Laptop for college???

[megsoro]

Then they are out of step with the world their students will be entering which is something a college should never should be.

In three years of internships (6 different companies up and down the east coast usa) I have yet to see a PC in a professional art and design firm office, unless it was being used as a render server..

 

[3boymthr]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I will contact the school and see what is the best for her major and then do some price comparisons.

Check thru the paperwork you got from the school. Our paperwork listed the "approved" notebook, gave a list of the required minimum specs and a list of all the required software. It also gave a buying link. For us it became clear that while this is clearly a money maker for them for the student it is very definitely worthwhile to buy thru them because our school required very specific and unique network software that was esssential for connecting with professors and doing homework that came pre installed on "their" computer along with other essentials which if you didn't buy thru them then you'd still be able to get the software from the school but at a cost almost equal to the cost of the laptop when bought thru them.

The good news is if the school "requires" a laptop and gives an official document stating this then, if you have one, you can use 529 money to pay for it.

 

[msmayor]

In three years of internships (6 different companies up and down the east coast usa) I have yet to see a PC in a professional art and design firm office, unless it was being used as a render server..

Agreed, based on my daughter's feedback.

She majored in Graphic Design and graduated from SCAD last June. Except for architecture students (who had to use PCs as that is what supported CAD software), Mac was the order of the day.

We got her a MacBookPro as a HS graduation gift and it took her all the way through college plus 9 months before she replaced it...with another MacBook.

She works for a design firm now in the DC area and they all work on Macs.

 

[megsoro]

Agreed, based on my daughter's feedback. She majored in Graphic Design and graduated from SCAD last June. Except for architecture students (who had to use PCs as that is what supported CAD software), Mac was the order of the day. We got her a MacBookPro as a HS graduation gift and it took her all the way through college plus 9 months before she replaced it...with another MacBook. She works for a design firm now in the DC area and they all work on Macs.

I'm at SCAD now! And it's true. The only majors that use PCs are Architecture, Art History, and Industrial design. And many of my friends in those majors dual boot with windows because they (and tech support at school) prefer the Mac OS.

 

[jrmasm]

In three years of internships (6 different companies up and down the east coast usa) I have yet to see a PC in a professional art and design firm office, unless it was being used as a render server..

My husband has worked for design firms as a designer for the last 20 years. It's been 15 years since his work machine was a Mac. Some of his coworkers use Macs, some use PCs. It's all about their personal preference.

We have also PCs at home as well that he uses for work and free lance.

The OP"s best bet is to have her daughter contact the major department head at her school to find out what they recommend.

 

[PlutoPony]

Then they are out of step with the world their students will be entering which is something a college should never should be.

Leaving the graphics/design student out of it, the kids I know that have (or have had Macs) are also comfortable with PC's. My son has observed the same thing at college. Students in school now have literally grown up with computers, so switching back and forth between the 2 platforms isn't as big a deal for them as it is for those of us who learned as an adult imo. In my son's experience, going from Windows 7 to 8 is more of a challenge than using a Mac after PC experience lol. I'd be very surprised if the average recent college grad had real problems with the computer platform used by their employer.

 

[Arielle22]

I agree to check with the college. My DDs just finished their freshman and sophomore years.

When DD20 was starting college, DH (IT Administrator) was in charge of the laptop buying. He said the deal the college worked with Dell was great as it was cheaper by several hundred dollars than what DH could find, even with his connections.

We also bought the 4 year warranty. School has its own geek squad. DD18 is tough on her electronics. Last week, before the end of school she took her laptop to be repaired. She needed a new headphone jack and screen needed to be fixed due to a water spot.


It was done by the end of the day. They also backed up her computer and fixed something on her hard drive (she didn't bother to write down what was done).

DH said she could have been charged for the water spot since it was not a part failure so we are lucky on that part of it.

 

[tvguy]

In three years of internships (6 different companies up and down the east coast usa) I have yet to see a PC in a professional art and design firm office, unless it was being used as a render server..

At my location all the COMPANY graphics computers are PC's, but a few Mac Fans bring in their OWN Macs to use at work.
I'm not bashing Macs, just pointing out that especially since the economic downturn, companies are a lot more interest in lowest cost which PC has the edge on for 2 reasons. PC's are cheaper to start with. And PC makers are willing to offer discounts which is something Apple will not do.
But full disclosure, we no longer have graphic artists anymore. We used to have 4 at our site. We create most of our own graphics on PCs using internet based software. More complicated orders are done by graphic artists in our central graphics location which serves 42 TV stations. We also have 82 daily newspapers and 443 non-daily publications. Throw in that each of the 42 TV stations has a main, and at least 10 sub-websites, and each of the 82 papers runs a website, we do a whole lot of graphics, all on PC.

 

[crisi]

At my location all the COMPANY graphics computers are PC's, but a few Mac Fans bring in their OWN Macs to use at work.
I'm not bashing Macs, just pointing out that especially since the economic downturn, companies are a lot more interest in lowest cost which PC has the edge on for 2 reasons. PC's are cheaper to start with. And PC makers are willing to offer discounts which is something Apple will not do.
But full disclosure, we no longer have graphic artists anymore. We used to have 4 at our site. We create most of our own graphics on PCs using internet based software. More complicated orders are done by graphic artists in our central graphics location which serves 42 TV stations. We also have 82 daily newspapers and 443 non-daily publications. Throw in that each of the 42 TV stations has a main, and at least 10 sub-websites, and each of the 82 papers runs a website, we do a whole lot of graphics, all on PC.

That's unusual. I was a heavily involved in corporate PC standards for two Fortune 500 in the last five years and involved in industry groups around the same (IT sourcing and vendor management). Not only are Macs pretty normal in graphics heavy environments - like marketing deparments, they are also more and more the standard in IT development roles (base OS is Unix and Unix is the language of the internet).

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Then they are out of step with the world their students will be entering which is something a college should never should be.

And of course if you come to work for my company you will be "out of step" if all you have used in Dell since my IT shop is in love with Apples.

Seriously, colleges don't turn out kids ready for jobs. We have to "finish" the process (and I used to work for a company that employed lots and lots of college grads.)



But even in my job at one of the Big4 Accounting firms the "advertising/marketing" folks had Macs. That's the industry standard for those areas IMHO.

 

[Narnia_girl]

My son is starting college in the fall in Gaming/Animation (which is an art degree) and the head of that department recommended he not get a Mac. He said they are overpriced for the technology and that there are more 3D and gaming options for the PC. Of course a different type of art major might have other requirements, but got an Asus from Newegg.

I agree with the above who said going back and forth between the platforms is not that hard. I use a PC at home and a Mac in the newsroom and it's no big deal. Windows 8 is a challenge!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

My son is starting college in the fall in Gaming/Animation (which is an art degree) and the head of that department recommended he not get a Mac. He said they are overpriced for the technology and that there are more 3D and gaming options for the PC. Of course a different type of art major might have other requirements, but got an Asus from Newegg. I agree with the above who said going back and forth between the platforms is not that hard. I use a PC at home and a Mac in the newsroom and it's no big deal. Windows 8 is a challenge!

What school if you don't mind my asking? There aren't (or at least there weren't a couple of years ago) that many schools that offer game industry focused degrees.

I realize this is totally unsolicited advice and off-topic, I mean no disrespect and wish you the best. As somebody who has been there, done that please make sure your son researches what it's like to work in the games industry. It's not something that everybody is willing to do. You can end up working 100+ hour weeks (all the while being underpaid for your skills) and then have the whole team fired at the end of the project.

I got out because as a female no longer in my 20s was not willing to have so little stability in my life or make my job my entire life. At several interviews I was asked how I would feel collecting keys and going to my teams' homes to do laundry as there would often be weeks where nobody would be going home.

Your son may be well aware and have the unyielding passion to thrive in that industry. I didn't because I need balance. I've seen a lot of people hit that unexpected reality. As I said, everything with a grain of salt.

But if any of you want to hear some other first hand accounts google "EA spouse" sometime and follow the bouncing ball.