College Students: What is the most practical screen size?

Question

I am a 12th grader this year and about to apply for college soon. I understand that a laptop is a not a requirement but more a luxury. I was wondering what is the best screen size for college? I plan to use it as my main computer but am unsure if I will bring it to class for notes.Please tell me if this is practical. I will be living off campus so space does not matter. I prefer larger screen sizes (I am current running on a 20 inch), so nothing less than 14".

Answer 1

Sounds like you would want to look into a 17" screen size.  15.5" is the normal size for a laptop screen.

Answer 2

As a college student, I was once in your shoes.  I used to use a 22" flat LCD monitor before going to college.  When I left I got a 17" laptop.  At first I figured, I wouldn't have to carry it around often and I really didn't plan to, but I found myself meeting up with friends who wanted to hang out, do homework together, and play games (BF2, WoW, Unreal)... eventually the large laptop become impractical to use. Size and weight were the too largest issues I had with it at the time.  The laptop is so bulky that I hate lugging it around campus.

It's been 3 years, and I highly regret purchasing a 17" laptop.  Recently, I bought a 15.4" Dell XPS 1530 and do not regret the decision to go smaller.  It fits conveniently into my normal bag and is easy to carry with one hand without fearing I'm going to drop it.  Granted, laptops have become much lighter than they used to be that doesn't make them any less bulky.  My serious recommendation is go with a 15.4" laptop if you ever plan to take it outside your dorm otherwise it'll be a complete incovenience.

Here's my recommendation, if you really what the large screen experience at your dorm... buy a smaller screened laptop that is still managable for everything you need while on the run, but buy a larger monitor for your room.  It'll cost about $200-$300 for the larger monitor (assuming your current monitor wouldn't work).