Choosing the right tech for college or university
Beginning college or university can be a daunting transition for any student. It’s an exciting and life-changing time full of new experiences, but it also comes with some important decisions for parents.
As a parent, you want the best for your child’s future, but also, if you are like me, you don’t want to buy things they don’t need either!
With so many different types of gadgets, choosing the best ones can be overwhelming! Technology changes so quickly that I wouldn’t blame you for not being up-to-date on it all.
Our experience of choosing tech for Ben
Regular readers will know Ben is autistic and attends a special needs college. He is currently studying media as well as preparing to start a supported internship.
His college and possibly university student life is likely to be different from the average teenager in many ways, but choosing technology will be similar.
Choosing tech for college or university – 5 key things to consider
Before you start to consider tech for college or university here are five key things you need to consider.
- The course they are studying.
- Any specifications required by the college or university in the course information.
- Where will they be studying – how many students work at a desk anymore? Students studying practical courses like media are more likely to work in a cafe or lounge than in the library or their student accommodation!
- Other devices they have – Apple gadgets work well together, for example.
- What budget do you have available? Could they contribute to their equipment in any way, perhaps with a summer job?
Choosing headphones
Before you even begin shopping for headphones, you need to figure out what your teenager will be using them for.
Are they primarily for studying? Listening to music? Gaming? Different headphones are perfect for different tasks, so knowing what you’re looking for is important.
As a parent looking to buy them tech to help with their studies, you shouldn’t be swayed by them wanting good sound quality for music, unless they are studying media or music, of course, so don’t let them persuade you otherwise!
When it comes to headphones, comfort is key. Your teenager will likely be wearing them for hours at a time, so you want to ensure they fit well and don’t cause discomfort. Over-ear headphones tend to be more comfortable for long periods of wear, but in-ear headphones can be more convenient for on-the-go studying.
Noise-cancelling headphones are fabulous for blocking out distractions, but they may not offer the best audio quality for music lovers. While it’s tempting to splurge on the latest and greatest headphones, it’s essential to be realistic about what you can afford. Very has headphones from £7.99 to £549, so there is something for every budget and need!
Choosing a microphone
With online lectures and presentations becoming commonplace, having a high-quality microphone can make all the difference in your student’s success. However, with so many options available, how do you choose the right microphone for your teen?
Firstly it will be important to consider what they are studying. Is the microphone simply for lectures and group work, such as video calls on something like Zoom or Microsoft Teams?
Alternatively, are they studying a media course or music course, and a microphone is an essential piece of kit for their studies?
Opt for a microphone with directional sound capabilities that can reduce background noise and ensure your teenager’s voice is heard loud and clear.
If your teenager is recording or participating in online meetings in a busy area, noise can become an issue. Look for a microphone with noise cancellation features to reduce echoes and background noise.
For courses such as media or music, there may be a recommended selection of kits they are advised to purchase. It is always a good idea to check with their college or university about this or perhaps ask current students on an open day.
Considering where they will use the microphone is also essential when choosing one based on size and ease of transport.
If you are still unsure, then the Blue brand of microphones is good in my experience. I own a Blue Yeti microphone, and they are well recommended personally; I have had no issues with it.
Microphones vary in price, with the selection of microphones on Very between £24.99 and £159.
Choosing a tablet
The first thing to consider is the operating system of the tablet. Usually, tablets are powered by either Android, Windows, or iOS. The choice really comes down to the preferences of your teenager and the other devices they have as there is little difference in functionalities.
The next thing to consider is the storage capacity of the tablet. Will they need to save and view any assignments, photos or videos on their tablet? This, in part, will come down to the course they are taking.
With a subject like media, for example, there is likely to be a need for photo editing software and good storage for photos and videos. A more academic subject, such as psychology, for example, is less likely to need a high level of storage.
Battery life is another aspect you need to consider, this again will come down to how much they need to use it and the type of files they need to save.
All of these choices will significantly affect the price of tablets with those with higher storage and longer battery life usually more expensive. To some degree, you also are paying for brands too so this is something to consider.
Tablets from Very vary in price from £64.99 for an Amazon Fire tablet which is quite basic to £2149 for an iPad Pro with 2TB of storage and all the latest specifications!
Choosing a laptop
A laptop is arguably one of the most important purchases you will make to help your teenager at college or university. If you choose well, the same one should last for their whole course and help them to study to the best of their ability.
The subject they are studying will impact their laptop choice significantly. Some subjects require specific programmes or functions which can impact your choice significantly.
For example, an engineering student will need a laptop with a powerful processor, while a design student might require a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. For media students, there is likely to be considerations such as photo editing software and a good-sized screen for this.
Students are always on the go, so portability and battery life are crucial factors. Look for laptops that are lightweight and easy to carry around campus. Also, ensure that the laptop’s battery life is good enough to last a full day of classes.
Laptops with SSD storage can prove very helpful as they boot up quickly, last long and require less power. An HDD is still good but will be a little slower to start up.
The RAM of the laptop is also important, this is essentially the short-term memory of the computer. If your teenager is likely to need to multitask with a number of windows open at the same time then a higher RAM is best. For most students, 8 GB RAM would be a good minimum with 16 GB being optimal.
Your child may also want a laptop with a touch-screen display and stylus support if they plan to take notes or draw diagrams using a digital pen. This will usually add to the cost of the laptop, though!
Laptops can be expensive, and setting a budget before heading online is important. Look for laptops from reliable and trusted brands like Lenovo, Asus, or HP if you can, but it is worth considering cheaper brands with good specs if buying from somewhere, such as Very, with a good reputation for customer service.
Laptops from Very start at just £99 and go up to £3899, so there is something for everyone! The more expensive ones are dedicated gaming laptops though, which your teenager is unlikely to need for college or university. Whilst they may prefer one, if your budget doesn’t allow it, then they need to prioritise their studying needs!
The laptop we chose for Ben
Ben is studying media and, as such, needs a laptop with good capabilities for video and photo editing; he also needs a big screen so he can see well the media he is working on. That said, he is a keen gamer and would love a gaming laptop, but I am aware the amount of work he did would then reduce dramatically!
We chose an Asus VivoBook laptop from Very for Ben as it is a good brand and was available at a good price.
The Asus VivoBook 17 X705 with a mouse and laptop bag for £399 was perfect for his needs. The bag also means it is easily portable and we don’t have to hunt for the right size bag elsewhere!
With a 17.3-inch HD+ NanoEdge display with a good graphics card and Asus Tru2Life video technology, it is perfect for this media work. The laptop also has excellent audio so whilst this might be less important for some subjects, for media it is great.
The laptop is lightweight at just 2.1kg so perfect for carrying around and working wherever he wants to whilst also having a good fan to keep it cool, important if you often use it on your lap!
A few other key points we loved about this laptop:
- Bluetooth – easy for him to upload photos
- USB 3.1 for quick data transfer – great when uploading videos so they don’t take forever!
- Fast charging – perfect if he forgets to charge it!
- The battery lasts up to 7 hours, good enough for him and he will likely keep the charger with it when he goes anywhere anyway!
- A good processor – Intel Celeron N4020 Processor 1.1 GHz (4M cache, up to 2.8 GHz, 2 cores).
- 256GB storage – adding a portable hard drive, if needed, is easy!
Overall we think it is a great laptop for the price and does everything Ben needs it to for under £400!
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