<p>Good point Jadler.</p>
<p>I'll just do it the way I've always done. Imaginary notes.</p>
<p>Gah not really. I'm gonna have to learn to really take notes and study fast.</p>
<p>if you opt to bring a laptop, just keep in mind you may not be able to connect it to the internet on the yard. Last time our mid tried, wireless did not work in bancroft.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I've been considering getting one of these Amazon.com: Think Outside Stowaway IR Wireless Keyboard for Pocket PC and Palm OS: Electronics to take notes with.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>would not recommending purchasing anything right now.... get there first, get the academic year underway, and then see where the dust settles.</p>
<p>and while it is true you can have cell phones with you .... and "OFF" when in the classroom, don't be surprised if that changes in the very near future, if it hasn't aleady happened. A recent incident in the plebe class may impact on that practice in short order. </p>
<p>Make due with what you are issued.
Learning to adapt and "do without" is learned in many, many ways.</p>
<p>If I want to use my personal laptop - it is off the yard over at city dock cafe or out at my sponsors house. Plebe year it was handy when traveling with D&B to work on papers. There are a few spots out on the yard where you can get wireless (from your own paid service) but since Plebes can't sit out and about on the yard even this feature would be unusable for plebe year.</p>
<p>Navy2010 has it right - let the dust settle and figure out what you will rate. Also many professors will not let you use hand helds or anything with bluetooth or infrared - makes it easy to communicate across the room</p>
<p>I sent my mid a new PowerBook at the end of Plebe summer, knowing that she couldn't access the Internet at USNA with her computer. The first year she mostly kept the laptop at her sponsor's home. On liberty she listened to music, shared DVDs with her friends, and downloaded photos from her digital camera to iPhoto. She got an iBook for 8th grade graduation, so it was something she was used to having for schoolwork and entertainment.</p>
<p>Talking to a plebe when I visited she said they issued desktops instead of laptops after several studies showed that students with desktops did better in school than those with laptops.</p>
<p>Having the convenience of a laptop at your fingertips at all times leads to way too many temptations with the internet anyway. =P</p>