Answered by geek_girl
Definitely see what the norm is in your field on the PC/Mac issue. . . I know it'd suck to have a Mac in my field because they don't run half of the programs we use. Or else, just go with whichever you're more comfortable using. It may not make a huge difference for your degree, and then I'd go with something PC if it were me. . . I've had so much better luck with them over the long term, and how things work on Macs just annoys me. I'd try to get a fairly decent one to start with if you can afford it, or else it's going to get very slow and annoying to work with by the time you're ready to get a new one. I think most now have built-in wireless cards, but you definitely want one of those if not. Most normal campuses seem to have extensive wireless networks, at least in major parts of campus where lots of people are. Only you can decide on the size/weight issue, but you probably should think about this a bit before you go shopping. Do you plan on carrying it around with you most of the time, or is it going to be more like a portable desktop to you and stay at home a lot? I've always gone the big route since I don't generally take mine to class or even between my office and home more than a few times a week. . . but friends who do take theirs with them a lot say that the light, tiny ones are well worth their negative aspects for how they use them.