Does anyone know what laptop I will need at UCSB? I want to stick to Macs, but I was wondering if there’s a certain model I should buy? I don’t want to buy a laptop now before school and then get to school realizing I bought the wrong computer…
Hi - I work in computer support at a college. Is there a campus computer store that you could call and ask? Lacking that, perhaps the admissions office would know where to direct you? We generally recommend the MacBook Pro 13" over the MacBook or MacBook Air but it also is somewhat dependent on your course of study. Good luck to you!
What is your major? If you aren’t going to be using any sort of intensive software, a MacBook Air should be fine. If you’re majoring in something like Computer Science, Engineering, Graphic Design, etc. I think you should contact your University to find out beforehand but if you’re majoring in anything that is just reading and writing intensive, you’ll just need whatever can run basic word processing software.
@BTMell and @preamble1776 thank you! I was thinking about calling the college as well (and I’ll probably still do that). I am going to major in anthropology, so I don’t imagine that I’ll need a laptop with more than basic things on it.
As an Anthro major, you’ll only need the Macbook Air - no reason to spend extra money on any fancy hardware features.
To be safe, check if there’s any software required that can only run on one OS or another. If not, the choice is yours.