Which tech do I need to survive online university?

A lot of people assume that starting university means you will need to fork out hundreds or even thousands on brand new tech. I am here to tell you this is not true.

Before coming to university, I did some research on which laptop would suit my needs and budget best. After some deliberation in Currys PC World, I came out with a HP Pavillion laptop. This cost me £420 (in the sale) and even came with a free printer. Two years later, this laptop still works well and I have had no issues. The Pavilion range also varies in price so if you’re after an even better model there are options for that too. I study Biological Sciences and have found that my laptop fulfills all my needs for completing university work. 

So, the only “tech” pieces I came to university with were my phone, my laptop and of course the free printer

A printer is something I don’t recommend. It takes up a lot of space and ink prices are extortionate. Printers are available all over campus and the cost of printing is very cheap (unless you accidentally print 40 pages in colour like I did). Further, some degree courses give you printing credits for free at the start of every year. I have been lucky enough to get £15 for the year and I haven’t managed to use this up. 

I appreciate that the above information is my personal opinion and will not suit everyone. A lot of people buy MacBooks for university, and this is also a great option, especially if you have an iPhone/iPad and want to have everything synced across your devices. However, if you are not an Apple fanatic and enjoy using Windows, it is not an ‘essential purchase’. A MacBook (or equivalent expensive Dell) was not in my budget. This hasn’t proved to be a problem. 

Another investment is a tablet/iPad. This is dependent on how you like to take notes/study, so I haven’t felt the need to buy a tablet whereas others can’t imagine doing work without one. 

Livs Vail discusses

Another useful feature is being able to download lecture slides and annotate them while still having a digital copy

“I have found a tablet really helpful if you want to take notes or do working out but don’t like doing so on paper. If you opt for this ensure you also buy the relevant stylus for the tablet. Notes are held in cloud storage and always accessible on the device. It means all your notes are in one place and not scattered across random scraps of paper and word documents. Another useful feature is being able to download lecture slides and annotate them whilst still having a digital copy. I found my word documents would never have quite enough information from the lecture slides, (and I didn’t check the slides on moodle again afterwards) whilst I would lose the paper handouts.”

Which apps are the best apps?

There are lots of apps you can use to make your life a little easier. I recommend Todoist as a digital to-do list. This helps me keep track of tasks; schedule reminders and keep to deadlines. 

One stands out above the rest: Notion

 Another good tool are note taking apps. One stands out above the rest: Notion. This is an all in one app for note-taking, making lists, managing projects and so much more. During lockdown I have been learning all about digital note-taking. First year is a great time to experiment with new apps and software as you have the time to work out what suits you.  Now that I am comfortable in Notion, I will only be making digital notes for the rest of my degree. In previous years, writing notes was not something I enjoyed because it was very time consuming and seemed a bit pointless. Using tools such as linking pages, embedding links, categorising notes will make it such an easier process. On top of all this, Notion keeps all the data safe and in one space so I will never lose sheets of paper like I did with physical notes. Most people tend to type faster than writing by hand so this technique is more efficient. 

My final bit of advice is to not fall into the trap of buying every gadget possible before you come to university. Think about what you would realistically need and don’t forget to do your research before you buy. I would say a laptop is an essential item but if you find the need for a tablet/printer/anything else, you can always purchase this at a later date.