?

Office 2004 (for macs) is cheap. It has Word, Excel, Powerpoint and an Outlook like program that is a poor substitute for the versions apple gives you for free. You can get the student edition for about $120. You get a license to install it on 3 machines, so get a couple of friends together and split the cost and you all have legal versions. Apple sells a word-like and powerpoint-like program. I've never used them.
Macs can read PDFs natively. There is no extra program - it's in the OS. But you can still download Acrobat reader if you want. It's free, too.
One thing I like about my mac: There's a spell checker that works in every program. Even when I'm typing in this box it tells me when my spelling is wrong. Now all it needs is a grammar check.

 

[neovenom]

excellent! how's apple's customer service? and maybe a stupid question, but does the mac OS allow you to rip your cd's directly to mp3 format?

 

[Handle]

Thank you VERY much, Handle, this really has sold the Tablet for me, as it's exactly what I'd be doing.

How easy was the tablet technology / software to figure out? It seems like you've got it all set...
How easy is it to switch colors?
In the images, you've got a lot of fine little lines, something you'd expect if you were using a fine-tip pen -- is the tablet really that sensitive? I'm just thinking about what happens when you draw in paint with your mouse, you get thicker lines than you expect.
So I suppose in the course of a semester, you'll have accumulated a ton of notes... in different courses/subjects, for studying, etc. etc. is there a decent way to organize everything together? Can you use OneNote to combine the PDF's/outlines/your own notes into some sort of organizational structure?

any other comments? Thanks so much. I think I'm going to purchase the IBM, since it's got good reviews, and is fairly light.

Glad I could help - I still strongly recommend you go to a store and play with one for a while (if you haven't already) to make sure you like the feel. I found it very easy to get used to but it throws some people off.

The software is easy - the only real tailored tablet programs that are standard are OneNote and Journal, Journal being very simple (almost like a pad of paper) and OneNote having a lot of organizational/other features. Personally, I use OneNote exclusively, though I don't mess with most of the options. I've heard that some people swear by Journal and complain that OneNote is "bloated." For what I use it I don't feel that way, though again there are a lot of features I don't mess with.

Here is a screen of the OneNote interface: http://img317.imageshack.us/my.php?image=onenote2bq.jpg

At the top (above the "Phospholipids" page title) you can see a bit of the directory structure I have set up. The current directory is "Block III" with four files for my four major classes ("devo, gross, histo, bioch"). Clicking on a file will bring up the last page you were playing with and the list of pages in the file (which can be seen to the right of the page). Click on any of those pulls up that page. I have my directory structure set up by semester, then block I/II/II, each of which contains files for my classes like you can see in that screen. Its pretty intuitive and easy to customize for your own preferences.

Color switching is easy; you can see the 8 pens on the left hand side toolbar. Tapping any of them just switches your pen color and off you go. I have seven colors set up; there are two black pens because one I have set to be thicker than the other for "bold" items. You can customize all pens for color and thickness (ranging from .35mm - 12mm). You can also see the four highlighters below the pens (yellow, teal, green, pink).

The writing is pressure sensitive, which is why it looks just like a ballpoint pen would on a pad of paper. I also thought that the writing would look more like a mouse in Paint and was very impressed by the writing system.

Other comments: because Microsoft will never help Adobe out, you have to download a plugin to be able to ink over PDFs. Its pretty easy - you just open the PDF and "print" it using the "OneNote writer" printer installed in your printers file by the plugin. This ports an image of the PDF to OneNote. You can then move it to wherever you want and ink away.

 

[Handle]

Does the screen scratch much? I have a Dell Axim X3i and I am constantly replacing my screen protector because of scratches.

I haven't had a problem with scratching and I don't use screen protectors (probably should but I didn't like the tint it gave the screen). The only wear I've seen on the screen are the occasional dust particles that somehow get "underneath" the writing screen and are visible when you have a white background.

 

[Tribeca]

Glad I could help - I still strongly recommend you go to a store and play with one for a while (if you haven't already) to make sure you like the feel. I found it very easy to get used to but it throws some people off.

The software is easy - the only real tailored tablet programs that are standard are OneNote and Journal, Journal being very simple (almost like a pad of paper) and OneNote having a lot of organizational/other features. Personally, I use OneNote exclusively, though I don't mess with most of the options. I've heard that some people swear by Journal and complain that OneNote is "bloated." For what I use it I don't feel that way, though again there are a lot of features I don't mess with.

Here is a screen of the OneNote interface: http://img317.imageshack.us/my.php?image=onenote2bq.jpg

Hey Handle, I read your post and I too, am completely sold on the Tablet PC! I used to promise myself to buy me one as a gift if/when I get accepted to med school. Like you, I'm a visual learner and learn more when I write things than type them. What brand/model tablet do you have?

 

[Handle]

Hey Handle, I read your post and I too, am completely sold on the Tablet PC! I used to promise myself to buy me one as a gift if/when I get accepted to med school. Like you, I'm a visual learner and learn more when I write things than type them. What brand/model tablet do you have?

I use a Fujitsu Lifebook T4020D. I spent a tad more than I would have wanted (partly because this model was just released last fall), but I plan on making it last and I'm fairly sure it will. I've had no problems with it, unlike most laptops I've used in the past, so I am very happy with it. The 4010 is also a great machine from everything I've heard about it.

 

[thegenius]

For all you Mac guy/gals out there, I recommend that you buy a Apple certified, refurbished Macintosh if you are going to go the Mac route. You can typically get Macs for 25-50% off, and they come with a complete warranty on them.

Go to Apple.com -> Store, and click on the "Special Deals" link in the right-hand column. Here's the link:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/70402/wo/me1lpzrAVa7n3DGFvKy1MSeZmtf/0.0.19.1.0.8.63.0.0.0.0.0.0.3.1.1.0?88,51

(Apple gets the award for the most un-intelligible links ever.)

 

[crazy_cavalier]

I need to buy a computer (laptop), but want one that will also be useful for med school.

I don’t need fancy and expensive stuff, but any advice on what features, programs (large memory and programs for viewing slides, downloading big files with pictures, Wi-Fi or not?) are helpful for med school is appreciated. Any suggestions on good computer brands/deals?

Thanks.

You might be interested in the Fujitsu Lifebook. It's an extremely portable laptop that can convert into a tablet PC. My understanding is that it has outstanding handwriting recognition, and you can write on the screen with any surface (i.e. you don't need a specialized stylus, you can even use your finger!)

hyperlink, scroll down to the "Ultra Portable" section
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/productoverview.do?type=NB&pgid=Notebooks

The P1500D Lifebook is amazing. It is extremely light (~3 pounds) and as long as you get the 6 cell battery you can get about 7 hours on it. The battery is pretty modular so you can swap it out for another one pretty simply. The form factor is just right for ultra portability and utility - it's very small (a big bigger than the size of a Blockbuster DVD in its plastic gem case) yet big enough to have a decent keyboard (not full size, but you can adjust) and a good screen. The screen is a mere 9" widescreen SVGA, but it has a 1024x600 (internal) resolution. It runs Windows XP.

I'd say the P1500D is like a really supped up PDA. If you want a little more functionality, also check out Levono's Thinkpad Tablet (I think it's called the Thinkpad X41).

 

[crazy_cavalier]

I use a Fujitsu Lifebook T4020D. I spent a tad more than I would have wanted (partly because this model was just released last fall), but I plan on making it last and I'm fairly sure it will. I've had no problems with it, unlike most laptops I've used in the past, so I am very happy with it. The 4010 is also a great machine from everything I've heard about it.

ya man that one's awesome too. does it have a touch screen (i.e you can write on it with finger)?

 

[Pewl]

I can't deal with only having a laptop. I need my own self-built super desktop too. Laptops are so.... limited.. =P