College student laptop recs?

[cjcouple]

This is so hard to decide.  Anyone have any recommendations for laptop for college students?  

ETA: I should've added, they said at orientation not to get the MacBook for business majors.

[georgeglass]

We called the bookstore and asked - for my daughter's college, if you ordered through the bookstore, they gave it some kind of warranty.

The college may also have minimum requirements for memory, processing speed, etc., based on major. I'm glad they said no Macs, because kids get stuck on those and some of the business programs don't run as well.

[Jalapeñomel]

Ask the bookstore. They may also give a student discount.

[macmars45]

Surface Pro? It's very lightweight and can easily be a tablet as well.

[gottadobe]

Does the student have any idea of their major? Second the need for specific requirements due to what programs they will be running, if any.

[cjcouple]

He's spoken with his advisor at the orientation (and they discussed it at parent part of orientation as well) and they didn5't have specific recommendations. His advisor just said no Mac as Business Major

[georgeglass]

Look up "xxx college" computer requirements. You may find it on the website. Make sure you're on the real school's website...

Here is an example - www.compreq.vt.edu/

[lucybrown]

The university's website typically has recommendations, both by major and as general guidelines for all students.  Googling should yield results.

Our university recommends the following:

Processor: Intel Core i7, 2018 or newer preferred (min: Intel Core i5)
RAM: 16GB (min: 8GB)
Hard Drive: 512 GB Solid State Drive (min: 256 SSD)
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (HD/1080p)
Webcam & Microphone: Integrated HD Webcam & HD Microphone (min: remove HD)

If you follow the preferred guidelines, it should get your child through their college career.  Also, find out what software is free through the university before buying anything. Our campus offers quite a few programs for free, including all Microsoft Office tools.


ETA: grammar

[cjcouple]

thanks all

[VillainV]

Hmmmm, that’s weird they say not to get Macs. I work with college kids and probably 75% of them have Macs. I’d probably recommend a thin/lightweight model with a solid-state drive (I think all of them are solid state now) with a metal case. Basically something as close to a Mac construction as possible. Your student will be lugging this thing EVERYWHERE so lightweight and durable are important qualities. Get as much memory and ram as you can afford, so it will hopefully last all 4 years (or longer if needed). Lenovo, Dell, and HP are all good brands that should last a while. Pay extra for more warranty.

[georgeglass]

Jul 1, 2024 14:35:07 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Hmmmm, that’s weird they say not to get Macs. I work with college kids and probably 75% of them have Macs. I’d probably recommend a thin/lightweight model with a solid-state drive (I think all of them are solid state now) with a metal case. Basically something as close to a Mac construction as possible. Your student will be lugging this thing EVERYWHERE so lightweight and durable are important qualities. Get as much memory and ram as you can afford, so it will hopefully last all 4 years (or longer if needed). Lenovo, Dell, and HP are all good brands that should last a while. Pay extra for more warranty.

Both my kids' schools say no Macs for business majors because some of the software they run in class only runs on PCs (the software company doesn't support a Mac version). You can fake it with some sort of operating system mirroring, but it doesn't work as well.

I'm Mac 4 lyfe, so it's hard for me to accept.

[cjcouple]

Jul 1, 2024 14:35:07 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Hmmmm, that’s weird they say not to get Macs. I work with college kids and probably 75% of them have Macs. I’d probably recommend a thin/lightweight model with a solid-state drive (I think all of them are solid state now) with a metal case. Basically something as close to a Mac construction as possible. Your student will be lugging this thing EVERYWHERE so lightweight and durable are important qualities. Get as much memory and ram as you can afford, so it will hopefully last all 4 years (or longer if needed). Lenovo, Dell, and HP are all good brands that should last a while. Pay extra for more warranty.

Advisor for Business Administration major said they don't work well for their course load.

My nephew went to the same college about 10 years ago and he had a Mac for business and also said he hated it.

My friend daughter already has a Mac and she is early education major and said it'll work fine for her.

[cjcouple]

they also said no Mac for BioScience in orientation I was in.

[glw]

My business school has the following guidelines:


Minimum Hardware Recommendations:

Intel processor i5 or higher or similar
14.1" Widescreen Display
Memory - 8.0 GB
1 GB Video
256+ GB hard drive
802.11a/g/– wireless


Surface, iPads and other tablets are not acceptable. Most Mac computers will meet all specifications noted above. There may be software, however, that is specific to some courses which may not be Mac compatible, like Argus and Crystal Ball.

[cuadrado]

This one looks pretty solid for a college student:

www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-full-hd-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-natural-silver/6550427.p?skuId=6550427

[lolalolalola]

My only recommendation is something lightweight as they often have long walks. Surface is very lightweight but we ended up buying a Lenovo with comparable specs, but a little heavier, that was half the price.

[thebreakfastclub]

My coworker was looking at the requirements for his kid the other day, everything was online and there was a link to a discount price the school had negotiated directly with Dell. He ordered thru them.

[macmars45]

I had a Dell back in college (bought it in 2006) and when that one crapped out I got a Lenovo. Both were good laptops.

[cjcouple]

Thanks all - We went with a Lenovo ThinkPad.

He was thinking about minoring in BIS and the specs fit what is needed for that as well.