College Troubles (Part 20) - Computer

I don't think that, to be a college student, you necessarily need to have your own computer. That is certainly a trait that would be required of students from a very priveledged society and in college, but I don't think that all colleges would require or necessitate a student having their own laptop. The reason I say this is because there are computers everywhere. On a college campus, almost every building has a computer lab (if not several) that are openned up to both public and student use fairly regularly. I know that when my laptop broke while I was in college, I didn't find it terribly difficult (maybe just a little inconvenient), because I could go and use any of the hundreds of computers in the library. I imagine if I hadn't had a computer a probably would have just invested in an inexpensive external harddrive that I could have stored all of my personal papers and information on so that I could have used the public computers all over campus. I think that saying that you need a computer to get through college is a little hasty; there are tons of students that get by without ANY electronics at all, let alone computers. 

I think computers are a good thing to have especially with being in college and keeping in touch with family. When enrolling you use a computer, when emailing teachers or looking at a power point you use a computer. Having a computer is required in college, well have access to one because you have to type and submit papers, you can back up files, you can look for jobs and do other research while having a computer. Even though a computer is really expensive , it will pay off for its self in the long run when you have finished school and now have a good paying job. I've seen people who don't own a computer and sit through hours and hours of waiting for  a computer, so just taking the time to invest in one, could save you hours that you could spend working on another class assignment or looking for work.  If you are hundreds of miles away and can't get home, or have a phone- you can email, skype and all other things in your own dorm and it will be private, you can watch movies if you are bored and can't afford it, you can do pretty much anything with a computer and not have to worry. 

When I was in my undergraduate studies, my lap top was useful but not a necessity. Only because I had access to two on-campus libraries with over 300 computers and most of my journalism courses had desk top computers inside of their class rooms. Getting to a computer was never an issue for me, plus I had reliable friends that would lend me their lap top if it came down to it. I used to carry my HP around where ever I went on campus only because sometimes I wanted to type my notes, type stories on my own lap top, or get on Facebook during lectures (let's keep that secret between me and you). So, there were days I would have my computer tag along with me and other days I wouldn't. I didn't keep my HP in good condition during my four years of college, so that's something I really regret because it was a great computer.  Now that I am taking an online studies program, I ABSOLUTELY need my Mac lap top. IT IS A NECESSITY. Everything is done on my computer now. Submitting assignments, using applications, utilizing important software, and even communicating with my classmates virtually. If I didn't have my computer let alone an Internet connection I would be in big trouble! 

Precisely! It is true that computer is very much needed by college students nowadays. I have classmates who do not have computers at home and does not have enough pennies to pay in internet cafes for long periods of usage. They told me that I am very much lucky for having a laptop and an internet connection with me since we’ve got professors who would conduct exams online and would allow access only on evenings, and these exams must be submitted 2-3 hours after it was posted. They just don’t know what to do sometimes because at evenings, most internet cafes are crowded by online gamers and surfers. Some of them could not really take the exam, so lucky me! I know how it feels when your computer crashes; the feeling for me is like a feeling much more painful than a heartbreak caused by a break-up. Yes it is very much painful because what would you especially when it crashes at midnight and you have to finish something that has to be passed hour from that moment? I have tried that I don’t want that to happen again, so I decided to buy books about computers and downloaded instructional materials for computer troubleshooting both software and hardware. I would always give time for myself to study these materials because these are the medicines that could cure my sick laptop. I have installed basic softwares for maintenance and safety like TuneUp Utilities and the AVG 2013 Anti-virus which is fascinatingly reliable though it’s free.  Life in college without computer is ULTIMATELY hard. So if you are an owner of one, take good care of it as much as you can because you couldn’t just imagine yourself losing it. 

Computers and digital devices are awesome! They're going to be more and more common in the work force, in any field or in any job. They're good because they help keep us organized and make work a lot easier, but not everyone can afford them. If you do not have the money to afford a computer, I highly recommend that you take out some extra money while you are taking out a loan to purchase a computer. This way, you'll be able to have a computer but you won't have to worry about paying it off until after you graduate. Even if it's a high-end computer, you'll be fine until you graduate. 

Computers also help because some students hand-writting are aboslutely terrible. Typing them makes more efficient for professors to read instead of taking time to analyze what the paper says. Plus it makes it more organized and practice for the business world. It is rare to find memos or reports written in the business world, (besides from personal one)... Everything is typed. 

When you computer crashes, you may be in some serious trouble. That is why it's a good choice to back up everything as you go. Loosing everything half way through a semester is terrible.... That's why safety and backups are always important. 

Essentially, computers are going to be around forever and as time goes on, they are going to become more sophisticated and everyone will have to keep up with the progressing technology, or they will be lost in the world.