A few words from experience:
- Remember… a personal computer on campus is not necessary. There are labs all over Purdue… many of which are open 24 hours, including labs in the residence halls!
- Wait! From personal experience, it is better to wait a few weeks before committing yourself to a new computer. Start a few classes, make some new friends, and see what your specific needs are at Purdue. Also, when making your decision remember that laptops have the risk of being stolen! Make sure that their benefits outweigh the added care they require. Remember that Dell, HP, and Apple computers are available through ITaP shopping at www.itap.purdue.edu/shopping.
- Use what you are comfortable with… Whether it’s a Desktop, Laptop, Tablet PC, Macintosh, Windows, or Linux you can use it at Purdue. Terminal clients are available for every platform. They let you access campus computers as if you were sitting in the lab. Now you can do homework from anywhere!
Bring wireless… Purdue is equipped with wireless internet throughout most of campus. Make sure that your mobile computer is 802.11b/g compatible.
- No printer required… All campus printers are accessible from anywhere on the network and labs are available 24 hours. Why spend money on ink when you can do all your printing in the CS labs for free!
- Many Microsoft Titles are available for free to Computer Science students through the Academic Alliance. Note: You will need to wait until you get your CS account to download this software. See www.cs.purdue.edu/msdn for a list of the titles available.
- Before you go… remember, there are lots of great deals out there. Shop around and take your time when selecting a computer. It’s a big decision!!!
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