<p>Hi,
My son is going to UNC. We are shopping for a notebook. The thinkpad sold by UNC seems so overpriced. The insurance looks good but that is the only positive thing I am seeing in the whole deal.
Are there any current students in the thread who have purchased a notebook outside UNC? Is is common?
Thanks</p>
<p>it is but my friend's daughter has been there 2 years and says it's fine to have something other than the Thinkpad...</p>
<p>My son complained initially and wanted a different laptop but opted for the upgraded model and has come to really like it. The docking station/monitor package that they offer is well priced and he said that he loves the Lexmark printer that he got.</p>
<p>The best thing about it is the fact that you are fully insured for four years and there is a loaner program when and if the laptop is in need of repair.</p>
<p>My daughter's high school also has a laptop program. Two years ago her Toshiba was $2500 plus $400 for the four year insurance/loaner program. Her laptop is not as nice, powerful or well featured as the IBM and has been in the shop more times this year than you could possibly believe.</p>
<p>when i first saw how much the thinkpad from unc i started looking for other models, pretty much because i thought that UNC was charging a lot for it, but I only ended up getting the thinkpad because I got a Laptop grant so the laptop was free.</p>
<p>I like the thinkpad and ITS on campus is there to help if anything goes wrong, which happens. Even though most students you'll see on campus have the IBMs from UNC, there are still a good number that bought their own laptops. Its pretty much up to you, just make sure that it meets the requirments set by the university and take it with you to C-tops where they will link it up to the network.</p>
<p>I got lucky I guess. I got a $1914 cci grant from UNC, so it was completely free. That's a big plus that helps out getting waitlisted from columbia...</p>