So, I will be starting at McIntire soon as an accounting major. My question is do I need buy a laptop. It’s not that I can’t afford it but rather not needing it. My previous 2 years was at a CC and didn’t need to buy my own laptop. I will be living on campus and using the schools resources.
I think every student will have a laptop. You don’t need an expensive one, and you don’t need to buy one from the U’s computer sales division. The school says either a Mac or a Windows laptop is OK, but the Macs are much more expensive. The U. recommends Dell Latudes, which are good durable laptops designed for business travelers, as opposed to home use. I’ve bought Latitudes for my kids in college and for myself using the Dell Outlet website, after finding online coupon codes. That means a really good laptop can be purchased for about half the retail sticker price.
McIntire does have some computer labs with windows machines, but I think you will need the flexibility to work at odd hours, in group meetings, at home and at many other locstions… McIntire is going to work you very hard.
You can buy a laptop with a basic windows operating system, and then get a free or low cost windows professional upgrade from the U. The U. also offers free or very low cost downloads of the entire MS Office Suite, so don’t buy it.