[jlfspook]

Hey guys,

I will be going to law school this September, specifically the Univ. of Chicago Law School.

Do any of you know how easy it is to interface with all you need for such an institution with a Mac? I have had a 17" Powerbook for about 2 years and I don't want to give it up for a PC.

Any suggestions, ideas, comments?

Thanks!

[Randman]

There was a thread a few months ago about this. Try searching for it?

[jlfspook]

I remember seeing one. I used the search engine but I couldn't find it. Sorry.

[Webscreamer]

You're gonna be 3 blocks away from me

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by jlfspook:
I have had a 17" Powerbook for about 2 years and I don't want to give it up for a PC.

Any suggestions, ideas, comments?

Lose the 17" PB for a 12"
You have no idea how much weight you will have to carry in books as it is on a regular basis. There's no need for a laptop that big.
And the thread about this topic is there. In fact I think there are 3 of them so search again.

[OldManMac]

http://macattorney.com/

[jlfspook]

I found the threads. I didn't know MacNN's search tool allowed for Boolean Operators. Use "Macs and Law and School" for future reference.

Webscreamer: Do you go to school there? How is the parking situation? The admissions office hasn't been very forthcoming with information. Where would you suggest to live? My girlfriend knows Chicago very well (we're moving from DC) and doesn't want to live in Hyde Park b/c it is in the South Side.

Cpt. Obvious: I know. 17" seems like overkill. I wanted the 15" originally, but when I was ready to switch, the only Powerbooks available were the 12" and 17". The 15" was still in its Titanium incarnation. Would a 15" work? I was thinking of just getting a refurbed iBook with an AirportExtreme card for taking notes and doing exams and then just keeping my 17" for when I'm at home/library writting papers.

How much can I get for a Rev A 17" with 1G RAM? It's around 2 years old. I've never sold a computer, as PCs depreciate way too much to be worth anything after you're done with them.

I've written to several students and all have mentioned that a large portion of the class has Apples, as such, it shouldn't be a problem. Their tech people are apparently Mac-friendly.

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by jlfspook:
How much can I get for a Rev A 17" with 1G RAM? It's around 2 years old. I've never sold a computer, as PCs depreciate way too much to be worth anything after you're done with them.

I did a quick search on eBay. Looks like you could get $1500 for it easy, maybe even $2000. It really depends on how bad someone wants it. I sold my old 15" PowerBook for $2200.

[jnrjr79]

I'm graduating on the other side of town from Loyola's law school this spring. I have used a 12'' iBook throughout the whole time I've been there, and I've never had an issue. I see more and more Macs popping up over the last few years, which is nice. I've messed around on a 17'' Powerbook before, and I know it would be a little tough to fit that plus the couple of books you'll need to have in front of you on the available desk space, at least the way our classrooms are set up. I have seen people with the 15'', and you can definitely get away with it. If you can tolerate the smaller screen, though, I find the 12'' size is great. It's lighter, which you will come to greatly appreciate considering how much you'll be carrying around every day. Case books aren't light, so any reduction in weight is nice. Plus, it takes up less physical space in your bag.

The other recommendation I'd have is to buy Microsoft Office, unfortunately. I have found a lot that some professors want you to email them things in Word format. Also, I'm required to use Word for work I do on a law review I'm on. If I didn't have it on the Mac, I'd have to go do the work in the computer lab on some crappy PC. No thanks.

Anyway, I'd just say that after a long hiatus from Apple, I switched back just before starting law school, and it's been one of the better decisions I've made.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by jlfspook:


Webscreamer: Do you go to school there? How is the parking situation? The admissions office hasn't been very forthcoming with information. Where would you suggest to live? My girlfriend knows Chicago very well (we're moving from DC) and doesn't want to live in Hyde Park b/c it is in the South Side.

Cpt. Obvious: I know. 17" seems like overkill. I wanted the 15" originally, but when I was ready to switch, the only Powerbooks available were the 12" and 17". The 15" was still in its Titanium incarnation. Would a 15" work? I was thinking of just getting a refurbed iBook with an AirportExtreme card for taking notes and doing exams and then just keeping my 17" for when I'm at home/library writting papers.

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...de#post2089572


Parking is there but during school hours you are better off taking public transportation.
If you have the money live in the Gold Coast. I am two blocks from the Loyola and NU law libraries and all the Chicago law schools offer a reciprocity program that allow their students to use other school's libraries.
If you have slightly less money but are not broke live in Lincoln Park or Lakeview.
If you have less money than that live in Bucktown, Wicker Park (blah), or Wrigleyville.

After those options are exhausted you are down to mostly family oriented neighborhoods with not much of a social life, that is if you have time for one. Downtown, or more specifically the south Loop where Web lives is nice but duller than all hell. At 7pm everything pretty much shuts down once the after-work crowd goes home.

You don't need much processor power in a laptop for law school. An iBook would suffice if it came down to that. I would not have taken any laptop larger than 12" to class because of the bulk but some people did.
Maybe you are one of those people who is OK doing that.