There are lots of things you need to bring with you when you come to college: bedding, books, clothing, office supplies and of course a computer. And since your parents are shelling out 160K for your tuition, room and board (provided you graduate in four years) you might as well add a measly thousand dollars to that total and make them splurge on some other necessary gadgets to assist in your educational well-being.
The Apple iPod
One gadget students should not live without is the Apple iPod or a similar MP3 player. These are especially necessary when walking around campus trying to avoid people, taking the shuttle around and working down in the library.
The iPod mini sells for $249, holds 4 GB and comes in five metallic colors which attract teeny-boppers and a great percentage of Americans, considering that the iPod mini has been backordered for several months.
The makers of the iPod just came out with a new generation iPod that has a new click-wheel mouse and some other upgrades. The smaller 20 GB version is sufficient for anyone with 5,000 songs or less and sells for $299, $100 less than it sold for if you bought it at the beginning of the summer.
The 40 GB version holds up to
10,000 songs and can be used as an external hard drive if yours ever crashes or you forgot to bring a disk.
Additionally, Apple gives college students 10 percent discounts on all of their products if you buy them in the Apple stores which are located across the country.
They don't advertise this fact too often since most store employees work on commission.
Apple also sells many iPods and iPod accessories refurbished. This means they have been returned for one reason or another, but checked out by Apple technicians and are thus being sold for a fraction of the original price. If the iPod price tag is too steep for your blood, check out the refurbished section of the store for great bargains that actually work.
The one great flaw with the iPod is its short battery life. Apple claims the battery life on the mini is eight hours while the battery life on the 20 and 40 GB is 12 hours.
From experience, I haven't seen the iPod battery last longer than six hours. Additionally, when the battery fully dies it can often be more economical to buy a new iPod rather than replace the battery.
USB Flash Drive
The size of your index finger and with enough space to store your largest lab reports, the USB Flash Drive is a worthwhile investment. Also known as pen drives, jump drives, key drives or memory sticks these portable storage devices don't need to be charged, plugged in or have any special appendages read by your computer.
They just need to be plugged into the USB port of any computer and they appear as a new drive on the desktop.
There are many on the market, and it can be difficult to tell which one to buy.
The newest version, the USB 2.0 comes in three different speeds, low (1.5 Mbps), full (12 Mbps) and hi (480 Mbps). As a rule, when comparing memory size and prices make sure you see the logo USB 2.0 hi-speed on the packaging, as the others won't necessarily be the fastest speed even if they say USB 2.0.
Digital Camera
Having pictures of your friends from your college days is important, especially when you're out of school, single, penniless and want to reminisce about the wonderful time you had here at Hopkins.
There are so many types of digital cameras on the market that it becomes overwhelming to figure out which one to buy. One of the best and most expensive on the market is the Nikon D100. With 6.1 megapixels and shutter speeds up to 1/4000 second, it's great for pros and easy enough for beginners to figure out how to use.
There are many other necessary gadgets, such as cell phones, but those go without saying. Just remember before you buy to look into each product, read reviews and make sure you have all the external power cords, battery packs and memory chips that make the electronics so convenient to use.
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