Laptop necessary?

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Pheidippides

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I'm starting school in the fall and am wondering if a laptop is essential for success. My school doesn't require them, however it seems as though most students have them. Do you often find yourself looking things up on the net while in lecture? Do you take notes on them while in lecture?

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I'm starting school in the fall and am wondering if a laptop is essential for success. My school doesn't require them, however it seems as though most students have them. Do you often find yourself looking things up on the net while in lecture? Do you take notes on them while in lecture?

No, don't get a laptop, unless you're really into computers... (i'm a computer geek). Seriously, save yourself some money and just buy the books and lots of notebook paper and highlighters and pens. Most ppl will have laptops, but you'll have access to the internet via the hubs and library labs. In lecture, you just take notes, no real time to google anything, you're too busy scribbling down stuff that you're going to forget later as you're scribbling down more stuff.

Unless you're a geek, it's not a big deal not having them.
 
I agree that you might be better off without one, or you could just have one and not bring/use it in classes. That way, you have to focus on the professor and the lecture. Most courses will give you hints about the key stuff you need to know, and you will likely remember things better if you just listen hard, take notes, and draw out diagrams.

Laptops can help if you are the type of learner who prefers to type your notes or follow along in the PowerPoint, but they can also turn into a distraction pretty fast if you get bored. A fair amount of students with laptops tend to start IM-ing, surfing the net, or even playing videogames in lecture. Maybe they can multitask a lot better than I can, or maybe they're not getting as much out of lectures as they could be. If the professor's lecture is really that boring or unecessary, then why not skip it altogether and just focus completely on the other stuff?

As for the journal articles, research, and other stuff, you will need computer access for internet, PowerPoint, word processor, etc. You can use a laptop, desktop, or the library and computer lab machines. Those things all get done between or after classes anyways, but having a home machine is nice since you might want to work late on a paper or presentation after the library closes. I just have a 5+ year old desktop at home, I do my printing at the library, and I'd say that I get by fine...
 
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I have a tablet laptop and it's absolutely INDISPENSABLE for me. I load all the lecture pdfs and ppts into Microsoft OneNote and highlight and draw arrows all over everything. It's saved me probably hundreds of dollars worth of ink cartridges, paper, etc, and particularly for anatomy/histo/physiology/path/whatever, the images are *much* better on a computer screen than they are printed. I take all my notes on and study almost exclusively on my tablet. This may not work for eveyone, but it woks great for me.

It defnitely has its drawbacks though. We all IM each other our comments every time the girl in the front row asks ANOTHER ridiculous question, and yes my new years resolution was to stop playing freecell and solitaire in class (haven't broken it yet!!). I've also managed to put together my draft list for fantasy baseball in class, and have done my fair share of facebooking. For these reasons, taking a laptop to class is a double edged sword, but in this day and age, it's almost a requirement to be a mobile med student (especially commuters). Some people do better with pens, highlighters and something tangible to scribble on, but nothing gives instant results like being able to find something particular on the world's most comprehensive medical resource: Wikipedia.....:cool:
 
it depends on your learning style in class. So ppl just can't live without their computer in class while others are paper and pencil type of learner.
 
since this is a laptop oriented questions and we are discussing laptops....what kind of laptops do DMU students get?? are we lucky enough to get tablets???? i was thinking of getting a tablet because it would be nice...
 
We all IM each other our comments every time the girl in the front row asks ANOTHER ridiculous question, and yes my new years resolution was to stop playing freecell and solitaire in class (haven't broken it yet!!). I've also managed to put together my draft list for fantasy baseball in class, and have done my fair share of facebooking.

LOL...appreciate the honesty!:laugh:
 
im pretty sure it is a Tablet for DMU students :rolleyes:
 
here's why internet in class is not the brightest of ideas, as evidenced by this exchange during a neuroscience lecture:

Festivis7 (11:33:48 AM): Sooo bored
ilikeyourtumor (11:34:54 AM): ebayin
Festivis7 (11:35:02 AM): nice
Festivis7 (11:35:23 AM): I should start looking at computer components
ilikeyourtumor (11:35:46 AM): get a flux capacitor
Festivis7 (11:35:58 AM): lol
ilikeyourtumor (11:36:48 AM): make sure it has phasers and proton torpedoes
Festivis7 (11:37:03 AM): It will
Festivis7 (11:37:16 AM): it's almost a requirement these days
ilikeyourtumor (11:37:46 AM): effing borg
Festivis7 (11:37:59 AM): fact
Festivis7 (11:38:22 AM): dude, Star Trek comes out next Dec.
ilikeyourtumor (11:39:10 AM): that show was the pinnacle of whoopi goldberg's career
Festivis7 (11:39:25 AM): true
Festivis7 (11:39:38 AM): but this movie should actually be good
ilikeyourtumor (11:40:08 AM): hopefully better than spykids 2
Festivis7 (11:40:24 AM): I never saw that
Festivis7 (11:40:40 AM): wasn't that the one in 3D?
ilikeyourtumor (11:40:42 AM): what about airbud?
ilikeyourtumor (11:40:58 AM): i think theres like 5 of those
Festivis7 (11:41:07 AM): Airbnd was and will always be a classic movie
ilikeyourtumor (11:41:41 AM): right up there with spinal tap
Festivis7 (11:41:54 AM): fact

my point: save your battery during class by turning off your wireless. Also delete solitaire/freecell/minesweeper/whatver to remove temptation and force yourself to pay attention!!
 
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