<p>Our son will be a freshman in the Engineering school starting this fall. We want to get him a laptop for school. We would appreciate some feedback from other current students on what would be more practical for a student in E-school.</p>
<p>I’m not a student but a parent of a one-time engineering student. I have two recommendations. First, contact USC to find about any student programs that exist for computer purchasing. Virtually every school has some sort of discounts available to students and faculty on hardware and there are commonly massive breaks on software, (eg. the $500 Microsoft Office Suite for $50).</p>
<p>Second, contact the engineering school and ask for some input on which computer to get. For son1, (who did not attend SC), they were adamant that PC was the better choice for his engineering track. While there are many pieces of software that run on both MACs and PCs, many engineering and statistical packages are designed for PCs only. MACs try to get around this by running “Bootcamp”; often times this will work but just as often there can be formatting and speed issues.</p>
<p>Before the Apple fanboys and fangirls attack me, I love my MAC, this post was written on a MAC, MACs are superior in user interface (though Windows 7 has been a big jump), virus/security protection and is the clear cut choice for graphics/media applications. That said, the engineering world is still predominantly PC, (as is business).</p>
<p>I am a current engineering student, and I agree with Vinceh’s post. But as to what is more practical, if money is an issue, than PC. The price point is what kills Macs. If money is not an issue, and a Mac is desired, then be prepared to spend a little extra for Bootcamp or Parallels. </p>
<p>This may influence my recommendation - What is your sons specific major?</p>
<p>PC. I think Win 7 > Mac. Mac was more user-friendly until windows 7, now they’re comparable. A lot more programs are designed for PC. Get Microsoft Security Essentials (free anti-virus) and I don’t see how you can get any viruses, trojans, etc unless you download stuff from sketchy website, or you’re being personally attacked.</p>