What tech do students need for the first year, as told by graduates
With our partners Currys, we’ve been able to hear from two graduates and get the low down on their top tech tips for settling in to uni life.
A robust laptop
“The main thing you need for your first year at uni is a good laptop,” says Ben, who studied graphic design. “I thought I could just use the old laptop I’d had for years, but it couldn’t handle all my design software. Needless to say, it didn’t last the year.”
It doesn’t matter what you might be studying - you’ll need a laptop that’s powerful enough to handle everything you throw at it from work to play.
A lightweight laptop is also a good call, according to Jemma.
“I’d no idea how much I’d be carrying it around,” she explains. “I spent so much time going from lectures to the library and back, so I needed one light enough to chuck in my bag.”
Many laptops have solid state drives (SSDs), which means they can pack a lot of power and storage into a lightweight design. Plus, they boot up nice and quick – great for catching all the essentials in class.
Laptop accessories
There are certain things that’ll make life easier for any first-year student as they settle into uni life.
An external hard-drive will allow you to back up your most important projects, large and small, as well as store heaps of first-year photos – just like big, techy photo albums.
“One of the best things my dad bought me was my little printer,” says Jemma. “It was just a simple one because all I needed to print was essays, but it made all the difference not having to line up in the library right before a deadline.”
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but a home printer quite simply cuts the faff - whether they need to print, scan, photocopy or do all three. Plus, some can even be controlled by a smartphone.
Good-time gadgets
University is some of the best years of their life, so make sure it’s not all work and no play. Downtime can be loads more fun with the right tech.
“One of my roommates brought speakers, so we always had some kind of party going on at ours,” says Jemma. “It makes such a difference when the sound’s good – plus, you could control the music from your phone. So anyone that wanted could play DJ for the night."
For great sound to get the ultimate halls party started, send them off to uni with a Bluetooth wireless speaker.
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