How to spend $2000 technology stipend?

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MDjourneyman

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My school gives incoming students a $2000 technology stipend? We can only be reimbursed for tech spending so there's no reason not to use the full $2000.

I've been using a dinky chromebook for the last year so I'm definitely looking forward to having a new laptop. I think I will likely go with a 13" MacBook Pro Retina 128 or 256 GB ($1300 or $1500 respectively).

How would you spend the rest of that stipend? I could spend it on an even more expensive laptop but that seems like it's probably overkill. I've never owned an iPad and always thought they were kinda silly. However, I'm realizing how much of my studying will likely be PDFs and powerpoints. I've always preferred having hard copies of slides/text to actively mark-up and take notes on rather than typing, but the volume of printing I'd need for med school classes probably makes that unrealistic. I've recently heard recommendation for apps like iAnnotate which could be used with an iPad and stylus to make for an electronic alternative to hard copies and a pen. Does anyone have experience with the quality of iAnnotate or similar apps / think an iPad is an essential study tool?
 
Many med schools utilize the Office 365 suite of applications (ie, Outlook) which comes with several free licenses for each employee accounts (like yours). That'll save you money on an office suite. Apple Care does not necessarily have to be purchased on the same day you purchase your laptop (ask your sales rep), so you can split up costs.

I'd strongly recommend investing in an external USB drive or make a habit of backing up your files (lectures, presentations, etc.) to a cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, Copy, or Box. Modern notebooks come with flash storage ("SSD") which are far more durable, but you don't want to take any chances! 😉

Great choice going with the MacBook Pro Retina. The hardware was just refreshed, so you'll be running the latest and greatest.
 
Are they actually giving the money to you, or is it part of your cost of attendance and it's included in what you're allowed to borrow?

If it's the latter, don't feel obligated to spend the whole stipend. Sure, get yourself a nice laptop, you'll need it, but don't spend money (that you're paying interest on!) just because you can.
 
SouthernSurgeon said:
If you are getting a MBP you should at the least get the 256 GB, if not the 512 GB. Could also consider a processor upgrade depending on what you're doing.

So that's $1500 (min)

Def need an applecare plan. Tack on 250

Don't forget software. Student package for Office is what, $100? $130?

Need an external hard drive for more storage and backup. Tack on another $100

Gonna do any presentations in med school? Need a VGA dongle - $40

Last but not least, can't forget taxes.

Sorry, that's your whole $2000.
Click to expand...
You are showing your age 🙂

The external hard drive has been replaced by the cloud. The software will be rented by the institution and available to you for free (or forget the monstrosity that is Office and just use the cloud). Those presentations can be done from the cloud onto any school-provided machinery. AppleCare? Your mileage may vary, but the hardware is near indestructible except for those flimsy Apple power supplies...

Just get a new 12" MacBook. No ports. Insane battery life because everything that was a port has been replaced by more battery. And your delicate power supply will be safe at home instead of getting banged up while wrapped up in your backpack, because you won't need to carry it around anymore. No more AppleCare.

Plus, it's available in gold.
 
make sure you wait for july; the past 2 years apple has offered a back to school sale starting july 1st where they give you a $100 apple gift card with purchase of a macbook/macbookpro
 
1. Buy a 2000 dollar macbook
2. Show receipt to school to get reimbursed
3. return unopened macbook
4. get 2000 back in cash
5. buy anything you want for 2000

You're welcome
 
Dares Dareson said:
But it comes with Windows 8! The final ultimate best OS of all time.
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LOL. Thought you were serious for a minute. When I bought my laptop, I had to pay an extra $15 to DOWNGRADE to Windows 7. It's pretty funny actually.
 
The stipend is $2K that isn't added into the CoA. There's no incentive to not spend it all. I'm not sure why they chose to do it like that.

Thanks for the thoughts on the add-ons and extras with the MBP. I hadn't thought of all those. They'll definitely add up.

Back to a couple other questions I posed- Does anyone think an iPad is a great study tool? Has anyone used a stylus and the iAnnotate App(or other similar apps) for effective note-taking?
 
MacBook with software will treat you well all four years.
 
MDjourneyman said:
The stipend is $2K that isn't added into the CoA. There's no incentive to not spend it all. I'm not sure why they chose to do it like that.

Thanks for the thoughts on the add-ons and extras with the MBP. I hadn't thought of all those. They'll definitely add up.

Back to a couple other questions I posed- Does anyone think an iPad is a great study tool? Has anyone used a stylus and the iAnnotate App(or other similar apps) for effective note-taking?
Click to expand...
The iPad plus stylus is a great study tool for the first two years, if you don't own a laptop, or are unwilling to carry a laptop to class. I was happy with mine. I also used it at home for review.

But you know what? The students next to me who had the slides on their laptop and just clicked on them to start typing in little notes, those students were faster than me and probably caught more of the lecture. If you have never experienced it, med school is taught at a tremendous rate and it is very hard to keep up.

You also need to take into account whether or not you will go to class at all. At many schools people don't, and that can change what study tools are appropriate.
 
I bought my first retina MBP for med school. Best choice at the time because of the screen. The way I think about it is...you spend so much time looking at a screen to study, you may as well have a great display.

Id only buy a MBP w/ retina display or a PC with a similar display from now on.

While most people at my school have a Mac, I do get jealous of the few that have touch screens and stylus.
 
qwerty89 said:
1. Buy a 2000 dollar macbook
2. Show receipt to school to get reimbursed
3. return unopened macbook
4. get 2000 back in cash
5. buy anything you want for 2000

You're welcome
Click to expand...

Did this in rx school !
 
Our school gave us a laptop and ipad. I've found the ipad excellent for study on the go, rewatching lectures at the gym or at the beach, and flashcards. If they didn't give it to us, I'd certainly consider purchasing one.
 
sazerac said:
You are showing your age 🙂

The external hard drive has been replaced by the cloud. The software will be rented by the institution and available to you for free (or forget the monstrosity that is Office and just use the cloud). Those presentations can be done from the cloud onto any school-provided machinery. AppleCare? Your mileage may vary, but the hardware is near indestructible except for those flimsy Apple power supplies...

Just get a new 12" MacBook. No ports. Insane battery life because everything that was a port has been replaced by more battery. And your delicate power supply will be safe at home instead of getting banged up while wrapped up in your backpack, because you won't need to carry it around anymore. No more AppleCare.

Plus, it's available in gold.
Click to expand...

I'm an old fogey too, I guess, but I just don't feel comfortable using the cloud as a primary storage space for anything I'd even remotely care about.

I'm also a fairly moderate to basic user (no gaming, mostly web surfing, MSFT Office, etc), but I've never had a problem with windows 8 and I don't understand why people are so up in arms about it. The only thing I even cared about a little was the no start menu button (which you can instantly fix/add back by downloading a simple program/patch). Otherwise it's pretty standard windows, except for the tile screen which I don't bother with.
 
I had a surface for M1 physiology and I have to say that being able to physically write things (as you're inquiring about with the iPad) is more of a hindrance than a help. I ended up switching back to my Macbook and typing everything directly on the PDF. This was already mentioned but I'll second it here. Physically writing things puts you way behind. It's much much faster to type. You'll find that you miss out on a great deal of the lecture and will spend time going back to listen to what you missed.
 
Do people still use paper notebooks and hand write notes? I've found that I learn a lot better if I hand write and rewrite my notes instead of typing them. One of my professors said that re-writing things by hand stimulates the motor cortex more significantly than typing, and speeds up the learning process.

All of my hand written notes are meticulously organized in binders, labeled, and put on shelves for future reference.

Are there med students out there who stick to the hand written method? Or is is not practical and I should shift away from it before I begin med school?
 
tyrsa said:
Do people still use paper notebooks and hand write notes? I've found that I learn a lot better if I hand write and rewrite my notes instead of typing them. One of my professors said that re-writing things by hand stimulates the motor cortex more significantly than typing, and speeds up the learning process.

All of my hand written notes are meticulously organized in binders, labeled, and put on shelves for future reference.

Are there med students out there who stick to the hand written method? Or is is not practical and I should shift away from it before I begin med school?
Click to expand...
Yes, I did a lot of that during 1st semester, and somewhat less during 2nd semester. If really depends on the material you are covering. I found my hand cramping and my pace too slow to keep up just taking hand notes all the time.
Now, I tend to make a study guide word doc, complete with images and graphs /charts/whatever during the lecture, go over it and refine or add that evening after lecture, print out and use that for the rest of my studying. Going over with a pen or highlighter and writing in the margins helps gives that motor cortex imprinting.

Really depends on the topic. Don't sweat anything, you'll figure out what works and adjust on the fly
 
tyrsa said:
Do people still use paper notebooks and hand write notes? I've found that I learn a lot better if I hand write and rewrite my notes instead of typing them. One of my professors said that re-writing things by hand stimulates the motor cortex more significantly than typing, and speeds up the learning process.

All of my hand written notes are meticulously organized in binders, labeled, and put on shelves for future reference.

Are there med students out there who stick to the hand written method? Or is is not practical and I should shift away from it before I begin med school?
Click to expand...

I did. It took a long time and it's probably not for everyone.

That said, it's how I best learned, and I Honored all my courses during M1/M2.
 
I suggest searching Best Buy Open Boxes. Usually it's only 10% off their normal price,but sometimes I have seen brand new MacBooks at unto 30% off Best Buy's already discounted price. The Open Boxes are usually in pristine condition and less than a month old, they come with a receipt and yo can get Apple to start warranty from *your* purchase date. It will help you go further, perhaps consider external displays, etc. 🙂

If you are considering a Surface Pro form factor, I highly suggest waiting for the Surface Pro 4 -- it should be released within the next two to three months at the most. Stylus with an iPad can be great, but is not even close to the intuitive nature of the Surface Pro. Although I suppose that is personal preference.
 
sazerac said:
You are showing your age 🙂

The external hard drive has been replaced by the cloud. The software will be rented by the institution and available to you for free (or forget the monstrosity that is Office and just use the cloud). Those presentations can be done from the cloud onto any school-provided machinery. AppleCare? Your mileage may vary, but the hardware is near indestructible except for those flimsy Apple power supplies...

Just get a new 12" MacBook. No ports. Insane battery life because everything that was a port has been replaced by more battery. And your delicate power supply will be safe at home instead of getting banged up while wrapped up in your backpack, because you won't need to carry it around anymore. No more AppleCare.

Plus, it's available in gold.
Click to expand...

I would highly recommend against getting the 12" MacBook. I've seen plenty already, and the lack of ports turns into more of an inconvenience than you would think. The worst issue I've seen is that it's also a pain to type on for long periods of time. If you want a machine to take notes on and do actual work, the keyboard is horrendous. It's not a student/working professional's machine. It's a good Netflix/email machine though.

Intel is releasing a new processor microarchitecture in September/October called "Skylake," which will make big changes in the laptop field. I would highly suggest waiting until the new chips start showing up, and then making a decision then. It promises to be the most significant advancement we've seen for a while.

Do you have a deadline by which you must spend the money? Waiting until October, and then picking up a MacBook Pro w/Applecare would be my recommendation. If you use your cellphone for academic/studying (e.g. flashcards and review)/work-related purposes (as many professors do), it is worth inquiring if that might also be covered under the technology budget.
 
MahiMahi said:
I would highly recommend against getting the 12" MacBook. I've seen plenty already, and the lack of ports turns into more of an inconvenience than you would think. The worst issue I've seen is that it's also a pain to type on for long periods of time. If you want a machine to take notes on and do actual work, the keyboard is horrendous. It's not a student/working professional's machine. It's a good Netflix/email machine though.

Intel is releasing a new processor microarchitecture in September/October called "Skylake," which will make big changes in the laptop field. I would highly suggest waiting until the new chips start showing up, and then making a decision then. It promises to be the most significant advancement we've seen for a while.

Do you have a deadline by which you must spend the money? Waiting until October, and then picking up a MacBook Pro w/Applecare would be my recommendation. If you use your cellphone for academic/studying (e.g. flashcards and review)/work-related purposes (as many professors do), it is worth inquiring if that might also be covered under the technology budget.
Click to expand...

waiting as long as possible saves the most money, i'm with that. especially until you see what way you want to use it the most. is it going to be tablet with hand-written annotations or something doable on a laptop? etc
 
Macbook
Extra monitor
iPad mini (maybe)
Keyboard
Wireless mouse
 
Tired said:
Where's the damn "dislike" button on SDN?
Click to expand...

May I ask why you are so against the Surface? From my experience, it is a really well made, high quality laptop/tablet hybrid that has a legit digitizer (which you won't find on any apple device of any kind). Windows 10 will also likely make up for the missteps made in Windows 8. My only qualm is that the keyboard is expensive and kind of flimsy.
 
snowflakes said:
I have an ipad, and use it more than I thought I would (my school forces us to get an ipad). In the beginning, I would type my notes to lectures, but the I found I would just try to take down everything the lecturer said verbatim, which wasn't that helpful. Now I annotate pdfs on my ipad, which forces me to write less and think more about what the lecturer is saying. I also like that I can draw arrows, circle things, etc, which is especially nice for pathology slides.

I really second the suggestion about a second monitor. Get two even! It makes a HUGE difference.
Click to expand...

How can I figure out if my laptop can work with two monitors? Either on their own or in combination with the laptop to make it three screens?

Sorry if that is a dumb question, idk if they are all compatible or not
 
baxt1412 said:
How can I figure out if my laptop can work with two monitors? Either on their own or in combination with the laptop to make it three screens?

Sorry if that is a dumb question, idk if they are all compatible or not
Click to expand...
Not a dumb question, I don't know myself sorry!! I only use one extra monitor with my laptop myself, and sometimes wish for a third monitor. I always assumed it was as simple as getting a vga splitter of some sort, but some googling informs me it is trickier than that. Not sure exactly how to go about adding the third monitor. Hope others can help more!
 
baxt1412 said:
How can I figure out if my laptop can work with two monitors? Either on their own or in combination with the laptop to make it three screens?

Sorry if that is a dumb question, idk if they are all compatible or not
Click to expand...
You are looking for video outputs. How many in total does the laptop have? Count up the number of full and mini sized HDMI/Display port/Thunderbolt/DVI/VGA ports you have.

Current MacBook Airs have 1 Thunderbolt port. Current MacBook Pros have 2. That's the number of external monitors your laptop can usually support out of the box.
For a MacBook Air, this means you can use 1 external monitor in addition to the laptop's own screen (thus two monitors).


If you have USB 3 ports, you can purchase an adapter for about $50 that will let you hook up external monitors to those (if the amount of other ports I mentioned above is not enough). For example, a laptop with two USB 3.0 ports and one Mini-Displayport could theoretically support three external monitors.
 
MahiMahi said:
You are looking for video outputs. How many in total does the laptop have? Count up the number of full and mini sized HDMI/Display port/Thunderbolt/DVI/VGA ports you have.

Current MacBook Airs have 1 Thunderbolt port. Current MacBook Pros have 2. That's the number of external monitors your laptop can usually support out of the box.
For a MacBook Air, this means you can use 1 external monitor in addition to the laptop's own screen (thus two monitors).


If you have USB 3 ports, you can purchase an adapter for about $50 that will let you hook up external monitors to those (if the amount of other ports I mentioned above is not enough). For example, a laptop with two USB 3.0 ports and one Mini-Displayport could theoretically support three external monitors.
Click to expand...

Thanks!!
 
MahiMahi said:
You are looking for video outputs. How many in total does the laptop have? Count up the number of full and mini sized HDMI/Display port/Thunderbolt/DVI/VGA ports you have.

Current MacBook Airs have 1 Thunderbolt port. Current MacBook Pros have 2. That's the number of external monitors your laptop can usually support out of the box.
For a MacBook Air, this means you can use 1 external monitor in addition to the laptop's own screen (thus two monitors).


If you have USB 3 ports, you can purchase an adapter for about $50 that will let you hook up external monitors to those (if the amount of other ports I mentioned above is not enough). For example, a laptop with two USB 3.0 ports and one Mini-Displayport could theoretically support three external monitors.
Click to expand...

From what I was reading online, seems like some laptop graphics cards aren't made to support more than two monitors? Do you know anything more about that? You seem very knowledgeable about all this! 🙂
 
snowflakes said:
From what I was reading online, seems like some laptop graphics cards aren't made to support more than two monitors? Do you know anything more about that? You seem very knowledgeable about all this! 🙂
Click to expand...
2 external tends to be the limit for most laptops when using the built in ports. So for a MacBook Pro, you could use the built-in screen and 2 external monitors.

If you're using multiple of the USB adapters, you can do as many as you want (I've seen one brand claim 14 if you're using Windows)

Edit - I guess I should mention you can also daisy-chain thunderbolt ports. So with an Air you could also do 2 external monitors via thunderbolt, in addition to the internal monitor (if you daisy chain both monitors to the 1 thunderbolt port).
 
Last edited:
Apple Watch. You NEED to be getting SDN and snapchat notifications while in lab or on rotations.
 
$2k per student is quite a lot for a technology stipend. A little excessive when you consider the rising costs of attendance and student loan burdens.
 
Have you considered an ultrabook? They are portable, stylish, and more than capable of what you need. I personally recommend the Asus Zenbook UX301 or Dell XPS 13 2015. You want an ultrabook that has a 4th gen (Haswell) or 5th gen Core CPU (Broadwell) since those have much better battery life than the earlier ultrabooks. I would avoid the Core M right now; it isnt very powerful and the battery life doesnt justify the downgrade in raw computing power. Spec-wise you are getting a much better deal with Windows machines. Metro UI sucks but theres freeware that brings back the old start screen. And you're also going to have plenty of money left over to buy an iPad.
 
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