<p>MichaelnKat, are you saying that University of the Arts GIVES all MT students laptops? In other words, there is NO extra charge for those? Wow!</p>
<p>We went shopping tonight and decided to wait until we arrive to buy one. I'll be in town for a few days visiting family, so we'll still be able to do some shopping. My older daughter did not have a car at school and getting to regular stores was kind of a pain, so we tried to make sure she had EVERYTHING before we left for home. Wow! I can hardly describe the feelings that just came flooding back! I will never forget the feelings I had as we pulled away from the curb that evening. It felt just like the morning I left her for the first time at pre-school. She had the same kind of look on her face... Excited, but also a little scared. Luckily, she sailed right through that first day at pre-school and she did equally as well her first days in the dorms. We had been down to Maryland four times before that day, and she felt pretty comfortable with the lay of the land. She jumped right into the freshman activities and met girls that she ended up best friends with. She'll room w/two of them this year. OK, back to the keyboard! I appreciate all of your help and I wish all of you the best of luck!!!</p>
<p>NMR;
The UArts does not "give" laptops it works out as part of the tuition fee
(as I believe, same with some of the other schools).</p>
<p>I'm curious to know what other schools have such a program. We were starting to think about college computers for my senior D. Guess we'll hold off untill we figure out where she is going and if they provide a laptop.</p>
<p>OCU is an Apple school. They have special packages available, but I don't know if they are now required or strongly suggested. My D purchased a Dell laptop before her freshman year, then purchased the Apple one from the school her sophomore year. She loves the Mac. You do have to buy it yourself, but can be included in your financial aid. There should be information on the web site.</p>
<p>UArts has started a new program this year for freshmen in several programs including MT. Built into the technology fee, which is part of the tuition, is a MacBook Pro configured with all of the software that the student will need for the student's major. In addition, the program includes a 4 year warranty and 4 insurance against ANY damage, defect etc. Also there is complete software support. Defective part, it gets fixed. Drop it down a flight of stairs, it gets replaced. Spill a soda into the keyboard, no sweat. Hard drive crash, tech support reinstalls all the software. Basically all a student has to do is keep a current backup of data and they are "guaranteed" a computer for 4 years. While the program is built into the technology fee (just like all schools in one form or another cover their costs for providing a computer), the cost to a student is substantially less than if you were doing this even at Apple's direct "student" discounts.</p>
<p>That's cool. How difficult is it to get used to a MAC if you've always had a Dell PC? (My D is much more tech. savvy than I am, but I'd be bummed.)</p>
<p>I've had the same question but my daughter doesn't seem concerned either. My brother-in-law, who does professional work doing musical arrangements and charts, uses a Mac and for several years has accused me of abusing my daughter by causing her to use PC's :). He is confident that once she changes to a Mac, she will not only never use a PC again but will view those who do with disdain!</p>
<p>Macs are much more intuitive in the way they work than are PCs, in my opinion. I was a Mac person for years and years before coming to my current job, where everyone uses Dell desktops. I thus had to convert my ways, but still have difficulty remembering that a mouse has two buttons! Your kids are going to love their Macs and won't have any trouble with the transition.</p>
<p>As far as keyboards go, if you only are getting one to play out the vocal line for practicing purposes, and will spend most of your practice time in a practice room, definitely get a cheap one. I have a (really old!) Casio CA-100 keyboard, on the smaller side, with no midi capabilities and probably no weighted keys, but it was cheap when we first got it (probably at least 13 yrs ago) and is nice and portable (and clearly is very long-lasting!). It's also not as long as my trunk is wide, so it's easy to pack, as well. If, however, you are not close to a practice room and want to actually play out the accompaniment, get a big keyboard.</p>
<p>I hope your mac program lives up to what you've been told. My S goes to an all Apple school and he's had nothing but problems with his macbook and the service from Apple has been terrible, we wish he could have gotten a Dell.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that SRW..we have not had that experience at all. D switched to a macbook last October and has loved every second with it! It was a breeze for her to pick up (much more so than a pc). It does so many things that a Dell just can't even touch upon. My daughter loves being able to ichat with her friends and looks forward to still being able to "see" them when they all go away to different colleges.</p>
<p>SRW, my D crashed her Mac last year, too, but she did not have a problem getting it fixed or replaced. I don't remember what they did, but the warranty took care of it.</p>
<p>He's already had to have the logic board replaced, they did do that, and we've been to two Apple stores trying to get the rest worked on, I spoke with some one at Apple care last friday and today my S got an email that sounded hopefull, so keep you fingers crossed for him. We simply cannot afford a $700.00 repair bill at this time.</p>
<p>I've had a lot of trepidation about the combination of the fragility of laptops and freshman dormitory living. Even at home, my daughter managed to fry my laptop from using it sitting in bed or on a carpeted floor. I'm just assuming at this point that we will be taking advantage of the insurance and replacement policy that UArts provides. Maybe I'll pick up one of those cooling "trays" that have fans in them that you sit the laptop on. So then when my daughter spills a can of soda she can short out 2 devices :).</p>
<p>You guys make me feel we live under a lucky star. My older D has had a Toshiba laptop since 7th grade (she is entering 12th) and she used it every single schoolday from 7th through 9th and at home thereafter, and it is still going strong and has never needed a single repair. Period. In fact, she is using it at CMU Precollege for word processing and email as we speak. I realize as I write this that I am tempting the Laptop Fates, who may balance our computer karma in a year or so, when my D gets a new laptop for her college BFA program. ;)</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posts on supplies for performers. However, many schools require students to learn the tech and design ends of the business.</p>
<p>I got a Theatre degree on a shoestring budget. We all had to crew and design--as well as act and direct, so I really wish I had the following . . .</p>
<p> adjustable wrench with a long lanyard
construction knee pads
cordless drill (18V or higher), batteries, and charger
framing hammer
lighting gel swatches
lighting template
model making equipment and supplies
Personal theatrical make-up kit
Phillips #2 bits
tape measure
tool belt</p>