Macbook for pharmacy school?

[JDubya88]

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Hey there everyone. I will be starting pharm school at UF in a couple of weeks. I want to get a new laptop before I start but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on which one to get. I have been using a Windows-based PC for as long as I can remember, but I am thinking about going with a Mac this time. I would like this computer to last the entire 4 years of school. Can anyone currently using a Mac give me some pros and cons? Also, I need some help choosing between MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. 11", 13", or 15"? Dual-core or quad-core processor and which speed? Thanks for any help on this!👍

 

[xiphoid2010]

Hey there everyone. I will be starting pharm school at UF in a couple of weeks. I want to get a new laptop before I start but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on which one to get. I have been using a Windows-based PC for as long as I can remember, but I am thinking about going with a Mac this time. I would like this computer to last the entire 4 years of school. Can anyone currently using a Mac give me some pros and cons? Also, I need some help choosing between MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. 11", 13", or 15"? Dual-core or quad-core processor and which speed? Thanks for any help on this!👍

Why a Mac if you been using PC laptops? I wouldn't get a Mac air for school, besides the status symbol factor, it actually missing many key features: eg, DVD drive, number of ports, ect. Save your money, get a PC that has the same performance for half of the price. Size wise, a 13-15" is good, weight 6 lbs or less. You might consider an upgraded battery to get around 6 hours of battery life.

Go on fatwallet.com and search the forum for good laptop deals. That's where I found my 14 incher Dell XPS for $600 and lasted me the whole 4 years without a problem.
For example here: Thinkpad for $600
Laptops don't come much higher quality than the o'thinkpad series.

Also check with your university's computing service. They often have dirt cheap software deals, like MS office for $50. You could possibly eBay that puppy for $200 and pocket the difference, lol.

 

[woosiecg]

I bought my mac a little over two years ago now. I LOVE IT! I researched every possible option out there at the time. I talked with fellow students, read reviews off cnet etc etc and it all lead back to buying a mac. I have a Macbook 13" and have only had one problem with it. Within the first year or so I had a battery issue but I took it in to the company and they fixed it in minutes. I will never go PC again since having my mac.

The biggest con was it took a lot of getting use to and figuring out all the things it could do. I was solely on PC before this and it took me a good few months to really get the hang of it. My roommate gave it back within a few days because he didn't want to take the time to learn the new system.

Pros: once you learn it its really user friendly, sturdy, reliable, syncs with ipads, ipods, iphone's really easily, very few virus issues if any, and light weight. My dad would say his only con about his mac is that excel doesn't work as well (he is a CPA) for what he needs it to do so he keeps his PC as well to do work on. It works just fine for the minor spreadsheet, calculations, and graphs I need it for though.

When I was trying to decide between the macbook and the macbook air it came down to the software and the fact that the air does not have a cdrom drive. Look back I wish I had gone with the air only because I have used the cdrom drive once....to install office, but if you think you might need a cdrom more than that is the major difference I saw.

Hope this helps! I love my mac and if you willing to take the time to learn it I am sure you will be happy with it.

 

[TonyRx]

I grew up using Mac's before Mac was "cool" or "trendy"...early 90's. With that said, they are awesome computers but just waaaayyy over priced. Unless you are going to be fully utilizing the computer for what it is built for (video production, graphics, audio, web development, etc), it is a complete waste of money.

Why spend $1200-$2400 on a Mac when you can get a super fast PC for $500-$1000? We are in pharmacy school, our computer needs are very basic and trivial when you really think about it. Internet, Word/PowerPoint, email and a few other things is the extent of what we really need. Stick with PC and save yourself the money.

Steve Jobs is a master of marketing and sales, he has convinced millions of people to purchase a computer that they have absolutely no real use for.

 

[Carboxide]

They are too overpriced for a pharm student. Plus, I don't know UF's system but my university hospital's online chart system will NOT run on Mac and neither will a lot of sites required for school. So if you get it, you may be spending a lot of time on school computers.

 

[Jabberwocky12]

Huzzah Mac vs PC thread in the making




Technology section might also be a good place to look, I'll bet there is a thread there somewhere about this.

 

[owlegrad]

UF actually requires Windows. Getting a Mac is not a great idea to be honest, although some still do it.

 

[DrExperimento]

I've been fixing/building computers for the last 15 years, and I can probably write several books on the engineering differences between Macs and PC's. I also did the programming for several health applications, and with that said, I have always advised my customers that you really don't need a great computer for pharmacy school or medical school. If you're wanting to become a graphic designer or coder for the gaming industry, this might be a different story, but you won't have the need for multiple VM's to be open nor use processor-heavy applications in pharmacy school. Most of the computers I look at from medical professionals use applications that a 10-year-old computer could easily run. Most of the applications are that old, too.

Now, getting back to the question of PC versus Mac. PC's have superior hardware, period. The FSB speeds are faster, their processors support hyperthreading, and just flatout have a much better BIOS and have hardware controls that macs don't have. PC's has more bang for your buck, but Mac's are better looking. I am more of a linux person myself, but I'm a bit of a nerd and don't mind spending 20 hours every 3 months re-coding my kernel. Mac's casing is much better than that of PC's, so if you're rough with your laptops I'd lean you on the side of Mac. I've had to replace far more PC laptop shells due to their flimsy plastic casing. But if you're looking for something with a little more "engine under the hood," I would lean you toward PC.

Hope this helps... PM me if you have any questions 🙂

 

[R2pharmD2]

When it comes to choosing a Mac or a PC, your choice depends heavily on which OS you prefer. I definitely prefer OS X when it comes to day-to-day tasks like web browsing, checking email, writing papers, etc. I've got a Windows box at home for the stuff that actually needs some horsepower anyway (occasional PC gaming and video conversion, in my case). There is absolutely no way I would pay the premium for a Mac unless I had some time to play around with one first. There are other advantages to owning a Mac, like the fact that they do have fantastic build quality, excellent screens, and the support you can get from an Apple store is generally pretty good (though YMMV there), but you can also get those things in a PC if you're willing to pay a similar premium. If occasional access to Windows is a factor, it's pretty simple to install it in a dual boot configuration, if you desire.

 

[SortingItOut]

Treat buying a laptop as you would buying a textbook. Find out from the pharmacy school (preferably in writing) what laptop they expect students to use. I even know one university, Shenandoah University, who supposedly requires the students rent a laptop provided by the school.

My personal opinion: When given a choice, I prefer desktops over laptops as my "main" computer. Plus, if I don't have to carry around a laptop, I won't. I'll just take my USB drive instead.

 

[confettiflyer]

Plus, if I don't have to carry around a laptop, I won't. I'll just take my USB drive instead.

I use Dropbox, ditched my USB drive back in '09.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I'll post my usual "Mac fans are idiots" and run off.

Mac fans are idiots. /runs off

 

[JDubya88]

Dang, I didn't mean to start something here, just looking for opinions from users. Anyway, thank you for all of the input on the subject. The reason I want to try a Mac this time is because I have always used a PC and have only had problems with them. The main problem I have experienced is the BSOD and hard drive crashes. These are very annoying and seem to happen approximately every 6 months on my HP laptop.

I have iPods, iPhones, and an iPad 2 that I currently use and I really like how Apple's products are built and the way they function individually and together as well. My wife had a MacBook a few years ago for work and she really liked the computer, but at the time, it wouldn't run all of the programs required for her job so she got rid of it. However, we did experience how great Apple's customer service was while she had the computer. Something went wrong with it, so we took it to the local Apple store, they worked on it while we went to lunch, and when we came back they had a brand new laptop loaded with all of her previous computer's contents ready to go. Needless to say, I was extremely impressed.

I would like this laptop to last me for the next 3-4 years so durability is another concern that I had. All of the PCs I have seen have flimsy plastics that just don't seem like they will hold up to me taking it to school with me everyday. However, the MacBook Pro has the nice aluminum unibody construction and everything seems to be fitted together extremely well. I think this would have a better chance of lasting the duration of my education.

UF does recommend a PC running Windows. However, I have asked quite a few current students using Macs that don't have a problem at all. They have mentioned there are some things that require Windows, but they either use Parallels or Bootcamp to run Windows 7 when they need it. I have also found that the bookstore will sell you Windows 7 for $15 if you are a student, so the cost is not a big factor.

In the end, I decided to go with the 13" MacBook Pro. I found out that there was an awesome deal going on through Amazon where you get 20% off laptops with a certain coupon code. So, with this coupon, I ended up paying $926 for a brand new 13" MacBook Pro with 2-day shipping from Amazon. I feel, at this price, the MacBook was a very good buy and I couldn't go wrong because most of the PCs I was looking at with the same specs were around this price as well. I am happy with my purchase and can't wait until it gets here. I am planning on purchasing the 3yr extended AppleCare warranty which is $183 through the Apple Education Store.

Good luck to anyone trying to make this choice as well!😀

 

[WVUPharm2007]

If a computer with a fruit on the back makes you feel special, go for it, I guess. I'm sure it will probably do whatever you want it to do. And it will probably screw up occasionally, too. Just like any other machine.

I haven't seen the blue screen of death since like 2004.

I'm starting to think I'm some sort of magical computing god. I've read how so many people have all of this trouble with Windows...and yet, here I am...somehow making it do exactly what I want it to do just about 100% of the time. I mean, hell, I know I'm awesome, but damn. I'm going to start reading Mac forums about how horrible Windows is to use.. This **** pumps up my ego. I'm a 1337 h4x0|2, son. Skills.

 

[R2pharmD2]

If a computer with a fruit on the back makes you feel special, go for it, I guess. I'm sure it will probably do whatever you want it to do. And it will probably screw up occasionally, too. Just like any other machine.

I haven't seen the blue screen of death since like 2004.

I'm starting to think I'm some sort of magical computing god. I've read how so many people have all of this trouble with Windows...and yet, here I am...somehow making it do exactly what I want it to do just about 100% of the time. I mean, hell, I know I'm awesome, but damn. I'm going to start reading Mac forums. This **** pumps up my ego.

Agreed. I'm not sure where the idea that Macs don't screw up came from, but it's simply not true. I've had my Macbook Pro for ~3 years now, and I've had a hard drive fail, the DVD drive go out, and just last week the logic board died. They're made of the same stuff as PCs (in the same price range) so they're subject to similar failure rates.

I still prefer OS X over Windows in most instances, but 7 is rock solid. If somebody is still getting blue screens these days it's probably faulty hardware to blame.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

They're made of the same stuff as PCs (in the same price range) so they're subject to similar failure rates.

Indeed...the HDD...ram...motherboards...processors...none actually made by Apple for their PCs...Seagate...Crucial...Intel...same people that make Windows based PC components...the major difference is the software backbone...

 

[JDubya88]

Please understand that I am definitely not saying or under the impression that Apple products are invincible. I am fully aware that their products are made from multiple parts provided by multiple manufacturers and that a good deal of them are the same parts that go into PCs. What I am saying is that I got the Mac for about the same price as I would have gotten a comparable PC and that I like the OS and customer service that Apple provides (at least from my prior experiences with Apple).

I will admit that my PC was still running Windows XP (never liked Vista and just never got around to upgrading to Windows 7) when I experienced my BSOD and hard drive crashes so it could possibly be due to hardware/software issues. However, the first two times it happened, I took it to a local, reputable computer repair shop to have it fixed. Each time, they replaced the hard drive and reloaded the OS which cost me $100+ each time it happened. The laptop started doing the BSOD about 2 months ago, and I am just tired of dumping money into it at this point and it is sitting in the closet.

If (and most likely when) these problems happen on the Mac, at least I can take it to the Apple store and have it fixed by the manufacturer for free (under warranty). It will be nice to have it fixed by the OEM and not a third party repair shop.

I didn't want to make this a PC vs. Mac thread, so I am sorry if it turned into one.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Hard drive fail because it's mechanical and spins around 10,000 rpm, plates and the head are vulnerable to shock, these dont matter if you run windows or Mac. Go with a SSD, no moving parts, its fast, light on power draw, so is perfect for laptop hard drives or anything computing that doesn't need terabytes of storage.

Ps, if you wanted the highest quality in laptop reliability, you should have went with the $600 Thinkpad deal I listed earlier. The faithful IBM thinkpad has been relied upon by all the major corporate users. It beats Mac in term of quality any day.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Please understand that I am definitely not saying or under the impression that Apple products are invincible. I am fully aware that their products are made from multiple parts provided by multiple manufacturers and that a good deal of them are the same parts that go into PCs. What I am saying is that I got the Mac for about the same price as I would have gotten a comparable PC and that I like the OS and customer service that Apple provides (at least from my prior experiences with Apple).

I will admit that my PC was still running Windows XP (never liked Vista and just never got around to upgrading to Windows 7) when I experienced my BSOD and hard drive crashes so it could possibly be due to hardware/software issues. However, the first two times it happened, I took it to a local, reputable computer repair shop to have it fixed. Each time, they replaced the hard drive and reloaded the OS which cost me $100+ each time it happened. The laptop started doing the BSOD about 2 months ago, and I am just tired of dumping money into it at this point and it is sitting in the closet.

If (and most likely when) these problems happen on the Mac, at least I can take it to the Apple store and have it fixed by the manufacturer for free (under warranty). It will be nice to have it fixed by the OEM and not a third party repair shop.

I didn't want to make this a PC vs. Mac thread, so I am sorry if it turned into one.

I, for one, think you got an excellent deal and it sounds like you thought out your purchase sensibly. And I'll take a "Mac vs. PC" thread over yet another topic on pharmacy saturation any day of the week

 

[Notecard]

I didn't want to make this a PC vs. Mac thread, so I am sorry if it turned into one.

That's what this is though isn't it? You post this and the majority of people here will say you're making a mistake. Post it on some music blog or facebook and the response will be entirely different.

I'll tell you what I tell everybody. Apple makes computers for the technologically illiterate. If you know how to use a computer then buy a PC. The truth is that you'll be paying several hundred dollars more to use word, the internet, and itunes which seems kind of silly to me.

Don't be one of those kids that tells themselves that they absolutely NEED a mac to go to college. You don't.

 

[R2pharmD2]

Hard drive fail because it's mechanical and spins around 10,000 rpm, plates and the head are vulnerable to shock, these dont matter if you run windows or Mac. Go with a SSD, no moving parts, its fast, light on power draw, so is perfect for laptop hard drives or anything computing that doesn't need terabytes of storage.

Ps, if you wanted the highest quality in laptop reliability, you should have went with the $600 Thinkpad deal I listed earlier. The faithful IBM thinkpad has been relied upon by all the major corporate users. It beats Mac in term of quality any day.

This is debatable, and I would say false on the reliability aspect. See here. The aspects of power draw and speed you mention are correct, but you're paying a substantial premium to gain those advantages.

I haven't seen anything suggesting Thinkpads are more reliable then any other brand either, but correct me if I'm wrong. Just as with Macbooks, they're made of the same off the shelf internals as other brands and you tend to get what you pay for.

 

[xiphoid2010]

This is debatable, and I would say false on the reliability aspect. See here. The aspects of power draw and speed you mention are correct, but you're paying a substantial premium to gain those advantages.

So on the reliability side, the verdict is still out since SSD hasn't been around long enough to earn that claim. Fair enough. It is definitely more pricey per byte, but the size is adequate for laptop and the speed and power saving is worth the cost, especially if it saves you lugging the charger or an extra battery around.

I stand correct on the reliability advantage. As far as Lenovo Thinkpads go, consumer report got both it and apple failure rate at 17%. Your tomshardware.com said the same thing, with ASUS/Lenovo/Apple trading places but always the top 3 for reliability ranking. I think everyone knows that Apple and IBM/Lenovo both builds some quality stuff. Had a company Thinkpad for a while, and it was one solid, compact, piece of black beauty.

 

[MSmith91]

If you use a PC keep using a PC.

Unless im oblivious to what goes on in pharmacy school you shouldn't need to edit music, create music, edit video, or any of that stuff. So the only difference between the two for you would be the name and the price, which happen to be the exact same thing cuz you are literally paying for the name

get a pc.

 

[R2pharmD2]

So on the reliability side, the verdict is still out since SSD hasn't been around long enough to earn that claim. Fair enough. It is definitely more pricey per byte, but the size is adequate for laptop and the speed and power saving is worth the cost, especially if it saves you lugging the charger or an extra battery around.

I stand correct on the reliability advantage. As far as Lenovo Thinkpads go, consumer report got both it and apple failure rate at 17%. Your tomshardware.com said the same thing, with ASUS/Lenovo/Apple trading places but always the top 3 for reliability ranking. I think everyone knows that Apple and IBM/Lenovo both builds some quality stuff. Had a company Thinkpad for a while, and it was one solid, compact, piece of black beauty.

Agreed. I didn't want to suggest that Thinkpads are inferior, just that there isn't much difference as far as quality between them and other brands that compete in the higher-end side of the market.

If you use a PC keep using a PC.

Unless im oblivious to what goes on in pharmacy school you shouldn't need to edit music, create music, edit video, or any of that stuff. So the only difference between the two for you would be the name and the price, which happen to be the exact same thing cuz you are literally paying for the name

get a pc.

If I was going to do those things, I'd clearly want a PC with more power and hardware flexibility for the same price. I'm sure there are professionals out there who have their own preferences as far as software and they might prefer Macs in some instances, but I'd take a PC for those tasks any day of the week. It's actually the day-to-day stuff that I prefer OS X for, and that's exactly what I'll be using it for in pharmacy school.

 

[nrsair]

If you use a PC keep using a PC.

Unless im oblivious to what goes on in pharmacy school you shouldn't need to edit music, create music, edit video, or any of that stuff. So the only difference between the two for you would be the name and the price, which happen to be the exact same thing cuz you are literally paying for the name

get a pc.

I record/edit/mix a lot music in addition to doing all the mundane computer stuff on a 4 year old Lenovo ThinkPad and I've never had a problem. Ordered a new one yesterday.

 

[Quiksilver]

I switched from PC to mac when I started pharmacy school and I am never looking back... The typical gripes about macs are that they are overpriced, trendy, underpowered, or difficult to use... blah blah blah.

In my opinion, if you want a PC of the same quality, you have to spend just as much on it as you would a mac. My mac has lasted me through school and runs like new. It starts up in 30 seconds from being completely off, I do not have pop-up problems, speeds are as good as they were out of the box. I don't have to clean up spyware, and I know several people who switched from pc to mac in pharmacy school and could not be happier.

On the opposite side of things, I feel PCs are delicate and need to be babied. I cannot tell you how many PCs came and went around me while I've had my mac. While this is purely anecdotal evidence (and the same goes for everyone else's opinion), I would not have done it differently.

 

[confettiflyer]

I switched from PC to mac when I started pharmacy school and I am never looking back... The typical gripes about macs are that they are overpriced, trendy, underpowered, or difficult to use... blah blah blah.

In my opinion, if you want a PC of the same quality, you have to spend just as much on it as you would a mac. My mac has lasted me through school and runs like new. It starts up in 30 seconds from being completely off, I do not have pop-up problems, speeds are as good as they were out of the box. I don't have to clean up spyware, and I know several people who switched from pc to mac in pharmacy school and could not be happier.

On the opposite side of things, I feel PCs are delicate and need to be babied. I cannot tell you how many PCs came and went around me while I've had my mac. While this is purely anecdotal evidence (and the same goes for everyone else's opinion), I would not have done it differently.

same...i don't know any mac users in my class who had to replace their machine, all of the replacements/failures came on the PC side of class.

multitouch was the clincher for me...emulators/software on my PC machine were lame, i was more productive with the mac. making study guides was a lot easier with the simple screen shot/crop and native PDF creation support. Could have done the same on a PC but it would have taken extraneous steps.

 

[confettiflyer]

So on the reliability side, the verdict is still out since SSD hasn't been around long enough to earn that claim. Fair enough. It is definitely more pricey per byte, but the size is adequate for laptop and the speed and power saving is worth the cost, especially if it saves you lugging the charger or an extra battery around.

I think users just need a more robust back-up plan in place. I use dropbox for all my important docs I edit frequently so it's instantly sent to the cloud in case of catastrophic failure/theft. I used to carbon copy clone weekly but realized i was really only concerned about < 2GB of actual documents, so i just update randomly now.

 

[LazyMooch]

I tried a Mac once. I woke up covered in blood and hardware.

...seriously though, use whatever you prefer/are most familiar with...



(PC>>>>>>Mac)

 

[Rx MPLS]

Agreed. I'm not sure where the idea that Macs don't screw up came from, but it's simply not true. I've had my Macbook Pro for ~3 years now, and I've had a hard drive fail, the DVD drive go out, and just last week the logic board died. They're made of the same stuff as PCs (in the same price range) so they're subject to similar failure rates.

I still prefer OS X over Windows in most instances, but 7 is rock solid. If somebody is still getting blue screens these days it's probably faulty hardware to blame.

I switched back to Apple ~2003.

I've had my fair share of problems (most notably on my Macbook...most everything else I've owned has been pretty good), but my previous PC was such a piece of work that my various iBooks/Powerbooks/Macbooks/Macbook Pros since have seemed pretty decent. The educational discounts have been decent on Apple, historically, so I've often been able to upgrade before I needed to upgrade and sell my used notebooks at a decent price (Apple does hold better resale value than most PCs, in my experience).

No way they're infallible (lesson: always back up your data!), but OS X is pretty nice, and all my heavy software (Office, Photoshop) is OS X-based at this point. There would be no point in switching back, and I really don't think I'd want to. PCs do have their pluses compared with Macs: they're compatible with a lot of software I usually don't want to use (like the random CDs that come with school books). If you need this software, get a PC. I've always used PCs at work and school; it's not like I can't use a PC well just because I also use a Mac well.

Long story short: buy what you like. If you don't get a total dud, you'll probably be happy with the system you're most comfortable using.

 

[pharm B]

I bought a Macbook Pro in August 2010, and it's still working fine, though that's to be expected. I was so pleased with it that when my desktop PC died, I replaced it with an iMac.

You can hear the PC vs. Mac argument all you want and make your own decision. I decided I'd give macs a try, and I was so impressed, I no longer own any kind of PC. Works fine, lasts long time. You don't need anything intense for pharmacy school, especially, so hell, a netbook would probably be fine. Having a mac would just be nicer for everything else.

 

[confettiflyer]

I bought a Macbook Pro in August 2010, and it's still working fine, though that's to be expected. I was so pleased with it that when my desktop PC died, I replaced it with an iMac.

You can hear the PC vs. Mac argument all you want and make your own decision. I decided I'd give macs a try, and I was so impressed, I no longer own any kind of PC. Works fine, lasts long time. You don't need anything intense for pharmacy school, especially, so hell, a netbook would probably be fine. Having a mac would just be nicer for everything else.

Yeah, people just need to try it for an extended period of time. Most of the people knocking macs either a) have never used one > 1 month (cue random guy who will post after me saying he used it for 2 and hates it) or b) did use one...back in 1997.

I replaced my old clunky Compaq laptop a long time ago with an iBook (precursor to the MacBook) because it only cost me $850 net ($999 + free ipod which i sold). Was so impressed with it I ended up replacing my self-built PC desktop and went all mac from there.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

This thread is awesome. I feel like a dude that's in the thick of it to win the Indy 500 with a Ford Escort. I can't believe PCs are so broke-ass with how well they work for me. Hell, I'm posting this with a laptop, made by Compaq, that I bought in like 2007 with Windows 7 installed over Windows Vista. Apparently, most Windows-PCs break after like 37 minutes. I'm so clearly better than all of you and this proves it, once again. I'm going to go play the ****ing Powerball.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

This thread is awesome. I feel like a dude that's in the thick of it to win the Indy 500 with a Ford Escort. I can't believe PCs are so broke-ass with how well they work for me. Hell, I'm posting this with a laptop, made by Compaq, that I bought in like 2007 with Windows 7 installed over Windows Vista. Apparently, most Windows-PCs break after like 37 minutes. I'm so clearly better than all of you and this proves it, once again. I'm going to go play the ****ing Powerball.

They're just jealous cause we can play games on our computers

 

[PharmD RPh]

I would go Mac, but FYI it will be frustrating at first if you've never used a Mac. Mac can actually run windows if necessary via parallels software program. I have owned 3 macs and only ever had a problem with one of them. I called apple, spoke to someone that actually spoke English in California and had the computer fixed within the same week. Very impressed with their service.

 

[schamj01]

I'm with WVUPharm...I also must be a windows/PC superhero. My parents have a 13 year old pc still going strong. Sure I've had to resurrect it a couple times because it was so clogged up with dust...but you can still do everyday tasks on it. The only problem I've ever had is with a laptop that bit the dust, but that was a motherboard problem. Could happen to any old computer.

Honestly, I've been laptopless for the last 3 years of college and haven't missed it. Taking notes on paper helps me remember things better than typing anyway. I'd be all about saving the money if you need a laptop. But that's just me...living off food stamps and student loans.

 

[RxMTM]

You need a computer that reads Word files and PDF. Also, it needs to run the internet.

 

[xiphoid2010]

You need a computer that reads Word files and PDF. Also, it needs to run the internet.

And games yo! Gota be able to play killer games like Fallout 3, Mass effect, Dragon age, Starcraft 2. Need to get at least a GForce 560Ti or AMD 6950 in that puppy to be set for a while.

 

[Bkobe7]

It should also be able to do your pharmaceutics homework and cook you dinner.

 

[RxMTM]

It should also be able to do your pharmaceutics homework and cook you dinner.

You may need to spend a little bit more for a computer that can run your games so you can keep entertained during lecture.

 

[xiphoid2010]

It should also be able to do your pharmaceutics homework and cook you dinner.

And do facebook and twitter and all that stuff to get 23058208504 fake friends that suck up all your time.

 

[RxMTM]

This question is independent of pharmacy school. Any computer is going to be able to run any programs you need for pharmacy school. You should post this question in a computer forum.

Your choice of computer is most-likely going to depend on what games, and other entertainment you are going to play with.

For pharmacy school, you just need a calculator, pencils, pens, paper and your brain.

 

[RxMTM]

Each school will have their minimum requirments. Go to your respective school website and read.

 

[Quiksilver]

It should also be able to do your pharmaceutics homework and cook you dinner.

We did that chit by hand, computers... psssht... you don't need a computer for that.

 

[luzhang]

I also think that a Mac is simply too fancy for pharm school. Why spend all that money for functions you'll barely ever use?

Personally I was on the search for a new laptop for pharm school as well, and my friend suggested to me the Toshiba Portege R835. It has great battery life (5-6 hrs), is quick and efficient, has a excellent keyboard and touchpad, and Toshiba provides great customer service. The laptop itself is light (only 3.2 lbs!!) and easy to carry to/from class. I spent about $850 for it at Best Buy, and I love it.

I would suggest getting a PC for pharm school, because it contains all of the necessary functions/programs you'll need for a fraction of the price. There are a lot of sleek-looking models out there that are affordable and reliable.

 

[confettiflyer]

I also think that a Mac is simply too fancy for pharm school. Why spend all that money for functions you'll barely ever use?

like what? there's nothing on my mac that seems "fancy" except maybe the giant glowing apple logo.

You can buy a mac for a price comparable to a PC. You have to compare apples to apples. You have to compare a macbook air to something like a samsung series 9 for $1600 or a yet-to-be-released ASUS UX31 for $1600. A fully tricked out MB Air is also $1600.

Obviously if you compare a $400 budget box to a $999 laptop, it's still $400 to $999.

 

[Incitatus]

.2

 

[kvl1027]

Hey there everyone. I will be starting pharm school at UF in a couple of weeks. I want to get a new laptop before I start but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on which one to get. I have been using a Windows-based PC for as long as I can remember, but I am thinking about going with a Mac this time. I would like this computer to last the entire 4 years of school. Can anyone currently using a Mac give me some pros and cons? Also, I need some help choosing between MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. 11", 13", or 15"? Dual-core or quad-core processor and which speed? Thanks for any help on this!👍

I used a Sony Vaio through most of pharm school and it crapped out during my 3rd year. I replaced it with just a standard macbook. I love my macbook, it works great for what I need it for. Keep in mind that you will be using it for more than just school so then why not a mac.

If you are going to use it only for school and nothing more, then I would say go with a dell and set it up to run fast and you will save a few bucks.