A requirement of just about every MBA program is that every student needs to have a laptop. Laptops are required for everything that we do and it would be impossible to complete our program without one. In following the previous post, our laptops are a key part to our communication ability for all school related things.
In-Classroom Use
We use our laptops to follow PowerPoints, take notes, and run spreadsheets. Some classes (stats, strategy, finance, IT, etc) even require us to purchase computer programs that we run in class on our laptops. While a few “old school” professors still maintain “no laptop” policies, they are in the minority. Laptops have revolutionized the classroom due to the ease of looking up relevant data. For example, if a professor mentions a company you haven’t heard of... just Google it to find out the company basics and its financial performance.
Group Project Use
Every group project we do (which is many) involves everyone sitting down in front of their laptops discussing issues and researching their respective parts. Sending emails containing word documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint slides happen constantly. Some group meetings can require sending/receiving 15+ emails around the group.
Personal Use
I have found the more I use my laptop for work related things, the more I use it for personal reasons as well. Whether it is catching up on the NFL, Skype video chatting with my girlfriend in Madrid or watching the latest Netflix movie online... I am always on my computer. If I am not at the gym, asleep, showering, driving or with friends... it is a fair bet that my computer isn’t too far away.
A Mission Critical Piece
In the MBA program, there are lots of things you could do without if you really had to. You could (and sometimes do) go without sleep some days. You could go without eating a whole lot some days. You could (shouldn’t, but could) go without buying all of the required books. You could not attend any school related events (again, not recommended). You could try to get by living far from campus. This list is a list that could go on for awhile. One thing that will NEVER be on this list is getting by without a computer. As students (especially me) we are incredibly dependent on our laptops. With this in mind, the idea of having my laptop crash or get stolen/broken would be a major disruption to my everyday life. Here are some pieces of laptop advice:
Advice #1: GET A GOOD ONE!!
With your laptop being such a vital piece of your MBA life, how someone could think that saving a couple hundred dollars could possibly be worth the risk of poor laptop performance is beyond me. Our program (both faculty and students) don’t accept any form of technology excuses. If I didn’t check my email for more than 48 hours, that could be a bad thing. If I didn’t have a laptop to bring to class for an in-class exercise, the professor would not be overly sympathetic. Having a laptop alone is not enough. Having a high quality, reliable laptop is the real requirement.
Anyone who knows me, knew this paragraph would be in here. This is my single paragraph highlighting my support of Apple technology. Yes, I am a Mac person. Being that I am a Mac person, I am biased towards their technology. Before I started my MBA program, I knew that I needed a high quality laptop. Apple is the number one selling laptop for college students in America and Consumer Reports ranked Apple’s 15 and 17 inch Mac Book Pros as the best laptops on the market. I invested about $2,500 in my 15 inch Mac Book Pro before I started my program. I say “invested” because after almost two full years of constant, hard daily use it continues to function the same as the day I bought it. I know some Mac users who use their Mac laptops for 10+ years. It is fast, reliable, compatible and easy to use. I absolutely love everything about my Mac. Apple’s sales growth, expanding market share and incredibly vocal user group are a clear indicator of their superior technology.
Advice #2: Be At Least “Good” With Technology
The MBA experience is one that requires a student to be “good” with technology. This means keeping your technology operating, being a whiz at Word, creating impressive PowerPoints, easily navigating the Internet for research, using Web 2.0, creating powerful spreadsheets, using video chat, using various media forms (audio, video, etc), organizing tremendous amounts of files on your computer for quick access, etc. If you were able to do the entire list above comfortably and quickly, your computer skills would be considered average for an MBA program. The students with “Great” computer skills are doing many of the same things, but doing them much quicker utilizing keyboard shortcuts and small tricks only experienced users know.
Advice #3: Have a Plan B and Backup
Since we are so reliant on our technology, it is important that students plan for the possibility of our technology fail. The first part of this preparation is having money set aside that could be used to purchase a backup computer if needed. Hopefully this wouldn’t ever be needed, but if my computer was stolen/lost I would need a replacement ASAP. The second part involves backing up your files on a weekly basis. If my computer died, I would need/want all of the files on my computer.
Conclusion
In summary, your laptop is vital to everything MBA related. Pick a good computer, become a “good” computer user if you’re not and have a backup plan. This aspect of a MBA program will continue to become more important as technology is used to an even greater extent than it is now.
