It's been awhile

Sorry for the long hiatus. China's block of Google affiliated programs includes Blogspot and so I was unable to sign on during my time there. I just got back into town about a day ago and so my sleep schedule is like my cat's - sleepy in the afternoon and wide awake (and HUNGRY) in the morning.

It seems like the next few weeks will be crazy with medical school preparations. Changes are happening and its time to get serious!

Checklist of things to do:

1. Confirm status of new roommate - in or out?
2. Buy books and start summer reading - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
3. Buy a keyboard for my iPad (instead of a Mac or a Dell, I have enrolled into the iPad pilot program at case. Anyone have any experience with using an iPad for school?     
4. Find furniture without breaking the bank - any suggestions other than Craigslist?
5. Make new friends. =)                                                   

Dell or Mac?

    

• Processor: Intel i7 (2.80GHz)
• RAM: 8 GB
• Hard Drive: 128 GB SSD
• LCD Screen: 14"
• Includes: 1TB External Hard Drive for backups, Wireless Optical Mouse
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• Processor: Intel i7 Dual Core (2.8GHz)
• RAM: 8 GB
• Hard Drive: 256 GB SSD
• LCD Screen: 13"
• Includes: 1TB External Hard Drive for backups, Magic Mouse, MiniVGA Adpater, Windows 7 Pro

I have to choose a computer for school. I don't know anything about computers, but, thank goodness, the IT department has provided only four choices (well, and the IPad pilot program) - two different Dells and two different MacBook Pros, where the difference appears to only be screen size.

I will definitely be going with either the smaller Dell or the smaller Macbook. I don't want to carry anything heavy around (although I guess a few ounces is not that big of a difference). At home, though, I will have a big monitor, so screen size is not that big of a difference.

What I am having a hard time deciding is whether to go with the Dell, which has a better warranty package, or with the Apple, which has better aesthetic qualities. Of course, another issue is cost. The Apple product is more than $1000 dollars more expensive. But given that I'm already borrowing so much, what's another grand?

Can anyone with computer knowledge recommend which laptop you think is the better fit for a medical student? Or should I just ignore computers altogether and sign up for the IPad pilot program?