<p>As a science major(biology/biochemistry), I was wondering about this, because I'm deciding on which laptop to buy, the 15 inch HP dv6500 or the 17 inch dv9500. Will the 15in be useful in my classes that will consist of mainly math, chemistry, biology, physics, courses(+ GEs) or would it better for me to just take notes by hand? Thanks in advance for your opinions.</p>
<p>of course you wouldn't need to bring your laptop for the courses. Only time you will see alot of laptops are in the computer and graphic design type classes.</p>
<p>People who bring laptops in my classes either take notes for non-math courses, or they bring it to play games and watch videos... mostly the latter.</p>
<p>everybody i see with laptops is surfing the internet, not actually taking notes.</p>
<p>I do take mine to the library quite often though</p>
<p>So, bringing a laptop to class would be another distraction? Hmm...makes me want to get the 17 inch now as well as a laptop lock...</p>
<p>Sometimes a laptop is good if you can type faster than you can write. I always laugh at the people who go to accounting classes or econ classes with laptops. How the ___ are you going to write out formulas and graphs in a timely manner w/ a laptop. Break out the pen and paper fools!</p>
<p>I'm willing to bet the people with tablets are laughing at you, too.</p>
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<li><p>Who said I was laughing?</p></li>
<li><p>I wasn't aware that Tablets were included in this discussion.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As for the size thing, I'll tell you what I tell everyone else: if you'll also be using your laptop for gaming and watching movies, get the 17". Otherwise, the 15" is fine.</p>
<p>Regarding bringing it to class, I think it's a preference: whether you're better at taking notes by hand or by computer. I think taking notes by hand is a lot easier (for me anyway), and allows me to be more flexible with what I write and how I write it. Lugging around my laptop to class, pulling it out, starting up, typing, etc. would be too much of a nuisance for me. I'd go with pen and paper any day.</p>
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1. Who said I was laughing?
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<p>You did. :)</p>
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I always laugh at the people who go to accounting classes or econ classes with laptops.
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<p>Ha, I did. What a brain fart. Okay, I don't laugh out loud. I just chuckle in my mind. But anyway, the second point still applies!</p>
<p>So many people have their laptops open in class at my school; and yes, most appear to be surfing the Internet/playing games rather than taking notes. What waste of time and money... why even show up?</p>
<p>I had a philosophy professor who banned them from his lectures. I wish more would do the same. Even with the students that do take notes on them, the incessant "clicking" can be distracting to other students.</p>
<p>I think I saw two people bring laptops to class my whole freshman year. I brought mine to one class one day when I had to give a presentation from it and we didn't know if we would get a smart room.</p>
<p>The only classes I've actually needed my laptop in were my Engineering classes before I switched majors...pretty much any other time I ever brought it to a class I was doing work for another class or waiting for registration to open so I could get into my classes for the next quarter. </p>
<p>Some folks did bring them to my Psychology and Business classes, though, to follow along with the slide-show that went along with the lecture. I guess it was easier to see plus they had a toy if they got bored? And, of course, others brought them with the sole purpose to play on Facebook, Myspace, and IM the whole time.</p>
<p>But to answer your question more directly, you'll probably rarely NEED to bring your laptop to class unless you're in a major that does a lot of design work.</p>
<p>i dont have one</p>
<p>I'm not in college yet but I plan to take mine, mainly because I type a lot faster than I can write and it helps me with organization.</p>
<p>I only take a laptop to class if I know I am going to use it. If I know we're writing papers, I'll take it to class. Same goes if I have to give a presentation or if we're using the web for something.</p>
<p>Writing papers is an old one for me--I would bring my bright orange iBook with me to high school on those days. It was also a good excuse to plug into the school's printer and get the prints that my mom paid for as a taxpayer instead of wasting my own cash on my printers/paper.</p>
<p>I can type faster than I can write, but I still don't bring my laptop to class (though I often bring it to the library). It's not only too tempting to browse the internet (not to mention really annoying when the person next to you is playing games that require a lot of tapping - I have no idea what game this girl in my history class played all semester but it was really noisy over there), but I also find that I retain more information by writing something out. My bf is a visual learner, however, and takes very thorough notes on his laptop and doesn't have a problem remembering the information. So I guess my suggestion is, consider not only the type of classes you're taking, but how you learn best, and do whatever works for you.</p>