<p>I would appreciate it if any current Rice students (especially engineering majors) could give recommendations concerning what type of computer to bring to campus. Do most engineering students use laptops? Is it also necessary to have a desktop? Do students take their laptops to class? What is the best size laptop for an engineering student? Any and all suggestions will be helpful. Also, are there any good discounts available through Rice, or should we make the purchase(s) on our own (e.g. Costco)?</p>
<p>i would say it is all personal preference since i have seen engineering students happy with macs or pcs, laptops from 12" to 17". it's not necessary to have a desktop. there are discounts, <a href="http://www.rice.edu/market/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.rice.edu/market/index.html</a>.</p>
<p>Thanks, sreis.
Does anyone else have any specific suggestions?</p>
<p>It doesn't matter what size or type of computer you buy; it's all up to personal preference. </p>
<p>There are a few times when you'll need to use programs such as MatLab, Labworks, etc. to do some work, but you can usually find them on computers at school, so it's not necessary to actually have them (and I don't think anyone wants to pay hundreds of dollars for them anyway).</p>