<p>My parents are getting me a new laptop for Christmas and I don't know what kind to get! Going to be a college freshman in the fall, so I don't really know what people use on campus. I will be studying business, probably accounting, so I don't think I will need any special software except for Excel and Word. </p>
<p>People love Macbooks but for business Excel on Windows is where its at. Excel on Mac is garbage when it comes to advanced stuff like macros. </p>
<p>I guess I’m one of those Apple advocates, but I really like my Macbook Pro. You could always use BootCamp or run a VM and get the best of both worlds when working with stuff like Excel. </p>
<p>Best of luck! </p>
<p>MacBook Air from one of the best buy promos is the best for college because of the awesome battery life.</p>
<p>I personally use a MacBook Pro retina and i do love the display but i have to carry a wall-charger if I plan to be out all day. (google apple refurb for great prices on the retina) or if you want to buy a new computer make sure you get the student discount and applecare warranty. </p>
<p>I’m an Apple fanboy. Even as a programmer in school, I develop my programs with Mac and very little goes wrong. Then again, it really depends on how much you’re willing to cough up, what exactly you need to do, and which one you find easier to use. In my opinion, if you’re going into a major that doesn’t rely too much on a computer and you have the funds, then a Mac would do fine. But that’s just me.</p>
<p>If it is affordable, macbook air</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback! Seems like MacBook is pretty popular haha. @Coriander23 is it hard to get that software and is it easy to use? I know I’ll definitely be using excel all the time, and probably doing group projects with it </p>
<p>No, it’s not difficult to get that software. BootCamp is free and included on every MacBook; BootCamp requires you to choose which partition (Windows or OS X) you are going to run when you first boot up the computer. You can’t switch back and forth without rebooting.</p>
<p>Parallels or VMWare are two virtualization programs that allow you to run a “virtual machine” on your computer. What it does is simply open a separate window in which you can run Windows on your computer without rebooting your Mac. They run about $40, and you can buy them from an Apple store or any retailer that sells software. They’re incredibly easy to use - you just install a Windows operating system on them, and choose how you want it to run. I have one on both my work Mac (which I use to run some statistical software that doesn’t work in OS X) and on my personal Mac (which…I used to use for the same purpose, lol. But I rarely use it anymore at home, just at work).</p>
<p>I just want to note that both options (Boot Camp and the virtual machine) require a copy of a Windows operating system. Many universities give free copies of a Windows operating system to their students, though, so I’d wait before purchasing it.</p>
<p>I will say - I do not use macros in my work, but Word for Mac 2011 does have support for Visual Basic for Applications, which is the platform that macros work by. Some people say it’s absolutely fine and some people say it’s terrible. I will also say that I have used Excel to do some basic and intermediate statistical analyses (mostly for teaching purposes, because I would otherwise never use Excel to do this!) and it works fine for that. There are several free third-party add-ins that you can use to enhance the statistical functionality of Excel; I think that they serve as stand-ins for the official Microsoft release, which if I recall correctly is not supported on a Mac, but I don’t remember. Because, again, why when you can use Stata or SAS?</p>
<p>Here’s the thing about laptops in college. MacBooks are great because they are reliable and have great battery life, but for the majority of people, they’re unnecessary. In college, you basically need a laptop that is three things: reliable, portable, and good on battery life.</p>
<p>MacBooks are some of the most reliable computers out there. Both because the Apple OS is more secure and lacks the bloat that many Windows manufacturers pre-load onto the machines, but also because they’re built with solid hardware. That being said, I have used an Acer laptop for two years and I’ve been fine. It all depends on watching what you download, deleting all the trial software, and keeping your machine updated and organized.</p>
<p>The second thing you need is portability. Most students have the 13 inch MacBook, which is portable by default. Don’t buy a 17 inch giant laptop because it might not fit on your desk in all of your classes. Stick to 13 or 15.</p>
<p>The last thing is battery. Cheap laptops tend to have sucky battery life, so you will be tied to the back or sides of a classroom so that you can stay plugged in the whole time. My Acer lasts me about 2-4 hours without having to be plugged in, depending on what I am doing. MacBooks generally last twice that.</p>
<p>It all comes down to budget and personal preference. In this modern world, the operating system is mattering less and less because most people don’t leave a web browser for the majority of things they do. Technically you could use Google’s free spreadsheet software if you wanted. It’s free online at Google Docs. MacBooks, being around $1,200, are WAY overkill for what the majority of college students actually need. You could get by with a $250 Chromebook if you really wanted to. But if you’re familiar with Windows, just buy a basic Windows laptop and take good care of it because you’ll be surprised how much it really doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>macbook pro…its really good…its expensive but its good. ive had mine for 4 years…but now the battery is completely done and cant detach the charger from it…but still a good computer</p>
<p>don’t your parents want you to get accepted first so that you can use a student discount…?</p>
<p>MacBook air is decent, but if you like PCs better, get a Samsung ativ book 9 plus. It is like a MacBook air but pc version. Both great for college.</p>
<p>It really does not make much of a difference. As a business/accounting major isn’t going to do anything too heavy on their computer. Really all you’d need is internet access and Microsoft Office (or the Apple equivalent). </p>
<p>Some people get kind of caught up thinking that they’re all of a sudden going to have all kinds of new needs for their laptop because they’re in college now. This isn’t really true. Your computer usage in college is going to be roughly the same as it is now. </p>
<p>The exceptions to that include computer science majors and such. </p>
anything that has a 15 inch screen or less and uses an intel i5 or better.
Macbook air or 13 inch macbook pro
I’m assuming OP has already gotten a laptop but for other people who are looking at this thread for themselves:
The most popular among college freshmen, Macbooks, are expensive (the most basic ones will run you over $1000). The nice thing about them isn’t their speed (they are the worst laptop in terms of price/speed ratio), but rather how Apple uses parts tailored for their products as well as aluminum instead of plastic. This, along with how the OS is so picky about programs that it keeps registries mostly clear, leads to the sort of longevity that is rare (perhaps nonexistent) among Windows laptops. They are likely to last you your entire undergraduate career and beyond if you use common sense. Also, the battery life and weight are exceptional. If you can afford it and don’t need much processing power (as in you don’t mind a browser streaming Netflix using 40-80% of your CPU) then they’re fine laptops. Definitely recommend warranties on those.
If you’re looking for a cheaper laptop or a more powerful laptop (or both), then look at the Windows ones. I recommend Lenovo, especially their Thinkpad for a cheap option. You need to be more careful (be wary of viruses, overheating your computer, downloading and deleting a bunch of software and clogging the registries) to keep it going through college but it’s very doable. To bring down the price more avoid the touchschreens; they aren’t particularly useful.
Important: forget about “style” when it comes to laptops from college. Most of you will already be drowning in debt already, no need to make it worse. Only get what you can reasonably afford.
I agree with that point about the touchscreen. I got a new laptop about a year ago (ASUS N550J), and I got a touchscreen. It was a cool novelty at first and I used it for the first couple of weeks simply because it was new. Then I realized that my screen was constantly covered in fingerprints and streaks, and that using a touchscreen on a laptop was more of a pain than anything else. It sounds neat at first, but it really is pointless in my opinion.
I really regret getting a MacBook. It’s not as convenient and I prefer big laptops with big screens.