MD2019_A Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Hi guys. Has anyone gone through medical school with using an iPad? My laptop broke down recently and I'm considering buying an iPad for medical school. Can you elaborate on its drawbacks/advantage please? (Also, I'll have an iMac at home for photography/home purposes, so the iPad will mainly serve for in-school/library activities) Also considering a Macbook Air if iPad doesn't work out Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceWine Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 drawback: need to buy extra keyboard. limited storage space (depends which version you buy). it doesn't completely replace a laptop, but so useful for reading i find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldpizzahotsriracha Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 You can't even compare the two tbh. Go for the macbook. I know you'll have an iMac at home but a macbook is just so much more practical and efficient - even with a keyboard, the processing power of the iPad is nowhere near comparison. My only issue though is that you might have trouble sketching things out if you use it for class notes. I'd suggest a Surface but I don't have any experience with them myself. If drawing diagrams on your notes isn't a huge deal for you, then go with the macbook. Hopefully a med student can give you more detailed advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted April 24, 2015 Report Share Posted April 24, 2015 Meh, as long as you have a computer at home for the occasional task, get whatever you want. You don't need a lot of processing power to take notes, and you can always buy an iPad keyboard if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleming Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 I love my MacBook air, but there's also that pervasive sense of guilt that I'm probably not using it to its full capacity (Microsoft office, Internet, movies sure, but no photoshop etc.) haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted April 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 I love my MacBook air, but there's also that pervasive sense of guilt that I'm probably not using it to its full capacity (Microsoft office, Internet, movies sure, but no photoshop etc.) haha Yes, that's exactly my concern. I'll have a desktop at home. Do you think an iPad would be sufficient for school use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Yes, that's exactly my concern. I'll have a desktop at home. Do you think an iPad would be sufficient for school use? It would be just fine. You have a desktop for the occasional essay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleming Posted April 26, 2015 Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Yes, that's exactly my concern. I'll have a desktop at home. Do you think an iPad would be sufficient for school use? Oh yeah I think you'd be fine for sure. Lots of people in med at McGill use their iPads with the added keyboards. I've never heard them complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted April 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2015 Sweet, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded frog Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 Depends heavily on the school's system and your use case. I use an ipad with a keyboard exclusively (I have a desktop PC at home), It works for our tutorials since its just a google doc, but I also don't spend all day working in the library, I work at home. The Ipad cannot access a number of resources, so it can't be your only computer, or even your primary one for getting "work" done. Its amazing for lectures/group work and for reading (I don't have any physical textbooks, everything comes as a pdf now), so if thats all you're using your laptop for anyway, then go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigars53 Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 I find that for studying I only need my iPad. I downloaded an app so I can take notes on my pdfs using a stylus (Readdle or PDFpro app) and it works like a charm during tutorials and traditional classes. Also it's the only thing I need while studying because you can access to all the ressources very quickly with the right apps. But if you intend on doing a lot of typing, get a keyboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted April 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 I find that for studying I only need my iPad. I downloaded an app so I can take notes on my pdfs using a stylus (Readdle or PDFpro app) and it works like a charm during tutorials and traditional classes. Also it's the only thing I need while studying because you can access to all the ressources very quickly with the right apps. But if you intend on doing a lot of typing, get a keyboard. That's what I'm thinking, too. Thanks. I'll probably get the iPad with a keyboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted April 27, 2015 Report Share Posted April 27, 2015 That's what I'm thinking, too. Thanks. I'll probably get the iPad with a keyboard that is what I use quite often. as long as you do have access to a full functional computer somewhere the ipad for day to day stuff seems fine. tigars53 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBrownguy Posted April 29, 2015 Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 (edited) If you're going to UBC, hold off on getting an iPad. I have heard the class of 2019 will be given iPads Edited April 29, 2015 by rmorelan coldpizzahotsriracha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD2019_A Posted April 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2015 If you're going to UBC, hold off on getting an iPad. I have heard the class of 2019 will be given iPads I'm going to either UofC or UofA. Now I want to go to UBC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Why not just get a surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amichel Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Why not just get a surfaceCause not everyone wants to deal with Windows (especially if you have an iPhone, iPod, etc...), and that's okay (despite what some people seem to think)! That said, quite a few people in my class have them and like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearded frog Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Why not just get a surface Basically same use case of ipad+keyboard but the stylus is better? So if you really want to hand write notes on onenote or something then go for it, but not as good tablet as ipad and not as good laptop as a regular laptop of equivalent price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garlic Posted June 10, 2016 Report Share Posted June 10, 2016 If you're going to UBC, hold off on getting an iPad. I have heard the class of 2019 will be given iPads Did this actually end up happening? #justcurious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Did this actually end up happening? #justcurious Haha no. UBC couldn't even afford to keep the printer in the computer lab. Axed it under the guise of "being green". garlic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLily Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 I'm still wondering what the best option for incoming med students is. I'm someone who has always taken notes by hand, so I'm not sure what to go with, plus my laptop's on it's last legs so I'm is the best/worst position to be looking for something new Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oshaku Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 I'm still wondering what the best option for incoming med students is. I'm someone who has always taken notes by hand, so I'm not sure what to go with, plus my laptop's on it's last legs so I'm is the best/worst position to be looking for something new then get something that you can use a stylus with like the iPad or Surface. I have the surface (along with many people from my class) and it's great for school. You'll definitely need a computer for med school, especially at McGill where all exams are done electronically on your personal laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLily Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 then get something that you can use a stylus with like the iPad or Surface. I have the surface (along with many people from my class) and it's great for school. You'll definitely need a computer for med school, especially at McGill where all exams are done electronically on your personal laptop. Thanks for the advice, is that the Surface Book, or the Pro 3? Do you find you're okay with just that, or is that in addition to having a home computer? I know some people use an iPad and then have a laptop/computer at home, but the surface Book and Pro seem to be basically all-in-ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oshaku Posted June 14, 2016 Report Share Posted June 14, 2016 Thanks for the advice, is that the Surface Book, or the Pro 3? Do you find you're okay with just that, or is that in addition to having a home computer? I know some people use an iPad and then have a laptop/computer at home, but the surface Book and Pro seem to be basically all-in-ones I have the pro 3 (pro 4 and surface book weren't out yet when I bought mine). I have an additional computer at home. It's a gaming rig since I game (a lot). I know some people who do use it as their full-time computer though. The surface is definitely an all-in-one, especially since it runs the full Windows 10 operating system. Speed wise, it's just as fast as my desktop (thanks to SSDs) for everyday use such as e-mails, reports for school, Office, OneNote, internet (I haven't tried more intensive programs like Photoshop on it). RedLily 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elijah989 Posted May 24, 2019 Report Share Posted May 24, 2019 Macbook! You can do a lot more and it's much easier to navigate around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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