Son is an incoming Freshman in Engineering. We’re looking for some IT-related input on a few questions:
PC: Any opinions on either (1) powerful Windows Laptop for all work or (2) Windows Desktop in Dorm and Chromebook / Surface for taking class notes / portability?
will the computing requirements for an engineering student be satisfied with one purchase for all four years (i.e. or will a machine i purchase for freshman year likely be obsolete in a year?). I get that this is a personal preference type of question in regards to computers in general - but trying to get a sense how often the software requirements for an Engineering student change.
Is it a good idea for a student to have their own Printer in their Dorm room? or are there common area Printing options available in the dorms?
is there any other IT advice you can share for an incoming freshman?
We went to on campus Wired up at Orientation. They have the specifics for each engineering discipline. Ended up getting a powerful windows based laptop and supplemented with a Microsoft Surface for not taking etc. Son doesn’t feel the need to have a printer, when necessary prints on campus. Son finishing up his sophmore year and so far all is good.
My daughter is a biology major, not an engineering major.
FWIW she keeps her laptop in her dorm room and uses an IPAD with a key board cover to take class notes.
OSU students use Carmen, the OSU online course management system, and you may want to google that topic and see the system requirements. My daughter does not have much use for a printer so far as her papers are submitted online via Carmen. But perhaps engineering classes are different.
My son, a freshman, insists that he only needs his desktop. When he’s out and about, he uses his phone and sometimes combines it with a portable keyboard. As for making it all four years…I’ll tell you a secret. Have him find a kid who built his own computer (like my son) in hs, and become good friends. In a few years, buy the kid a pizza in exchange for help upgrading the old computer :).
Clarification on my prior comments: Daughter is saying that this semester she has had a lot of lab reports needing to be printed out, so she and her roommates have a printer in their dorm room.