<p>I currently have AT&T but am thinking of switching to Verizon. Do a lot of people at Tufts have Verizon or AT&T? I'm worried about finding signal as well as texting purposes, since if you have Verizon & a small texting plan, you can text other people who have Verizon for free.</p>
<p>Also, what about for wireless internet on your phone? Is V or AT&T better?</p>
<p>Most people have Verizon, and Verizon generally gets better reception around here than anything else.
Of course, iPhones and such are becoming increasingly popular, so AT&T probably offers the best wireless internet, though BlackBerries from Verizon do fine.</p>
<p>I don’t have a mobile or a laptop…but I will buy them when I reach Tufts (from Boston)…how much do you think they should cost ???</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of anyone using Verizon or AT&T complain a lack of reception or wireless internet. But stay away from T Mobile like it’s the plague. I would personally choose AT&T though, because a sim card allows me to switch phones at will without losing numbers.</p>
<p>
A phone will run anywhere between $20 to $300+.As an international student, you will likely need to use a prepaid service.</p>
<p>A laptop will also vary significantly in cost. If you don’t play computer games, I suggest buying a 12-13 inch one which would allow you the (practical) option of carrying it around.</p>
<p>Yeah, how much your laptop costs really depends on what you’re looking for. The most ubiquitous computer on campus is the MacBook or MacBook Pro, which start at $1000 and $2000 respectively, minus an education discount, plus whatever add-ons you might want.</p>
<p>are most of the computers in the tufts libraries and computer labs macs or PCs or both?</p>
<p>I think there might be mac labs somewhere, but in the main computer labs in Eaton and Anderson (the engineering building) the computers run windows XP. In Halligan (CS/EE) the labs I’ve been to run Red Hat Linux.</p>
<p>Eaton actually has a lot of Macs, and I understand that they’ve ordered a bunch more. Tisch library has public computers as well, and I believe they have a mix of Macs and PCs but I really can’t remember.</p>
<p>Tufts IT makes a point of servicing both.</p>
<p>Regarding phones service, my AT&T works in the basement of a lab building (e.g. large stone walls, completely underground), whereas almost no one else in the lab can get reception. So if you want something that gives great reception, go with AT&T.</p>
<p>I really want to get a blackberry or a IPhone but I was just wondering, how much will a plan for it cost per month. I really dont want to pay more than 30 bucks a month, is that possible?</p>
<p>No, not really. $60-$100 is a more realistic range for 3G phones. If you want to pay $30/month, you’re probably going to have to do what I do and get a phone whose only features are making and receiving calls and text messages.</p>
<p>What does the miscellenous expenses of $2200 stand for…I mean there is already a personal expense of $1300. The financial aid office said it was to buy toothpaste and that kind of stuff…no, I’m not joking…seems to me it’s too much. I think I’ll use most of that $2200 for the first year on buying a laptop and a cellphone…oh, in case you guys are thinking why I’m so keen on spending it…it’s all financial aid money…</p>
<p>Let’s see…hmmm…laptop and cellphone sound pretty miscellaneous to me… ;-)</p>
<p>Does a nano car for the second year sound miscellenous…oh my god…I’m getting a guilty conscience already…!!!</p>
<p>You really won’t need a car until at LEAST your junior year. Most kids never have cars in college.
Cell phone usage does count under miscellaneous.</p>