<p>thank you so much for quieting my greatest fears, kaleigh... i thought i was going to have to take calculus again.</p>
<p>i'll check it all out when i get my registration packet, hopefully tomorrow...</p>
<p>kaleigh3, the large advantage of purchasing a laptop from the University is that the tech desk will fix pretty much anything should anything go wrong. That isn't to say that if you buy a laptop from outside the University, the tech desk won't try to fix it. But if something extremely horrible goes wrong with it, you're pretty much on your own with regards to ordering replacement parts. I think as long as you back up your data and be careful about transporting your laptop from place to place, you don't really need to buy a laptop through Bucknell. Also, I know quite a few people who purchased a computer elsewhere and compatibility with University resources wasn't an issue for them.</p>
<p>i just emailed the contact for switching majors yesterday, and she emailed me back this morning saying i had been approved and it was no problem. yay no chemistry for me!</p>
<p>Awesome! And very prompt transmission.</p>
<p>My daughter is thinking about getting a computer through the Bison Laptop program...and she is considering switching to a Mac for the first time. As an engineering student does it matter whether a Windows-based or Mac is used? Do plenty of students use both? Is tech support strong for both?</p>
<p>I guess what I am most concerned about is the possibility of her needing to use different software for Engineering and its compatability with a Mac.</p>
<p>thanks again students & grads, this info in INVALUABLE! I so appreciate you taking the time to check these boards and answer all these questions!!</p>
<p>I personally don't know of any engineers who own a mac, but that isn't to say there aren't any who do. Any engineering programs that you will use will be available to you at the various computer labs. The only way to get these engineering programs on your personal computer is to purchase them, which can be a substantial price. So, most people just go to the computer labs. Your laptop is mainly used for word processing, so I think whether you buy a mac or windows-based computer is a non-issue.</p>
<p>How necessary is having your own printer in your dorm room? I know it would be convenient but is space an issue? </p>
<p>Thanks again!!!</p>
<p>Having a printer isn't necessary; however, depending on whether you live uphill or downhill, making a trip to the library just to print something out may be inconvenient . But if you're one of those people who always works in the library, I guess you wouldn't need a printer. I did all my work in my dorm room, and I loved having my own printer. There's plenty of desk space, so that shouldn't be a problem.</p>
<p>i haven't had a printer for 2 years and got by fine. it depends on where you live i suppose, if whether not having a printer will be a problem. some dorms have computer labs (like Smith and larrison, for example) while others are close to these dorms so printing is easy. you can print from your computer to any bucknell university printer on campus, so printing to the closest one and retrieving the paper is all you have to do. </p>
<p>if you do get a printer, space is not a problem. You could have your printer as a backup and print primarily to the school printers.</p>
<p>most people i know got their computers from elsewhere, not the laptop program. there haven't been any compatibility issues or so. Basically, buy whichever laptop that you like. the tech desk is usually able to fix problems when they occur.</p>
<p>A little less significant purchase question: will we get an agenda book from BU, or do we need to purchase one on our own?</p>
<p>You'd have to purchase that yourself. I found sticking post-it notes on my laptop to be pretty effective!</p>
<p>Haha, I'll considering doing that as well. Thanks for the info!</p>
<p>My daughter was certain that she would be interested in the Res College option; however, after reading all the great Foundation Courses that were available she was more interested in some that did not offer the Res College experience. One of the positives of the Res College for her was that it might attract more serious students. Would this also be the case when electing a "Quiet Floor"? </p>
<p>Also, are there "Quiet Floors" available in all the dorms or is it just a designated dorm like "Choice"? </p>
<p>Any info. on the "Quiet Floors" would be very much appreciated! Thank you.</p>
<p>Erase above question... my daughter said 24 hours of quiet would drive her crazy. She is rethinking the res college and Choice dorm options.</p>
<p>@tennismom</p>
<p>Just a heads up, I signed up for both CHOICE and a res college (SoTech) my freshman year (not sure if it's still allowed). I ended up being put in Smith (non-CHOICE dorm) with my res college, but with a roommate who was also signed up for CHOICE and a res college. It sounded pretty good in theory but in practice we ended up hanging out with SoTech folks (path of least resistance) rather than the "CHOICE crowd" over in Harris. And since the whole point of CHOICE is to live with people who don't drink...</p>
<p>That being said if I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing. All of my friends were pretty much made that freshman year from people I met at SoTech, so I guess it all worked out.</p>
<p>trapped,</p>
<p>Thanks! Last night she made the decision to do exactly the same as you. She is signing up for a Res College w/ Choice as a back-up so it must be still allowed. She is very much a "glass half full" type of kid so I know she'll be happy whereever she ends up.</p>
<p>I'm a liberal "politico" I guess. I love politics and want to major in it. I'm looking for a school with some political activism. A) How is the political science program at Bucknell. B) Will I fit in? C) Is there political activism on campus?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello Bucknellians,</p>
<p>I could probably search for this, but I haven't posted in a while, so I'll just ask. What do most students do for Banking? Curious whether or not there is a Bank of America nearby? Or do most use the bank that owns the ATM in the student center (I think it's M&T?)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>JustaMom,</p>
<p>My daughter just opened a student checking account w/ Sovereign which was advised in one of Eric's previous threads... We happen to have a Sovereign bank close to us at home so that works well. But most banks have on-line banking so I would think the only significant advantage to the 2 local Lewisburg banks (M&T and Sovereign) would be the feeless ATM. Apparently, there are no ATM fees for students using M&T and Sovereign cards on-campus. Sovereign also has an ATM machine at the Lewisburg CVS which is a quick walk off campus.</p>