If you have a student off to college check CNET’s excellent list of the top 50 universities and the technology they support:

• CNET’s Back to School Guide

Always check with the college before buying a computer for a new freshman. Many colleges offer deals on computers, and the bursar should be able to tell you what kinds of features a computer should have. Things to consider:

• What kind of networking does the college support? Ethernet? Wi-Fi?
• Do the dorms have printers? If so your freshman won’t need to bring one.
• Mac or PC? Some schools have preferences.
• How do professors like material handed in? Printed, floppy, CD, DVD?
• Make sure to include good speakers and the PC doubles as a stereo
• A DVD player makes it a full entertainment system
• Is the laptop going to be moved a lot? If not, you can save money on a laptop that is a little bit heavier.
• Try the laptop first! Its annoying if you buy a laptop then you find out that you hate the keyboard and/or pointing device
• You might want to invest in a carrying case to protect the laptop and to help transport it easier.

If you’re sending a laptop to college, make sure to include a lock. All laptops have Kensington-style lock ports. A Kensington lock isn’t going to stop a determined thief but it will protect the laptop from the casual ripoff artist. (By the way many companies make these - Kensington just came up with the idea.) Make sure your student gets in the habit of locking the laptop whenever he or she isn’t present. Note: The Kensington lock is easy to bypass and unlock without the key and without damaging the lock at all.

Justin Wallace writes:
Another tip: Keep your startup programs to a minimum. Remember, you can always launch them again when your OS boots up - there’s really no need to have all those background processes launching on first boot, it’s just slow and painful!

LunaHa1o adds:
The above stated suggestions are very good to take into consideration. Some things to remember though is that if the IT department at the particular university is doing a correct and up-to-date job most hardware and software should be supported (Mac, Linux, Windows). It is quite rare to find a college IT department that tells you not to bring a mac. They might say that some of the software that is distributed to students (MS Office, etc) will only work on PC, though, then again they should have Mac alternatives albeit at a surcharge perhaps for you to use.

Another thing about locking up your laptop. To be even more clear… this should be done at all times the laptop is not being transported (even if its in your dorm room on your desk). Many laptops of friends of mine have gotten stolen right from their rooms. Some instances even report laptops being stolen right from the person as they are using them in the library or similar place. If you are not carrying your laptop it should be locked up. Protect such an investment. Kensington is a reputable company though most of the low end products will not hold up against a pair of wire cutters / chain cutters. I guess if you should happen to see someone in the library with a giant pair of chain cutters… you have more to worry about.

Laptops are great for a college student. Just remember that continuous typing on small keyboards gets a little tiresome at times. It is a good idea to buy not only a seperate keyboard and mouse but also an external monitor. The keyboard and mouse should cost no more than $60–70 and the monitor no more than $200. Those prices can buy some great products. This will give you the comfort of a desktop with the portability of a laptop. Below are my recomendations.

Great Performance - Wallet Friendly (ie. college students :-P)

• Logitech MX Duo Keyboard and Mouse
• Viewsonic E70F+SB 17.0″ CRT Monitor There is also a 19.0″ version as well

The Best (for college) - “Cash Intensive”

• Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Keyboard and Mouse
• BenQ 17″ LCD Monitor street price $429

RHNet writes:
Think of the software you are going to need. The school might provide thing’s like Office but check to see if you have to buy it. There are school discounts and student discounts for software so be sure to check that out. Full office is quite expensive if Acess is required.
RHNet

Bigshsa Naratorazine writes:
If you can’t afford Microsoft Office 2003 then use Open Office 1.9.0 Beta. It is free and it is very good. It has all the same functions as Office and more. It can create websites which would be good for collage students that want to collaberate with there friends. And also note to install a Anti-Virus and Anti-spyware programs because some people on the campus network can be hackers and hack your computer and they could also put spyware and viruses on your computer. It is also important to install a firewall on your computer because of the possible hackers on the network that has a easy ticket to your computer.