<p>My DD will be a first year in the fall. I am hoping the current Smithies and/or parents could respond to this thread. We have been looking at the choices on the Smith site and comparing to other Laptops that we could purchase. (DH works for IBM, so we could get a good price from them). </p>
<p>While the Smith purchase does include service and support, it seems overly expensive. We could almost purchase two computers for the price of one with service at Smith. </p>
<p>What I would like to know is:</p>
<p>Purchased: Smith or independent
Did you use the Service (if Smith purchased)?:
Was the service as good as it sounds?
If you purchased independently, would you do it again or would you purchase from Smith?</p>
<p>Purchased: via Smith (Dell)
Service: used
Quality of Service": outstanding (and more than made up for the difference in price)
Next time: would purchase through Smith</p>
<p>Caveat: having to deal with Dell directly when they were recalling batteries while D. went to Italy was an unbelievable affair, and I would NEVER purchase a Dell independently.</p>
<p>I'll be a first-year come fall and I ordered a Lenovo notebook for myself. One of the biggest factors of my decision was whether I would need the support or not and I decided that it wasn't worth it. I'm computer saavy so I would be able to fix things myself and Lenovos are sturdy enough that I don't need the complete warranty. Add in some drain holes for spillage protection and the plan to move it around as little as possible and I'm set :)</p>
<p>My D purchased a Dell laptop separately with a 3-year service contract. This worked out fine for her for the 2 hardware problems that she had. Smith's pricing was too expensive.</p>
<p>I came with a Compaq desktop, and two years in bought a Mac mini. I've yet to need my computer serviced, and the problems I've had so far pertained to Internet connections, which the school fixed because the problems were on its end, not mine.</p>
<p>(Additionally, I've always been good with computers, and my dad also works with them, so I don't need outside help with minor problems.)</p>
<p>I came with a one year old Mac powerbook and decided not to purchase service. My computer has never given me a problem in the four years I've owned it. </p>
<p>I think that if you need the reassurance of the service garauntee, then go ahead and buy it through Smith. But if you're willing to take the risk, or you want a computer that's different than the one size fits all models smith offers, you won't be at a disadvantage getting your own.</p>
<p>We also purchased a Dell laptop through Smith and have been extremely pleased with the service they provide. The prices are higher than if you purchased independently, however I would absolutely go through Smith again.
My daughter had some computer issues at a crucial moment during the semester and I am not sure what she would have done without their service. They were terrific.</p>
<p>Did you use the Service (if Smith purchased)?: at the time, Smith serviced Dells even when not purchased through the college (this changed halfway through my time at Smith). but my computer had such a severe problem they had to send it off anyway (cd/dvd drive needed replacing; BIOS settings had to be redone).</p>
<p>Was the service as good as it sounds? not really...it was helpful that the tech services people could supervise the computer being sent back and forth so I didn't have to worry about it getting damaged or stolen at the mailroom, but that wouldn't be worth hundreds of dollars to me (especially now that I know how cheap insurance for a laptop is...I pay $30 a year for a rider on my renter's insurance for a no-deductible, $1000 policy that covers accidental damage, theft, etc).</p>
<p>If you purchased independently, would you do it again or would you purchase from Smith? Definitely would do it again (maybe not a dell this time...I traded that for an Averatec for grad school and with some minor problems it's been good). the reconditioned dells are great deals and they come with a 3-month warranty. I'd just buy it a month or so before school starts in case there are any problems with it at first (my dad and I each had to send ours back within the first 2 weeks for some pretty major repairs, but then they worked great after that and are still doing well 5 years later).</p>
<p>there's one on the website now for $499 after a rebate...i don't know that you'll find something direct from any manufacturer/retailer for a whole lot less than that....</p>
<p>Better think about a laptop after an year in the school. Parents said 'We got no money this year, keep your expenditures at minimum'. What's funny is the first year is actually the year that's usually the most expensive heh. You can do with a desktop can't you? Does it cause a problem if you're planning to use an old desktop (upto modern standards but perhaps not a lot of RAM...)?</p>
<p>Tsubie-chan, I have a desktop and I actually prefer it over a laptop. For one thing, desktops tend to be more reliable.</p>
<p>The one problem with desktops is that a huge monitor takes up all your deskspace, so I'd get a flat-screen monitor if possible. Otherwise, most students don't take their laptops out of their rooms anyway, so a desktop is fine (and you will not be the only student with one).</p>
<p>Tsubie-chan, desktop is not a problem, even an old one. I wouldn't recommend anything older than a Pentium 3. More memory is always better since your programs will run faster.</p>
<p>Ah, NJ, I think I see the problem: I was meaning the cost of non-billed stuff, excluding tuition, room, board. There's an "establishing" cost at move-in that isn't repeated in subsequent years.</p>