I'm starting PPE in the fall at Oriel College and I'm looking into getting a laptop to use the next few years. Is there anything in specific recommended for use at Oxford/for PPE? I know this may be addressed in the fresher's pack but I havent recieved any info yet and was wondering what people thought.
I'm starting PPE in the fall at Oriel College and I'm looking into getting a laptop to use the next few years. Is there anything in specific recommended for use at Oxford/for PPE? I know this may be addressed in the fresher's pack but I havent recieved any info yet and was wondering what people thought.
Ive had a laptop the last 2 years, but end up just keeping it my room through term, so am getting a desktop (24 inch iMac ) for next year.
you'll probably find that you won't be carrying your laptop around too much- if you prefer to work in your room than chances are that it won't move much at all during term time so as turdy says you'd be fine with a desktop, although lots of people like to do some of their work in the library (arts students may have to if they're using confined books), but even then chances are you'll set up in the morning and have it sat on the desk all day. As such you're probably better off going for a slightly bigger laptop with a decent size screen and normal sized keyboard- you're going to be doing a lot of typing, probably late at night and you don't need to be faffing around with a crappy netbook with keys so small that you accidently press five at once with every stroke.
Beyond that, you'll be using your laptop for typing essays, email, internet- you don't need anything particularly special.
Apple products are cheapest if you buy them once you start uni and can use the online 'Apple education store' for discounts... you need to log in through the university network though! Just something to keep in mind if you're getting an apple laptop
if you do get a macbook make sure you have a good, stable word processor that does stuff like footnoting, etc., before term - macs don't come with one, and i forgot that i'd need one (because i am a moron) so i had a frantic search the night before my first essay was due. i recommend the apple iworks suite which is a lot cheaper than the microsoft works suite, but whatever works for you.
and i've found that i often carry mine to various libraries in a day, so portability is a plus.
Dell I have a beautiful Dell, it's the most basic of basics, but it's perfectly good for all my Uni work, Internet, and a couple of games.
Brilliant. You don't need any more from a laptop so there isn't much point in spending a huge amount on it. Agreed with the desktop thing, but I spend a lot of time working in the library, so for me the portability is important. Make sure you get a comfortable laptop bag with pockets for everything you'll need; you don't want to be carrying two around.
If portability is important (I don't know how often PPE students are required to work in libraries), don't disregard netbooks. I've got a lovely little Samsung with full-sized keys running Windows 7, and it's perfect. You can always get a big monitor to hook it up to when you're in your room.
I'm starting PPE in the fall at Oriel College and I'm looking into getting a laptop to use the next few years. Is there anything in specific recommended for use at Oxford/for PPE? I know this may be addressed in the fresher's pack but I havent recieved any info yet and was wondering what people thought.
Pretty much everyone has laptops that I know. The only people I know with desktops are scientists, who just go to lectures and then generally do problem sheets in their rooms. It kind of depends on where you work best, which you won't really find out until you come up in October, but even if you just use it in your roomm laptops are fairly handy for working or watching films/iPlayer in bed . Important stuff like that. If you can get one that's relatively light, that's definitely a bonus, but apart from that you won't really need anything particularly fancy for PPE.
Some people bring printers up with them as well but most people just get USB sticks and print off using the printers in the JCR (you buy cards from the lodge, which you can charge to your termly account a.k.a. battels).
Any questions about Oriel, feel free to PM me. Freshers' week is going to be awesome.
yeah- i second that- don't worry about a printer. They'll likely be decent laser printers in college that you can use for free/next to nothing (i think lincoln gives me an 800 sheet/year allowance which i've never come close to).
sorry to hijack the thread a little bit, but what would be a good choice for an engineering student (provided i get my grade of course *crosses fingers*).
Bearing in mind that I have used macs for the past 3/4 years and would never go back to windows, I'm stuck between going for a macbook pro, or an imac.
Thomasjtl, you're a CS student aren't you?
do you find you need to take a computer anywhere (e.g. library) as a scientist?
Just got through my first year doing History and Politics without a laptop. It's not that important if you can live without internet in your room (as many students at St Peter's do!) and don't mind doing your essays in some sort of library. x
sorry to hijack the thread a little bit, but what would be a good choice for an engineering student (provided i get my grade of course *crosses fingers*).
Bearing in mind that I have used macs for the past 3/4 years and would never go back to windows, I'm stuck between going for a macbook pro, or an imac.
Thomasjtl, you're a CS student aren't you?
do you find you need to take a computer anywhere (e.g. library) as a scientist?
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Laptop?
) for next year.
I recorded on one with my band.
. Important stuff like that. If you can get one that's relatively light, that's definitely a bonus, but apart from that you won't really need anything particularly fancy for PPE.
