In the past several years, a laptop for law school has become less a luxury and more a must-have. In law schools across the country, students are using laptops to do everything from taking notes to studying in the library to taking exams.
Here is list of things you should consider before you buy a laptop for law school:
Law school laptop requirements.
Laptops through your law school.
Many schools offer laptops through their own stores, but don’t automatically assume that's where you'll get the best price or the one that's best for your needs; some schools do, though, offer to increase financial aid packages in you purchase through their store. Accordingly, be sure to consider all costs when buying a laptop for law school.
Weight of the laptop.
If you plan on using your laptop in class, remember you'll be carrying it around every day along with many heavy books. Try to buy a laptop that is as lightweight as possible for your needs, but as thinner laptops can cost considerably more, be sure to balance cost as well, i.e., carrying around an extra half pound may be preferable to spending an extra $500.
Screen size.
Keeping in mind the weight, also consider that you'll be looking at your laptop a lot over the next three years, so a tiny screen probably isn't to your advantage. Try to find a happy middle ground between the size of screen you want and the weight you're willing and able to lug around.
Remember memory.
Most computers come with at least 512MB of RAM, which should be plenty for you during law school. That said, if you can afford to go up to 1GB, your computer will run faster, and you won't have to worry about increasing the memory over the next three years.
Hard drive space.
You'll want at least 40GB for law school, but if you also plan on storing music, games, or other entertainment as well, think about going higher.
Three-year warranty.
Get a three-year warranty for your laptop so if something goes wrong during law school, you won't have the added stress of having to pay for repairs.
Extras.
Don’t buy software without checking with your school's store. You can often get computer software at a large discount as a student. Also, consider getting an external hard drive and/or USB drive to backup your work, and even an extra battery.
