<p>Is it better to have a Mac or a PC at W&M? Are there any disadvantages to having a Mac? What do most students have?</p>
<p>my daughter had the same questions (she is a sophomore). I wanted the PC and she wanted the MAC. In the end, she did her homework and convinced us to go the Mac route and it was a great decision. There is no “ideal” choice but the majority of the students have Macs. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thank you very much! I’m in the same boat - my parents are pushing for the PC but I really want a Mac. So your input is definitely helpful :)</p>
<p>W&M has no official “preference”. Students can come to campus with a MAC and a PC and there are facilities on campus to support both mediums. If you are admitted, our Day for Admitted Students will include an open house with our computer professionals.</p>
<p>W&M always provides one model of PC that incoming students can purchase (you’ll learn about it in your admit pac). That model is highly supported by our IT department so if it breaks, fixes are often very fast (usually 24-48 hours) and loaners are readily available.</p>
<p>We also have a MAC store on campus to work with students who prefer MACs. </p>
<p>Not sure if there’s any data that says which model more students own but certainly both are popular and highly utilized on campus.</p>
<p>Yes, to clarify: I mentioned that “the majority of students have MAC’s” not from any official data but due to the fact that the vast majority of my D’s friends and sorority sisters have MACs. I asked her and she knows of only one person who has a PC. But that is just in her “circle”. And I’m sure, as stated earlier, that either will do the job!</p>
<p>During our Day for Admitted Students, the Tribe Computer Store will be open to discuss laptop options for campus and of course, plenty of students will be on campus to address any questions admitted students and families might have about this particular aspect of life on campus</p>
<p>W&M Adm - I’m not as in touch with this program as I used to be, but you may wish to double-check with the IT department about the MyNotebook program. It is my understanding that it has been discontinued and that on-campus IT will only support the existing MyNotebook models until they are gone, and that most student notebook purchasing/repairs will be going to the Tribe Apple Store. Also, the IT department did not provide loaners to students - only faculty/staff (unless something changed this year). I believe the Tribe Apple Store may have done this, and I also believe Swem may have laptops available for checkout, but the IT department did not.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t believe it is true that a majority of students have a Mac. The Mac share has been increasing steadily over the last few years thanks to relaxed requirements, greater software interoperability, and the Tribe Apple Store arriving on campus; however, PCs have remained in the majority, buoyed by the (I believe now-defunct) MyNotebook program that W&M Adm mentioned that provided on-campus repairs with very quick turnaround.</p>
<p>javabytes, thanks. The Tribe Computer Store now does do a lot of what IT used to but IT is also a great resource for students. We’ll definitely look into whether they still service student laptops or not.</p>