I moved into college about three weeks ago and being a technology enthusiast, there were certain things that I knew that I would need while at college. Now that I have been in college for some time, I thought that it would be a good idea to share what I think gadget lovers will need to get through college:

Laptop computer:
Unless you absolutely need a desktop, I recommend going with a laptop because you can pick up your computer and take it to class or the library. Desktops don’t offer that flexibility and when living in a dorm room a space is very limited and laptops are great space savers.

Surge Strips- and plenty of them:
The other thing that is very limited in dorm rooms are outlets. Most rooms only have a handful of outlets for a  two people to share. I have at least four surge strips in use in my dorm room and they are full for the most part. Surge strips don’t only allow you to plug many extra devices to one outlet, but also protects your electronics for electric surges that could damage your electronics.

Wireless Router/Access Point (If permited):

Wireless Internet although not always as reliable as wired internet however, it is very convinent if you have mulitple computers because you can connect them all to the internet and not have the clutter that comes with wired internet. However, because of interference, some schools do not allow wireless and some only permit Wireless access points.

Switch:

If wireless is not permitted or if you just want a more reliable internet connection, then a switch may be the piece of hardware for you!  A switch takes one eithernet port and speads the connection to several devices. A 5 port switch is only $12!

Eithernet Cable:

If wired internet is your method of choice or is mandated by your school eithernet cables are a must have!

Digital Camera:

College is a bsy time but it is also a fun time and you will want to remember the fun you had so a digital camera is a must so you can take pleanty of pictures.

Thumb Drive:

Documents will need to be moved around shown to classmates, and professors. Thumb drives are inexpensive and are a greatway to carry data with you.

Microsoft Office:

All students will need to use Word, Excel and Powerpoint at some time in their academic career. Mirosoft Office is the defacto Office suite and they have great prices for students. Onenote, which is included in Student edition, is the greatest notetaking spplication and has greatly helped me take notes. Onenote does a great job simulating a notebook with sections, pages, sub pages all in a computer application. Since I started using Onenote, I have not taken written notes since because Onenote is so simple!

Computer lock:

Make sure you get a lock for your computer  no matter if it is a laptop or desktop it is best that you have your computer chained to a desk!

Safe:

For those gadget that are too small to get a lock to chain to something permanent, a safe would be a good idea so that you can chain it to something permanent and put small electronics you want to keep safe in it. Some schools, including mine rent safes for students so you don’t bring them back and forth to school!

External Hard drive:

If you have a lot of data you may need an external hard drive just to store all the data. Or you could just use it to backup all your data incase the unthikible hapens.

I hope this list helps all you gadget lovers out there prepare for college and be prepared! College is great and technology makes it even better!