They rec. a Toshiba tablet through Richard's computers. Its almost as much as a decent used car....nice computer....excellent warranty.....I am not sure it is necessary. You will need a decent computer for Histo. I have the HP touchsmart tx2...got it off ebay for $600...great tablet. You do not need a tablet as they may tell you. Approx 15-20% of our class has a Mac....I have heard some complaints regarding compatability...but they are still using them. Many other folks have regular notebook PCs and are getting along just fine. The tablet is cool and portable....I find the touchscreen uber helpful for writing on virtual microscopy images and adding tidbits to ppt.
PS: The faculty and school do not use or rec. Vista....Several classmates, including myself, use it and have yet to have issues. I would rec. swapping to Window 7 when possible/available.
Nobelheart is correct. The will make many recommendations to you, but they are just that, recommendations. I am one of the 20% who use a real computer (Mac), and have no issues. For Histo, you use a program that is made for PC. If you are a Mac user, they give you a website to go to that gives you access to the same slides, just a little different format, and you have look a little more for the slides because they are in folders, rather than being in numerical order. However, I worked for Apple for over a year, so I can help with some tips when needed. For instance, there is a program called Cross-Over for Mac ($40 download) that allows you to run the majority of Windows-based programs on a Mac. I got it, downloaded the program for Histo, and works like a charm! That is the only class where a computer is vital. Don't get me wrong, I use mine in every class (PPTs, etc.) but you could very easily print out the presentations in hard copy. Don't get a computer you will be unhappy with just for one class. There are ways around everything.
As for the tablet feature, some love it, some never use it. I bought an external tablet pad for my Mac, and don't really use it at all. It is nice to be able to write on slides or lecture material occasionally, but for lecture, I just type in the notes section of the PPT, and for labeling images and stuff with the tablet, there are plenty of other students who have it, so if I need it, I get it from them or off OSUDO.
Sorry for the novel. Moral of the story is, get something that is going to fit your needs and your style, and something that you are going to be happy with for a while. If you don't like tablets or small screens, don't do it just because they say so, its not a must have.
Yes. It's good to show every now and then that not all of us pre-meds are automatons programmed to make good grades, score well on tests, and look down our noses at everyone else. Of course, grades and test scores are important and I do take my studies very seriously (for any adcom members reading this thread 😉).
