<p>For financial reasons, I've decided to bring a desktop to college instead of a laptop. Do USC dorms (the IRC Parkside suites, in particular) have space for a full tower desktop and a 22" flatscreen monitor?</p>
<p>I"m pretty sure there should be plenty of room. You’d find a way to clutter that desk space with other stuff if you didn’t have the desktop anyway haha.</p>
<p>yes, the desks are really quite big. make sure you extend the flap behind the desk when you move in.</p>
<p>But, wouldn’t it be much more convenient to be portable? But, I’ve seen many photos where there are desktops situated on The Desks. So, yeah.</p>
<p>You can most definitely fit a desktop – I second the suggestion to make sure you extend that back flap before you fill your desk up – but laptops are actually pretty affordable these days and you’ll be at a disadvantage if you rely on a desktop all four years at college.</p>
<p>From your post, it sounds like you’re bringing a desktop you already have with you. Be aware that, especially if the desktop is on the older side, it may not be compatible with the internet connection or programs you may need for class. </p>
<p>Plus, there will be times you will need to bring a computer around campus – whether to class for a presentation or to a fellow student’s dorm/the library to work on group projects, etc. Also, will you just leave your computer in your dorm over winter break? Not a very smart idea…</p>
<p>Consider it an investment in your education. A laptop, if treated responsibly, will last you all four years at USC. You will be certain that the technology will be newer and up to date and won’t have to worry about an older computer “dying” on you.</p>
<p>PC laptops (you don’t need a Mac for college, don’t buy into the hype) can be found for reasonable prices both online and in stores. Can you save money over the summer by having a summer job? If you don’t have a job, are there odd jobs you can do around your town for extra money? Did you get money for your high school graduation that you can use to buy a laptop?</p>
<p>If you can’t get a new one for a price that works with you, look on Craigslist! There are people who buy new laptops as soon as new models are released and I bet you can find a year old (if not newer) laptop in great condition for a good price.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the advice! </p>
<p>@Zelda, I’d actually argue that a PC desktop is cheaper in the short+long run and is much less likely to “die” on me. If I bring a desktop to college, I’m building my own. I can build a modern PC which can handle today’s most demanding games (and along with that, pretty much any other top-of-the-line software), for about $650, including a 22" LED monitor. I could probably cut that down to $500 for a complete set that is far superior to a laptop even in the $1000-1500 range. </p>
<p>PC parts generally become obsolete within 2 or 3 years. When that happens to a laptop, I will most likely have to upgrade the entire laptop. When that happens to a desktop, I can upgrade just one component, say, the video card, for as little as $100.</p>
<p>That said, your concerns about portability I totally understand, and it is a huge factor. I might just go with a desktop + a netbook/tablet PC to solve this? Anyway, thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>A netbook would be great, to be honest. ;)</p>
<p>My kids both ended up with BOTH an inexpensive desktop & a netbook (for about $250=300) at USC when both of them had their laptops die on them. Their combo was CHEAPER than their laptops and allowed them the best of portability as well as the larger screen. They took their netbooks to school & study groups while they plugged the netbook in as a portable hard drive when they were at their desks. Neither had any problems fitting their desktops on their desks, but then again, they didn’t get the desktops until after their initial laptops broke. Actually, S ended up with a massive desk that fit nicely into his apartments & bought several monitors for his desktop. 
We are all PC types here as well.</p>
<p>One tip that isn’t talked about–bring a longish ethernet cable. Tho there is wifi available throughout campus, it is faster if you use the cable & plug in. If you don’t bring one, you can get a relatively expensive one at the bookstore or go to Fry’s or other store.</p>
<p>Also, try to buy your electronics with a credit card that gives an extra year of extended warranty, e.g. Costco AmEx card. Many computers aren’t built to last & it’s nice when you have free extended warranty protection that will give you free repair or refund if there are problems. My kids’ refunds paid for their new systems.</p>
<p>^HImom thanks for the advice! I will probably end up with the same configuration. I’m building my own PC, so the warranty for each individual component really varies. TBH, most desktop PC problems can be fixed quite easily, with even the most catastrophic problems easily solved by simply replacing individual components for cheap.</p>
<p>Yea, but if you can buy the components with a CC that offers the extended warranty, it is always nice to have a longer warranty at no extra charge. We bought our netbooks with the CC as well.</p>
<p>OK I guess I didn’t realize you were the kind of person who build your own system. I also didn’t know desktops were better for games – I don’t play video/computer games, so I really had no idea. I guess needing/wanting a desktop makes sense. (But for normal students who don’t play games, etc., I think a laptop is better for general computer use in a college setting.)</p>
<p>But yes, I would totally recommend getting a Netbook, too, since those are cheap and they are handy to have in class/on campus.</p>
<p>I think I’ve said this in another thread – but the best thing my parents ever did for me in regards to my laptop (and this can go for a desktop, too) is that they put it on their homeowners insurance. Apparently, it was very inexpensive to add (somewhere around $40/year) and would replace my laptop in case of damage or theft. </p>
<p>I had to use it – but that was only because a TSA dropped my laptop at the airport during X-ray inspection and of course the government insisted it wasn’t their fault and they weren’t liable to pay for a new laptop. Riiiiight. Insurance covered it all though, and I had a new laptop by the end of the week.</p>
<p>But long story short to parents – something you should really look into!</p>
<p>^That’s definitely something I missed. Thanks!</p>
<p>Some credit cards also provide 90 days theft, loss, broken merchandise protection if you purchase with their credit card. That has come in handy for our family as well, with retainers that went through the washer & dryer, Rx glasses that fell into the ocean. They said it would also cover electronics including computer, charger, battery, etc. that D left behind over spring break (we didn’t think to claim it in time). Best of all, it’s FREE!</p>
<p>One thing to consider for parents is whether to have kid with own renters’ policy or append it to your policy. It may be cheaper to add kid as a rider BUT it may affect your premium if a claim is made. If the policy is only in the kid’s name, it shouldn’t affect your premium if claims are made & many parents have found this helpful if their kid is accident prone or victim of theft.</p>
<p>Regarding insurance, I did some research since my son will be bringing two guitars, an amp, a saxophone as well as a laptop. Claiming a loss through your homeowners can have a high deductible and as you make claims it will eventually raise your premiums. Usually if you have a three claims for any amount within a year or two, you risked getting dropped. </p>
<p>I have found a college student insurance policy that I am going to purchase for my son. The link to the company website is here:</p>
<p>[CSI</a> College Student Insurance - Instant Quote](<a href=“http://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/]CSI”>http://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/)</p>
<p>They cover the following:
Computers and laptops
Cell phones
iPhones and other smartphones
iPods, MP3 players and electronics
Books
Clothes
Bicycles
And much more</p>
<p>What they protect against
Theft
Fire
Accidental Damage
Flood
Earthquake
Vandalism
Electrical Damage
Water Damage</p>
<p>The lowest deductible is $25 and they pay full replacement value. If you have tracking software on your laptop and your laptop is stolen, there is $0 deductible. </p>
<p>I just ran an instant quote for USC for $5000 of coverage with a $25 deductible, the cost is $151 per year. If you go for the max policy of $15000 of coverage with a $25 deductible, the cost is $328. </p>
<p>One caveat is that policy limits payout for jewelry, art, bikes and musical instruments to a maximum of $2,000, unless endorsed onto the policy and supported with receipts or appraisal at the time of filing a claim.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. We will definitely be getting this for our son.</p>