<p>should i get a small laptop?
i have a 17 inch-screen laptop at home, and it's kind of heavy.
do i need a small one to carry around campus?
do you need laptops in class in order to take notes?</p>
<p>You definitely do not want an oversized laptop, that pretty much defeats the whole purpose of having a laptop in the first place. Stay away from dells(They break down easily, horrible customer service from dell,manufactured by a cheap Taiwanese company (Compal)). I definitely recommend purchasing an IBM Thinkpad T42 or Fujitsus S7020, and if you're on a budget try a Thinkpad R51 or Fujitsu C2340. I don't really see that many people using laptops to take notes, maybe 5-10% of students at most. For most classes the standard pencil and paper notetaking method is fine, but if you're really into high-tech gear why not buy a tablet pc? There are several places around the campus with wifi, including most libraries, the Diag, starbucks, expresso royale, etc.</p>
<p>Don't buy a Dell??? WHAT?? Dell's are sweet. Good deals and sweet service.</p>