Overkill buying 14” mbp for college student premed?

[neuropsychguy]

Not sure about that. That is 10 years or so depending upon specialty.

Not to mention the typical 1-3 “gap” years that students are doing. Some get into med school right out of undergrad but more and more have extra years of working before they get in.

 

[Truefan31]

Stop second-guessing yourself. Enjoy the machine for four years of school and beyond. You’ll be fine.

Thank you. Yeah I’m sure I’m overthinking it (I usually do in these situations). Just want to ensure my daughter is more than prepared.

 

[Truefan31]

You are so lucky to have a kid going into premed.

Thank you. Yeah as I’ve gotten older I’ve really placed a premium on helping others, to do what’s possible to help society. I didn’t force anything on my daughter, she chose this path. Obviously she could change her mind which is not a problem, but I won’t lie a part of me is proud she has a mindset of helping others.

 

[Truefan31]

A factor you may want to consider, especially if you buy hardware beyond the laptop, is where your daughter will be living and what the general environment will be like. In other words, things like urban vs. college town, number of roommates, dorm vs group house vs apartment, and the like might factor into whether buying, say, a high end monitor that will be left sitting on a desk unattended a lot of the time is high risk or low risk.

Yes I’ve tried thinking of that. It’s definitely a college town, fortunately her roommate is a good friend already so that helps. But yeah I definitely don’t want a situation of possible theft.

Maybe a decent 27-32” monitor is my line of thinking. Nothing over the top though.

 

[Truefan31]

Absolutely. Not being loose with your money is how you afford things like med school.

As others have mentioned, if the MBP just had a faster processor I'd say get the Air, but the screen and speakers are features she will enjoy. Despite being more powerful than the Air, she will find that its fan will probably stay off for most of the things she uses it for. I think Costco has an extended return period so she has plenty of time to decide if she prefers the lighter Air.

Regarding protection, I use a generic plastic hardcase on my M1 16". The metal finish is pretty smooth, slicker than the 2015 era MBPs IRC, and I find that the matte finish allows me to hold it as securely but with a much lighter grip. You can also get stick on vinyl skins to get the same grip, lots of them have fun prints and designs. Considering a screen replacement is like $800 now, AppleCare might be a good idea.

Yeah Costco has a 90 day return policy on electronics. Another reason I love Costco so much lol……..

Yeah some sort of warranty is a requirement for me. I have 4 years through Costco but I got applecare+ also for maybe a better peace of mind. It was cheaper too, 219 vs regular 279. Honestly though a part of me would rather do the 99.99 annually though each year, as I’ve been told there’s no end of coverage.

Do you have a recommendation on a hard case? I’m looking for one. I got a silver model which I think will “show” less wear over time. But yeah I’d want a case of some kind on it.

 

[Truefan31]

Then thats a great combo. Remember the iPad can be used as a secondary screen via side car, and it also uses universal control. Right now im using my iPad Pro watching a lecture and taking notes on the powerpoint on my old pre M1 air. Also Apple Care is a must. Accidents do happen when one is low on sleep.

Ah I forgot about sidecar. That’d be real convenient. Yeah I’d let her use the 11ipp for that. That’s a great use case.

I agree applecare is a must for me.

 

[Truefan31]

I bought my –then– high-end MBP in late 2013 (iirc) when I was working in video production, and it was definitely not overkill. Now, almost ten years later and a couple of career changes later, I just submitted my last papers for an engineering degree on the same machine (original battery, too). I'm fairly certain that if I hadn't gone high-end back then, I'd have needed a new laptop by now for things like COMSOL, CAD, and so on. If I could use a 9-year-old laptop for a degree like this, a new, high-ish end MBP for a Med degree is clearly overkill, but I'd say it's also not ridiculously overkill, and it's a good choice as long as you can afford it. Just be careful with it, no drinking around it, get a good padded backpack/bag.

Congratulations first of all! Yeah that’s reassuring that it can last that long, and be still more than sufficient. That was my thought process.

 

[Truefan31]

Hopefully, with good physicians and more advances in detection and treatment, many cancers will become more treatable and more of a chronic condition. My eldest specializes in cancer tests and biology and says they are making progress in detecting cancers earlier when they are more manageable.

That’s awesome. Feel like we’ll all get some form of it sooner or later. Advancements are always welcome. Hopefully my daughter can be a part of that like your child.

 

[Truefan31]

Since your daughter already is using a 15”, the drop to a 13” MBA might feel a little restricted. The 14” MBP is probably close enough to feel fine. She’s a lucky girl who’s got a good father supporting her.

Yeah I asked her about using her current mbp sizewise. She told me she might want something slightly smaller for portability. So I thought the 14” mbp was the balance of more portable yet screen being somewhat “big” enough.

 

[darngooddesign]

Do you have a recommendation on a hard case? I’m looking for one. I got a silver model which I think will “show” less wear over time. But yeah I’d want a case of some kind on it.

My MBP is silver because over years it will look newer due to not as easily seeing scratches in the anodized color.

Ive always just bought generic cases because over time the tiny clips which secure it crack and break and it would be a shame to spend like $80 for that to happen. This is the brand I now have but for your 14". You can get them in lots of colors; which makes silver computers a little nicer. When searching you should normally use the 14" model number which is A2442, but since there is only one 14" MBP saying that should be fine.

MEEgoodo for M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch Case 2023 2021 Released A2779 A2442 M2 M1 Pro/Max with Touch ID, Hard Shell Case with Keyboard Cover & Screen Protector Compatible with MacBook Pro M2,Matte Clear

MEEgoodo for M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch Case 2023 2021 Released A2779 A2442 M2 M1 Pro/Max with Touch ID, Hard Shell Case with Keyboard Cover & Screen Protector Compatible with MacBook Pro M2,Matte Clear

www.amazon.com

My case covers the bottom sides until the ports leaving the back corners exposed to bumps, I know that some premium cases cover more. Here is an exhaustive thread, but starting on this page the discussion is about better hard cases.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-bags-sleeves-and-cases-thread.1391592/page-240

 

[Truefan31]

Best bet would just be to subscribe to Backblaze for automatic offsite backups. Then you don’t need to worry too much about losing it and she doesn’t need to worry about remembering to connect to local backup drives. It’s $6/month for each computer. I consider it a good insurance policy.

Never heard of that. Nice. I’ll have to look into that. I do have apple one sub so she can use the iCloud storage I guess…….

 

[Truefan31]

It's really a relative matter of good and better - since M1 sets the performance and efficiency floor so high.

I am using an M1 Max 14" - arguably the worst battery life of the bunch - and still managed to work 5-6 hours with many apps and bursts of all-cores running full speed, without having the charge level drop below 20%. On Intel it would have lasted 2-3 hours. The 14" will last 8-10 hours easily with light office work.

If multi-core/graphic performance is not paramount - again, relatively speaking here - M1's battery life would absolutely trounce M1 Pro/Max - up to 20+ hours for 13" MBP.

I have learned not to worry about battery life - I am likely to get tired before the battery runs out.

Damn that’s nice battery life. Her current 2015 mbp is getting long in the tooth battery wise so I’m thinking this 14” mbp will be a huge jump lol. Yet the familiarity of MagSafe will be there. Imo it’s a real nice feature. It’s saved her current laptop quite a few times already.

 

[Truefan31]

Any current mac laptop is more than enough power for an undergraduate degree. If she gets in to med school then it will still be fine as computational demands will likely be lower. If she matches to residency she wont have time to mess around on a computer and oncology isn't a computational field.

So just buy whatever it doesn't matter; the battery life will probably be the most important factor.

Also, having a "focus" on oncology as a pre-med is silly. She would be wise to keep an open mind and not commit to anything as there will be many opportunities and paths coming up so lose the blinders.

Yeah she has an open mind. I do too, if she changes fields or changes whatever I’m good with it.

 

[Truefan31]

Not to mention the typical 1-3 “gap” years that students are doing. Some get into med school right out of undergrad but more and more have extra years of working before they get in.

Yep. Nobody ever said it’d be easy. Lol

 

[Truefan31]

My MBP is silver because over years it will look newer due to not as easily seeing scratches in the anodized color.

Ive always just bought generic cases because over time the tiny clips which secure it crack and break and it would be a shame to spend like $80 for that to happen. This is the brand I now have but for your 14". You can get them in lots of colors; which makes silver computers a little nicer. When searching you should normally use the 14" model number which is A2442, but since there is only one 14" MBP saying that should be fine.

MEEgoodo for M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch Case 2023 2021 Released A2779 A2442 M2 M1 Pro/Max with Touch ID, Hard Shell Case with Keyboard Cover & Screen Protector Compatible with MacBook Pro M2,Matte Clear

MEEgoodo for M3 MacBook Pro 14 inch Case 2023 2021 Released A2779 A2442 M2 M1 Pro/Max with Touch ID, Hard Shell Case with Keyboard Cover & Screen Protector Compatible with MacBook Pro M2,Matte Clear

www.amazon.com

My case covers the bottom sides until the ports leaving the back corners exposed to bumps, I know that some premium cases cover more. Here is an exhaustive thread, but starting on this page the discussion is about better hard cases.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-bags-sleeves-and-cases-thread.1391592/page-240

Awesome thank you. You recommend a skin too in addition to the case?

 

[darngooddesign]

Awesome thank you. You recommend a skin too in addition to the case?

I don't think its necessary. I think a skin is good to provide grip/protect from scratches if she doesn't want a hard case; a hard case adds a little weight and thickness. Skins are also nice to have a cool looking design, but I've used this company to custom-print hard cases for my partner who loves her dog. So far the printing is holding up to scratches.

https://www.personalizzalo.it/crea/material/2/5/36188

Just accept that the hard case is a wear item which will show scuffs and dirt if you get a clear or light color and have her pop the case off that wipe the MBP with a damp paper towel like once a month so trapped dirt doesn't scratch its metal.

 

[Truefan31]

I don't think its necessary. I think a skin is good to provide grip/protect from scratches if she doesn't want a hard case; a hard case adds a little weight and thickness. Skins are also nice to have a cool looking design, but I've used this company to custom-print hard cases for my partner who loves her dog. So far the printing is holding up to scratches.

https://www.personalizzalo.it/crea/material/2/5/36188

Just accept that the hard case is a wear item which will show scuffs and dirt if you get a clear or light color and have her pop the case off that wipe the MBP with a damp paper towel like once a month so trapped dirt doesn't scratch its metal.

View attachment 2006012

Oh nice. Beautiful dog. My daughter loves her Great Dane. That’d be a great case!

 

[CalMin]

You have selected an excellent laptop that will keep her going for years. The fact is that these machines are overkill for many of us. I use mine as an MS Office device for work, and don’t need anything like the power it offers most of the time.

But at her age who knows what she will get into. Perhaps your daughter will discover a passion outside of her studies and the more powerful laptop will unleash that creativity. Look at popular YouTuber Ali Abdaal - he vlogged his way through medical school, learned to code and now has a business and a YouTube channel with millions of views.

You are clearly spoiling her a bit by getting a Bentley when a Toyota will do. But why not? she’s earned her way into Med School. And both of you should be proud of that.

 

[jonblatho]

Is it overkill? Probably.

Is that a bad thing? Compared to the opposite issue, not at all, if you can afford it. Always buy more computer than you think you need, and chances are you’ll be glad you did in several years.

 

[Pankeborg]

Trying to justify this purchase. Got the 14” mbp 10 core m1 pro with 16gb ram and 1 tb ssd. My thinking was it’s more an investment, the cpu should be good for a while? 1tb ssd just for a little more future proofing? The updated webcam for better video conferencing, obviously the better promotion screen. More importantly I didn’t want the butterfly keyboard issues. I think I could’ve gone with the m1 mba too though. Thoughts?

Even if money is not an issue, there are several reasons to just buy the M1 MBA:

1. It is much lighter
2. It has better battery life
3. A med student definitely does not benefit from the faster GPU, and slightly faster CPU

The one thing the M1 Pro provides that is useful to people that are not video editors is the ability to put more than 16 gb memory in it, but if you're not planning to do that then it doesn't matter.

The 14 inch does have a better, slightly larger screen. Keyboard is the same as far as I know, except the larger function row.

My wife's work asked her if she wanted an MBA or a MPB 14, I advised her to go for the MBA, which is what I use (FAANG developer, price not an issue).

 

[Fishrrman]

"Just want to ensure my daughter is more than prepared."

With a 2021 MBP 14", she is "more than prepared".

There's really not much more to say.
No real reason for this thread to drag on, and on, and on, and on....

 

[jav6454]

Is it overkill? Probably.

Is that a bad thing? Compared to the opposite issue, not at all, if you can afford it. Always buy more computer than you think you need, and chances are you’ll be glad you did in several years.

Agreed, that's what I did in 2008 and it worked out fine for 14 years.

 

[Truefan31]

You have selected an excellent laptop that will keep her going for years. The fact is that these machines are overkill for many of us. I use mine as an MS Office device for work, and don’t need anything like the power it offers most of the time.

But at her age who knows what she will get into. Perhaps your daughter will discover a passion outside of her studies and the more powerful laptop will unleash that creativity. Look at popular YouTuber Ali Abdaal - he vlogged his way through medical school, learned to code and now has a business and a YouTube channel with millions of views.

You are clearly spoiling her a bit by getting a Bentley when a Toyota will do. But why not? she’s earned her way into Med School. And both of you should be proud of that.

That’s a good point. She could definitely change course and/or embark on a hobby that would utilize that creativity. Maybe sticking with the 14” mbp is like a Jack of all trades…….

 

[Truefan31]

Agreed, that's what I did in 2008 and it worked out fine for 14 years.

14 years…….wow that’d be awesome

 

[jav6454]

14 years…….wow that’d be awesome

Well, it took some upgrading down the line to achieve it. For instance, went from the standard 250GB HDD to 320GB, then to a 256GB SSD and eventually a 512GB SSD.

Also, even though those Macs were rated initially for only 4GB max RAM, you could unofficially upgrade them to 8GB RAM as they used the same chipset as the 2009 revision. All it took was a quick update from Apple via the OS.

On these new Macs? Not so much, so I had to push for as many upgrades as possible out the factory door.