Q: Buying a new macbook

My thoughts:

1. if you are going to be taking notes, surfing the web, checking email and writing papers--and maybe listening to music and editing photos in iPhoto, them one of the MacBook Airs would do fine. The challenge with these is that if you have a lot of photos, videos and/or music you need to buy a lot of flash storage, which adds up the cost. Still the computer is a good value in the world of Apple.
2. If you are going to be doing everything in #1 plus using professional apps like Final Cut Pro, Photoshop. Illustrator, etc, the MacBook Pro with Retina Display is a great choice--lots of power and a gorgeous screen to boot! Storage is still expensive because it's flash storage. But this machine is FAST!

You can always balance out using smaller flash storage (save $$) with getting a good external hard drive. But in reality, it is easier to just get the storage that you think that you might need.

3. A compromise between the two is the 13" MacBook Pro. It comes standard with a 500GB hard drive, and reasonably powerful processor, and a good screen. Best deal in the store, and it has a CDDVD optical drive.

Hope this helps.

Nealski's advice is good, and the choice of machine isn't too critical (unless you're going into an engineering field where you need a lot of power, and by the time you need that power it will be time for a new machine anyway, so...)

However, learn the differences between Administrator, User, and Guest accounts.

• Always use a standard user account for normal uses (i.e. stay out of your admin account until you need administrator privileges for something)
• If you want to loan your computer to a friend, roommate, or significant other, always set them up on a guest account or create a separate standard user account just for them to use.

The last will save you from losing all your data, getting your passwords hacked, and having to wipe your drive and reinstall the system because of someone else's dumb mistakes. The first will save you from the consequences of your own dumb mistakes. And trust me, university is all about making dumb mistakes.