What do you need as a computing student?

Hi, I'm Hasan. 

I'm in my second year of BSc (Hons) Computer Science at Bradford. Since I've been on the course for two years, I wanted to share with new students what I think is necessary for lectures and lab sessions. Everyone thinks you need the most high-tech equipment, but I'll be talking about what you can do without and what I normally take.

What do you actually need?

If you didn’t already know, there are two types of teaching/learning sessions on computing courses at the University of Bradford: lectures and labs. Generally, what you need to take for each is slightly different.

In lectures, you can be sat in a seat with a small desk attached to it. Normally, your lecturer will present on a whiteboard (or large computer screen) at the front of the lecture hall. I'd say that for lectures, a notebook and a pen to take notes are ideal. You also have the option of taking your laptop to make digital notes (but check with your lecturer first to make sure they allow digital note-taking).

In a lab, is different as there are normally already computers there, so you don’t really need anything else.

What I take

At the start of my first year, I had to buy my own notebooks and pens. Usually, I take some utility items in my rucksack, including tissues, hand sanitiser, water bottle, my inhaler (since I have mild asthma), USB-C cable (mostly for charging my phone but also has other usages), etc. I didn’t have a laptop in my first year, but since the start of my second year, I’ve been taking my laptop and charger regularly.

Do you really need a new laptop?

In my first year, I didn’t have a laptop, and I got by fine. There are lots of computers around campus, for example, in labs and the library. There are also other computers in places that can be easily accessed and used.

All University computers have Horizon, which is a cloud infrastructure that provides access to all your apps and files. However, it felt as if there was something missing.

When I got my own laptop in my second year, I felt it helped a lot. I was able to do extra work when I had time. Since my devices were customisable, I was able to personalise them, which is something I couldn’t do on Uni computers.

Getting my own personal laptop also meant that I was able to take lecture notes on it. Personally, it was more useful to me than taking paper notes.

What does the University provide as part of the course?

The things provided for this course aren't physical things. We are given online resources, and in most modules, all lecture/lab material is uploaded to Canvas (Bradford's virtual learning environment). You can always access the materials as long as you’re connected to the internet and are signed in to your University account.

Some modules require textbooks or reading material; these can usually be loaned from the library or bought online as a physical copy. Digital copies of these materials are usually free.

Finding the best tech

There are loads of reliable places to purchase your equipment. I got my laptop directly from Dell.

I didn’t really need to buy any tech other than that, but I would recommend looking on Amazon if you do need any. Amazon has a students-only deal where you can get 6 months of Amazon Prime for free.

Don't forget that loads of these sites usually offer some form of student discount, so look out for those!

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