Top Law Schools

Hey guys so I'm trying to decide to buy a windows or a mac for school. I saw on Duke's website that they prefer windows. I'm going to Northwestern but they don't say anything on the site about which is best. I read in Law School Confidential that most clerkships and big law firms require windows...is this true?

Thanks for the advice!

Also at NU! I was 100% windows all the way for so long and refused to use Macs. Finally bought an Air and it is by far the best computer I have ever owned. It's just phenomenal especially with the battery life.

I can't comment on clerkships etc., but Mac >> Windows 100%

not sure why your personal computer would matter for what judges or big law firms use; my office uses windows, but I personally have a mac. Both are simple to use

In all honesty, it depends on your application. Are you wanting to purchase a tablet, laptop or desktop?

Ultimately, it's just a matter of what you prefer and what you're comfortable with. Unless you are planning to moonlight as a graphic designer, in which case, you'd want a Mac, it really doesn't matter.

If you need help deciding which machines offer the greatest functionality/value, I would be happy to help you. I'm not sure what you're financial situation is, but keep in mind Macs will generally cost more than a Windows machine with similar specifications.

Good luck and congrats on Northwestern. I checked out Northwestern and UChicago campuses last weekend. I enjoyed the Chicago campus more, but Hyde Park is entirely surrounded by ghetto neighborhoods so finding a place to live becomes much more difficult. Not sure where you're from, but I'm from the West coast so that Chicago weather would be hard adapt to. It's almost April and it showed twice while I was out there.

Linux.

<--huge fan

Now that you can get OneNote on Mac, I see no downsides to my MacBook Air. I hated lugging my heavy Dell around in undergrad.

Mac (or Linux), especially considering Windows 8 is probably the worse OS I've ever seen.

Since Mac uses Intel processors, you can partition your hard drive so you have both Mac and Windows (7) installed (or get a virtual machine, though that doesn't quite work as good). If you find something that doesn't work on the Mac OS, you can just switch over to Windows (I've encountered very few programs that require me to switch over).

The only downside is that Macs are $$. You're going to spend $1000 minimum.

politics89 wrote:Now that you can get OneNote on Mac, I see no downsides to my MacBook Air. I hated lugging my heavy Dell around in undergrad.

This. I've used both a Dell and a Mac during LS and I agree with those who say it's just a matter of personal preference. That said, the Air I have now is just about perfect (the weight actually makes a big difference, to me.)

This has been debated endlessly in over eleventy-billion threads. It doesn't matter one bit, get whatever you want.

BigBlackTruck wrote:Mac (or Linux), especially considering Windows 8 is probably the worse OS I've ever seen.

Since Mac uses Intel processors, you can partition your hard drive so you have both Mac and Windows (7) installed (or get a virtual machine, though that doesn't quite work as good). If you find something that doesn't work on the Mac OS, you can just switch over to Windows (I've encountered very few programs that require me to switch over).

The only downside is that Macs are $$. You're going to spend $1000 minimum.

You can still just install 7 yourself even if the new laptop comes with 8. And I've found 7 runs even smoother than most linux distros on low-end PCs - when teh gf is borrowing the normal laptop or I just don't feel like carrying, I use an old eeePC with 7 on it. The eeePC was barely tolerable with mint/kubuntu/fedora. The only distro that ran as smoothly as 7 was slack, but then you have to actually use slack.

I get that a lot of people have a personal preference for mac OS, but I have a hard time recommending people pay 2x-3x as much for similar hardware. You can get a really solid windows laptop for $300-500 these days if you watch the deal sites.

I conceded that Macs are expensive, but they aren't 2x-3x as much for computers with similar hardware.

This is just a quick look, but looking at Macbook Air vs similar competitors (which have similar hardware), they are all similarly priced: http://blog.laptopmag.com/apple-macbook ... ompetition

This isn't to say you can't get a solid Windows laptop for $300-500, especially for the purposes of law school. They most likely won't have things such as SSDs, will have less battery life, etc. Whether a law student thinks they need these things is personal preference.

beepboopbeep wrote: I get that a lot of people have a personal preference for mac OS, but I have a hard time recommending people pay 2x-3x as much for similar hardware. You can get a really solid windows laptop for $300-500 these days if you watch the deal sites.

This. You're paying a lot for the Mac brand -- like a thousand dollars. Mac OS is a generic, locked-down linux distro with very pretty UI. Battery life may be good, sure, but buying a second battery for your Lenovo and saving 700 bucks is pry a better option.

That said, OP, if you don't buy a mac like all of your classmates, they will think you're not a very creative or unique individual. PC owners tend to be pretty generic conformists. The Mac vs. PC debate once came up in a class of mine, and a very bright sorority girl aptly pointed out that "PC users tend to be very bad with technology" compared to Mac users. So if you type with your index fingers and need to put the light on in the plane so you can type, make sure to get a PC.

lenovo>*

i like how everyone ITT is comparing a $1300 to some garbage $400 dell that weighs 30 lbs. my thinkpad weighs less than an air and was half the price.

patogordo wrote:i like how everyone ITT is comparing a $1300 to some garbage $400 dell that weighs 30 lbs. my thinkpad weighs less than an air and was half the price.

I like the thinkpad a lot. It's what my office uses and it's great.
My Dell is actually an Alienware that I bought more for gaming than for practical purposes (and yes, I know it's kind of junky and lots of people will mock me, but I love it anyway. )

Will_McAvoy wrote:"PC users tend to be very bad with technology" compared to Mac users.

I would strongly disagree. My undergrad is in electrical & computer engineering at a decent (top 50) university. The majority of the computers in our labs were split between Windows and Linux with a very small section for Apple users.

Mauve.Dino wrote:Linux

I originally was going to recommended this but decided it may be a little beyond OPs scope. Also, Linux has it's downsides (such as not being able to watch Netflix without jumping through a bunch of hoops/lack of support for video games) and I don't know how much time OP wants to invest in making his machine functional.

As most of us have said, it comes down to what you are comfortable with and what you can afford. If cost I'd something you must consider, look into Acers. They have really good value and are considered one of the top brands.

Ok well I know I'm going to need to watch Netflix so I guess I'll go with a Mac Pro (which I have now but it's 5yrs old). I hate windows 8 and have to use it everyday at work so if a PC isn't necessary then Mac all the way.

James H. wrote:

Will_McAvoy wrote:"PC users tend to be very bad with technology" compared to Mac users.

I would strongly disagree. My undergrad is in electrical & computer engineering at a decent (top 50) university. The majority of the computers in our labs were split between Windows and Linux with a very small section for Apple users.

Mauve.Dino wrote:Linux

I originally was going to recommended this but decided it may be a little beyond OPs scope. Also, Linux has it's downsides (such as not being able to watch Netflix without jumping through a bunch of hoops/lack of support for video games) and I don't know how much time OP wants to invest in making his machine functional.

As most of us have said, it comes down to what you are comfortable with and what you can afford. If cost I'd something you must consider, look into Acers. They have really good value and are considered one of the top brands.

James H. wrote:

Will_McAvoy wrote:"PC users tend to be very bad with technology" compared to Mac users.

I would strongly disagree. My undergrad is in electrical & computer engineering at a decent (top 50) university. The majority of the computers in our labs were split between Windows and Linux with a very small section for Apple users.

I didn't say that, I was quoting some stupidhead. As a long-time Ubuntu user who went to a top 50 university that also had computer labs and a computer science program, I would also strongly disagree with the statement.

Further, I would argue that -- if you are limiting the population to millenials, and limiting experiences to my own -- Mac users tend to be pretty helpless with technology compared to PC-ers.

BigBlackTruck wrote:I conceded that Macs are expensive, but they aren't 2x-3x as much for computers with similar hardware.

This is just a quick look, but looking at Macbook Air vs similar competitors (which have similar hardware), they are all similarly priced: http://blog.laptopmag.com/apple-macbook ... ompetition

This isn't to say you can't get a solid Windows laptop for $300-500, especially for the purposes of law school. They most likely won't have things such as SSDs, will have less battery life, etc. Whether a law student thinks they need these things is personal preference.

I totally agree with you. I have been a diehard PC fan my whole life because Macs have always been more expensive for no reason. I might end up getting a Macbook Air for LS because it is actually cheaper than the alternatives with similar hardware. For me, it will all depend on whether a macbook air or Dell XPS13 is cheaper in August.

it's misleading to compare sticker prices b/c macs are never on sale whereas you can get a thinkpad for like 60% off if you stack coupon codes.

Apple machines can run Windows, so the thread title is misleading.

d cooper wrote:Apple machines can run Windows, so the thread title is misleading.

only if you're a pedantic law student oh wait

Hackintosh. Problem solved.

Wow. Shockingly, this thread turned into everyone giving their personal preference and arguing over how much more a Mac costs, with random weirdos suggesting Linux or other OS's that law schools won't support.

Like every other goddamn thread on this stupid topic.

kalvano wrote:Wow. Shockingly, this thread turned into everyone giving their personal preference and arguing over how much more a Mac costs, with random weirdos suggesting Linux or other OS's that law schools won't support.

Like every other goddamn thread on this stupid topic.

kalvano wrote:This has been debated endlessly in over eleventy-billion threads. It doesn't matter one bit, get whatever you want.