I need to buy my son a laptop. He is majoring in engineering. They said that those programs are Windows based. What would be recommended? Is there a laptop that you can buy through the school that can be fixed for free if needed? Does anyone know how this works?
There are a couple good threads on the parents forum that I would recommend you look at. In general:
[list]
[]Check with the CoE to see if they have any specific recommendations
[]Purchasing from the school often does include free service, but it really depends on the school. Therefore, check with them.
[]Consider paying with a credit card that provides extended warranties for this type of purchase.
[]Most schools don’t require very powerful laptops (by today’s standards), even for engineering. A cheaper laptop may work fine, so don’t feel that you need to bust your budget on the most powerful models out there.
[*]Many students that prefer Apple do fine with them (and there are ways to get Windows applications. It really comes down to your preference.
Can speak for U of S Carolina but most schools do offer them through the book store. They meet specs required and can be serviced there and usually have loaners. I would start with the bookstore first. We did that with my first (engineering) and are doing the same with my second (computer science) also. The first one did have to have his serviced and he never missed a beat with the loaner.