Do Students Need a Laptop?

Through all stages of education, students use many different resources to allow them to learn more effectively. The resources that will allow them to learn most effectively are also age appropriate for these students. For example, colouring pencils and crayons in pre-school and thick, wordy textbooks in sixth form or college. While they’re not normally used in class, except sometimes at universities, laptops are still a resource that students can use to enhance their learning. Despite this, the debate on whether students really need them still remains.

In short, laptops are incredibly useful resources for all students. The question of whether a student needs a laptop will depend on the individual, their situation and what access they have to the right resources other than the laptop. Despite this, laptops are important for students to manage each part of their student lives. This can be from organising their revision timetables to writing up an essay and so much more.

Continue reading to learn more about laptops for students and what to look for in a laptop as a student. I recommend this article for any student looking to buy a laptop for themselves but unsure where to start.

Why do students need laptops?

A laptop is a great resource for students as it has many uses. Due to this, laptops can aid students in fulfilling a wide range tasks or assignments that may have been set for them that they need to complete as a part of ordinary student life.

While the need for a laptop will be slightly different among them, this can apply to students in Year 7 all the way up to students in university.

For some of the ways students use laptops, look at the following headings. You can also check out this article by Street Directory.

Students can use laptops to complete assignments

With a laptop, students can really make the most out of their student life, in whatever stage of education they’re at. One of the main things students at any stage can do with a laptop is to complete their homework or assignments.

There are several features on laptops or that can be downloaded onto laptops that make them great for doing homework or assignments. These include some kind of writing or note taking system, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, that can allow students to write up their work. This is especially if they’ve been set essays or need to do coursework.

When writing up essays or coursework, a student may also need to reference where they got information, which these systems often have templates of. Also, when doing homework or assignments, students may need to do some research. If their laptop has internet connection, it is a great resource for students to be able to find information.

Students can use laptops to stay organised

As a student, there is a lot to balance. From school assignments or homework to even getting up on time so you can get to your lessons or lectures. Due to all of this, it is important that as students we stay organised. Despite the fact that this can feel impossible at times.

There are many different systems on laptops that can help you to keep yourself organised. Companies like Microsoft and Google have made online products that are all about making you more productive.

As organisation is a big part of increasing productivity, the benefits these products can bring to students seem endless. From online calendar programmes to systems schools, colleges and universities can use to set work. It is clear to see how the age of technology has made organisation so much easier for students.

Why are laptops important for students?

Even if your school has resources such as computers, it is important to have a laptop that you can use at home. This is because you may need to do work outside of school. This is true for any stage of your education as you are often set homework even in primary school.

However, it is especially important for students in Year 7 upwards as you are expected to be more and more independent with your learning as you progress through school and even university. Due to this, at times, a laptop or home computer of some kind may be necessary in order for students to actually be able to stay on top of things, especially in the holidays.

Also, laptops are important resources for students to use as they can help to create a better balance between relaxation or leisure time and doing schoolwork. This is because without a laptop or computer of some kind, you will need to do researching with another device that has internet access, unless you plan to hit the books.

This makes you more likely to end up simply using your phone, if you have a smart phone.

Smart phones have many features that laptops have in terms of doing your work and staying organised. However, they also tend to have more features and apps that can be distracting. This in turn could decrease your productivity and make it harder to finish each task so using a laptop can be more beneficial.

What makes a good laptop for students?

As we’ve already established in this article, a laptop is a great resource for students to make the most out of their student lives. While we’ve talked about what the features of laptops can help a student to achieve, we haven’t properly explored what these features are.

Check out the following sections to learn more about certain features of laptops that are for essential students.

Does a student laptop need to have Microsoft?

The technology company, Microsoft, offers many programmes that are useful when using a computer or laptop. Arguably, the most important ones to know about are Microsoft Windows and Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Windows is a computer operating system. This means that it is essentially what makes the computer run by managing all of the computer’s processes, hardware and software. For more information about computer operating systems, check out this guide by GCF Global.

While Microsoft Windows is one of the most common ones, there are alternatives. These include MacOS or Linux but there are also several others, which you can find here in this article by TechRadar. This means that in terms of the computer operating system for your laptop, it isn’t entirely essential.

Although, please note that laptops normally come with a built-in operating system of either Microsoft Windows, MacOS or Chrome OS.

 These are all suitable for your student laptop, so it’s simply down to your personal preference. For more information about this, check out this article by Laptop Mag.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription service that Microsoft offers. This subscription service allows you to access the full version of Microsoft’s Office apps and more, such as Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive and Skype. To learn about other apps, you can get access to with this subscription, check out this guide by Microsoft.

With apps such as Word and Teams, Microsoft 365 is pretty high up in the list of student needs for a laptop. However, while a student will need access to these apps, they could use the online versions.

This means that it is not essential for them to get the subscription or for their student laptops to actually have these apps. To learn more about what Microsoft 365 is, look at this Microsoft guide.

How much storage does a student need in a laptop?

If you’re like me and don’t have very much experience with laptops, how much storage the laptop you get has will probably not be your first thought. Despite this, as a student, the amount of storage your laptop has is pretty important.

 This is because you may need to store things such as past assignments, such as essays, notes from your classes or lectures, revision materials, the Microsoft Word app or even music so that you can listen to your favourite tunes while working.

While the internet can give you ways to get around storing these downloads onto your laptop directly, having the storage on your laptop can simply be more convenient. Especially as it means that you won’t need an internet connection to actually access your downloads.

Nowadays, the average amount of storage most laptops have is about 256 GB. As a student, this should be a good amount to have as it should allow you to store everything you need to.

In fact, as the amount of storage you need will depend on how you use your laptop, you may not even need so much. For more information, check out this article from Techfident.

While it is unlikely that you will, if you need more storage, you could instead choose to use an external hard drive or even a memory stick. If you want to learn more about external hard drives for students, particularly those at university, look at this guide by Currys.

What price is good for a student to get a laptop?

While your first instinct may be to get one for the lowest price possible, it may actually be a better idea to get one that is a little more expensive. This is so that you can be assured of its quality and durability. After all, there’s no point spending so much money on your laptop and then having it breakdown less than a year later.

If you are having trouble with money, check out this article on Think Student to discover the best part time jobs for students.

However, you also don’t want to break the bank with your new laptop either. While it may not have as many fancy features, a mid-priced laptop is probably your best bet at getting a cheap but value laptop.

 In the end, the choice is yours and it is best to stick to whatever budget you initially set out to buy your laptop.

When buying, remember to search around for different offers by different sellers as they often sell the same things for different prices. Also, try to find any student discounts, sales or special offers that can get you better value on your purchase.

You may be able to find student discounts for laptops on websites, such as Student Beans or UniDays. Click on their respective links here and here to learn more.