<p>I am going to be attending UPenn for engineering as a member of the class of 2012. Right now I have a desktop which I will be bringing with me to my dorm at Penn. However, I am debating whether or not to get a new laptop. My desktop is around 2 years old but has good specs and still runs perfectly fine, but I'm not sure if I'll need a laptop for the portability and to ability to take it to my classes, study sessions, library, etc. Can you offer any input as to how necessary a laptop would be for someone like me?</p>
<p>if you are in engineering, you probably don't need one because your notes will have tons of drawings, symbols and greek letters etc... the only reason you would want a laptop is if you would want to write papers in a less chaotic environment than your dorm room etc. i'd say that you don't need to buy one, but if you find that if you have a lot of study sessions etc you can buy one later on</p>
<p>I'd say the engineers are the least likely group of students to have a laptop, which could be for a number of reasons (like people building their own systems and whatnot). Laptops aren't necessary for anyone, though it's nice to have the option to move about. If you like your desktop, there's no need to replace it though.</p>
<p>most people don't take laptops to engineering classes</p>
<p>although, which seas department are you in?</p>
<p>bioengineering</p>
<p>yeah, with the number of computer labs around the engineering area, you'll be fine without a laptop</p>
<p>and bioengineering doesn't require any special programs on personal hardware</p>
<p>you will need matlab starting sophomore year, but most people just use lab computers for it anyway</p>