What tech does an UG need?

[Tatapie]

Hi DS due to start in Sep, economics. He'll have an iPhone. He doesn't like laptops so could take a desktop but Will he need a tablet or something for lectures? Any recommendations? Birthday coming up! Thanks

I would highly recommend a laptop or a tablet with keyboard (more so the laptop).

When it comes to dissertation time and essay writing, it saves the stress of having to find a free computer in the library. A desktop will be a pain to dismantle and set up each time he moves.

Notes in lectures can be handwritten.

University economics lecturer here, hi! Definitely would recommend a laptop, for ease of use and carrying around etc, but also for actually doing assessed work such as essays or project work.

Notes in lectures will likely be hand written, but some lecturers may allow students to bring laptops and make notes. If he's doing economics he will use statistical software (at minimum excel in maths/stats modules, but probably other specialised software for data analysis in some modules) and having his own laptop will make it easier/more convenient for him to complete assignments.

Both DDs are on science courses at uni in the UK. Both have decent Windows laptops and smartphones. DD2 also has an old iPad as her smartphone is Android so she can still FaceTime me/her sister. Both take their laptops to lectures for note-taking etc and between times can carry on work. DD1 used to have a 9-10 lecture then a lab from 11-1. She would go into the department cafe at 10 and do some work on her laptop, something you cannot do with a desktop machine, as it wasn't worth going back to her room.

Look at the size of the desk in the accommodation. I don't think they are really set up for desktop machines as they take up so much more space. Laptop plus decent insurance is the way to go.

You can fit an external desktop monitor, separate keyboard and mouse to most laptops to use in accommodation.

Great advice thanks all, will go for laptop with screen and keyboard for room.

I would hang fire a little bit until you find out what the uni are doing about online/in person teaching this year coming up. I've found my Macbook Air (not the most recent model) which is brilliant for on-campus work and lectures, really really struggles with the online video call software used for our online seminars. I can't blame the laptop - it does an excellent job for what it was designed for - being small, light, good battery and good for working on the fly - but the needs of my course have moved on since then.

I find my ipad and apple pencil incredibly useful as well - I have lots of my textbooks as PDF format and I scrawl all over them to make notes, plus I have to do a lot of phonetic transcription and being able to handwrite that is so bloody handy.

Look at battery life and weight - I originally had a DSA provided laptop (I'm dyslexic), but there was so many of us with the DSA housebrick machines with iffy battery life scrapping over the seats in lectures near powerpoints it got ridiculous. Normally I can find somewhere to sit and work and plug in fairly easily, and when it's open the student union have charging lockers, but it is just another thing to have to faff about worrying about. Also check out the size and weight of the power adaptor of the laptop as well - mine was like an extra fecking housebrick in my bag!

Thanks @CoffeeWithCheese I will definitely invest in as good a laptop as we an, you say probably some element of course may to be online plus slow processing or short battery life is so frustrating!

DD is studying PPE. She has an HP Envy laptop and an iPad Air which she uses for lecture notes. She finds it handy to watch on one and write on the other. Even if F2F teaching does eventually restart, most lectures will still be recorded for replay.