Computing/Electronic needs Ireland

[sunny123]

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Hey everyone, just had a couple of questions with regards to the use/need of laptops at RCSI.

I have read that upon admission, students are given a laptop to use for the duration of the program. Does anyone know what model, and the specs of said model, students recieve? Are the laptops given to students at the college, or do we place the order over here? I'm assuming the laptops are just used to d/l lecture notes (where do students print out the stuff? In their dorms, or at a library? Better to buy a printer?). We don't have to write up assignments/lab reports do we?

Anyone purchase a Dell/Palm PDA to use in lectures?

Also, has anyone declined the school's choice, and opted to purchase their own?

What are the internet connections on the RCSI like? Does the campus of many hotspots that offer wifi connectability? The dorms I know are equipped with a dsl line, but since the dorms are shared, are there routers installed? Or does someone need to purchase one?

I've never been to Ireland, so I was just wondering if there was a good travel converter kit that students purchase (coming from N.America)? Does Samsonite produce better converters than American Tourister, or are they pretty much the same in quality?

That's all for now... thanks in advance 🙂 .

 

[medgirl20]

All students are given apple iBooks I think it was a G4 last year I hate mine so much. It's now broken so I'm just replacing it with a normal laptop, a lot of students go for this. I don't think its an option to chose a different laptop from the college, they have a deal with apple.

You can buy printer cards in the library €4 for 80 pages printing or photocopying there's currently a debate going on in the college because before this year lecturers used to print out their lecture notes and give them to us in class now we have to print them ourselves. You need to work out whether it's cheaper to print in the library or buy your own printer.

We use the laptops for downloading lectures and of course random websurfing. There are some online courses which you are required to take during the year e.g. histology and radiology this is what your laptops are for. There are relatively few computers in the college and in the library because everyone has their laptop. For some classes we have to do presentations or projects which all have to be submitted electronically to check for plagerism. Mainly students use their laptops for this rather than saving stuff to disk and then having to find an available computer.

You get a PDA in baby 3rd med I don't think there's any real need for it before that unless you really want one.

There is wireless in the lecture halls (such a bad idea), tutorial rooms, library and the coffee dock and restaurant.

The internet connection is pretty good same as my broadband out home. It's rarely down and they generally email you to tell you the connection will be down.

Each room in Mercer Millin has there own connection point for the internet.

😛 Can't hep you with your other q's sorry.

 

[dirtymac42]

medgirl left a dynamite reply so there's not much for me to say.... i guess except about travel converters.... honestly, most ppl buy whatever electronic devices they need over here.... if you're stayin at mercer, the place where everyone goes during the first week to buy stuff is called Argos... it's in the upstairs of the shopping centre right across the street.

but, yeah, the standard 1600W radio shack one should do ya if u are particularly attached to a hair dryer or something.... but remember, stuff like clock radios will not convert over, quite funny to watch tho cuz they run too fast on the different system.... heheh

 

[sunny123]

^ Dynamite indeed

Thank you very much medgirl. And you too dirtymac 😉 . I didn't know that about the clock radios going faster over there in Europe.

 

[Canadian Girl]

I've got a question along the same lines, i.e. computers, so I thought I wouldn't open up a new thread. What are the computer labs like at UCD? Are they easily accessible/efficient? Is there a need for a laptop or desktop of your own or are the university computer labs sufficient?

Also what are internet connections like, rates/types, if you're not living on campus ?

 

[r3boot]

the rate and type of connection are the same as rcsi.

facilities depend on which campus you are at .

Generally they are adequate for the odd lab report etc.

No hot spots.

also rcsi are pc and mac based at the moment. The school uses pc's in the library and distributes ibooks to students.