Chromebook good enough

[absolutelyflawed]

So.. I went to Uni when nobody even used computers.. Will a Chromebook suffice for my DS?

I bought one for uni and took it back. The 'Word' package was so basic I couldn't even put a bullet pointed list in the text.

My uni wouldn't accept Google docs to submit work.

My DC both had a decent laptop for uni (I mean they had it for A levels but it sufficed for uni too). When I say decent, I mean a PC not a Mac, so cheaper, but still £7-800. No idea how that measures up against a Chrome book in cost terms tho.

A proper laptop us best. Chromebooks too limiting and might not be compatible for software downloads. Chromebooks are essentially tablets.

I'd never recommend a Chromebook for anything because (a) you can do very little with them when you don't have a good internet connection (e.g. on train/bus), as all storage is in the cloud rather than on the device, and (b) you can't install proper desktop apps on them so you end up with cut-down phone-style versions of essentials like Office.

What he does need will depend on what kind of course he's doing (engineering/graphic design vs less tech-demanding courses) and what else he'll be using the computer for (e.g. gaming).

My DTDs both had Chromebook's for gcse which were ok but by a level they really needed a laptop, I also swapped my Chromebook for a small laptop, about £500 at pcworld it just wasn't up to the job, really needed word, PowerPoint etc

I don't know much about computers, However, I DO know that DS's university website had a section detailing minimum requirements for the laptop/ other tech device to be used by undergrads. So I would search for that on the university website (or contact them and ask them).

It might be worth checking specific requirements for their course as well, especially if they're doing something like Computer Science.

This kit is too expensive to buy without checking.

No, Chromebooks aren't suitable for University. You need a proper Microsoft laptop especially if the work requires Microsoft Word, Adobe Creative Suite and Presentation software.

I tried to write a dissertation on a Chromebook and it was so difficult with limited software and all the referencing I had to do. I gave up and had to buy a laptop. Best thing I ever did.

Also a Microsoft (or Apple) laptop is good practice for work life. You're unlikely to be using a Chromebook in a graduate role.

If you're looking at a Windows laptop DSA (Disabled students allowance) told me the recommended specs for uni laptop should be:

i5 processor
At least 256gb storage - if your DS likes to play or wants to play Steam/PC games 512gb storage might be needed.

I think a proper laptop is definitely required.

Does Libre Office suffice instead of Microsoft Office?

Does Libre Office suffice instead of Microsoft Office?

The trouble tends to be having to submit documents that will be opened in Microsoft applications and might lose their formatting. It's probably best to export things as PDFs immediately before submission and submit the PDFs rather than the OpenDocument format files.

Most universities have licences that allow students to install Microsoft Office applications free (you have to sign in every few weeks, so you lose access when you cease to be a student).

DS has just finished his 1st year at uni and has been happily using his Chromebook all this time. The only thing that was tricky was doing more advanced spreadsheet calculations. He really needed Excel for those so he used the computers in the library.

No, he'll need to download Office and use Teams. A Chromebook is essentially a tablet with a keyboard and doesn't have the capacity to manage this. The university should have comupter suites in most buildings though, and may also have laptops to loan for periods so it shouldn't matter if you're not able to afford one.

No

Depends (I was back at uni up until last year so this is based on my experience) on what software the course want you to use - but referencing is enough of a fucking pain in the arse without being able to use Word with referencing plugins... which I don't think you can do on a Chromebook easily.

Things like Teams and VLEs will be different with different universities - but yep, it's things like those as well as "I need a Word processor and to do PowerPoint". Think we also had to record some presentations for assessments as well (this was during covid but I think the uni have kept that format of assessment for a lot of stuff) and I don't think that Panopto which we had to use runs on them either.

Main things I found (apart from not getting a Chromebook) that were the big annoyances with laptops at uni were weight carrying the thing around all day (include power adaptors in this) and battery life because there's no greater joy than five people with DSA laptops (these were the usual culprit for not having the battery to last the day) with meh battery life all scrapping for the couple of seats next to a power outlet in an older building on campus. Needing to be online was less of a factor once you get set up on Eduroam around the place (it's not the greatest wifi but it does the job). I ended up with a MacBook that I just flung in my bag and didn't need to worry about running out of battery unless I was really really ON IT all day with it.

We bought a chrome book as it became clear that lockdowns were looming so that we had enough screens to go around.

They are great, long battery life, quick and I prefer using it for most things. Both school and my uni have office 365 access so I can log on to uni website and use word, excel, PowerPoint and so on. It has some advantages over using "normal" word and saving direct to the laptop too as you can have autosave on and you know it is all securely saved on the cloud.

Where it becomes an issue is handing stuff in as I need to upload to the university portal and so for that I need to download a copy from 365 and then upload but of course on a chrome book the downloaded version converts to Google docs. So I have to switch to the laptop to do it.

Of course for uni yay might not be too much of a problem as you could use the uni computer to submit. But ultimately it is a key weakness and I think when I came to buy again I would go for a laptop.

We had chromebooks when the DD's were younger. Not great, they couldnt do basic functions of word/excel etc.

Now they going/gone to uni we got 512g memory 8g of ram, I7 processor.

You need a processor thats a Ryzen 3 or I3 or higher. Ideally a I5 or ryzen 5 if you got programmes on there that need going on.
8G of ram is good, when you got a few programes on the go it can cope with it.
and,
memory, 256g is ok, 512g even better.

The higher these three things are the more pricey it becomes, so it depends on your budget.
512g memory 8g of ram, I7 processor, was recommended by my IT department at work, and DD1, after 3 years in uni and its still going strong. DD2 we just bought same set up for September.

DD did a design diploma course fairly recently and the college specified, very clearly, the laptop specification that would run the required software. It wasn’t cheap but she’s working now and it’s still absolutely fine. So does the course give recommendations? It really will depend on what you need to run on it. Plus are computers at uni going to be available when you want them? DD never had less then a MacBook Air for anything, even A level.

No, a chromebook won't be suitable.

Depending on the course, there may be some specific recommendations - students doing design or engineering degrees, for example. You should look up requirements.

Your DS needs to check course requirements, whether there's specific software they'll need to use. DD needed a fairly decent windows laptop for her engineering degree.