Laptop or iPad for Uni?

[GrumpyOldBag]

DS's laptop is dying. He uses it a lot - mainly for watching football matches.

I am thinking of getting a new one myself so he could have my old one when he starts Uni - but wondered whether an iPad might be more useful to him recreationally?

Will he need a laptop for his studies? He's reading Maths.

Laptop.

Definitely laptop!

Definitely a laptop.

I wouldn't have managed to have an iPad doing my degree. Definitely needed laptop.

You can't properly type on an iPad. AFAIK at least.

If he's going to be writing assignments, he will need either a PC or a laptop, the latter being my preference in the uni scenario though I like a PC at work.

Laptop. Even the best iPad keyboard would be a PITA to type 3k word essays on.

If he's studying maths he's unlikely to be typing assignments.

However, if you've got a laptop going spare, it would make more sense to give him that than get him an ipad if that's what he already uses.

Laptop

Mathematicians I knew at university (graduating 6 years ago) were most definitely typing up assignments.

Laptop. Maths students do type - DH is a maths professor, he's always typing - symbols and equations with a programme, not words tbf.

What were they typing up assignments about? Writing maths on a laptop is one of the most annoying things known to man so it seems bizarre that they would be expected to do this.

I'm a maths teacher, I type because I need to produce resources. Maths students need to do maths, which is much easier with pen and paper.

I want to know what these maths students are typing!

Or iPad with a Bluetooth keyboard?

I don't know exactly what they were typing - but I remember them getting assignments, either on paper or that they had to download from the intranet and print off, which they had to type and print off to hand in, as well as upload a copy to Turnitin. As we all complained to each other about our work, even though I was writing essays for history and they were doing maths stuff.

Putting maths assignments through a plagiarism checker is even weirder than asking for them to be typed!

'We think you've cheated because your solution is the same as this other solution'

'That's because it's the correct solution'

'Oh yeah'.

Sorry, OP, this is a bit off-topic

ha ha.

made me laugh though noblegiraffe.

DD is doing Physics and has just bought an iPad Pro so she can write equations etc easily during lectures. This will be her 3rd year at uni. She also has a MacBook for typing if needed.

interesting Sweetness. i can see how an iPad would be better for note taking as it's more portable.

More portable and with the pen easy to write legibly too. But it is expensive.

They have to hand in typed stuff at A level though, it needs a piece of software to do it. So it's not words all the time, but explanations and equations. I think.

Maths students do not need to hand in typed stuff at A-level. It would be a complete waste of time!

Laptop. An ipad is just recreational IMO.
DS has just graduated in maths. There was a compulsory "essay" module, needless to say loathed by all maths students .
They also had to use various maths software (MATLAB, latex?).

Noble The essay was basically a research project and while much of it was symbols there were words in there and obviously citing sources etc.

My son has just graduated with a maths degree. Your son will most definitely need a laptop. He will be typing assignments as some units are essay based and his dissertation will certainly need typing. It is also needed to access e books for studying and research.

I've just asked DH about his undergrad - he says problem solving written, report writing/experiment write ups and coding is typing.