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College at 42-New Question


knittingmomof3
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Hey Everyone. 
 

First an update. I have two weeks left of my first semester. I am loving it. Why did I hate school so much when I was a teen?!? Now I find it to be invigorating, validating, and just the thing I need to pick me back up after being a stay-at-home-mom for 17.5 years. 

I started with a cheap HP laptop from Amazon because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money at the beginning before I was sure I wanted to continue. This laptop has gotten me through my first 2 classes. But I HATE it. I’m using the word HATE here and that’s not a word I use. It’s awful. Slow and glitchy and frustrating. 

A friend of mine told me I should be using a Surface Pro for college. There are a lot of student discounts available right now for Surface Pros. I’m usually an Apple consumer but I just can’t justify spending that kind of money right now.   

Any thoughts or feedback? I know I asked this question a few months back and I’m not sorry I got the HP laptop. It worked for a small course load and I learned a lot about pros and cons with laptops. But now I need to upgrade for future course loads. Any Surface Pro fans out there? 

PS-I also went back to work part-time and I feel like a new woman. I am so happy I had the option to stay home with my babies. But it absolutely took a toll on my mental health. You know how new moms talk about getting their bodies back? Pishaw. I feel like I finally got my BRAIN BACK!!! 😉

~Courtney

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I have a Surface that I use for teaching my co-op classes. When it connects to the projector or my virtual classes, I love how well the touch screen and stylus work.  I do not think that such an expensive computer would be necessary otherwise.  I could only justify the expenditure because I make a little money teaching.

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Dc had a lengthy opportunity to compare the Surface Pro to the Apple iPad Pro.  Dc had a Surface Pro (Costco deal) and dc's college provided the iPad Pros to students to use for a particular course and, if desired, for the rest of their years at the college.  Dc used the Apple for the one course, as required, but then turned it back in; dc thought the Surface Pro was much better.  I think there are several different versions of it, so you'd want to compare features carefully.  

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We decide against getting a surface pro because it cannot be upgraded. My husband has a company issued surface book laptop and he prefers that to the company issued MacBook. Both are the most expensive models in their product line.

I have an Asus 15.6” laptop with a Ryzen chip and I am happy with it. My classes are mainly computer science classes with occasional graphics design classes. 

(ETA: this model $850 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-q507iq-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-mx350-256gb-ssd-light-grey-light-grey/6436220.p?skuId=6436220)

Depending on the model of your HP laptop, adding RAM and swapping the harddisk for a faster speed SSD can boost performance immediately if you don’t really need to buy another laptop. 

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22 minutes ago, klmama said:

Dc had a lengthy opportunity to compare the Surface Pro to the Apple iPad Pro.  Dc had a Surface Pro (Costco deal) and dc's college provided the iPad Pros to students to use for a particular course and, if desired, for the rest of their years at the college.  Dc used the Apple for the one course, as required, but then turned it back in; dc thought the Surface Pro was much better.  I think there are several different versions of it, so you'd want to compare features carefully.  

Thanks! I’m only looking at the ones that currently have a student discount at BestBuy but I don’t really know how to choose which one would be best. I’ll keep researching. My laptop does not have a touch screen. I’ve gotten very used to that with iPads and iPhones. It’s a feature I would like in a laptop. 

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44 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

A lot depends upon what your major is, what type of classes you are taking, and what you are using a computer for.  Are you using it to write papers?  Access an online homework program? Take notes in class? Participate in an online class?  

Writing lots of papers, discussion boards, etc. Pursuing a psychology degree. Not much homework so far. Completing prerequisites right now. English Comp, Information Literacy, maths, humanities, etc. 

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I would want a touch screen.  Did you know that they have styluses now for non-IPad touchscreen devices?  (Similar to the Apple pencils.)

Personally, I rarely ever buy technology, but when I do I buy big, high end stuff.  That way it lasts a long time, and it doesn’t go obselete as quickly.  I find that this saves me money in the long run.  Sooner or later, chances are, I’ll want those special features that I didn’t need when I made the purchase.

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I've done a few things over the years for computers. 

I currently have a Surface Go (10" model) that I take to campus. I like the portability, touch screen, etc. Plus it's not super heavy for carrying around. If you don't mind working from a smaller screen, it more affordable than the Surfrace Pro.

 Previously I had an 11" laptop which was great, but didn't have the touch screen. I also tried to cheaper HP (had HP for years - like them) but it was too cheap, slow processer, drove me batty. 

Another consideration is continue using the laptop at school and have a desktop at home. I had ds build me a computer one year and it's easier for me to work from a bigger screen. Since I'm on the computer so much, it's nice to have a permanent set up for better posture and  better on my eyes. 

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I have a Surface Pro.  It's fine for using for worksheets in Google docs, but other than that it doesn't matter which I'm on.  Frankly, for classes that use Ebooks I prefer my desktop.  It has a bigger screen so I can take notes and read at the same time (not a fan of the note taking feature embedded in the book).

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I would ask yourself why you want the touch screen.  That is just another feature that can break down faster.  My kid majoring in comp sci has never had a touch screen.  But he has had good mid range gaming laptops.  I have one myself, good performance, etc.  

hat is slow on your current laptop?  I’d also verify it is t related to the WiFi or network you are on. 

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I recently saved a good bit of money by buying from the HP website vs Best Buy or other retailer. I did have to wait a month for delivery, but I paid less for better specs, even with my total including an additional power cord and the 3-year 'accidents included' warranty. So, I would definitely explore buying from the manufacturer versus locally. 

We have two Surface Pros in my family. Both users like them, but I'm not sure why they would be particularly suited to a college student. You're going to pay a premium for the (very good) touchscreen, which is fine if you truly want it but a waste if you won't really put it through its paces. 

A couple of people have mentioned having a desktop at home for the larger screen. I do love me a larger screen, but you could also get one that you can use with your TV, or get a large monitor to hook to the laptop. It just depends on your needs and what works out best money-wise. Because you do have something to work with in the meantime, I encourage you to take your time and figure out what will really serve your purpose over the next several years. 

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I have a surface pro. Love the stylus for hand writing,  hate the keyboard for typing. If you're in a math based subject with lots of equations, tablet is fabulous. If your field requires you to type long papers, you might want an external keyboard. 

Mine is older and I notice the speed in video editing and processing; my desktop is lots faster. May not be something you require. 

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