07-18-2004, 10:43 PM
I don't know how the college/university admission system works in the US, but I doubt that someone would get away with that here - conditional offers tend to revolve around exam results, not ownership of a laptop.
If laptops are required, one might assume they will actually be used in the classrooms, in which case it would probably be a good idea to fulfill the requirement. There isn't much use in getting admission through a lawsuit and then not being able to complete your course work :) A cheap laptop costs about the same as a year's worth of textbooks, maybe less. Tuition for a year could cost... I don't even know these days, maybe 20-50 times as much as a cheap laptop at some private colleges. It's not a drop in the bucket, but only a few more payments on your 10 year student loans.
Personally though, I would try to get an idea of the most extensive things the laptop will be used for in class/lab, and determine whether I can get something cheap to do the trick. I'd rather get the cheapest thing I can and use it for course work only, and upgrade my desktop system for gaming, than get a tricked out laptop that can do everything. It depends on the situation, though.
If laptops are required, one might assume they will actually be used in the classrooms, in which case it would probably be a good idea to fulfill the requirement. There isn't much use in getting admission through a lawsuit and then not being able to complete your course work :) A cheap laptop costs about the same as a year's worth of textbooks, maybe less. Tuition for a year could cost... I don't even know these days, maybe 20-50 times as much as a cheap laptop at some private colleges. It's not a drop in the bucket, but only a few more payments on your 10 year student loans.
Personally though, I would try to get an idea of the most extensive things the laptop will be used for in class/lab, and determine whether I can get something cheap to do the trick. I'd rather get the cheapest thing I can and use it for course work only, and upgrade my desktop system for gaming, than get a tricked out laptop that can do everything. It depends on the situation, though.