<p>Is it necessary to take the laptops to every class everyday? I want to leave mine in my dorm most of the time because I don't want to damage it by carrying it around. Also because it is quite big with a 17 inches screen and almost 8 pounds.</p>
<p>I take mine all he time, but I am a graduate student. My D only takes it to lecture classes.</p>
<p>I see. Do you use it for notes or for group work? Also for lecture classes, is it better to take notes using a paper notebook?</p>
<p>There's only been one class that I've brought my laptop to, and that was just because I had problems staying awake</p>
<p>I've never taken my laptop to class. I remember things better when I write them down. That's how I study too, I rewrite my notes.</p>
<p>If one does classes without laptops in the past and classes haven't changed in format to rely on laptops, one can go without laptops today. You would be taking notes most of the time.</p>
<p>So nope - I see no need to bring a laptop to class every day. However, it may be useful once in a while. You chose the wrong model.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. I don't mind taking it once in a while. I just didn't want to possibly damage it by carrying it in my bag regularly.</p>
<p>Depends on the classes you're taking - some professors lecture very quickly so it's really helpful to have a laptop to take notes with. In some classes, the exams are very focused on the lectures so you want to write down everthing the prof says. I think I use my laptop to take notes in half of my classes, but it's definitely possible to get by without it.</p>
<p>@ archrival</p>
<p>When I was still in college, I only bought laptop with me for group projects in facilities with wireless access. Most of the time I left it inside my room on my desk. Some kids bought laptops to class but they were more of a nuisance (surfing the web, playing games, instant messaging) than actual note-taking.</p>
<p>At my state school, Penn State, they say it's a matter of personal preference. You won't need the laptop for many classes. With a 17" laptop I would also keep it in my dorm since it might be more of a desktop replacement.</p>
<p>i take my laptop to every class, but mostly to be able to go online and facebook chat. </p>
<p>with a 17" laptop, i'd worry about how long the battery would last and if it's even worth brining it to class.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Though some classrooms have plugs at every table to charge your laptop during class...</p>
<p>It's a matter of preference. I never bring mine to science classes, but to all of my social sci/humanities classes I bring it to every lecture. I tend to take far more detailed notes on a computer than if I were writing them down. Try both the first few weeks of class.</p>
<p>this is a topic which is a hot one at my campus. </p>
<p>first, you should check with your professors about whether they care or not if you use a laptop in class. i've had some prof's that don't care and others who can't stand seeing hundreds of laptops looking back at him while he lectures. </p>
<p>second, if it is okay to take one to class, you should determine whether or not you need to be devoting 100% of your attention to the class. i know that in a perfect world you would be incredibly attentive and use the laptop to speed up and organize the notetaking process, but this rarely happens. sometimes formatting notes can be harder on a computer than by hand. a lot of times, if you are not devoted to the class, it will be very tempting to start surfing the internet/ watching movies/ listening to music / playing games during class. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A NO NO. these types of habits can be hard to break and you will soon find yourself "tuning out" the professor.</p>
<p>i know that was kinda long but i hope it helps lol!</p>
<p>Some highschool experience...</p>
<p>In my senior year, most quarters I usually had 3 AP Graphic Design classes per day. That added up to 4 and a half hours in the same classroom, plus lunch and a 4th period. I was usually the only one in this class (small art program at my school) and since the GD teacher was also the Ceramics teacher, he'd teach the larger ceramics class instead and leave me all alone in the computer lab, self motivated.</p>
<p>I always had GD work to do, but obviously over time I started playing more and more flash games and hanging out more at social sites and before I knew it, I spent whole days on that M.O. Sometimes the day would just flash before me before I got to do that work that I put in the back of my mind. As crimsonorbust stated, these habits are a b**** to break.</p>
<p>since i type very fast, i bring my laptop to social sciences classes like history and polisci but not to econ classes which also require drawing graphs etc. i print my notes like once every two weeks and organize them so that i can study by reading them before midterms/finals. it's also very convenient to find something you're looking for in a word document that you're taking the notes to--especially comes very handy while writing a paper.</p>