When you are preparing for your college years, there are multiple things that you need to consider. From studying-related things, like figuring out what supplies you may need, to accommodation and whether you may need to take odd jobs to pay rent and tuition. And don’t forget that you have to prepare for your college years mentally.
- Fitting in with your peers
- Struggling with certain disciplines
- Having close to zero free time
Speaking of the final point, yes, there’s not much free time when you’re studying in college. Of course, you can succeed in balancing your life between jobs and studying if you are well organized. And there are various academic services where you can and have some extra free time, while professional writers handle your writing assignments. So, yes, there are ways to deal with the hardship of college years.
Seems like you’ve considered it all. But haven’t you missed something? There’s one thing that everyone requires nowadays. It’s a laptop. And if you don’t want your old laptop to fail you when you start adapting to your college environment, you should consider buying a new one. We offer you to check out the tips that will help you select a proper laptop for your academic needs.
Consider Your Budget
The very first step when thinking about is deciding how much you can spend on it. The average starting price is $425, yet, you may find some models costing less than $300. While the maximum price is close to $2000. There’s always an idea that the more expensive the better. However, quite often you can find a better quality for a more affordable price.
All in all, you need to decide how much you are willing to spend on your new laptop. The budget will help you to narrow down the array of options to choose from. In other words, if you can afford to buy a laptop for $2000 go for it. You have no limitations whatsoever. But if that’s too much for you, you should consider other options.
Laptop’s Performance
After figuring out the budget, you need to consider what you expect from your laptop performance-wise. While you’re purchasing a laptop for your college needs, you should think about other things as well. As you’re not going to throw your laptop away after graduation, the purchase must be a long-term investment.
What other things do you need your laptop for? Do you have a hobby with certain tech requirements? Are you an avid game player? Are you crafting and mixing music tracks? Maybe you have a vlog, and you need to edit your videos. Figuring out those things will also help you narrow down your search.
The general advice would be to stick to processors like Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 and keep away from laptops that have less than 8 GB of RAM and less than 256 GB of storage drive. That will provide you with the necessary functionality. However, if you have special requirements, you need to dig a bit deeper.
Battery Longevity
Even when you order from one of the , you need to check out the paper to make sure that everything is done accordingly before submitting it to your professor. And sometimes you may need to do it outside your home. And the worst thing that can happen at that moment is your laptop’s battery dying. Hence, battery life is a crucial aspect to consider when purchasing a new laptop.
Here, we have some bad news for you. Two aspects affect battery life: screen size and weight. The larger the screen, the faster your laptop will die when unplugged. The same goes for the weight — the heavier your laptop, the faster the battery runs out. You never know when you need to work on your laptop unplugged, so consider models that have a battery life of 4.5 hours or more.
Laptop’s Weight
We’ve already discussed the importance of your laptop’s weight. Yet, the battery life is not the only reason why you should consider your future purchase’s weight. The main point of having a laptop is mobility. And running around the campus with something heavyweight is not something you would want to do.
You may need your laptop for some of your classes, while other classes require you to bring textbooks. So, you should consider buying a device that is not too heavy. However, you don’t want to have a laptop with limited functionality. Our suggestion: opt for laptops with a 15” screen. They are not heavyweight, generally have a good battery life, and boast enough functionality for academic and other purposes.
Laptop’s Connectivity
You never know when you will need to connect something to your laptop. Okay, you can argue that a lot of things nowadays can be connected wirelessly, but you never know. That’s why you should make sure that your laptop has at least one USB port. There’s always a chance that you may need to charge your smartphone, headphones, or any other device from your laptop. Or, if you are a vlogger, you may need to connect a camera to your laptop.
Besides, who knows what your studies will require you to connect to your laptop. So, connectivity ports are important. It doesn’t mean that you should opt for outdated models that have any possible ports and CD-RW. The latter option, if you may need it for some reason, exists in a portable format that you can connect via USB. Just mind the connectivity when purchasing your laptop.
Closing Thoughts
So, here you have five tips on how to choose a laptop for your college purposes. Consider your budget first, and don’t stay too focused solely on your academic requirements, unless you’re planning to buy a new device right after graduation. Think of it as a future-proof investment.