Alrighty...just to over-kill the whole laptop dealy, I'm gonna ask:

Apple vs. PC. What I really want to know are what type of system requirements should I be looking for? Is the graphics card worth the financial hassel? How fast will I "grow" out of a basic model? What kinds of programs will I have access to using the school's computers and a jump???

I'm thinking of majoring in these areas so I figured the second and third year jump ahead whouldn't hurt.

Hi Lexington!

Welcome to CSMM! I'm currently in the CMST+MMEDIA program and enjoying it a lot. Great choice.

You can read some bits of information about the program that I've posted in the Humanities Faculty thread here:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...s+multimed ia

A lot of students in the program have purchased a Macbook Pro (Apple). A lot of the programs you'll be using in your upper years include:

- Final Cut Pro (Mac) and/or Premier (Mac or PC)
- Soundtrack Pro / Garageband (Mac)
- Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver (PC or Mac)
- Microsoft Word, Powerpoint (Mac or PC)
- Maya, 3D gaming, etc (PC)

As you can see, the professional level programs (Final Cut) are only for Mac. Mac is essentially what mmedia pros use, and is known in the industry for being the computer of choice for multimedia users, especially graphic designers.

I made due just fine with having a PC laptop up until the beginning of third year. The only thing you'll be using your laptop for is taking notes in class. The rest you'll be most likely using the computers in the MMEDIA labs. In first year you have access to a public PC lab, and a public iMac lab. You'll be using the iMac lab for your photoshop/dreamweaver tutorials, etc. so you have full access to iMacs and the software you need. This lab is only open during the day. Once you get into second year and you major in Multimedia, you'll have access to a private multimedia-only lab on the second floor of TSH that is keycard protected. It's a great lab, with a lounge, 25-30 PC computers, and about a dozen iMac computers.

The advantage I found with a PC laptop and the reason I used one is because it had Microsoft office and I was familiar with Windows. I had never used a Mac previous to first year. However, once I got into second year we used basically nothing but iMacs, and I became familar with OSX and found it comfortable enough to use it more often.

iMac's can run Microsoft Office now as well as most PC software (excluding gaming), so if you're not a hardcore gamer, I'd go with a Mac because it'll last you throughout the mmedia program. The MacBook does just fine to get you through the basics, and you'll probably use the iMacs in the lab (which have very large screens) to do your video editing. Thus it isn't necessary you get the Macbook Pro, but it sure it nice (if you have the money to buy it lol).

Goodluck! Hope to see you around KTH in Sept

I was in the lab Thursday and they got some new iMacs...

Whoot!
Yea...I think I will just use that as ammunition for my parents (and myself) to buy a MacBook. Still can't afford a Pro but it would be nice.

Another question: I was reading the course calendar and MM seems to push you towards Web Design....do you feel that way?

Originally Posted by __lexington

I was reading the course calendar and MM seems to push you towards Web Design....do you feel that way?

lol, don't all courses push towards web design? I remember in high school just about every course I took you had to make a website at the end for no reason at all. But ya, there is a lot of web design in first year (they teach you the basics).

Have you done web design before, or is it new to you? If you've done it before, you shouldnt have any problems in the first year courses (ie. know Dreamweaver).

In your upper years the focus shifts away from web design and into more advanced things (film, game design, audio production, etc.) and the nice thing is that these are all courses in a list that you get to choose from (as I'm sure you've seen). So all you have to take are the 2A,2B,3A,3B, etc. then you pick what you're interested in. So if you like graphic design... you take the graphic design courses (photoshop, history of graphic design, etc). If you're into programming you take that course, film you take intro to film and advanced film, etc, etc. and you can mix and match.

A lot of the upper year courses you're basically expected to know how to make a website, and some might want you to create a website for a final project (to present your work), but most final projects they leave it up to you to decide what you'd like to do (so its up to your creativity and skills). For example, if you're intro film and you do a film project... you'd want to export the film as quicktime or something like that, and then to go above and beyond you could make a simple website page and embed the video into it, then hand that in or put it online, instead of just giving the video on a DVD.

Originally Posted by Chad

lol, don't all courses push towards web design?

Not that I've taken...*wide eyed* Like in Comm. Tech. we pretty much take our own route in modules and stuff...so yea, I am looking for things more in graphic design. I'm thinking of going into advertising and since everything is going digital these days, might as well go multi-media? But it seems communications studies will be a better fit.

I know the very very very basic essentials of making web pages. Like, .html and hardly any java. Dreamweaver...yeap, never used it