<p>I'm one of the Apple Campus Reps at WashU. If anyone is thinking about getting a new computer for college and has questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Thanks washuapple: What is required if going to CAS? How early should you purchase your computer, etc....</p>
<p>is it really worth it to upgrade to macbook pro, or will a nice macbook suffice?</p>
<p>A PC will do just fine :D.</p>
<p>In all seriousness, all you pretty much need is a laptop with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for any school here. Any special software would be available at the respective school's lab. You should purchase your computer so you'll have around a month or so to test it out before school starts to make sure that everything works properly (if you don't need the computer before then). The reason to wait that long is to make sure that you're getting the newest computer you can, as technology changes quickly.</p>
<p>If you're fine with a 13" screen, go with the Macbook. If you want a 15" screen and slightly faster processor, get the Pro. There is a very big price differential between the models, so keep that in mind.</p>
<p>One last thing to consider before buying a Mac is the warranty plan that is offered. You can get a Macbook with up to a 3 year warranty, but if you go with a Dell computer, you can get accidental damage protection as well (i.e. you drop your laptop, spill a drink on it, etc.). Also, with the price of PCs vs Macs, you can get a laptop that you use for 2 years, and then get a newer laptop after 2 years for still less than the cost of a Macbook Pro (and most likely with a bigger screen if you want).</p>
<p>Mominchicago, there is no actual computer purchase required for Arts and Sciences, though I?d say the overwhelming majority of students have their own computer, with most being laptops. </p>
<p>I would recommend buying a computer over the summer but you can also wait until you arrive on campus. The WashU bookstore sells Apple computers and PCs, with an educational discount. If you want to take a look at prices, check out: showmeapple.com and washubookstore.com.</p>
<p>Chet2006, which school will you be in, and what type of software do you use? If you just plan on surfing the web, checking email, listening to music, using a word processor, etc., the macbook will do you fine. If, however, you?re using software like ProTools or FinalCut, you?re more likely to need the faster processor, the better graphics card (it?s up to 256 MB of SDRAM on the MacBook Pro versus 64MB of SDRAM on the MacBook), the larger screen, and possibly more RAM or a larger hard drive. Engineering students typically have a MacBook Pro and the Art college students are actually required to buy an Apple computer.</p>
<p>Another thing to remember is all new Apple computers CAN run windows. So if you come across a program that is windows-only, you can run it on a mac as well! I use parallels on my computer which lets me run both operating systems simultaneously, but you can also use Bootcamp, which is free on Apple?s website.</p>
<p>Some schools require the use of other software, and it?s nice to be able to run it on your own computer and not have to go to the lab at 1am. </p>
<p>And just to mention AppleCare (which is the extended coverage) - with Apple, you have local in-store support (in the galleria mall, easy and free to get there by metrolink), you have unlimited phone support (where you talk to someone in the U.S.), and you have the Apple Campus Reps right on campus. We table in the bookstore every week. Also, Apple computers will last longer than the two years oncampus mentioned.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have other questions!</p>
<p>If I plan to major in computer science, yet I also want to take computer-related art classes (classes in Maya, 3Ds Max, Photoshop, ect) what computer should I get?
I've used a PC all my life, and I'm comfortable with the interface. Do I have to purchase a Mac? And why exactly is a Mac required for the art college? I remember reading something about color capabilities, but is that true?</p>
<p>I'll post on the Apple thread that we didn't go with an Apple for my S who is a freshman because we hadn't gone Mac at home and were afraid to blaze new ground for his first year at school (although I will probably move to Apple with my next computer at home). We got him a core duo Dell laptop, made a point to get the lightest one that was full size that we could find to make it easiest for him to carry around in his backpack. The reason I'm posting is to mention that what was very successful that we did was to get him the accessory Dell has for your desk to put your laptop in. He comes back to his dorm room, plops his laptop into this thing, and voila he's hooked up to power, keyboard and mouse and his monitor is up where it's at eye level. This has been a really great way to do things.</p>
<p>nmsgklll, I would recommend the MacBook Pro for the programs you'd be running. Let me clarify what I said before: the Art school requires Photography, Fashion, and Visual Communications majors to have a Mac, though the overwhelming majority of art students have one.</p>
<p>You're not required to get a Mac as a computer science major, but Macs are definitely more creatively-geared than PCs. I also have a friend majoring in computer science and he uses an iMac for all of his programming.</p>
<p>And of course, with a Mac, you still have the option of using Windows, simultaneously if you want.</p>
<p>I'm an international student and I'm planning to buy a medium sized laptop.</p>
<p>But I was just wondering whether I should buy a computer in Korea, Thailand or in the States. The prices for laptops in Korea are cheap considering the fact that Samsung and LG are Korea firms. And they're also pretty cheap in Thailand too.</p>
<p>However, some people have told me that its best to buy computers in the states as it is easier to use US computers because the hardware and software are accustomed to US universities... Not sure...</p>
<p>Is the campus compatible for out of US brands?
Furthermore will I face any problems with a foreign brand?
Finally, should I buy a laptop in the states or in Thailand/Korea?</p>
<p>If I were you, I'd wait to buy one in the States. That way you won't have any software (or even hardware) compatibility issues.</p>
<p>If you're concerned about cost, you should look at the WashU bookstore - they offer educational discounts on their computers. And I don't know if you're familiar with Apple computers at all but there is a pretty good discount for students.</p>
<p>One other thing to take into account is tech support. I know for Apple at least that you can take it to the Apple store which is a few miles away. I'm not as familiar with PCs. It's definitely a huge plus though if anything goes wrong or you have questions to be able to ask them and/or get the computer back ASAP since you'll definitely use it on a daily basis.</p>
<p>How often do macbooks crash (if ever)? Every PC laptop I have every gotten crashes precisely after 2 years. Does anyone have experience of their macbook crashing when it gets old?</p>
<p>i have had a macbook for almost a year now and it hasnt crash on me once :-)</p>
<p>I've had my MacBook for about 3 months now and it hasn't crashed either. I had a Powerbook before and didn't have crashing problems either. The Apple operating system (Tiger) is a very stable platform and is actually about to be upgraded again in a month or two.</p>
<p>FYI, a lot of the new features found in Vista were copied off Tiger... which is about to be upgraded to Leopard, with newer, more innovative features.</p>
<p>I looked, is the educational discount only $100? Does it only apply to the Macbook or to the Pro as well? I really want a Mac, but Dell offers a much better deal.</p>
<p>The Pro has a $200 educational discount. Around the Back to School time and also over the summer, Apple has traditionally also offered some sort of promotion. In the past it's been a free iPod and printer with the computer, so definitely keep a look out for that over the coming weeks.</p>
<p>I've had my MacBook Pro since June. It never crashes, I never have to restart it, and it basically rocks. I also have Windows on this on a separate partition, though I really never even use Windows because nearly everything I need is right in OS X.</p>
<p>And yeah, Microsoft Vista basically rips off half the features from Mac OS X (like the Spotlight search and the Dashboard), but thankfully Mac OS 1.5 (Leopard) is coming out really soon, and in addition to all the new features in Leopard that they've announced, supposedly there are new features on there that are secret right now.</p>
<p>what about the regular Macbook? is there student discounts for that too? and how would i find out about it/actually get the discount</p>
<p>nmsgklll, I did a cs degree at Wash U, and was involved in some art school stuff (maya for games!) My personal experience was that maya actually worked better on the PC (we don't really use 3dsMax at Wash U, so I can't comment on that). However, any computer art class will give you access to the lab with mac computers with maya, photoshop, etc. For the cs program you definitely want a pc, so I would go with that.</p>
<p>mayra I would really like some more info. I have sent you a private message.</p>
<p>dovy, there is also a student discount for the regular MacBook. To get the discount, you can either buy in the WashU bookstore or order before you get to campus from ShowMeApple.com, the Apple site for WashU.</p>