<p>While I decide whether to attend college in the US or not, every dollar seems to be adding up. I've been getting many things clarified from various sources, including here. So I was just wondering:</p>
<ol>
<li>Can you manage without a computer in a top-tier LAC? </li>
<li>If not, is the college likely to have any requirements and how much would it generally cost?</li>
<li>Can you manage with a relatively cheap model/second-hand computer?</li>
<li>Can you buy a cheap desktop from the US rather than an expensive laptop?</li>
</ol>
<p>Answers to any/all/related questions would be much appreciated. :)</p>
<p>i honestly think this depends on the school and which degree you’ll be pursuing, yes ? in any case, a simple low end laptop (or netbook) should suffice just for your typical emails and keeping up to date with stuff. i’m more than confident the school should have its own workstations for CPU intensive software (which also require licences) like MAYA and AUTOCAD should it be part of your coursework…</p>
<p>ps wouldn’t advice getting a desktop. what are you gonna do after you graduate ? lug the whole thing around ?</p>
<p>Well, in my experience, you can definitely survive without a laptop of your own. It sucks, but it’s possible by all means. What I find is that a lot of people like to do their studying and work in computer labs too. When you’re in your dorm, you get the “chill vibe” and most often just do time wasting stuff like facebooking and chatting.
You can get a cheap desktop, but why not just go for a cheap laptop? Netbooks will limit you a lot in terms of what you can run and the little screen will definitely be unproductive when you want to do more stuff for extended periods of time.
Netbooks+Desktop is a good combination, but not in your case I guess.
Just go get an $500+ laptop, it will be worth it.
I myself have a 3+ year old laptop that I bought for around $1100 at the time and it’s still running, it’s still faster than a lot of the $500 laptops selling today!</p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of netbooks (I’ve seen them, and it doesn’t look possible to do anything except check email on them without having to put your face against the screen).</p>
<p>Finally, just to compare the prices, will there be any student discounts to buy laptops/desktops if I decide to buy it in the US. If so, is there any website that I can use to check the prices?</p>