Computers for Grad School

[mcook64]

Hello all! Now that I have been accepted to the graduate program of my choice (Worcester State) I am in the market for a new laptop and am looking for recommendations! I have a 7 year old Macbook that I loved, but no longer works efficiently. Ideally, I would love another Macbook but my wallet will not allow that. So, what are some good, reasonably priced laptops, that would work well for grad school? 

[kayyyyy_]

3 minutes ago, mcook64 said:

Hello all! Now that I have been accepted to the graduate program of my choice (Worcester State) I am in the market for a new laptop and am looking for recommendations! I have a 7 year old Macbook that I loved, but no longer works efficiently. Ideally, I would love another Macbook but my wallet will not allow that. So, what are some good, reasonably priced laptops, that would work well for grad school? 

Have you thought of doing a refurbished one from Best Buy or something? My friend got a "like brand new" laptop from there and it was a MacBook for 650 I believe!

[plume]

1 hour ago, mcook64 said:

Hello all! Now that I have been accepted to the graduate program of my choice (Worcester State) I am in the market for a new laptop and am looking for recommendations! I have a 7 year old Macbook that I loved, but no longer works efficiently. Ideally, I would love another Macbook but my wallet will not allow that. So, what are some good, reasonably priced laptops, that would work well for grad school? 

The Lenovo Yoga models are affordable and easy to carry around. My screen and keyboard are a bit small, but it doesn't bother me. And it works as a laptop/tablet hybrid.

[CameronR]

I had a Dell 1500(?) that was pretty big but light and was pretty affordable. I had SALT and Praat on there from previous classes and they both ran smoothly but then it got shattered in a car accident so now I have a chromebook. I wasn't thinking long term when I bought it but I know Praat is compatible, no idea if SALT is. I like it but it runs solely on Google Chrome and everything saves to Google Drive. That's fine with me because I primarily use that for everything anyways but I definitely wish I would have understood before buying it and thought I would share just in case anyone else doesn't thoroughly research things like I probably should

Edited March 13, 2017 by CameronR

[mbf]

If 

7 minutes ago, CameronR said:

I had a Dell 1500(?) that was pretty big but light and was pretty affordable. I had SALT and Praat on there from previous classes and they both ran smoothly but then it got shattered in a car accident so now I have a chromebook. I wasn't thinking long term when I bought it but I know Praat is compatible, no idea if SALT is. I like it but it runs solely on Google Chrome and everything saves to Google Drive. That's fine with me because I primarily use that for everything anyways but I definitely wish I would have understood before buying it and thought I would share just in case anyone else doesn't thoroughly research things like I probably should

If you're okay with everything Google drive, definitely look into a chrome book. The price has come down significantly in the last few years. Would be worth it to put out an email to your program or do some research if they have anything that would require more than a chrome book offers, but it got me through undergrad and when it didn't, I just used the lab and library computers at my school.

[CameronR]

16 minutes ago, mbf said:

If 

If you're okay with everything Google drive, definitely look into a chrome book. The price has come down significantly in the last few years. Would be worth it to put out an email to your program or do some research if they have anything that would require more than a chrome book offers, but it got me through undergrad and when it didn't, I just used the lab and library computers at my school.

Yeah I'm definitely liking it right now. I had to survive off the school computer lab for a few months so I definitely don't mind having to do that again if something is not compatible with it! It's also super lightweight which is a plus if you're having to commute by bus or walking across a decent size campus

[mbf]

1 minute ago, CameronR said:

Yeah I'm definitely liking it right now. I had to survive off the school computer lab for a few months so I definitely don't mind having to do that again if something is not compatible with it! It's also super lightweight which is a plus if you're having to commute by bus or walking across a decent size campus

If I get in this round, I will probably update my own chromebook and pass on my current one to my mom. I know some people reallllllly dislike them but I have nothing but praise for it! But I really enjoy having the ability to access all of my documents and pictures from my phone, my computer, and any other computer. @mcook64 I would definitely recommend! If you have the ability to go into a best buy or something, they'll be able to walk you through the different models (I have an Acer) 

[mcook64]

Great! Thank you guys! I am looking into chromebooks because I do have one for work and I love it. But, being an out of major student, I was unsure if we did use any programs that might not be compatible! I will definitely be reaching out to my program coordinator! 

[Auuudriana]

1 hour ago, mcook64 said:

Great! Thank you guys! I am looking into chromebooks because I do have one for work and I love it. But, being an out of major student, I was unsure if we did use any programs that might not be compatible! I will definitely be reaching out to my program coordinator! 

Like someone else said, you might need to download SALT or something like that, which may not be compatible with chromebooks, so I second reaching out or at least finding out if there are computers that you can use at their clinic with those programs on them already.

[SpeechLaedy]

4 hours ago, CameronR said:

Yeah I'm definitely liking it right now. I had to survive off the school computer lab for a few months so I definitely don't mind having to do that again if something is not compatible with it! It's also super lightweight which is a plus if you're having to commute by bus or walking across a decent size campus

Unbeknownst to me (until right AFTER I bought my laptop of course), there were laptops students were able to rent on my campus. I'm not exactly sure how it worked but it may be something worth looking into for some of you especially if you have to walk a lot. My back definitely deteriorated a bit from 3 yrs of carrying my books + my Toshiba Satellite laptop (which I obviously would NOT recommend).  

Edited March 14, 2017 by SpeechLaedy

[BonnyLass]

Hi there! I have a small tip: if you are thinking about going into AAC at all, many of the apps that you can get online for programming and playing with device software are only available for PC right now. Just something to consider in case you were deciding between Mac and PC. 

[ssllpp]

Something I am considering doing is waiting til Black Friday sales in the fall to buy a new computer. I have an Acer Chromebook which I love, and only cost me around $200 and I figured I can get by with it for the first couple months of grad school. I've also thought about possibly getting a desktop computer to have at home (since they are cheaper), while continuing to use my chromebook when I need something portable.

Now I'm wondering if I can get by in grad school with just my chromebook...

[jessie_lee]

Chromebooks would be great for taking notes and for general assignments & paperwork. I was looking into getting one at the beginning my grad school program.

I found out, though, that my grad program does not want us to use Google Docs (& related applications) for clinic documents such as SOAPs, lesson plans, etc., or anything else that could potentially contain any client information. Because HIPAA.

As a result, a Chromebook ended up not being a good fit for me. We use encrypted Word docs for all clinic-related documents and materials, which isn't possible on a Chromebook. And clinic paperwork is slowly taking over my life, so I like being able to use a laptop (for lesson planning on the go!).

Not sure if other programs are similar, but you might want to check with them before you buy one. 

[mbf]

8 hours ago, ssllpp said:

Something I am considering doing is waiting til Black Friday sales in the fall to buy a new computer. I have an Acer Chromebook which I love, and only cost me around $200 and I figured I can get by with it for the first couple months of grad school. I've also thought about possibly getting a desktop computer to have at home (since they are cheaper), while continuing to use my chromebook when I need something portable.

Now I'm wondering if I can get by in grad school with just my chromebook...

Definitely do some research before black friday, I've heard that especially for some types of technology, Black Friday is not the cheapest time to buy!

 

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/heres-the-tech-you-shouldnt-buy-on-black-friday/

^^ this site states to look for higher end PCs in the summer for back to school sales

[mcook64]

Thank you again everyone! I've decided to drop the cash and go with a MacBook Air!

[ssllpp]

2 hours ago, mbf said:

Definitely do some research before black friday, I've heard that especially for some types of technology, Black Friday is not the cheapest time to buy!

 

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/heres-the-tech-you-shouldnt-buy-on-black-friday/

^^ this site states to look for higher end PCs in the summer for back to school sales

Oh thanks for the tip! Back to school sales would definitely be better timing for buying a computer.

[panda1991]

1 hour ago, mcook64 said:

Thank you again everyone! I've decided to drop the cash and go with a MacBook Air!

I bought a year old model refurbished macbook air from the apple website 2 years ago. Refurbished ones still come with the free 1-year warranty and are eligible for applecare if you want to extend your coverage.

http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

I believe apple also offers student discounts for new models. 

http://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop

[angela4]

On 3/13/2017 at 11:41 AM, mcook64 said:

Hello all! Now that I have been accepted to the graduate program of my choice (Worcester State) I am in the market for a new laptop and am looking for recommendations! I have a 7 year old Macbook that I loved, but no longer works efficiently. Ideally, I would love another Macbook but my wallet will not allow that. So, what are some good, reasonably priced laptops, that would work well for grad school? 

Hi! I also have a 7 year old MacBook. It was pretty much done for, but my husband restored it to factory settings (after I backed up the things I needed), and I have gotten an entire extra year out of it. It's like having a new computer. The more software I put on it (Audacity etc), the slower it runs, but when I leave a ton of memory open it works just fine. Just a thought. 

[evesims07]

I know the OP decided on a MacBook Air, but anyone else looking for a good computer, I suggest looking at sites like TigerDirect.com, Newegg.com and even woot.com for deals and refurbished laptops.