Although summer just began a few short weeks ago, the new school year is right around the corner. As such, it’s time to start creating your school shopping list. For students in elementary through high schools, this is easy: pens and pencils, binders, notebooks, book covers, etc. But for college, specifically your recent high school grad going to university in the fall, things change quite a bit; your student will still need pens and pencils, binders, and notebooks, but the biggest expense, besides books, is a laptop. You want the laptop to last all four years, and you want to get a quality product for the right price. Moreover, buying accompanying accessories and gadgets for your student can really improve their college experience. Let’s take a look at the appropriate gadgets to help your student excel in school:
The Right Computer
Depending on the student’s major, you have options when it comes to buying a laptop. For graphic design, web development, interactive multimedia, and all other related majors, a Mac might be the way to go. A MacBook Pro, despite its high cost, will be able to handle their heavy workload, as its storage options range from 128GB to 512GB. If you can’t afford this beast, a MacBook Air is great choice, as it has options to configure storage from 256GB to 512GB, versus the 128GB base model, with a solid state drive (SSD). Macs are compatible with graphic design, web development, and interactive multimedia apps and programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and coding programs. At the Apple Store, you can bring in your student’s acceptance letter for a discount. For virtually all other majors, a PC laptop will work just fine. If your son or daughter has their heart set on a Mac, buy them a MacBook Air, as they won’t have a need for all the power that a MacBook Pro harnesses. One thing to note is that there are a lot of computer programs required by the institution that aren’t compatible with Mac, but which are compatible with PC. This is because Macs comprise about 5% of the computer market, so it’s not worth the cost for developers and programmers to invest in coding these programs for such a small population. For more information, read our blog post about Mac vs. PC.
Accessories & Other Gadgets
Nowadays, simply buying a computer might not be enough. Look at buying your student other gadgets, like a tablet for portability and convenience when a laptop is not needed. You should also invest in extra chargers in case one gets left behind or breaks. Going along with this, send off your student with an external battery so they can charge on the go. A nice pair of headphones will be extremely helpful, as music will help to workout, study, and express themselves. Music preference develops tremendously in college! To protect the expensive devices against drops, water damage and the elements, invest in cases. When you’ve spent a lot of money on this powerful equipment, it’s almost neglectful to forgo protecting it when you have the option. If your student will be living on campus, it’s worth buying power strips and cord clips that attach to the wall via an adhesive backing. Dorm rooms can sometimes be set up awkwardly – the bed and desk might not be close to an outlet – so a power strip can help deliver power conveniently where it’s needed. Most residence halls forbid extension cords, but power strips – preferably those with surge protectors – are fair game. Longer cords and extension cords are helpful. Adhesive cord clips allow you to hide chargers on the wall-side of the bed, and you can easily plug in your devices without having to fish for the right wire. They also keep the cord safe and secured to the wall so it doesn’t break after having been repeatedly dropped on the floor when unplugged. Reverting back to Macs in the previous section, newer models have done away with a lot of the ports, so buying dongles (e.g. HDMI to USB) will help your kids stay connected, and they will be prepared to give presentations with the university’s equipment that is otherwise not compatible with Mac.
At M&H Consulting, we want your student to be well-prepared for college. You don’t have to get everything in the accessories and gadgets section, but it would greatly benefit them to have some assistive accessories. Give your student the tools for success and they will surely make you proud with all of their accomplishments. For all your computer tech needs and questions, contact M&H Consulting by phone at 1-(866)-964-8324, or visit our website at http://www.mhconsults.com.
Categorised in: Apps, Battery Life, computer, Computer Support, Devices, tips