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law school and macbook
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If you use bootcamp and use XP, you shouldn't have any problems. Might want to check with your school to see how compatible they are with Vista.
I'm researching for law school too. You definitely want to check with your school and make sure that they support Macs with their exam software. It's almost all windows based, and some schools don't want you using apple's period (even with boot camp.)
I'm researching for law school too. You definitely want to check with your school and make sure that they support Macs with their exam software. It's almost all windows based, and some schools don't want you using apple's period (even with boot camp.)
i asked the dean and they showed me a link on their website, but then it said nothing specific
the only time most students use a laptop is during exams where a student can write the essay portion on ExamSoft
most students still use handwritten notes for the lectures, which i may or may not do
i just like the idea of having the power of word processing and editing in a software program vs. writing the thing out in longhand
the lsat i took was the last one where everybody wrote the essay portion in longhand...next year, some lsat takers will be able to use a computer for the writing portion
after several hours of answering banal questions on the lsat, one can use all the help they can get when it comes to the (so called) ungraded writing section of the lsat
the main thing is that i want to get my basic law degree and having a computer will help, but having a mac would definitely be a plus
anyways, thanks for the suggestions
and if worse comes to worse, a toshiba, as mentioned above or a sony are the best basic pc laptops...he he...and if i was a dual gamer and student, ok, i would get an xps or an alien laptop...you know, so i could play games during the classes that had a booring professor
Well a mac with bootcamp is exactly the same as any other pc...so I don't see how there'd be a problem. All the vital drivers are there, and getting better all the time.
And I would say use the laptop for notes. Handwritten notes are great...but there's no "apple/control key + F" function (you can't search instantly) I know this sounds like I'm hopelessly reliant on computers...and I am...but it would make your life easier.
And I would say use the laptop for notes. Handwritten notes are great...but there's no "apple/control key + F" function (you can't search instantly)
I know this sounds like I'm hopelessly reliant on computers...and I am...but it would make your life easier.Well a mac with bootcamp is exactly the same as any other pc...so I don't see how there'd be a problem. All the vital drivers are there, and getting better all the time.
And I would say use the laptop for notes. Handwritten notes are great...but there's no "apple/control key + F" function (you can't search instantly)
hey, i totally appreciate any help
anything in life, at this point, being easier at this point, is a total plus
i will, unfortunately, need to work part time through law school...you know, bills and stuff
...but that's because the schooling and the later law career are mid to late career endeavors in my gray haired years
Well a mac with bootcamp is exactly the same as any other pc...so I don't see how there'd be a problem. All the vital drivers are there, and getting better all the time.
And I would say use the laptop for notes. Handwritten notes are great...but there's no "apple/control key + F" function (you can't search instantly)
From what I can remember of reading another similar post perhaps a year or two ago was that the ExamSoft software shuts down your computer and boots it into a special restricted mode of Windows (I guess a bit like Safe Mode).
I'm not sure if the special parameters which it would supply to boot the computer into said mode would be remembered when going through the OS X/Windows XP selection process. I think this is something which would have to be looked into before the OP was assured that this would work.
I never used ExamSoft - we were only allowed to use ancient machines known as typewriters...and this was two years ago. But I haven't had problems accessing Lexis, at least through Firefox.
we need to organize a petition against this examsoft. I hear this sad story too many times. Its a crime law students have to use Windows because of some crappy software to prevent cheating which I am sure someone has a work around for.
Depending on what law school you go to, laptop use may be heavy. Everyone uses laptops for notetaking at my school, which officially only supports PCs--indeed, my school strongly discouragess mac use (evil administrators have a deal with Dell), but that hasn't stopped me. I don't even have an intel mac--I have an ibook and an old Dell I keep around for exams. My mac has served me well--never had a serious problem with it, while it seems like a whole lot of people who purchased their computers through the Dell Purchase Program have had to bring theirs in for service.
However, while an intel mac may make life simpler for you by allowing you to run the exam software on windows and use OS X the rest of the time, you might have to check with your school to see whether you can, in fact, use an intel mac for exams. I've heard of schools disabling functionality of exam software on intel macs--I'm pretty sure the software can be set up not to authorize use if it detects the presence of Parallels on your computer, and maybe even bootcamp. I'm a little vague on the details--again, i'd contact your school and see what their policy is--chances are they won't actively support even the intel macs, but they may or may not actively place obstacles in the path of their use.
However, while an intel mac may make life simpler for you by allowing you to run the exam software on windows and use OS X the rest of the time, you might have to check with your school to see whether you can, in fact, use an intel mac for exams. I've heard of schools disabling functionality of exam software on intel macs--I'm pretty sure the software can be set up not to authorize use if it detects the presence of Parallels on your computer, and maybe even bootcamp. I'm a little vague on the details--again, i'd contact your school and see what their policy is--chances are they won't actively support even the intel macs, but they may or may not actively place obstacles in the path of their use.
since the website link is down on not working re: computing and there is no high tech helper at school, i will have to figure it out once school starts
being a mac site, i don't have to tell you the reasons why i choose macs
i also spent 8 years as a pc and network tech part time and i would be glad if i never saw another pc again...i want to enter law, not law and bill gate's operating systems
and what is this worry about cheating? is this high school...nobody ever worried about cheating when i was at university or at graduate school
i guess i will either know my material come test time or not, and if it's an essay driven exam, how does one really cheat?
...or do teachers expect law students to cheat, like, hmm, lawyers?
...scratch that, lawyers never cheat and all are honest upstanding citizens interesting only in morality, and that's why the general public loves lawyers and trust them
being a mac site, i don't have to tell you the reasons why i choose macs
i also spent 8 years as a pc and network tech part time and i would be glad if i never saw another pc again...i want to enter law, not law and bill gate's operating systems
and what is this worry about cheating? is this high school...nobody ever worried about cheating when i was at university or at graduate school
i guess i will either know my material come test time or not, and if it's an essay driven exam, how does one really cheat?
...or do teachers expect law students to cheat, like, hmm, lawyers?
...scratch that, lawyers never cheat and all are honest upstanding citizens interesting only in morality, and that's why the general public loves lawyers and trust them
and what is this worry about cheating? is this high school...nobody ever worried about cheating when i was at university or at graduate school
i guess i will either know my material come test time or not, and if it's an essay driven exam, how does one really cheat?
...or do teachers expect law students to cheat, like, hmm, lawyers?
...scratch that, lawyers never cheat and all are honest upstanding citizens interesting only in morality, and that's why the general public loves lawyers and trust them
LOL, my first thought when i read this yesterday - why do we make sure the future lawyers don't cheat in school... what about everyone else?!?!
(Let me add, my brother decided that he wants to go to law school after his December graduation from College). Oh ye gads, kids screaming...
Maybe I should go back to school - quiet time
Best of luck in your mid-life career change. I know exactly what mine would be, but have no way to facilitate it happening at this point (i'd be going to photography school). In fact, it's what i wanted to do at 18 but didn't pursue because it was "art" instead of "business".
Thank you very much...and good luck in photography school
when i was 18, i had a very narrow goal...i wanted to be a rockstar and either sing and play guitar or just play guitar
at that age, i thought being a rockstar was just as common as being a bookkeeper, plumber, gardener, retail clerk, or lawyer
in later years i did meet a rockstar and befriended him and he set me straight...all about making money, having your dad/manager rip you off and beat you black and blue, have uncontrolled sex too early and catching nasty "stuff", and get exposed to underage drinking and plenty of drugs (and all the consequences of such actions), 12 step, run ins with cops and sobriety checks, going to funerals of other rockstars, etc...and very, very little talk about the glory of hit records and national tv appearances
somehow, due to my lack of talent and luck, i never tasted the ups and downs of rock and roll stardom and lived a fairly normal life...and my rockstar friend was very jealous of me, strange as that may seem to some
but one thing i learned was live out your dream, whether it be in your career, your hobbies, or both since we all have just one life to live
Living it thru hobbies here for the moment - career turned into a Homeschool Mom to 3, and right now - I wouldn't trade that time with my kids for anything. Along the same line - i've got one life of X amount of time left. Spending all day with my kids while they are young will only happen once.
After that part of my career is over - then back to photo school.
Oh, and I got to cheat at 18 - i graduated HS at 17, so by the time i turned 18 i had a semester of college under my belt - and my first photo class. I was hooked!
You made me laugh at the Rockstar images...... oh gosh i wouldn't want to be 18 again! LOL!!
Well, I could make a comment about "how we did it 20 years ago when I was in law school......."
My suggestion is to call your school & ask. A quick Google search came up with lots of references, including a link from a Univ. of Miami testing FAQ that says Examsoft runs fine on an Intel Mac running Bootcamp. But, if I were buying for law school, I'd talk to the law school first. There should be someone in IT or even in the library who will have experience with this.
PS: here's the link: http://www.law.miami.edu/registrar/pdfs/examsoft_faq.pdf
My suggestion is to call your school & ask. A quick Google search came up with lots of references, including a link from a Univ. of Miami testing FAQ that says Examsoft runs fine on an Intel Mac running Bootcamp. But, if I were buying for law school, I'd talk to the law school first. There should be someone in IT or even in the library who will have experience with this.
PS: here's the link: http://www.law.miami.edu/registrar/pdfs/examsoft_faq.pdf
I'm going to be going to law school in a few years, and I've been thinking about this same problem. The best way to find out if law schools accept macs is to go to their websites and find a "computing" link. I found a few law schools that said an intel mac running xp through Bootcamp would be fine. You should determine which law schools you want to go to, and then try to find out more information for those schools.
Thanks, I did just that. I found out that SMU law allows you to use bootcamp to run ExamSoft.
I did find it funny that they had a disclaimer under the OS X/BootCamp section; saying that if the OS shuts down for any reason, the student must be prepared to hand write their exam.
My theory is that if ExamSoft was a native OS X program, then you wouldn't have any crashes.
Erm the exam software can only lock out all other programs on the virtualised machine no?
No, it works by shutting down everything except for Windows and itself. That's why before the Intel switch, you could never use a Mac at any lawschool (for tests). It sucks, but at least we have a good way to go around it now.
Current 3L. I use a macbook CD for my tests, and we use examsoft. i was the first person to use examsoft on a mac at my school, and so far i think the only person.
i use my macbook every day, and am using it in class to type this now!
I use bootcamp and winxp pro. installed examsoft in winxp, and went to control panel and chose winxp as my startup disk.
examsoft reboots the comp (which is why you choose the startup disk) and goes into "examsoft super secret" mode. then, when you're done, it reboots back into winxp and uploads the exam over the wireless network.
works like a charm, although examsoft is pretty much crap software. PM me if you have any questions about anything. i'm not good at following these threads!
i use my macbook every day, and am using it in class to type this now!
I use bootcamp and winxp pro. installed examsoft in winxp, and went to control panel and chose winxp as my startup disk.
examsoft reboots the comp (which is why you choose the startup disk) and goes into "examsoft super secret" mode. then, when you're done, it reboots back into winxp and uploads the exam over the wireless network.
works like a charm, although examsoft is pretty much crap software. PM me if you have any questions about anything. i'm not good at following these threads!
Ah, proof yet again that they bore you to death during the third year. I'm willing to bet you never would have surfed the web during class during your first year, and during your second year you might have thought about it but were probably too busy or too tired.
Back in the day, most everyone hand wrote exams. Those few of my classmates who were strong enough to haul in an IBM Selectric typewriter all got stuck in one small room. Can you imagine writing your Evidence essay exam with 15 noisy clackity-clack typewriters sitting around you?
I teach at a law school, and I've been really heartened over the past few years by the increasing numbers of Macs in the classroom (I actually don't really approve of laptops in the classroom, but if they're going to use something, they might as well use Macs). Go back three years and I'd see one or two iBooks or Powerbooks at most, but in this year's 1L class it looked like about 1/5 were MacBooks or MacBook Pros. The fact that we use exam software that has a Mac version (Securexam) no doubt helps.
As for me, I'm one of three Mac users on a faculty of 45 or so.
As for me, I'm one of three Mac users on a faculty of 45 or so.