<p>I'm starting at Berkeley this Spring, but I won't have my own laptop. I'm going to have to depend on computer labs. It's not that I don't want to buy one, I just can't afford one right now. Is it absolutely necessary that I have my own laptop/desktop? Or can I survive 4 years by simply using the ones on campus?</p>
<p>um......no</p>
<p>It's possible that you can survive, but it's really best if you have your own computer. Many students get jobs to help buy them. The university might even help out with grants and such. There are also scholarships and programs out there just for providing computers to students. I would recommend that you try these out.</p>
<p>You don't need to have your own computer. There are a number of computers on campus with word processors, spreadsheets, printers and Internet browsers available for students to use. If you're enrolled in any courses that require specialized tools (for example engineering software), you will have access to computer labs that have the necessary tools.</p>
<p>Get a laptop. Take out loans if you have to...but get one. Trust me.</p>
<p>if you decide to live at a unit, I know you have access to pretty nice, stocked computer labs from like 7-9 and 3 or 5 pm - 1am on weekdays, and sunday night. nice lighting, nice comps, and it's conducive to work. in fact, even though i own a nice laptop and i share a printer, i prefer to get my comp-based work done in the labs.</p>
<p>it's a stretch though, and if you ever need to cram or collaborate, it helps tremendously to have your own computer. if it's absolutely not an option though, i'm sure you'll figure out how to motivate yourself and finish all your computer based work during lab hours and be fine.</p>
<p>Yes it's possible, the only computer I have is my desktop at home, which I barely used last semester. Almost all my writing and studying was done on library computers. </p>
<p>But if you have a class where the bulk of the material is online, you will have to tailor your schedule so you can study in the library/ computer lab. If you're the kind of person who likes to study late at night it could be a problem for you.</p>
<p>A used computer off of craigslist can be like $200. Pretty affordable. A new pretty decent laptop (definitely fine for all basic functions) is sold in the Sunday papers for $400.</p>