<p>I'm curious, do most college people bring their laptops into the classrooms or just leave them in their room? It might be useful for some things, but it could be a nuissance as well. I probably will leave mine in the dorm room, but I was curious as to what everyone else does...</p>
<p>I think it is very stupid to buy a laptop without taking it out of your dorm. It TOTALLY defeats the purpose of a laptop (PORTABILITY) which is why I genuinely advocate not to buy over a 15 inch screen (preferably 12-14inches) in order to maintain portability. </p>
<p>This is why laptops are so great. My campus has wireless almost everywhere, as I write this post i'm sitting in the library studying calculus because I'm able to store all my homework on this computer so that I can take it anywhere and have access to that information! I take my laptop to every class I have because for many of them I write my notes using microsoft word and am able to readily retrieve course material from the web (power point presentations, etc. in big lecture halls i'd rather look at things on my own screen and then take notes directly into power point)</p>
<p>It's just great to be able to walk anywhere and have quick access to my sylabus, grades, assignments, calender, etc. If you don't plan on taking the laptop out of the dorm then you may as well just get a desktop since it will be cheaper and probably more powerful.</p>
<p>It's really not any extra weight because you never carry textbooks to class, I usually just have a few spiral notebooks and my laptop in my backpack.</p>
<p>Damn, I need to return my laptop to Costco and get a desktop. I've had it for two months and have never, ever taken it out of my dorm room except to my parent's house on the weekends.</p>
<p>Generally I liked to write the notes, and then type them, since it allowed me to fully review them... However I have to admit, I've become lazy this year and I've just been bringing the laptop to class with me and typing my notes.</p>
<p>Also I think it depends a lot on your major. I'm a history major, so typing notes is easier then I'd imagin it would be for a science class.</p>
<p>as allena alluded to, some classes lend themselves more to computers than others.</p>
<p>I don't take my laptop to class, but I do take it to the library, and other people's rooms to work and things like that.</p>
<p>Most of my classes are chemistry/math/physics classes, and it's pretty difficult to type out notes in lecture for those types of classes so I never see anyone with thier laptop out. In the other classes I've taken, seeing people with laptops out was also a rare site.</p>
<p>Mostly people that carry laptops with them use them to work on a report between classes or do research online using the wireless internet.</p>
<p>The only class so far in which I can use my laptop is my Russian art class. Every other class is a math-related course which makes the laptop unusable.</p>
<p>But next semester, most of my courses will be more writing/humanities. So I expect to take my laptop more to class then.</p>
<p>I do not take my laptop to class. I prefer to take notes in a regular notebook. I do however take it to the library and to the study lounge (ok so that's still in my dorm, but...). It also goes home with me every 3 weeks or so. My laptop is significantly more powerful than my home computer, and I definitely prefer working on papers on top of my bed, rather than in our drafty sunroom at home. I also like to sit on my bed here at school watching dvd's or doing work, rather than sitting at my desk. I also live in a built up lounge, which is a quad. I can assure you, there is no room for a desktop in here. So my buying a laptop, even though I don't carry it to classes was pretty justified.</p>
<p>I almost always take my laptop to class. Sometimes we're asked to bring them to class (to use OMIM in human molecular genetics or EES or Matlab in thermo, or online FTIR databases in matsci). Sometimes I take notes on my laptop, using latex if needed for math/science/eng classes.</p>