<p>Hi I'm New At This And Have A Few Questions. My Son Will Be Attending College In The Us In August But I Do Not Know If I Want To Buy Him A Pc. My Main Reason Is That He Is Constantly On That Machine Whether He's Chatting, Working, Surfing The Web, Or Downloading Music. I Worry That He'll Spend Way To Much On That Thing And Start To Neglect His Work. However In The Website Of The College He'll Be Attending, It Says That A Computer Is Not Needed Because There Are Various Computer Labs Available And That Some Students Even Prefer Not To Take A Computer.</p>
<p>Anyway He Will Be Attending Pomona College And I Wanted To Know If In Anyone's Experience Not Having A Pc Would In Any Way Hurt Him (workwise) And If In Your Opinion A Pc Is Actually Something Vital For College And Something You Can't Do Without</p>
<p>Based on what you've said, I'd say no to a computer for the first semester, and see how he does. </p>
<p>Most all colleges have decent computers for their students to use. The main downside as I see it is the inability to access one 24/7 and instead having to do schoolwork when the computer lab is open.</p>
<p>As I type this into my kid's HS computer vintage '09, Windows NT, wordprocessing on Firefox - CC; Technology has comeback to the terminal model, making the stand-alone computer obsolete. </p>
<p>Current computers are inexpensive now because Intel is dumping their unsold chips in preparation to full rollout of duo core, low power processors and AMD competition. Microsoft is late in their new OS but near future.</p>
<p>Make the kid suffer because he chose a high cost school. (Most of my, CMU-ME '06, kid's stuff was done on terminal because of bigger screen, nearby printer, and special software that was only on terminal.) When he was a college senior, his 4 year old freshman computer worked just fine. But his computer cost was just a minute fraction of the overall cost of his college costs. </p>
<p>You can tell your kid, that he can blame me, thus taking the heat off of you. </p>
<p>If you must get him a computer, one can be purchased at the nearest computer store in 30 minutes, so getting one is not a big deal.</p>
<p>I don't think my S could have done without his own laptop. My S took math and science courses for which problem sets were posted on the course websites each week; he got lots of email announcements and corrections to the problems from his profs. There were as well sometimes last-minute rescheduling of sections, etc... Needing to have access to a lab in order to get the problem sets would have been a huge pain. As well, the problem sets were excepted to be returned printed using the appropriate software. So not only did he have a laptop but also a printer.</p>
<p>As an incoming freshman who spends alot of time chatting, working, surfing the web, and downloading music, and going to a similar academic environment (Amherst), I would say get him the computer. It is an invaluable tool. At this point in his life he needs to figure out how to manage his time. If you just deprive him of a computer for a semester, then you are just delaying this maturation. It is possible that his grades might suffer a little bit (depending on your son of course) but he has to figure out how to balance his life.</p>
<p>marite+firus have excellent and the reasons for having a PC. In many colleges, having a 24/7 access to a computer is important. You don't want your kid to go accross the building to find computer at 2:00 in the morning. do you?</p>
<p>and let us face it. e-world is their world. That world is very busy from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.</p>
<p>My S, like a lot of college students, did most of his homework late at night. It was not unknown for him to go to bed at 3 or 4 am, after having done his homework (and, I'm sure downloading and surfing). During the day, he had classes, sections, study groups. Some of these would be held late in the afternoon and early evening. One study group was held the evening before problem sets were due the next day, so he could not produce his homework until late in the evening.</p>
<p>In my opinion, a computer is actually something vital for college and something you can't do without. A number of schools explicitly require them. If Pomona and other elite schools don't, it's probably because the issue simply doesn't come up: all the kids have computers. Seriously, most schools function on 24/7 e-mail, lecture podcasts, and course postings. Of course, computers are available in the library, etc., and I could imagine a kid working around not having one (as kids do for a time when theirs go down and need to be fixed). But it's a burden. And if he uses a school computer at the library, he can still do most of the things that concern you. It's something he has to learn to handle himself, and he's not alone in that. I wouldn't impose artificial restraints.</p>
<p>Computers are pretty essential. It really stinks to have to rely on the school's computers (which are often down or occupied because of heavy use for quick jobs) and labs to do your work. The computers are often not loaded with the specific software you might need, and some high traffic labs have time limits. A laptop computer is a much, much better solution. </p>
<p>It's also a huge bummer to a student who wants to just print something to go into the computer lab and see someone settled in claiming a computer for a few hours of work. The labs are there for everyone and unfortunately are really not designed to be a student's only computer access anymore.</p>
<p>A lot of college kids spend a lot of time on the computer, and most homework is online. If you want to attempt to sever your kid from the internet, college isn't the place to do it- it is all very electronic now.</p>
<p>My own D is a heavy computer user. Yet, when her HDD crashed last spring, she did without a machine for a month (Tech support AKA dad was slow...) and the complaining was not too loud. She had major papers due etc., and survived quite well. </p>
<p>Truth is that with thumb drives, you can do most anything on most any computer. Most kids use webmail programs, not local clients. The software suites are pretty much the same on any college machine. Music has migrated to iPods. </p>
<p>So yea, survival "naked" (at least with regard to computers) is possible, and maybe not that tough. </p>
<p>BTW, itstoomuch needs to update his/her understanding of computer economics. For notebook computers, unless you have a high end machine, the most expensive component is the display. Next is the OS (XP). For desktops, the most expensive component is most often the OS (XP again), then the case. That's why the cheapest boxes use Linux flavors. And that's also why Intel's stock isn't doing so great. CPUs are dangerously close to commodity status. Let's all thank AMD for bringing some good old fashioned competition to the market.</p>
<p>I should add (since that above post was added after I was done) some schools do not permit thumb drive use because of virus threats. My school does not allow you to attach anything to the usb ports of a public terminal, so you must email everything back and forth to yourself.</p>
<p>My DS1 just graduated from college and is finally off the payroll (yay) and DS2 is a junior in college. Your kid will be handicapped socially and academically without his own computer, trust me. </p>
<p>Especially socially. Facebook, Xanga, AIM and email are an integral part of college life now. </p>
<p>For classes the profs post their powerpoints and expect easy internet access. Last minute paper writing and test prep are hard without a computer, and you want no impediments to your student's being able to work. You can try it and see if there is squawking, but expect to be setting up a computer within a few weeks of classes starting.</p>
<p>Ok, I concede on the computer issue. I realize that I too rely heavily on mine, and last year when my hard drive took a major crash and I was without for a week, EVERYTHING I relied on (business & personal contact info, etc.) was in that computer.</p>
<p>It's also true (one of you said it and I agree), for this generation, the computer is THE tool for all things. Communication and more. I've often been heard saying that it's a blessing to be able to do research 24/7 from the comfort of my home.</p>
<p>I can't imagine a college student without a computer. I know my kids check their emails every morning for messages from profs, many classes post assignments on blackboard, the campuses are wireless--so work is done anywhere. Probably if you don't send a computer, he will be using roommate's or another friends which really isn't fair to them. Way too much hassle to run to a lab several times a day for quick assignments, checking email, sending a message or even checking campus schedule etc.</p>
<p>There was a period of about a month during my son's sophomore year when his computer wasn't working. He said he learned more about time management and did more stuff to in and around the community during that month than he had the previous two years. He had access to the computer lab in his dorm 24/7 if he needed it, but he wasn't constantly on the computer or procrastinating because he had easier access with a computer in his room. Having said that, however, it is the rare student who does not have his or her own computer, and once his was fixed he was happy to have it back, but wiser about working, too.</p>
<p>you need a computer, everything is done online from assignments posted to handing in the assignments. It's also important to have 24/7 access to your email, as I've had cases where professors have cancelled classes or added assignments only an hour or two ahead of the class. While there may be easy access to computers, it's not a good thing to depend on during busy times such as finals, where it can get hard to find the computer. It's also possible tht computer labs arent open 24 hours a day (for instance if they are in a library) and many assignments get done late at night. People also coordinate things over aim (such as when to go eat, or what to do that night, or when do you want to study together etc) and to not have aim, while not totally vital, would definately be an annoyance</p>
<p>One way to curb some of the most addictive behavior is to make sure the computer does not have the latest and greatest graphics card, etc. I'm no expert on this, but the addictive use seems to be heavily related to the games (for males).</p>
<p>He should have a computer. The schools now expect them to have one regardless of what they say. They're expected to use one for access to the internet for research, email, word processing, etc. - and this is just for school purposes. Sure, he could use a lab computer but it's far more convenient to use their own - especially at 2-3am. If he's in computer science, it's essential.</p>
<p>He has to learn to manage his time regardless of distractions (which include roommates, parties, activities, etc.) and he may as well jump in with both feet. Once surrounded by roommates and the rest of his peers, he may actually be using his computer less for distractions than he is now.</p>
<p>Having a computer available as a distraction isn't all bad either. It really is their entertainment central and can give them a needed break from the school routine as well as connectivity with familiy and friends outside of school.</p>
<p>You absolutely need to provide your son with a computer. Sending him to college without one is like banning him from owning a watch - they are ubiquitous tools of college life.</p>
<p>The vast majority of colleges rely on email as a way of contacting their students, and most of his course information is probably going to be delivered via Blackboard or other online course management system. And yes, he an probably go somewhere and use one, but it isn't enough for students to check their email every few days or to sign on to blackboard once a week. </p>
<p>Also, most college students utilize social networking software to grow their friendships and to make new friends - when everyone around him is on IM, how do you expect him to convince them to use other methods to contact him?</p>
<p>How is he going to write papers? Do you want to make sure he can only do his homework during library hours? And how is he going to archive all of the work that he does at college if he doesn't have a computer? Does he keep buying jump drives, but can't back them up? It is crazy to imagine how much not having a computer handicaps college students, but it does.</p>
<p>In addition to all the reasons already mentioned, a machine of your own with a good warranty is a great way to learn more about computers, since learning often involves some breaking, or at least risk of breaking. If I didn't have my own laptop I wouldn't have installed and started using Gentoo. </p>
<p>Another reason: when I'm home on breaks I can VPN and use programs like solidworks and matlab to work on projects, which can be pretty important since Thanksgiving is right in the middle of end of semester crunch time.</p>