do you need a smartphone in vet school and other tech questions

Veterinary Science Graduate Programs from U. of I.
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jl123

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any current vet students out there have any advice about what phones people use in school?
i'm thinking about upgrading from my caveman phone to maybe the new iphone or droid. i've seen my friends in other health professional schools really needing smartphones because they have apps where they look up drugs and other medical info for class/clinics/etc. is there a similar need in vet school??

also going to be buying a new laptop. the schools i'm considering don't state any specific models you need, just that it should be "very new" so i'm not sure if i should get a macbook or ibm or dell or what?! i'm not very tech savvy soo thanks in advance for the advice!
 
A smartphone isn't necessary in vet school. I have an iphone and sometimes find it very helpful though. There are many veterinary apps that can be useful. I know that at Mississippi State they are going to try to make some learning materials available for iphones and ipod touches. By no means is it required though

I have a mac, and it works wonderfully!! I know some people in my class have been converting to macs as well. They are fantastic, and I would never buy anything else ever again!! I have had no problems with any programs or learning materials not working on my computer. If something must be run on windows then there are ways around that.
 
luplodw said:
A smartphone isn't necessary in vet school. I have an iphone and sometimes find it very helpful though. There are many veterinary apps that can be useful. I know that at Mississippi State they are going to try to make some learning materials available for iphones and ipod touches. By no means is it required though

I have a mac, and it works wonderfully!! I know some people in my class have been converting to macs as well. They are fantastic, and I would never buy anything else ever again!! I have had no problems with any programs or learning materials not working on my computer. If something must be run on windows then there are ways around that.
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👍
Love my iPhone, and it's great for googling on the go/texting in class, but beyond that, I wouldnt say its necessary. Most of the vet apps I've seen require payment, so I'm avoiding them for now. Once I KNOW they're helpful, I'll consider splurging on a few 🙂
I know quite a few people with dinosaur phones who do just fine.

I've got an HP laptop, but know plenty of people with Macs, or tablet PCs, or dells etc. Personally, I'd recommend Windows just to be able to run Microsoft OneNote. This program is seriously life-saving for me. I'd say maybe 1/3 of the class at most uses their laptop in class, so your needs might differ based on whether you take notes on the computer or by hand. I love being able to type my notes, but my laptop does get heavy carrying it around all day, so Macs might have an advantage there. Which laptop you get is really personal preference/price range based, IMO. I loved my old IBM, but after 5 years I needed to upgrade, and couldn't afford the pricetag on the one I wanted. The HP beat the Dell IMO, based on the processor and other features I wanted. Love this laptop to death and it does everything I ask and then some 🙂 I'm considering getting a cheap tablet for carrying around school though, since I think it would improve notetaking and be easier on my back
 
I looooove my iphone. Especially the calendar app. I can put all of my courses and color code all of my activities (blue for family stuff, red for school, green for work) in my phone and I constantly know what I am scheduled to do every day. It's really nice to have a mac as well because it's a little easier to upload my classes on to iCal and then transfer it to my iphone. 🙂
 
thanks guys!!! ah i'm so excited jus thinking about all this. it's been awhile since i've been in school and i jus wana be in class taking notes n studying for exams and all that.

i'm used to just hand copying notes, or typing into word. is one note really that convenient? i've seen people talking about it on other threads too, i googled it but i guess i'd really need to see it in person to understand it haha.

is it useful for the classes where you have powerpoint slides?

i've had an ibm but was thinking about switching over to mac. i searched and found programs like journler or mac journal that are supposed to be alternatives to onenote? anyone use these? or do mac users mostly just use a word processing program?

i feel like a real dinosaur haha
 
i'm not sure what onenote is....but if notes are given to you in powerpoint form or in a pdf, you are able to take notes on them on a mac. Some of my friends that don't have macs aren't able to annotate on pdfs....but those with macs can. I'm not sure if they just have an old version of a program or if its just that macs are more awesome 😀
 
jl123 said:
thanks guys!!! ah i'm so excited jus thinking about all this. it's been awhile since i've been in school and i jus wana be in class taking notes n studying for exams and all that.

i'm used to just hand copying notes, or typing into word. is one note really that convenient? i've seen people talking about it on other threads too, i googled it but i guess i'd really need to see it in person to understand it haha.

is it useful for the classes where you have powerpoint slides?

i've had an ibm but was thinking about switching over to mac. i searched and found programs like journler or mac journal that are supposed to be alternatives to onenote? anyone use these? or do mac users mostly just use a word processing program?

i feel like a real dinosaur haha
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For the classes where we have powerpoints, you can import all of the slides right into onenote and take notes directly on them. (same goes for handouts, PDFs, websites, anything!) You have the option of a "pen" as well for drawing in different colors and pointing out things in pictures, diagrams, etc. I also use the recording feature, and when I go back over my notes and click on something I typed, the computer will play back a recording of what the professor was saying as I typed that line. Saves a ton of printer ink, and everything is right there in full color on your computer screen. I also dont have to worry about a prof "forgetting" to post the slides until ten minutes before class starts!

I also find the search feature wonderful. I can search all of my onenote "folders" at once, which is great when studying for a test and trying to find the definition of one word. Pictures, diagrams, slide text, etc are all searcheable as well. (Audio is searchable too, but needs to be pretty clear, ie, from the front row or two)
If you want some screenshots from my OneNote document for this year, send me a PM and I'll send a few. I basically have 1 big folder for each semester, and folders within that for each class, and files within that for each lecture, handout, powerpoint, etc.
I have a few e-textbooks as well, and I've imported the important chapters directly into onenote so that they are included in the search feature, I can highlight, make notes right on the text page, move the diagrams around, etc.

I dont have personal experience with the Mac alternatives, but friends with them have said they are not nearly as powerful as the real OneNote and can't integrate all the features as well.
 
i'm used to just hand copying notes, or typing into word. is one note really that convenient
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We have a girl in our class that uses OneNote. She seems to like it, but she has the tablet PC to go with it too so that probably makes it more useful.

I bought a LiveScribe pen and haven't touched it yet. Thought I'd use the hell out of that thing but just type my notes instead. Wayyyyyy better! Saves my hand and saves a ridiculous amount of time. There's actually quite a few people in our class that type their notes, but not as many as I expected.


As per smartphones: No not really. You won't even need to worry about apps for drug doses and the ilk until fourth year or so. I don't even have a smartphone (I absolutely refuse to pay $30 extra per month) and get by just fine. It sucks not having access to the internet everywhere at times but eh, it's not $30 per month worth of suckage.


I also find the search feature wonderful. I can search all of my onenote "folders" at once, which is great when studying for a test and trying to find the definition of one word. Pictures, diagrams, slide text, etc are all searcheable as well. (Audio is searchable too, but needs to be pretty clear, ie, from the front row or two)
If you want some screenshots from my OneNote document for this year, send me a PM and I'll send a few. I basically have 1 big folder for each semester, and folders within that for each class, and files within that for each lecture, handout, powerpoint, etc.
I have a few e-textbooks as well, and I've imported the important chapters directly into onenote so that they are included in the search feature, I can highlight, make notes right on the text page, move the diagrams around, etc.
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Do you have a tablet or just use it on a regular laptop? Maybe I need to start using OneNote.
 
jl123 said:
any current vet students out there have any advice about what phones people use in school?
i'm thinking about upgrading from my caveman phone to maybe the new iphone or droid. i've seen my friends in other health professional schools really needing smartphones because they have apps where they look up drugs and other medical info for class/clinics/etc. is there a similar need in vet school??

also going to be buying a new laptop. the schools i'm considering don't state any specific models you need, just that it should be "very new" so i'm not sure if i should get a macbook or ibm or dell or what?! i'm not very tech savvy soo thanks in advance for the advice!
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buying the lastest cell phone or laptop is definitely a want not a need.

I doubt having them becuase your in vet school would be required. since I am not yet in vet school I know that time I will be needed an upgrading cause my current/new toshiba would be well outed or would have a graveyard motherboard. and I don't think my windows xp dell will be alive by time I am accepted.

for me having the lastest tech stuff is becuase of my current job right now being an adult chat model and case of my business blog. I have a blackberry because I love to text, twitter, and check my email and playgames, ipod touch is fun but i dont use it as much as i do with myblackberry, I rather my ipod nano cause I just use it for listening to music and podcast i download.

spent $500 on my toshiba laptop and it gets the job done.
 
My opinion, buy a MacBook instead of a cheap PC like a Dell. Your school may have discounts on them, and you can get a 13" macbook pro for only $1000 here at UW. It is worth the extra few hundred bucks to get some quality hardware that will last all 4 years of vet school, rather than get a $500 PC laptop that you may likely have to replace in your third year.

This is based on my experience with the last generation of macbook pro, my 4 year old 15" is a TANK 😍 and I assume that the newer ones are just as well built.

I can't personally speak to the software on Macs (I run linux- ultra-nerd!) but they seem to have everything windows has, plus some.
 
Also, re: smartphones, you can get by with a much cheaper phone than the shiny new iphones. Though I WANT WANT WANT an iphone, when my last phone died (1 year before I could get a replacement, grrr) I found a used something or other for $75. It has a touchscreen interface that drives me mad, but it A -makes phone calls (important!), B- syncs with my google calendar and will give alarms to let me know when I have an appointment C- can check e-mail and send e-mail, and D- can browse the web. I am sure it can do other stuff I just don't use it. So if money is an issue (after buying that nice macbook pro!) you can find cheaper alternatives which don't need 4G or whatever.
 
jl123 said:
any current vet students out there have any advice about what phones people use in school?
i'm thinking about upgrading from my caveman phone to maybe the new iphone or droid. i've seen my friends in other health professional schools really needing smartphones because they have apps where they look up drugs and other medical info for class/clinics/etc. is there a similar need in vet school??
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No way! I get along just fine and never felt the need for a smart phone. I don't want to spend the extra money on a new phone or spend the extra 30 bucks a month. I don't know of anyone in my class who does use any vet apps--that will probably change when we get to clinics, but I don't really think I'll use it at that point either. Whatever you do, I'd say before you sign any contract, find out the coverage in the area. AT&T doesn't work well in Blacksburg, for instance, so unless you're in a place with wifi, you may not have service.

I use a tablet pc and I love it! I can take notes on ppts, pdfs, and circle cells or bones or whatever in anatomy, pathology, physiology, etc. It would have been a life saver if I had had it for histo last semester! I like one note a lot because of the reasons that cowgirla has mentioned, but if you do have a tablet, office 2010 has some tablet features in word and ppt. I still convert a ton of stuff to one note, but it's not necessary.

If you're going to spend a lot of money on gadgets, I'd say get a tablet. If you don't think you'd use a tablet, I'd still say go with a pc. There have been a few problems in my class with macs not working with some materials and I haven't heard any good reason to spend the extra money. I had my last computer (HP) for years with no problem and my sister has sent her mac in 3x in the last 18 months for problems. There's no guarantee it won't screw up no matter what you get--why spend 2x as much for a computer that may have some compatibility problems?
 
This will depend very much on you!

I don't believe you absolutly need any technology for vet school if your school doesn't require it.

Having said that, I have a tablet and an iphone and I use both extensively for class.

I would go AGAINST the advise that it doesn't matter about the quality of lapatop. You may not need the fastest processor, but I did buy a top of the line tablet just before vet school that was maxed out on memory. The memory is now full. I'm in my second year, and I don't keep anything really unusual on my computer. If you get a laptop, I strongly advise having a back up system in place (either to the clouds or to an external HD) and an accidental damage insurance policy. In the first semester first year another student dropped her nalgene water bottle, which shattered (it was old, lots of time in the sun, etc), dumping about 28oz of water down my back pack...which I had just put my lap top in. It was destroyed and not recoverable...luckily I only lost 2 days of notes, because I had a back up, and Lenova overnighted me a replacement laptop by the next day.

I use my laptop extensively for note taking and studying. I use my smart phone far more than I expected. I have a lot of apps on it that I use (including NAVLE flashcards), but I also have an awesome flashcard program on it that I use all the time. I can put my flashcards online to flashcardexchange by uploading to the site, then I can bring them up on my iphone. I also can make flashcars on my iphone. this is particularly useful in classes where we have microcope labs...or in parasitology. I take lots of pictures and put the info on. This has helped me study in moments where pulling out notebooks or my lap top would be inconvenient. I also take my phone running and walking, and use the ap to drill myself.

So while it isn't absolutly necessary.... if you are very hugely tech oriented it can be very useful.
 
Apologies for sounding like a dinosaur, but.... are there vet students out there still doing it the old-fashioned way - taking notes by hand?

When I went back to school for my undergrad as an adult, I stuck with taking notes by hand and it worked great. Is that not feasible for grad school?
 
LetItSnow said:
Apologies for sounding like a dinosaur, but.... are there vet students out there still doing it the old-fashioned way - taking notes by hand?

When I went back to school for my undergrad as an adult, I stuck with taking notes by hand and it worked great. Is that not feasible for grad school?
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I don't know if it's "feasible" in vet school but I can't imagine that it wouldn't be. I've never taken notes electronically in my life, and I can't imagine starting in vet school. The very act of writing is the first step to remembering in my brain--it's a necessary part of the learning for me.
 
about 1/4 of our class takes notes by hand (another 1/5 don't take notes in class) and many of us do abbreviated review notes by hand
 
You don't need a smartphone but in the hospital they are very useful. You can get by pretty easy in class and lab, but in the hospital you move around a lot and often don't have time to go get stuff. And it can be hard to find an unused computer right when you need one.

So it takes the place of a whole bunch of stuff I would need to carry:

calculator,
Plumb's drug book
Camera -- take pictures of lesions, patients
Video camera -- patients
Date book -- on call schedule, call backs
Alarm clark -- treatments, appointments I would forget
Internet -- VIN, PubMed searches, email
Charts for Fahrenheit/Centigrade; Lab unit converter; Body weight:surface area; CRI calculations; CPR doses

Oh yeah, and a phone. Lugging all that **** around for 12-14 hours, without losing something, getting it peed on, or having it fall out of your pocket every time you bend over to pick up a dog can be a challenge.

There are a whole lot of other apps and books available as well. The tech changes pretty fast so I would wait until you're close to clinics to see what you need.
 
sumstorm said:
about 1/4 of our class takes notes by hand (another 1/5 don't take notes in class) and many of us do abbreviated review notes by hand
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That 20% not taking notes... how does that work? They're going off PP slides for studying? Or are they note-swapping? Amazing brains for recall? Or are the lectures really that unnecessary? 🙂
 
using the PPT/printed notes to study, primarily. some are studying off note charts, flash cards, and image files made by other students. some of the lectures really aren't that necessary (but are generally mandatory) because the notes are better than that lecture.
 
LetItSnow said:
Apologies for sounding like a dinosaur, but.... are there vet students out there still doing it the old-fashioned way - taking notes by hand?

When I went back to school for my undergrad as an adult, I stuck with taking notes by hand and it worked great. Is that not feasible for grad school?
Click to expand...

Over here I'd say 90/96 people take notes by hand. Very few people bring computers to school.

A nice phone is not necessary at all, though it's a fun and useful toy. I'd recommend something that at leasts texts though.
 
If anyone is familiar with Veterinary Board Games, there is an app for that available to iPhone users.
 
The vast majority of our class takes notes by hand. Or just sleep through lecture 😛

I think there's only about....10 or so of us that take notes on computers. Probably not even that much.


My opinion, buy a MacBook instead of a cheap PC like a Dell. Your school may have discounts on them, and you can get a 13" macbook pro for only $1000 here at UW. It is worth the extra few hundred bucks to get some quality hardware that will last all 4 years of vet school, rather than get a $500 PC laptop that you may likely have to replace in your third year.
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I disagree. I think macs are overpriced and not worth it. You can get better for less if you go the PC route. My laptop cost me $320 and it has a 2.6 ghz dual core processor, 320 gigs of space, 3 gigs of RAM, and a decent video card that'll do what I want it to do. It won't run 1080 videos without a whole lot of stuttering but that's not really what I use it for any how lol. That puts it on par with a MacBook and was ~$600 cheaper. For the price of a macbook, you can get a bitchin' laptop.

My last laptop, a Toshiba, went through hell and high water with me and still lasted 5 years. It'd been spilled on, stepped on, dropped several times, had the screen punctured twice (and Toshiba replaced for free both times, the second time was out of warranty). The only failing it had was the lame battery, had to keep it plugged in all the time for the last year or so. That system cost $400.
 
HopefulAg said:
I disagree. I think macs are overpriced and not worth it. You can get better for less if you go the PC route. My laptop cost me $320 and it has a 2.6 ghz dual core processor, 320 gigs of space, 3 gigs of RAM, and a decent video card that'll do what I want it to do. It won't run 1080 videos without a whole lot of stuttering but that's not really what I use it for any how lol. That puts it on par with a MacBook and was ~$600 cheaper. For the price of a macbook, you can get a bitchin' laptop.
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I agree. Even if I didn't prefer windows (and I have used MacOS extensively), PCs give you a whole lot more for your money. I paid $1000 for my lappy and it's not only gaming capable, it's highly rated for gaming. I wish my core was faster, but it can be replaced. A lot of that money went towards a 1GB dedicated nVidia GForce video card. I am not even sure I could have gotten that capability from the Mac, and if I could have I would have paid, in my estimation at least $500 more. Macs are fun toys, but I find them impractical for many things.

Though I refuse to buy anything from Apple I would probably grudgingly recommend a Macbook IF you are willing to pay extra and you are not planning to game extensively and are planning mostly internet surfing and word processing. It is more portable than many high-end PCs as well, I'll definitely admit that, and it does have a few cooler gadgets.
 
Just get a macbook instead of the pro for like $600 with student discounts 🙂 Works just the same except you dont get it in silver
 
A lot of people in our class have switched to netbooks during class, though most have another computer at home that they also use. The netbook's weight is just so much better and it doesn't feel like it's sucking your life away carrying it.

That said, the macbook air would probably do just as well for me, if I had a spare grand.
 
With regard to having your iphone as an all-in-one reference:
if you purchase the e-books of your textbooks or other references, there is an app that will enable you to cross-link your (Elsevier) books, notes, highlights, etc on your computer (Mac or PC), iPhone and iPad. I anticipate this might be quite helpful if you're in clinics thinking "I remember seeing that picture of ___ that explained ___ in ___ book." Plus all your texts would be searchable at your fingertips.

However, take the perceived usefulness with a grain of salt since it's coming from a techie. 😛
 
lailanni said:
Over here I'd say 90/96 people take notes by hand. Very few people bring computers to school.
A nice phone is not necessary at all, though it's a fun and useful toy. I'd recommend something that at leasts texts though.
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I second this. We do not use computers in lecture. I did without my iPhone here for 7 months and just yesterday broke down and got a simcard for it. However, the big difference is that I'm international and did not need it to chat with my friends/family at home.

I would agree that having a phone to text your classmates..for studying, lunch plans, last minute changes in schedules, etc,would be very useful. Now that I have my phone back, i am downloading all kinds of useful apps.

I say you don't need one, but it's really nice to have.
 
I agree that a smartphone would be useful, but isn't a necessity.

A computer, though, depends on the school you go to. We're required to purchase tablet PCs here at Iowa State and they have been heavily utilized in a lot of our classes for exams, quizzes, assignments, and so on. So we all bring our computers to class, and the vast majority of us use them to take notes (there were a few people who took notes by hand last year, but I'm not sure if they're still doing so or not).

Personally, I'd much rather cart around my tablet (~5lbs) than the collection of binders and notebooks I had in undergrad.

Vet Med said:
does anyone know if the i phone is coming to verizon?
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Yep -- I just saw it on the Verizon site.
 
Call me old fashioned, but I've managed to make to 3rd year with no cellphone at all, just a landline. Believe it or not there are actually 4 of us (that I know of) in my class of 60 without one. I'm just curious if there are others out there (maybe it's a canadian thing?).
 
raisin said:
Call me old fashioned, but I've managed to make to 3rd year with no cellphone at all, just a landline. Believe it or not there are actually 4 of us (that I know of) in my class of 60 without one. I'm just curious if there are others out there (maybe it's a canadian thing?).
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wow!! i wish i wasn't such a slave to my phone. it's not even a smartphone but i'm so addicted to texting i feel naked without it. just wondering though, wouldn't you eventually need to have one for clinicals? i don't know exactly how rotations work but i'm assuming you're on call a lot of the time?

and thanks for all of the helpful information! 😀
now if i could only decide where i will go to school... i thought i had my decision but now i'm second guessing myself.
 
I almost peed my pants at this great news. Unfortunately I don't have 80 extra dollars a month for it. I did not realize it was so pricey🙁
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!?!

It's $80 extra per month? Madre de dios! That is ridiculous! And I thought $30 extra for the Android phones was ridiculous. That's just ludicrous!

$80?!
 
HopefulAg said:
!?!

It's $80 extra per month? Madre de dios! That is ridiculous! And I thought $30 extra for the Android phones was ridiculous. That's just ludicrous!

$80?!
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woah! i don't think it's 80 either.. i heard it's $30-40ish more, like the droid. i don't know if verizon is worth all this though. but all the phone companies are getting pretty ridiculous.
 
If it's $80/month extra than it's some special iPhone thing. I've had a smartphone for 2 years (blackberry) and it's always been $30/month on verizon.
 
I'm not in vet school, but I spend a good amount of time over at ours and something I take advantage of is that the place is basically saturated in wifi - with the exception of actual calls, there is very little I can't do on my ipod touch that an iphone could do. Something to think about that could save you a lot of money.

As a general sentiment, though, I echo Sumstorm's approval of extended warranties and regular backing up of electronics - you just never know what can happen. I'm particularly rough on electronics (murdered two hard drives in the last year, haha) and would be out a lot of money if not for warranties.
 
My phone is a clever little device that lets me talk with people who are too far away to hear me when I shout. And I can still afford to eat almost every single day...
 
My phone is a clever little device that lets me talk with people who are too far away to hear me when I shout.
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Sounds like someone's not shouting loud enough.
 
I have a netbook and really like it. It was cheap, it's durable, it has great battery life... it would be hard to use if you had really big hands, but I think typing on it is almost easier than a normal-sized keyboard.

I would use an iPad, but only with a stylus for writing - I would never try to type using the on-screen keyboard. Very inefficient.

And I love my iPhone to bits, and I'm terribly addicted. And I'm only one finger tap away from the forum at all times. :d My husband and I pay $115 a month for the medium-ish minutes, unlimited internet, and 200 texts apiece. I mean... I could watch a movie on my iPhone over Netflix. Awesome for when you get stuck somewhere, even just a bad day at the DMV!
 
Whoever it was in here that originally suggested Onenote, I owe you one.

I booted that up today after reading this thread, and it looks like the absolute perfect program for my needs.

So thanks!
 
twelvetigers said:
And I love my iPhone to bits, and I'm terribly addicted. .... I mean... I could watch a movie on my iPhone over Netflix. Awesome for when you get stuck somewhere, even just a bad day at the DMV!
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LOL. I never wanted a smart phone, but when we took my old (2002) flip phone into ATT, they laughed at me because all I wanted was a new battery (they don't make them for that phone anymore and even the mall cheapo places didn't have anything that could help.) My husband insisted that I should have the shiny iphone (this was just before 1st year) and so I got a little phone that I was certain I'd never use for much more than a cell phone. Wow, was I wrong!

I literally use mine all the time to look things up, text (especially with husband since we don't live together.) Flash cards, documents, email, movies, games, etc. I track my runs, lift sessions and bike rides, use it for navigation, keep my to do list and schedule on it, track spending, bank accounts, IRAs, there's even an app for my health insurance that puts me in chat with a nurse. I have maps of malls, apps to keep track of my knitting and letterboxing, my HR monitor and diet tracker are on there. I even use it in place of flight vouchers when we travel...not to mention the pictures I get because it has a decent camera. I never even owned an mp3 player before this.

So, I certainly don't think they are necessary, and I do think they are a luxury. Having said that, when husband's income was reduced, we gave up alot of things in a hurry, but we kept the iphones. Some of that is how many other things it replaces (calendars, phone books, recorders, cameras, etc.) I do use the internet alot....even pre AOL. (though now I can't really remember how I got through UG without a laptop, let alone without google.)
 
sumstorm said:
You may not need the fastest processor, but I did buy a top of the line tablet just before vet school that was maxed out on memory. The memory is now full. I'm in my second year, and I don't keep anything really unusual on my computer. If you get a laptop, I strongly advise having a back up system in place (either to the clouds or to an external HD) and an accidental damage insurance policy. In the first semester first year another student dropped her nalgene water bottle, which shattered (it was old, lots of time in the sun, etc), dumping about 28oz of water down my back pack...which I had just put my lap top in. It was destroyed and not recoverable...luckily I only lost 2 days of notes, because I had a back up, and Lenova overnighted me a replacement laptop by the next day.
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When you say memory, I assume you are referring to storage rather than RAM, correct? Just wanting to clarify so that those less tech savvy don't make a mistake when talking to someone in the industry and end up with something they didn't intend.

I'm pretty sure I would have reacted rather unpleasantly if someone had dumped water all over my bag. There'd be a lot of people saying, "I'm not sitting anywhere near that guy in the future." We got the 3 yr everything included plan for my wife's Lenovo based on your comments last year. Hopefully I find out if I got accepted by 17 March - I think Lenovo might revive their St. Patrick's Day special this year.
 
The AMAZING thing about the new MacBook Air (Which I will be purchasing this summer) is that it is the only computer out there that comes standard with a 'solid state harddrive', which basically means it doesn't spin like every other harddrive out there. Therefore, it's perfect for students (esp vet students towing it back and forth all the time!) because you don't have to turn it off to carry it around. It's the fastest computer to turn on, start from sleep, and some other things. My boyfriend works at the apple store and recommends it for students. Also, it comes in an 11" and 13" model, depending on backpack size and what not, and different solid state harddrive capacities. It's also extremely light-weight, and they call it like the laptop of the future...whatever that means lol. Also, in the summer, you get the student package which comes with a free ipod touch and printer. So you could still access all those iphone/ipod apps for vet school, without the need to buy a smartphone. Although, you'd have to find wifi, where the iphone has 4G and internet everywhere (depending on the service provider, Verizon works best in NYS, but I think ATT works better in other states). I think I'm still going to buy an iphone though, I'm a little apple crazy. I hope i don't sound like a sales person, I've just been looking into this for a long time. Just remember if you buy a PC or other computers that have a rotating hard drive, they're much more sensitive to movement and can die easily. Mine died 2 days before finals of my sophomore year in undergrad. And I mean, of course vet school is going to be messy, but there are a lot of pretty awesome covers out there so you could be typing on iphone/macbook during anatomy and not have a problem. Technology is pretty awesome nowadays.
 
luplodw said:
Just get a macbook instead of the pro for like $600 with student discounts 🙂 Works just the same except you dont get it in silver
Click to expand...


But the silver is the best part!!!
 
nuevaburra said:
My opinion, buy a MacBook instead of a cheap PC like a Dell. Your school may have discounts on them, and you can get a 13" macbook pro for only $1000 here at UW. It is worth the extra few hundred bucks to get some quality hardware that will last all 4 years of vet school, rather than get a $500 PC laptop that you may likely have to replace in your third year.

This is based on my experience with the last generation of macbook pro, my 4 year old 15" is a TANK 😍 and I assume that the newer ones are just as well built.

I can't personally speak to the software on Macs (I run linux- ultra-nerd!) but they seem to have everything windows has, plus some.
Click to expand...

Woo hoo another linux fan!!!!! Yay for ultra nerds!
 
Armymutt25A said:
When you say memory, I assume you are referring to storage rather than RAM, correct? Just wanting to clarify so that those less tech savvy don't make a mistake when talking to someone in the industry and end up with something they didn't intend.

I'm pretty sure I would have reacted rather unpleasantly if someone had dumped water all over my bag. There'd be a lot of people saying, "I'm not sitting anywhere near that guy in the future." We got the 3 yr everything included plan for my wife's Lenovo based on your comments last year. Hopefully I find out if I got accepted by 17 March - I think Lenovo might revive their St. Patrick's Day special this year.
Click to expand...

Storage. I think my problem involves the HD films from my research that I don't want to take off my computer until I finish my thesis. Alas, that may not be an option. The issue just came up this week, and we have multiple exams this week, so I haven't been able to investigate it fully.

I was really upset about the water damage, but it was completly an accident, so I wasn't angry. V. grateful everything was backed up and that lenova responded very well.

I'm also finding that my batter is dejuicing too fast now, but that is to be expected. I need to order a replacement. I still expect this machine to get me through school.

I'd love to have a Mac, and I would buy a Mac, except Mac's still lack two crucial features for me; tablet ability (except the ipad) and One Note.

BTW- I can carry my lenova around. while it isn't a solid state drive (which are nice but expensive) it freezes the drive when movement is sensed. This has saved my computer during a couple of hard knocks. And coming standard doesn't matter to me...these days custom ordering a PC isn't a big deal.
 
yup. i'll have to get one for when im on-call in clinics, and also away doing externals. I'll probably just get a basic phone and use a pay-as-you-go plan.
 
For those of you who have tablets, which one do you have? I need to get a new computer for school, and I want a tablet. I definitely want to use one note, too. And I don't want the tablet to be so heavy that it kills my shoulders. Suggestions?
 
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