• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

Laptops for Uni (1 Viewer)

How often do you use a laptop at Uni?

  • I do use a laptop often at Uni

    Votes: 20 25.6%
  • I use a laptop sometimes at Uni

    Votes: 22 28.2%
  • I hardly ever use a laptop at Uni

    Votes: 18 23.1%
  • I don’t use a laptop at Uni

    Votes: 18 23.1%

  • Total voters
    78

BigDk

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
173
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

YES YES YES

100%%%%% yes
 

Triangulum

Dignitatis Contentio
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
2,084
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

short answer: no
long answer: not at all
 

chucknthem

chuck norris
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
376
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

Laptops can be useful, e.g. you're in a boring lecture and you have an assignment for another class to do. You dont' want to skip this lecture because you might miss something important, so you sit there and work on your assignment while listening in the background.

<--- Does this a lot.


Of course, my degree choice means that most of my assignments can be done on a computer, so your experience may vary.
 

litany

Helpfool
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
113
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

The quick answer is: No, you don't need it.
 

antisheep

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
175
Location
Cherrybrook
Gender
Female
HSC
2006
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

i definitely wouldn't be buying one for uni... but if you already have one... towards the end of semester they can come in handy but as has been mentioned, this is more in the library than in lecture theatres.

They're in no way necessary and tbh the people who pull them out in tutorials look a bit like lazy wanks. (lectures are different)
 

Deltan

Noob pharmer
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
464
Location
big island
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

They're in no way necessary and tbh the people who pull them out in tutorials look a bit like lazy wanks. (lectures are different)
sorry for the ignorance, but what is the difference between a lecture and a tutorial?
 

litany

Helpfool
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
113
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

sorry for the ignorance, but what is the difference between a lecture and a tutorial?
A lecture is when there are say, 300 people in an ampitheatre with a lecturer teaching the course material. A tutorial is a class of say, 20 people, where you go over the assigned homework questions/tasks and basically revise, with a tutor to help you. In most cases, lectures are not mandatory (they don't check), but you need to attend 80% of tutorials.
 

MJ-47

Member
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
101
Location
Kensington
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

:)Excellent....:haha::) clearly so far its almost a one way arguement towards the traditional pen and paper...but i can still see many practical applicantions for bringing a laptop to uni....still if laptops didn't cost so much, maybe this thread would have a different opinion....BTW my opinion in this is neutral..i have no prefference towards either pen/paper or laptop..i'd just like to hear this forum's thoughts b4 i make a decision

Continue disscussion on your thoughts of laptops at uni.....and plz forgive my bad grammer
 

DaGizza

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
74
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

There is really only one answer to your question, which is no because you use the word "necessary." Everybody can use pen and paper so no nothing disastrous will happen if you don't use a laptop. But what can be debated is if laptops are more helpful or useful than pen and paper. A lot of people here seem to say no to that too.
 

erm

Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2006
Messages
438
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

If you're doing a technical/sciency degree just think how hard/slow it would be to type equations/formulas up using a laptop.
 

chucknthem

chuck norris
Joined
May 29, 2006
Messages
376
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

If you're doing a technical/sciency degree just think how hard/slow it would be to type equations/formulas up using a laptop.
Not if you learn LaTeX, or use MS one note and have a touch screen laptop :p
 

H@wkeye!

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
75
Location
Cardboard box, by the road
Gender
Male
HSC
2002
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

The answer still remains a big no. You don't need a laptop. Write down all the important stuff in the lectures, as said, some unis have lecture templates (the slide shows the lecturers use) and you can just add onto them the important stuff they say. With a laptop, that becomes far more difficult. Only reason i ever used my laptop at uni, was, as said previously, i can type much faster then write. In my econs lectures, i only ever used pen and paper.

And, as someone mentioned previously, NO ONE ever uses laptops in a tutorial (well i've been to 3 unis and i've never seen it...).

So what i'd say, is if you have one, you can try it out in a lecture, see if it works, but if you don't, just get a USB stick, that as good. You can still do all your assignments at uni, just on a uni comp. Most unis have about 1,000,000 of them lying around.

Be like a real uni student, don't spend the $1000+ on a laptop, save it and buy alcohol instead.
 

Fairytale

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
264
Gender
Female
HSC
N/A
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

The answer still remains a big no. You don't need a laptop. Write down all the important stuff in the lectures, as said, some unis have lecture templates (the slide shows the lecturers use) and you can just add onto them the important stuff they say. With a laptop, that becomes far more difficult. Only reason i ever used my laptop at uni, was, as said previously, i can type much faster then write. In my econs lectures, i only ever used pen and paper.

And, as someone mentioned previously, NO ONE ever uses laptops in a tutorial (well i've been to 3 unis and i've never seen it...).

So what i'd say, is if you have one, you can try it out in a lecture, see if it works, but if you don't, just get a USB stick, that as good. You can still do all your assignments at uni, just on a uni comp. Most unis have about 1,000,000 of them lying around.

Be like a real uni student, don't spend the $1000+ on a laptop, save it and buy alcohol instead.
I've seen people use laptops in a couple of my tutorials, but it is a rare sight.
 

whatashotbyseve

It all counts
Joined
Nov 13, 2008
Messages
1,855
Location
Randwick or Rosehill racecourse.
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

Of course they are not necessary, but they are quite useful in certain degrees (like marketing, which I do). There is just too much paper you need to carry with you. I will use pen and paper if I have to, but it is so much easier to have your notes typed up and in one place than in one massive folder per unit. Lecture templates are great for pen and paper but I just write additional stuff in the notes section down the bottom of the Powerpoint slide.

I find the people who say no vehemently to this question (as opposed to say a logical no... but) are the ones who do not possess laptops and have a subconscious jealousy towards them. By all means, if you have one, use it. I wouldn't go out and buy one just for uni though. If you do use one at uni though, you need to be mentally strong enough to just study and not be distracted by the net etc during lectures.
 
Last edited:

Fairytale

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
264
Gender
Female
HSC
N/A
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

Of course they are not necessary, but they are quite useful in certain degrees (like marketing, which I do). There is just too much paper you need to carry with you. I will use pen and paper if I have to, but it is so much easier to have your notes typed up and in one place than in one massive folder per unit. Lecture templates are great for pen and paper but I just write additional stuff in the notes section down the bottom of the Powerpoint slide.

I find the people who say no vehemently to this question (as opposed to say a logical no... but) are the ones who do not possess laptops and have a subconscious jealousy towards them. By all means, if you have one, use it. I wouldn't go out and buy one just for uni though. If you do use one at uni though, you need to be mentally strong enough to just study and not be distracted by the net etc during lectures.
I guess you can say that I'm one of those "people who vehemently say no to this question". Well, I possess a laptop, have had one since the first year of uni and have never taken it to uni. I just feel that there is really no need to carry an extra 1 or 2kgs in your bag when you can just use pen and paper, which are heaps lighter.
 
Last edited:

BigDk

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
173
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

no need to take textbooks and carry around a large ass folder. one laptop is all u need. sweet. buy a 7" EEEpc is even sweeter
 

Superbogh

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2009
Messages
12
Gender
Male
HSC
2003
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

The answer is categorical Yes and No lol, generally the number of computers provided by the university is more than sufficient, but there are certain times during a semester where computers are hotly contested, ie. exam and major assignment periods. It is certainly convenient to have a lap top, but for the most part all you need is your email account and a usb stick.
 

tempco

...
Joined
Aug 14, 2003
Messages
3,835
Gender
Male
HSC
2004
Re: Are Laptops rly nessesary for uni?

If you mean taking a laptop to uni everyday for notes and lectures, no. If you mean having access to your own comp to organise notes and to complete assignments, yes. Much better than sharing a desktop with family members, or having a small, portable computer if you're living by yourself.
 

BigDk

Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
173
Gender
Male
HSC
2013
Laptop

Hi i really need a laptop for uni, any good recommendation?
 

ianc

physics is phun!
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
Messages
618
Location
on the train commuting to/from UNSW...
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Re: Laptop

stay away from "netbooks" as i reckon they're too hard to type on. 14" is the ideal size -- you get a good keyboard, without the computer being too bulky

the best laptops have an "Intel Pentium Dual-core" or "Intel Centrino 2" processor in them, and at least 2GB of RAM

but just get whatever your budget and individual taste allow for.

hope this helps :)
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top