Choosing a laptop for school can be the difference between success and failure. If you don’t have a reliable laptop, your grades will suffer. Your typing speed could drop dramatically in just a few weeks if you’re using an old keyboard with worn-down keys. Plus, there’s nothing worse than being stuck in class without any way to take notes on what the teacher is saying. It’s important to choose wisely when it comes to picking out your school laptop so that you’ll never have these problems again!
Decide on your budget
The main thing to decide on when trying to choose your laptop is how much you want to spend. Are you looking for something affordable, or do you have the funds to get a high-end computer? It might be worthwhile investing some money into your schoolwork if it can help prevent motivation loss for doing schoolwork.
Check the specs of the laptop that’s right for you
Once you’ve decided on what price range you’re wanting to go with, look up laptops in that price range. Figure out which ones are recommended by reputable sources like So Nerdy so that you know it’s getting an honest opinion. You don’t want some shady salesman telling you something’s good when it actually isn’t! Also, take a look at the weight of the laptop and how big it is. This should definitely be taken into consideration when choosing your school laptop because you’ll be carrying it around campus often! You don’t want to get something so light that it feels cheap, but you also don’t want something so heavy that it ends up giving you back pain.
Choose an operating system
There are two main options: Windows and Mac OS X. Windows computers are great for those who want the whole Microsoft Office Suite of programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This can be really nice because you’ll have access to these programs whenever you need them throughout the year. On the other hand, Macs come with iWork, which includes programs such as Numbers (equivalent to Microsoft Excel), Pages (equivalent to Microsoft Word), and Keynote (the equivalent to Adobe Powerpoint). This would work out nicely if you only want certain aspects of the office suite instead of having it all on your computer at once.
Select a memory size
Regardless of which operating system you choose, it’s important to have the right amount of RAM. The more RAM, the better! If you don’t plan on doing anything beyond browsing the web and typing up papers, having 8 GB is probably enough for your school workload. However, if you’re planning on taking advanced courses with intensive programs like MATLAB or Photoshop, make sure you get 16 GB at least. Also, make sure that there are extra slots available if needed in case they need to be upgraded.
Check for battery life
If you’re going to be using your laptop outside often or spend lots of time in classes without access to an outlet nearby, this is something that needs to be checked before choosing your school laptop. If it only has a battery life of 2-3 hours, you’ll be out of power pretty quickly and won’t end up getting very much done. While there aren’t too many laptops that don’t charge through USB anymore, this is something to take into consideration. Maybe having to carry around your charger with you everywhere isn’t the best option for you, so make sure your school laptop has a long-lasting battery!
Invest in an extended warranty or protection plan
Although none of us want something bad to happen to our expensive devices, we all know it’s bound to happen at some point. Having a protection plan can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars when something terrible happens and ends up breaking the thing you’ve worked so hard for. If you’re not sure whether or not you should buy one, look into how much it’ll cost to repair something if something bad does happen. If you’re close to the cost of a protection plan, that warranty probably isn’t for you.
