This is from 2 of the schools I am really interested in- Not sure it it helps much. It is all a foreign language to me

Technology Overview | Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Since dad lives down there already or online
The Online Nursing Experience Frequently Asked Questions | Nursing@Georgetown

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

From what I see, pretty much any new laptop computer will work fine. If you will be taking your classes online, it is important you have a fast Internet connection.

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Dave

Macbook! Love love love our Macs in this house. We have 3 of them. Hubby has an HP and he's ALWAYS cursing and swearing about it being slow and freezing etc. I got mine second hand on eBay for $700. it was about a year old when I got it. I would NEVER go back to a Windows system.

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Liberty - 10 months




Kim - Mommy to fur-baby Liberty and 2 human daughters 12 and 14 years old

I forgot to mention, stay away from Toshiba. My last laptop was Toshiba and they are KNOWN for having a cheap power connector. I don't know what the terminology is, but the part where you plug it in to charge. I bumped mine and it was screwed after that. Apparently they aren't welded on or something inside, so if you bump them, you can't charge it anymore at all. That is when I switched to a Macbook. I got mine on eBay, second hand. Did a lot of research. Made sure I only looked at experienced sellers with a lot of excellent feedback. I paid $700 for it about 2 years ago and I've had NO issues with it at all. You could probably also look on Craigslist or Kijiji. Mine still had some warranty on it when I bought it!

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Liberty - 10 months




Kim - Mommy to fur-baby Liberty and 2 human daughters 12 and 14 years old

Bumping up

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

As far as the word processor discussion goes, you can get a free word processor at:

Apache OpenOffice - The Free and Open Productivity Suite

It's a completely legal and legit piece of open-source software (Not pirated or anything). The only drawback is that it isn't Microsoft Word, so it looks a little different and doesn't have all the same features, but you can click "Save as" and save in .doc format (Same format as Microsoft Word) if you want.

If you're just writing papers and stuff, it might do the trick. Open Office is my only word processor and I'm happy enough with it. Of course, I have very little need for a word processor, so it doesn't get used much. As a student, your needs might be intense enough that you need more, and I think if you try to do anything too fancy and then save in Word format, there is a chance that it might read a little managled at the other end for someone using Microsoft Word to read it. I've never had an issue with it in terms of saving and sending documents, though. Once someone sent me something they typed in Microsoft Word (I think) and all the paragraph breaks weren't there for some reason when I opened it, but every other time someone sent me something, it displayed fine.

Just a thought if you're trying to save a little cash. You could always try Open Office and then if you find that you're having issues with it, go out and buy Microsoft Word later (And since OO is free, you aren't out any money if you decide to uninstall it). And if you find OO suits your needs perfectly and all is well, no need to spend any money at all! I find the fees Microsoft tries to charge for MS Office and MS Word a little ridiculous, myself, but that's just my personal opinion and if it turns out that's the only thing that'll meet your needs, then I guess you'll have to bite the bullet and pay their asking price, but it doesn't necessarily need to be the first thing you try.

What kind of laptop are you looking for? Do you want a bigger screen, say a 15 inch? Or do you want something lighter, and more portable, with a 13 inch screen? Do you want Windows or Mac? Mac would probably be more than $800, but offers some advantages, especially if you use an iPad. Do you need a printer? Is the printer included in your budget? Do you want to buy online, or go to a store, such as Best Buy or the Apple store? Would you rather buy from Amazon?

Just trying to narrow things down a little.

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Dave

I am not "crunched for cash". I just don't need the bells and whistles . I am a low tech kind of person. I don't text message for example and for my age group 20-somethings this is practically unheard of. I am not tied to technology in my daily life other than my DVR which I can't and won't live without. I don't have Internet right now but borrow WiFi from others . When and if I do start school again I will get the Internet and then drop it the day I finish! I just don't think I should need to spend $1,000+ to get a decent computer. I do plan to wait for a sale/deal!

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

I am really not that picky. I don't need bells and whistles.

Screen size doesn't matter or weight.

I have never used Mac before so I guess Windows is preferred.

I will buy a cheap printer- It just needs to print papers. If I need to print something fancy I have friend who will let me use their printers.

I would have to play with them in person but would purchase from whoever will get me the best deal. I have had much cheaper online deal price matched with actual stores like PC Richards before!

I hope this helps.

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

Consider getting a warranty for the laptop since you will be in school - it's the only appliance warranty we buy. Just be sure it covers droppage and water damage. In the event mine has problems, I get a loaner overnighted to me.