<p>I visited the campus and went on a tour last Tuesday and one of the turistas asked a pretty great question regarding the importance of laptops for first years. Our guide said they weren't really necessary for her and that if we do need one, UCI can lend you one.</p>
<p>What do we need to be able to borrow one and how long can we borrow it for?</p>
<p>Oh really?</p>
<p>SO I can sell my macbook and have one leant to me by the school then?</p>
<p>I never heard of this. There are numerous computer labs all across campus and any student can access it. For a a few cents a page you can print out any hw you may need. </p>
<p>Personally I would just buy a laptop, even if its running windows XP. It would also depend on your major/classes you are taking. Physics/chem are some of the classes that give online HW. Much of communcation is through email and you access reading articles online.</p>
<p>I heard the dorm rooms are wired for internet. Are ethernet cables supplied or do you need to bring your own?</p>
<p>bring your own ethernet (cat 5 cable)</p>
<p>If you are bringing a laptop(not needed but I would recommend a computer of some sort) you might always want to bring a wireless router.</p>
<p>I know nothing of the lending laptops but there are lots of computer labs on campus(as mentioned) but I have little experience there.</p>
<p>I’m a Bio Sci major and I’m planning on not spending too much money on stuff that I can substitute ;( Thank you for the replies!</p>
<p>well, laptops are handy for taking notes in class (assuming you can type faster than you can write) so that’s something to consider. also if someone is being noisy you can just take your laptop and leave which isn’t something you can do with a desktop or if you’re in the computer lab</p>
<p>Yes, you can get a laptop for 1-2 hours from ILC (interactive learning center), (The place across from the Science Library). However you do NOT NEED a laptop at UCI but it is useful to have one @ certain times. They lend u a mackbook (however u can choose the operating system if you prefer windows).</p>
<p>edit: don’t forgot its “lending” meaning your responsible if its damaged or stolen. just a heads up.</p>