<p>If any current or ex- students are listening, I have a question -</p>
<p>I am going to buy my D a laptop as a HS graduation present. I was looking at the St Mary's website trying to find any indication as to whether laptops are a necessity, and, if so, if there are any hardware recommendations.</p>
<p>From the website, it sounds like there are PCs and MACs (far fewer) at a couple of places on campus for use, and system recommendations for personal laptops include both MACs and PCs, but with a 17-inch screen for use with the campus-wide software system.</p>
<p>My d would prefer a MAC, but the 17-inch screen ones are quite expensive. Is there any reason to choose a PC over a MAC (specifically for St Mary's - I don't want to enter the general MAC vs PC war) and how necessary is that large screen?!</p>
<p>Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>Suggestion:
Buy her a Mac, but not a 17". Get her the 15" MacBook, or even the 13", and an inexpensive 19" display for her dorm room. Then you have the best of both worlds -- a smaller, lighter laptop to lug around, and an even bigger display to use in the Mother Ship.</p>
<p>(Caveat: I'm not a current or ex-student, not at St. Mary's that is. So I have no inside knowledge about what the SMCM campus systems do or don't support. )</p>
<p>Of course, my suggestion might not work if your daughter wants to study in the library, and feels strongly that she needs a bigger screen. So talk it over.</p>
<p>thanks for your thoughts, tk. At least St Mary's has computers conveniently located (at least, that what I've read), so she would also have the option of using campus computers.</p>
<p>I graduated from smcm only a couple years ago and I had a desktop. Never had the need to have a laptop anywhere.</p>