Getting techy with it: computers that go to college

Having just dealt with some epic computer problems myself, I thought it might be time to have a little chat about computers on campus. Many students buy their first laptops for college and it’s crucial to be prepared for computer emergencies and know what services are available on campus.

College campus = technology services, free advice, and sometimes a corporate affiliation.

Depending on the size of the university, some sort of technology help desk or department should be available to students. Usually these services are part of the basic tuition package and many students never take advantage of services such as troubleshooting, anti-virus software recommendations, and help with recovering hard drives. I recommend checking out what’s available early on so that there are no surprises during a technological crisis.

Also, some universities have corporate affiliations with specific companies, which are definitely worth checking out before buying that new laptop. Purchasing a computer through one of these affiliations can result in a discounted price or other benefits, like extended student warranties or discounts on other products (printers, computer cases…the list goes on and on).

Back it up.
We’ve all heard it a million times and it’s worth saying again: back up important files! I preferred using jump drives while others use external hard drives or CDs. Like most schools, my undergraduate college also provided everyone with unique logins on the college network where I usually saved copies of my work. It’s easy to forget or put it off, but I can’t emphasize enough how valuable backing up files can be in case of a computer crashing or accidental deletions. I’ve seen enough friends watch hours of work disappear from the screen—not worth the pain!

Protect that new (or old) laptop.

I didn’t use a computer sleeve or case for the longest time, and after a couple of years it showed in the form of tiny nicks and scuff marks, not to mention eventually damaging one of the shift keys. I wish I’d just bought a protective sleeve at the beginning!

Okay, here’s one computer crime that I’m still guilty of committing all the time, even though I know I shouldn’t: I eat and drink at the keyboard all the time, which results in microscopic crumbs sticking to the keys and the constant danger of spillage. Freshman year of college, I actually did spill a massive quantity of Diet Peach Snapple directly onto my keyboard, resulting in about an hour spent holding a hairdryer directly above it (works better than air drying, you need to suck out the moisture) and a few days panicking when the keys stuck when I typed. I ended up taking it to my campus technology office just to check it out even though they keys eventually worked fine again on their own. I’ve learned my lesson on that one (more or less) and generally keep liquids away from the laptop, but it’s a hard habit to break—especially for college students whose desks double as kitchen tables. Still, I really recommend keeping food and drink away from a computer because, from my own experience, it’s just not worth the risk.

So that’s my story—the one about last night’s emergency trip to Best Buy will have to wait for another day. In the meantime, what’s your advice for computers that go to college? What services did your college provide? What do you wish they’d provided?