I can't really recommend a brand of PC to buy, but as a college student, I found it really helpful to have a laptop my first couple of years. A lot of the dorms now have some sort of drawer or locker that actually locks with a key or combination, and I would always store my laptop in my one lockable dresser drawer. Laptops are great for taking to class if you get a professor who would make you fall behind in notes otherwise-if you are a relatively fast keyboarder, it is a heck of a lot easier to take notes this way. It is also convenient to take this along and work on a paper at the library or any other place you may need to-I'd often take mine home on the weekends and get a lot more work done otherwise. I have since gotten myself a desktop as well, since I needed more advanced programs to do some of the graphic design elements to my PR assignments, and other software I needed-but for the first couple of years when you are just taking basic requirements, I'd definitely recommend a laptop. Just be very careful to lock it up. Laptops AND Desktops are just about the #1 stolen item in the dorms around here.

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Though dreams can be deceiving, like faces are to hearts; they serve for sweet relieving when fantasy and reality lie too far apart.-Fiona Apple