AIBU?
To think that not every university student has a laptop?
hellokittymania · 11/07/2017 03:24
People are incredulous that I don't have one. Surely I am not alone though.
I am a mature student and I'm doing the course online. Out of curiosity, especially if you are a mature student with a family or a full-time job, do you find it hard to relate to the 18-year-old students? I feel so old. 😂😩
Cocklodger · 11/07/2017 03:26
Not every student will have one. Be it mature students like yourself or people barely out of school/college.
But it does seem to be the expectation/norm nowadays... if you've a good enough desktop or other device to do your course just stick with that, though. 
Want2bSupermum · 11/07/2017 03:27
I have a laptop and run a trading platform off it because I use a virtual desktop along with remote servers.
Only reason for the laptop is that it takes up less space. I also have three screens and use all of them. I'm an assistant controller for a broker dealer.
mohuzivajehi · 11/07/2017 03:30
I think desktops are only a thing for the over 35s these days. I would guess 90% of students have a laptop and 10% have a Tablet - that 10% limited to those studying non-essay subjects.
Never been a mature student - I had a colleague who had done her degree in her 30s with a young (primary school age) child - she was very "young at heart" though and was able to shrug off unnecessary layers of maturity when appropriate.
hellokittymania · 11/07/2017 03:42
Does nobody just use an iPad? Or the Internet café? I really feel old now. 😂
Must be all of those years in Asia. Very rural Asia. I did take a level one class in interpreting though and absolutely nobody in the class ever brought a laptop. We were all foreigners, well, I'm not really a foreigner but I haven't lived in the UK for most of my life
hellokittymania · 11/07/2017 03:57
No, I only have an iPad mini and before that I only had an iPhone 4. I do everything on both.
I have one of those cheap under 20 pound foam with a regular Sim card and it's not currently working. Oh well, I like being different. 
I do need to find a new Sim card though as not having any phone is a bit difficult. I don't really know why it's not working either.
hellokittymania · 11/07/2017 04:16
living in Asia changes the way you do a lot of things. I can in like entertain myself for 13 hours when the electricity goes off but I know people who go nuts for 13 hours without any Internet.
I have a slate and stylus for writing braille which nobody in the UK under the age of 40 seems to know about. Anyway I can write very quickly with it and braille has a contracted form like shorthand.
I feel so out of place when I'm not one of these events where the newest technology is on display and people ask me if I know how to use the blah blah blah. I say no, I have no idea about the blah blah blah. I feel like an alien.
KoalaDownUnder · 11/07/2017 04:24
Oh, I'm with you there! I lived in rural Indonesia for a while, in a village that had intermittent electricity and no hot running water.
Being able to write Braille on a slate is a very cool and unusual skill.
I did law school in my thirties with a bunch of very young and competitive people, so I had to step up my tech game pretty quickly. I'm a Luddite at heart and would happily sit in a jungle with a paper book and no internet, if I could get away with it.
hellokittymania · 11/07/2017 05:19
Yes, I am in the UK at the moment, but still doing projects abroad.
Kulala, I am with you there. From what I gather, the other students on the course are scattered around the world and everyone that I have encountered has been a mature student who is already working in the field of study, import export. It's really interesting and I enjoy it.
Ifailed · 11/07/2017 05:55
If I went back to Uni now, I'd want a desktop and a laptop. The former would be used to hold copies of all my work, have external backup drives etc and when I was in my room I'd use it as I find them more ergonomic to work on.
The laptop would be used in lectures, library etc. But as they are more vulnerable to damage or theft I would not feel comfortable with it being my sole PC. I am well aware of on-line storage, but that is not always available and can be costly, plus I just know that I would lose the laptop before an important deadline.
Tablets and phones are OK for accessing information, but I find them a PITA as input devices.
FinallyHere · 11/07/2017 06:25
The screens and keyboards supplied with laptops may not be very ergonomic, but they are portable.
At home, as in the office, i use external screens, keyboard and mouse. A port replicator makes it quick and easy to connect, just one USB plug.
I'm really struggling to understand how that is different to a desktop, for ergonomics and ease of use?
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