<p>Do Case students tend to bring laptops to class with them to take notes, etc.? (I''ll be an engineering major)<br>
Would I need to run any programs other than word processing, maybe a little mathematica/matlab, and some occasional CAD in class (in other words, can I squeeze by with a $700 laptop if I have a slightly better desktop back in the dorm?)</p>
<p>I've always found taking notes on my laptop (especially in engineering classes) to be cumbersome and not worth it. The notes typically consist of diagrams and equations strung together with occasional words - a pain in the neck to try to put on a computer unless it's a Tablet. Occasionally it can work to add comments to powerpoint slides if the professors are nice enough to post them ahead of time.</p>
<p>In my larger classes (maybe 100 people) , there are typically maybe 5-8 students that bring a laptop to class. 2-3 more people have Tablet PCs and use them all the time. The biggest problem I have run into with bringing my laptop to class is that there is wireless internet everywhere...and when my mind starts to wander I end up doing things online that don't have anything to do with the class.</p>
<p>There are several computer labs on the main quad (if you know where to find them...I discovered 2 this year as a junior...) so you really don't have to bring your own laptop with you to have access to things you need. Set up your computer(s) for Remote Desktop, and you can use your own computer from across campus - very helpful when you forgot to print that paper you stayed up all night writing and it's due in 10 minutes!</p>
<p>Do you ever use programs like mathematica or matlab (I think both are available through the software center) during class?</p>
<p>I took one class that used Mathematica extensively. We met in a computer lab, but the class was in such high demand that we also had 8 people that used their own laptops.
Another course I took had long, complicated labs done in Matlab. We met in a computer lab during our lab period and worked with it then.
Basically, you will occasionally have classes where you do use Mathematica or Matlab, but it's rare that you will do them in the normal lecture period. Lab sections will meet in a computer lab if you need to have access to a computer program.</p>
<p>DiffyQs uses Mathematica a lot, so if you plan on taking m4, it helps a lot. </p>
<p>You might want to have a laptop that is capable of running a Java development environment, since the computer labs they use for ENGR 131 usually suck a lot. </p>
<p>I dropped $1500 on an ACER 4670 because I hate dell's and its got enough to do all the heavy lifting I need it for solving diffyqs or compiling stuff in Eclipse, but its my only computer here.</p>
<p>docking station??? makes sense.</p>