02-14-2007, 08:49 PM

This is a question for all those college types out there who use(d) their MacBook as a tool in class and on campus.

How easily does it work into a classroom environment? Is the 13" small and light enough to carry around from class to class across a campus? Does it work well for typing notes as the teacher lectures, or working on a paper in the hall before class? Does it do well to replace notebooks and spare writing tools and free up space in your room and backpack at all?

I'm considering one for these reasons, as a means to take notes, work on papers and assignments, keep online between classes, and synch up with my iMac at home later. Do any of you MacBook owners find it does any of these tasks well?

Thanks in advance.

02-14-2007, 09:12 PM

I'm going to join college this September, and have not experienced it yet, but I've put a lot of thought into it, which will influence my buying. I spoke to many collegaues (both college and not-yet-college) and the general consesus in a nutshell is as follows:

It really depends on your university. If you know people who already attend, ask them what they do. Ask what the professors tell them to do. Find out how many are doing it. Knowing an Alumni or current student is a valuable asset.
If you don't know, consider the following: You will be doing full college, so you'll be writing research. Research requires library, and in the library, having a laptop is a good thing. A laptop can be invaluable even if you can't or don't use it in class itself.

If you use it in class, the software is key. Also, it depends what subject you are doing.
If you're doing a M.A. in Maths, you probably can't type fast enough in LaTex or so, thus you'll need paper and pencil. If you're doing architecture, you can't sketch quickly unless you have a graphire sketch pad or so.
Also, your table space is very limited in college these days. So consider these factors.

My $0.02

02-14-2007, 09:12 PM

Well, to me, it really depends on the class. I have some classes that I can keep up wih typing, but then I have some where they go too fast for my typing, so I have to hand write everything. I think the thing about taking notes on a computer in the first place is that the formatting is hard to do. I like to take notes by hand because I can keep the formatting consistent, and change it easily if needed. I love mine though. If you are into digital textbooks at all, then it would be that much better. It is really small and easy to take around. I see all of these people with these mammoth 17" Dells and Compaqs, and I say to mysels "thank God I got a MacBook". The AirPort works really well too. I also like it when there are small desks. I have a few classes like that, and if I had a notebook that was any bigger, it just wouldn't leave room for anything else on the desk. It's great for working of papers and all that stuff too. I love it to death. So much so that it replaced my desktop.

02-14-2007, 09:34 PM

I am not at "college" however i do take my 13" macbook to school and it is fine, after a while you forget its there and you feel like your carrying around some text books.
When trying to work in class on my mac i end up handwriting as im too tempted to play games etc...

Hope this helps

02-14-2007, 10:47 PM

I attend college and my 13 inch MacBook is used for every class and every paper. It is one of the greatest tools I could recommend for a college student. Organizing and looking over your notes is soo easy. I can type way faster than I can write by hand so taking notes is a breeze and you can write a paper anywhere, you don't need to find a desktop somewhere.

Personally I think getting a notebook would be one of the most valuable and useful tools you could have for college. I wouldn't do college without it.


And get a case such as this and throw the computer down wherever you need to write and close it up and take it with you when you are ready to go and for only 35$ you can't go wrong.

02-14-2007, 11:01 PM

Yeah, buying a sleeve is probably the best thing you can buy to go along with a MacBook.

02-14-2007, 11:28 PM

I actually do everything you mentioned in your post. I take it between classes, work on papers or do some reading in between, and use it for recreation.

Some of the things I love is that it's just the perfect size for carrying around without it being a burden. When tucked under my arm, it feels as though I'm carrying a paper notebook rather than a notebook computer, and it slips right into my bag (with a sleeve, of course). Another great thing about the laptop is the battery life. I can go through two or three classes without having to charge it.

It really depends on what sort of classes you take, but for the most part, the Macbook suits me just fine. It's only in math related classes where I could see having some trouble using it for note taking. Thankfully I finished my math requirement before I bought my Macbook :black:

02-15-2007, 01:39 AM

For me it definitely depends on the teachers you get. I had one music class where the teacher was the kind that despised technology. He was pretty old and barely knew how to log on to the classroom computer to show us videos through the projector.

I also had a Geography class when I was a freshman and I noticed one girl brought her Macbook to that class and played World of Warcraft the entire time since it was a 2 hour night class. Of course this teacher didn't care, she thought she was just taking notes.

My MBP is great when I know I'm going to be on campus all day, and I can sit at the library between classes.

02-15-2007, 01:45 AM

I agree with Todd. I had a psychology teacher, and on the first day of class she said "No laptops!". Apparently she had a student a year ago that was watching porn during her lecture. For some odd reason, that distracted all the people around the kid, and therefore interrupted the class. After that, she outlawed them altogether.

02-15-2007, 01:56 AM

Originally Posted by Jeff

I agree with Todd. I had a psychology teacher, and on the first day of class she said "No laptops!". Apparently she had a student a year ago that was watching porn during her lecture. For some odd reason, that distracted all the people around the kid, and therefore interrupted the class. After that, she outlawed them altogether.

Yea that's weird, haha. I wonder if the kid sat in the front or back row?

02-15-2007, 03:21 AM

the macbook is small enough to tote around campus...but its not the lightest in its size class..it weighs about the same as my 15"mbp...i got the mbp cause it offered more than the mb in regards to its specs and other ways i could put it to use. but if i wasnt that interested in audio/photo/video editing i would have got the mb because of its 13" screen compared to the mbp 15" or 17"

02-15-2007, 03:22 AM

I am a grad student at a university where all students are required to have a laptop. Last year I used my Toshiba and this year I am using my macbook. The difference is amazing. I also bought a neoprene case and an invisible shield to help protect it. I actually get frustrated using the campus computers because I am so used to my mac. I strongly recommend a 13 incher for students.

02-15-2007, 11:31 AM

I have a 15" MBP and take it to every class. A lot of material in online these days, so it makes accessing coursework a lot easier and saves on paper if you have to have an article or something for class. (plus you can check your email or sports cores if the lecture gets boring). Also, it's greati f your class requires group work and you have to meet people in the library or something.

Out of my class of 60, probably 10 have laptops in class and 5 use MBPs (even the prof). I work in a group of 5: one other has an MBP and we're both trying to talk a couple others into getting a MB. Macs are definitely growing in popularity.

02-15-2007, 03:27 PM

I still think Macs are more popular in the US. Here in the UK I have seen about 4 people in total using Macs around university. That is a definate improvement, a few years ago I doubt I would have seen any Macs.

I have found my MacBook great. It is small and light and easily fits in my bag with the sleeve covering it. It is also really quick to start up, so no messing around waiting for it to boot, plus the power cable is much nicer, it doesn't seem to get really tangled, and it is useful being able to shorten it. Alternatively you could temporarily put it to sleep between classes. The mag-safe power is also very useful for presentations, so if you have to trail your leads then you will know it won't damage the cable if a clumsy person trips over the cables.

I also find MS Office Student Teacher Edition is also very useful for obvious reasons. Saying that though, I do like using Keynote to create presentations when possible because it is just so refreshing from all the boring tired Powerpoint presentations.

As far as note taking goes, I still prefer the old pen and paper method. One, I can't type the fastest, and two, I easily get distracted.

02-15-2007, 05:27 PM

Hello,
I was thinking about buying a mac laptop. My only concern was when I needed it for school. A lot of times I need to make a powerpoint presentation, burn it to a disk, and then bring into school to watch. Does this mean that I have to get powerpoint for my mac, or can I get presentation software that will work on a mac and a PC? Thank you