Home >  Lifestyle

Tuesday, February 26, 2002

By Eleanor Chute, Post-Gazette Education Writer

These days, buying a computer for college is almost as important as buying textbooks.

Although colleges and universities typically have computer labs for student use, many now strongly recommend or require that students have their own computers.

	Marcin Jeske of Portland, Ore., and his laptop, computing at the CMU student union. (Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette)

Choosing one can be a lot more complicated than buying books from a book list.

Some of the decision is personal preference -- laptop or desktop? Windows or Macintosh?

The decision also depends on what will fit into the college's network -- and into the student's budget.

College students can expect to pay about $1,000 for a desktop machine and about $1,600 for a laptop, depending on specifications. Computers sometimes can be included in the student's financial aid package.

But first, students should check with their colleges for recommendations, which can change yearly. Many colleges provide minimum requirements for new or used personal computers; some have specific recommendations for certain majors.

At Robert Morris University, the desktop computer remains the students' computer of choice because the monitor is bigger and the keyboard is more comfortable than on a laptop, according to Lisa Bazley, the university's executive director of information technology and service.

"If you're just going to be stationary and work from the dorm room, it's more comfortable to have a PC," she said.

Many campuses have wired their dorm rooms so that there is "one port per pillow" for high-speed Internet access. After Robert Morris wired its dorm rooms on the Moon campus last fall, about two-thirds of the 920 residents brought a computer to campus.

At LaRoche College, laptop computers are required for some programs: graphic design, interior design, facilities management and communications.

Scott Schiffgens, LaRoche director of information technology, said students need the laptops not only for homework but also for classwork. Interior design students, for example, do 3-D renderings on their laptops, and graphics design majors craft Web pages.

Jay Blum, director of information technology at Carlow College, said he recommends laptops because students can use them to take notes during class.

And Carnegie Mellon University has gone so far as to install wireless facilities in every campus building and in outside locations, which means that specially equipped laptop computers can connect to the campus network via airwaves instead of a cable.

"It makes it extremely convenient for students to take a laptop anywhere," said Tracy Futhey, vice provost for computing services.

This year, almost half of first-year students at CMU owned a laptop, compared with about a third the previous year. About 90 percent of first-year students own a computer of some kind before the end of the first semester.

Still, CMU doesn't recommend laptops over desktops. For some majors, students prefer the large screen and some of the accessories of a desktop.

But Futhey noted you can make a laptop "feel like a desktop" by plugging it into a large-size monitor and a full-size keyboard.

"A growing trend is likely to be people who have a laptop as their only machine but accessorize that in the dorm room with a larger monitor," she said.

At the University of Pittsburgh, 85 to 95 percent of all students have access to a computer, either in their dorm rooms or at home, estimated Jinx Walton, Pitt's director of computing services and systems development.

She sees a trend beginning toward laptops, but she thinks some applications -- such as engineering or computer-aided design -- are better done on a desktop.

At Penn State University, most students own desktop computers, said John Harwood, senior director of Education Technology Services. He considers desktops a better buy because they provide more power for the money Laptops' disadvantages? They're a hassle to lug around, batteries don't last and thieves love them, Harwood said.

But at Duquesne University, about half of the computers sold at the campus store are laptops, said Don Maue, director of computer support services.

"Clearly, the interest is in mobile computing," said Maue.

At Chatham College, Lynda Barner-West, Chatham's assistant vice president for information services, estimated 60 percent of resident students have a computer, a figure that is growing.

She prefers a laptop because she likes to do her work sitting in a comfortable chair while using the wireless network in the campus library.

Whether laptop or desktop, students should do some research before buying a computer. Here are some factors to consider:

Cost. Compare prices. Many colleges participate in discount programs with major manufacturers.

Software. Find out whether the college offers free software. All part-time and full-time students at Pitt, for example, can get free Microsoft Office as well as some utilities and virus protection to put on their own computers.

Maintenance. Is there a warranty?Don't forget availability and cost of repair services.

Campus recommendations. For students buying new computers, colleges often recommend getting a fast one with a big hard drive. Minimum recommendations go as high as a processor with a speed of 1 gigahertz, RAM of 128 to 256 megabytes and a hard drive with 20 to 40 gigabytes.

Storage space. Some schools also suggest extra features, such as a CD burner or a Zip drive to save or back up data. Students should check whether their campus network provides storage space, so they can access information from home or from a lab without carrying a floppy or a disk.

Networks. Student computers need to have the right cards installed to access campus networks. Some schools specify a certain type of Ethernet card to connect to the Internet from dorm rooms. Some schools also have wireless technology on parts of the campus, making it possible to access the Internet from a variety of locations from a laptop with a slot for a wireless card.

Accessories. For printers and other accessories, students should check what student printing and other facilities are available at the college, and their cost and accessibility.

Just because the student owns a computer doesn't mean the student won't be using the campus labs. Some labs have specialized equipment and software, and some may be more convenient than going back to the dorm.

Penn State's Harwood said there were more than 1 million sessions in the computing labs -- plus 302,000 sessions in the classroom -- last fall on the University Park campus.

"I would have expected the number of sessions or hours would have gone down, but it hasn't," he said.