Yes, I know, a little early to be talking about school checklists at the moment. I know High School students have just started their summer, but there’s some important information you should know for the following September.
This is meant to be a very general overview of items you should think about getting to prepare for school this September, you may not need everything on here. Some of these will be geared towards college students (I’m a college student) but it works either way. Hope this helps!
Also wanted to mention that this is going to be a little long, so save this page somewhere and use the table of contents to skip to the part you want to read first.
Electronics
- Laptop
- Gaming or regular
- Ipad
First off, let’s get the high price tag items out of the way first. Depending on if you’re continuing in High School/College, or just getting started, the electronics you may need will differ. *I also want to clarify that I am not at ALL a techy person, this is just my observation from 4 years of high school and 2 years of college so far*
If you’re just getting started in high school or still currently in high school, your current laptop or computer should do fine. Basic specs will work fine in high school, you likely won’t be doing anything too advanced yet. So strive for things like a good internet connection, mediocre storage and etc. You don’t have to go out and buy a mac or etc for high school.
I personally think, depending on your high school, that the most useful thing you can ever get before ending up in high school is a good phone. Most high schools have internet for you to use, and you can complete a lot of your work on the phone itself and then transfer it to a computer or laptop at home to finish and send in.
However, for those going into college or currently attending college. You should aim for specs you’ll need in your program, most programs where they require a laptop will give you specific minimum specifications. That is the bare minimum, but I would recommend investing a little bit of money to get a gaming laptop.
Their specs, while “basic” compared to other gaming models, will be more than enough to handle spotty internet, running multiple tabs and browsers, and keeping multiple software open. When I’m using my laptop for school, I end up with at least 7 tabs open, one of which would be Youtube for background noise. And two applications will be open somewhere on the laptop as well.
Not to mention, it’s also kind of the perfect excuse to get yourself a gaming laptop for the summer months. The only downside is that some gaming laptops can be heavy, and bulkier than a MacBook for example. Cost-wise, some basic MacBooks and gaming laptops will be around the same price unless one is on sale.
However, if you’re happy with your current laptop or computer, you could always save up and get yourself an iPad. They are small and easy to carry and can do a bit of what your laptop or desktop can. It can also act as a second screen (with more use in my opinion) if you prefer to work with a second screen, and for those with heavy laptops, you can just bring this to classes. Remember that Apple does offer Apple Education Pricing for students.
