<p>Argh. I have spent all of our money on tuition and now we need to get our son a laptop. I am looking for a zero percent finance of a computer so we can pay it off monthly. My son is going to Williams College and they had said in a printout that Dell reps can service on the campus so we went to the store to look at their Dells. They only have two (both relatively large screens, we were looking for a notebook) and the guy said, "we don't really sell too many of these because they are not reliable."</p>
<p>They do have the financing I need (18 months zero percent payment plan) but we are now looking at Macs because the guy said they will last, made of aluminum, yadayadayada...basically not sure what to do.</p>
<p>Do most students purchase the laptop before they get to school? </p>
<p>Does he need a printer? Or, do students print somewhere in the school?</p>
<p>It looks like I can get a macbook 13.3 inch for around 1300 at best buy. It will be tax free weekend here in mass this weekend so we would purchase then. I would still need a printer and microsoft office right?</p>
<p>What is your son using for a computer now? Does he HAVE to have a laptop? Meanie mom here sent her older child to college with a perfectly servicable old computer from home and an old printer from home. It was a desktop so the compromise we made was buying a smaller flat screen monitor (at the time…those were newer and not the mainstream). In this day and age…much can be saved and moved around on a flash drive if necessary. </p>
<p>We DID buy our son a laptop right before he left for Jr term abroad…he NEEDED it then.</p>
<p>Is he majoring in some kind of graphic arts that makes a Mac necessary? My son got a laptop for $650 form a big box electronic store last year, and it’s probably more computer than he really NEEDS. His laptop included Office and other programs.</p>
<p>About the printer - find out what William’s policy is. Most schools have printers students can use - sometimes they can even send them electronically from their laptop and swing by and pick up the printed paper at the printer center. Some schools charge 10 cents a page, some have a certain number of pages free and then charge. Find out his school’s policy, but these days most students can get by without their own printer.</p>
<p>It is best to buy a computer at least a month before a student goes off to college. This will provide time to move their existing applications off of their current system and move it to the new system. It will also provide them with a feel for the system and what small additions they would like (external mouse, keyboard, headphones, flash drive, sleeve, backpack, etc.) It’s also a good time to set up a backup solution.</p>
<p>It’s pretty easy to find $350 laptops (I have a coupon code for one at Newegg if you are interested) but we’ve been sticking to Apple for laptops and I’m building my own on desktops. My feeling is that the ultracheap laptops are essentially disposable - kind of similar to what happened with VCRs in the 1990s.</p>
<p>A printer is a convenience. Schools generally have printing facilities in the library where you can take your laptop to print off their network or they have computers that you can print your files from for typically $0.10/page. You can get costs down to about $0.06 per page with your own printer (pick one with takes cheap ink). A personal printer has the advantage of convenience - student can print in the dorm instead of having to go to the library or use a departmental printer. A disadvantage may be other roommates asking to use the printer and burning through supplies.</p>
<p>I use Oracle Open Office which is a complete office suite and it’s free - you just download it. Office for students is $99 I believe and you get a three-user license. Microsoft also has Office Professional Academic 2010 for $100 which is a pretty nice price - it’s a download and you have to provide proof that he’s a student.</p>
<p>Daughter uses Oracle Open Office as does son but son does have a Microsoft Office license on our backup MacBook Pro (we have a spare MacBook Pro in case one of the current ones is down for repair).</p>
<p>don’t get it from best buy!!! you can get the 13" pro from apple. either go to apple store or go online. your son should have college email so he would get $100 educational discount. if your state doesn’t college tax, you might not need to pay any. you can get free printer from apple that you have to do a rebate. and you get $100 apple app card. for microsoft office stuff, your college should be offering free softwares for students. google search that.</p>
<p>As mentioned in the previous post, you can buy the mac directly from Apple through Apple’s Educational Discount Program. </p>
<p>—$1099 for the mac
—free $100 gift card to the App Store (which can be used for the Microsoft Office software or anything else)
—$100 rebate on the printer. Order a printer at the time of the laptop purchase. Pay for the printer and then submit a very easy online rebate. You’ll receive a rebate check via the mail.</p>
<p>You can order through Apple’s online Education Store or go into any Apple Store and tell them you want to make a purchase for college using the educational promotion. This offer is only available through mid Sept.</p>
<p>We bought our son a Dell laptop directly … and when we mentioned he was starting school in the fall we were given the educational discount … and the deal was as good as better than the deals for Dell’s at the school … it arrrived in less than a week so you probably still have time. I’d suggest going to Dell and show all laptops with 13" or 15" screens and sort by price … more than likely there are 2-3 systems with atleast a $200 discount right now. </p>
<p>PS#1 - I LOVE Macs but they are a lot more expensive so unless my kid was going to work in an industry dominated by Macs I probably would avoid that route.</p>
<p>PS#2 - A printer is not needed at most schools but certainly is more convenient especially if the student tends to procrastinate or go through lots of printed drafts of papers.</p>
<p>Since finances are a big concern carefully look at the cost difference between a Mac an equivalent PC. Macs usually cost more for what you get. Any reliability concerns can be covered by warranty. You don’t really need to buy it through the college’s bookstore if you can get a better deal elsewhere. You can also consider other brands like Lenovo, Sony, etc. I’ve used Dells for years with no major issues so it isn’t like they’ll all break all the time.</p>
<p>He probably doesn’t need a printer - he can use a school printer although it’s less convenient than a printer in his room but maybe he can borrow the roomie’s printer when needed (using his own paper and contributing to the toner/ink).</p>
<p>3togo-I will go online and look at the dells. My son has biked to the downtown mac store and is probably dreaming about one now. :)</p>
<p>Thank to all who have given me advice. I will check out that mac link online nysmile.</p>
<p>ilikepizza: I was just going to get a computer from best buy because I already have a zero percent interest deal lined up there (18 month payoff horizon).</p>
<p>thumper and pinot, he really doesn’t “need” a mac. he uses the family computer now so cannot take it.</p>
<p>I just bought D an Apple laptop last night at the local Apple store. Beware of the printer offer – it’s for an HP Photosmart printer, which I already own. Here’s the problem – it’s a color printer, and if it’s out of any of the colored ink, it will not print black and white documents. Which is primarily what college students need to print. I have spent hundreds of dollars on “cyan” and “magenta” because D or S needed to print something for school. Never again.</p>
<p>Another even more important tip – you can get a 6% “corporate discount” on Apple laptops simply by showing them your business card. I only found this out when it was too late.</p>
<p>We are doing a “wait and see” when it comes to software (i.e., Word) and printer. Her school may have some deal there, or she can always buy Word online.</p>
<p>Williams is a great school! Congrats and good luck!</p>
<p>^^ Good advice on the software ‘wait and see’ since a lot of colleges have deals with the various software vendors where the students can receive the software either free or at a deep discount - it can vary with the college and even the department within the college sometimes.</p>
<p>My S was a graphic design major and needed a Mac. He found that he did most of his work in the art department Mac lab and used their printers. He rarely used his own printer.
My D had a Dell that she damaged. She was broke and had to buy her own replacement laptop. She ended up with a $399 Compaq. She is going on year 3. It overheats and is slow but it does what she needs it to do. I don’t know if it will last the year but for her it has been “enough” computer. She uses her own printer daily.
HS senior D needed a new computer. She insisted on a Mac. We were willing to pay $500 for a PC. She worked and saved up enough to pay the difference and is now in love with her Mac.
I think Staples is offering some sort of deal right now if you show your college ID.</p>
<p>S wants a pretty expensive laptop capable of running some computer games he likes. I really don’t know if we want to spend that much, in addition to which we are concerned that he is addicted to the games and will be doing that rather than studying and socializing. :(</p>
<p>^^ One way to look at this (assuming you plan to buy his laptop) is that you’ll purchase a laptop as a tool for college, as a way for him to do his college work and that you have no plans to buy him a toy to play games. This means your budget can be what’s necessary to achieve the former - not the latter. If he wants the toy to be able to play games (i.e. the more powerful system) then he’s on his own for that either by buying his own system or pitching in on this one.</p>
<p>Just an idea.</p>
<p>Also, the specs for the computer needed can depend on the major. For example, a humanities major shouldn’t need a very powerful system since they virtually all can browse the internet and run a word processing app but a CS major would likely need a more powerful one. A graphic artist might need one that can handle the duties of the graphics apps, etc.</p>
<p>But is the family computer a PC or a Mac? There’s a bit of a learning curve with switching from one to the other. Maybe not a big deal for a youngster, but I found it frustrating at first. (I’m a PC user, but had to learn the Mac OS when my mom got an Apple computer and needed “tech support.”)</p>
<p>Our “computer guy” recommended a Lenovo laptop for my son. He said it is sturdier than HPs and works well. DS has had it for two years now and hasn’t had any problems.</p>
<p>He needs a laptop or notebook from the start. The life of a college student today makes it essential for day to day life. Everything from class work to security to messages form a section leader to social interaction relies on it. Plus, don’t you want to Skype or Facetime with him?</p>
<p>Check the Apple site because there are usually college “specials” for a Mac. He can use either a PC or Mac. Mac’s tend to be popular on campuses but plenty of students use PC’s.</p>
<p>You don’t need to spend anywhere near $1300 for a laptop . . . even if it’s a Mac. Think about $700 for a PC and $1,000 for a Mac.</p>
<p>He’ll need a printer for convenience but relax, they’re cheap. The online college deals from places like Dell and Apple usually include one for free. You can find one on sale for $39 -$99 which will be fine for his purposes.</p>
<p>BTW . . . congratulations to all of you, Williams is a truly sensational college! You should be very proud of him.</p>
<p>oops, I forgot . . . regarding durability . . . I supervise a class of 40 students who are required to have laptops. Very rarely is manufacturers durability the problem. 99% of the time the problems arise from downloading from bad sites (especially music and video) and “rough” treatment. The kids toss the laptops around, or put them in backpacks and toss the backpacks around, or sit on the laptop because it’s under a sweater or something more like that! So, here’s the most important advice you’ll get . . . BUY THE STUDENT INSURANCE FOR LAPTOPS OR MAKE SURE IT"S COVERED BY YOUR HOMEOWNERS POLICY! If you don’t believe me, talk to anyone with a couple of kids in college (we have one at Emory and one at Yale). Sometime during the next four years you will get a call which begins . . . "it wasn’t my fault but . . . "</p>