Mac or PC?

<p>I don't know what to get this summer. Anyone know which type of laptop washu has more of? I am going in pre-med if that has anything to do with the decision...</p>

<p>They have a support center that provides services to both. I am also going to be grappling over this decision (after my gap year however). Macs are fashionable and thin and expensive. I really don’t believe they are that much easier to use. The plusses are the free printer and iPod touch you can get with the student deal, which makes the exorbitant cost less so. Personally, I would rather spend the same amount I could spend on a Mac getting a better-specced PC but that’s up to you. Don’t let the amount of PCs/Macs at Wash U determine for your decision on what to get. Maybe you should go to Best Buy and just look at everything. It did seem there were more Macs than PCs at Wash U when I visited but that was a small sample.</p>

<p>Here’s what the Wash U website says you should bring. Just click on your school and you should find all the information about what capabilities you computer should have. </p>

<p>[Computers</a> | Orientation at Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“http://orientation.wustl.edu/resources/computers]Computers”>Washington University in St. Louis | Get Your Bearings) </p>

<p>If your ArtSci you can choose either, but you need Microsoft Office and it is highly recommended that Engineers have PCs. But that’s just the basics there is a lot more on the web page.</p>

<p>What type of locks do students use for their laptops and where do you suggest buying them?</p>

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<p>I got a little combination cable-lock from Best Buy… haven’t used it much, but it’s probably worth having something.</p>

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<p>In general, you’ll be totally fine with either. I do definitely recommend getting Office for Mac, if you go the OSX route, because imho Pages/Numbers are poor substitutes for Word and Excel.</p>

<p>I don’t really know what life is like for the rest of engineering, but if you’re in Computer Science (or possibly CoE?) you’ll be totally fine with either a Mac or a PC. CS students get free copies of most Microsoft software (excluding Office for Mac) so most CS students with Macs will just install Windows 7 via bootcamp and you’re in great shape. Plus, it’s actually kind of nice to have a Mac for classes like iPhone App development ;)</p>