<p>I was wondering if we were required to bring laptop to lectures or discussions?</p>
<p>It’s not required but I like to carry mine around for some boring lectures to do other hw. I always see people around me using Facebook though. If you aren’t addicted to Facebook or flash games then it’s nice to carry it around to take notes.</p>
<p>Do classes require you to install programs on your laptops?</p>
<p>^I thiiiiink some computer science classes might. Someone correct me. But for your typical writing/humanities/social science/math classes, no. </p>
<p>It’s all about personal preference. Laptop notes are just more convenient for me. I would recommend turning off your wi fi in lectures though.</p>
<p>No…unless you’re taking a CSE class which then you will install a compiler. Most of the material will be online.</p>
<p>How about a class like CSE 3 fluency with information technology (the labs)? They give you a computer to use right?</p>
<p>Never. Ever.</p>
<p>Yeah, for CSE 3 you use their computers in the CSE building.</p>
<p>Rule of thumb is this:</p>
<p>Nontechnical courses = use laptop to take notes.</p>
<p>Technical courses = take hand written notes (too many formulas and equations).</p>
<p>And Hybrid courses (if any) = depends on your style.</p>
<p>Normally for English, philosophy, etc… would require laptops because of the extensive information and fast paced lectures.</p>
<p>For mathematics, science, and others hand written is generally better, plus it helps with the formula memorization too because every time you write it down, our brain retains it better :D.</p>
<p>^ summed it up pretty well.</p>
<p>but, i never, ever brought my laptop to class once - and i’ve been fine for the past two years. you can try it out for a few weeks and see how you like it.</p>
<p>Tabletpc is perfect for all of those types of courses. I’ve brought mine to class every day for the past two years. Usually the only other sizable thing in my bag is grub for the day. I do all my homework and notes, typed and handwritten, and all my reading, on my tablet.</p>
<p>Even if you use laptops to write faster notes, I find that hand-writing is more helpful in the end. I usually end up typing way more than I’d like to review and don’t process as much of what the professor is actually saying (of course, this varies depending on each person’s studying style). Also, if you’ve got a laptop you’ll inevitably end up drifting towards games and websites during the dull/boring periods of the lecture. I keep my laptop closed, but I usually end up staring at my friends’ laptops after a while.</p>
<p>Sounds like a netbook might have been a better choice. Even for running compilers, unless you’re recompiling a huge project.</p>
<p>Depends on how big your hands are. For me, a netbook’s keyboard seemed tiny.</p>