Do I need a laptop for school?

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2012

It would definitely be helpful. There are a lot of papers that have to be typed, online research that needs to be done, and your instructors may communicate a lot via email. In some cases your text books will come with CD-Roms. If your current laptop is functional then there's no reason to buy a new one. You don't need a high tech laptop, just one that you can do basic typing and internet browsing.

PghRN30 · Mar 29, 2012

If you are meaning do you need a laptop to take to school every day, no. You do need to have a functional computer so that you can check email, type papers, access whatever blackboard/moodle type site your school uses for class info. If your laptop works and/or you have a desktop computer, there is no NEED for a new laptop.

If you really prefer typing notes out during class and you tend to take a lot of notes, and you know your laptop wont stand up to taking it to and from school every day....that's a want you will have to weigh out. If you just like to follow along with powerpoints digitally and take short notes, your ipad probably would be enough for that.

I know the majority of my class brought laptops to school in the begining. Most of us eventually found that we allow it to be too much of a distraction and end up on the internet. I think now only 2, sometimes 3 people in my class bring laptops, and one brings her ipad. I found the computer distracting. I just print out powerpoints and then take hand written notes...i pay attention better that way. My old laptop serves me well enough

PghRN30 · Mar 29, 2012

Oh, I will also add, it is very worth making a point to back up any work you do on an external hard drive, a flash drive, or by emailing it to yourself ....then if something happens to your laptop, you do not lose your work.

I used to work in university research lab, and one of the PhD students, was getting close to being done with his program, had his thesis and all research data on one computer and it went down. Fortunately the computer had just been backed up so he had only lost a couple days of work, and not 4 years of work......in research labs like that they usually back up monthly, if not weekly. My boss there would always back up everything of hers up monthly on 3 CDs, keep one in the lab, keep one at home, and send one to her parents.

Work we do in nursing school is not as extensive as that, but that is a good reminder to me about how you can lose everything on a computer. You know your computer is old and could go on you, but even a new computer something could go wrong with and you can lose everything on it. Anything that is important, it isn't necessarily important that you have it on a new computer, it is important that you have it in more then one place so if one goes, you have a backup.

Now if you know your laptop is likely going to die on you during nursing school, just set that money aside so you are ready for that expense when it comes up.

QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 29, 2012

I would get one. Not necessarily for notes, but for the busy work. Papers, careplans, a place to have a databank for the drugs will end up copying and pasting, lol