a few questions

[soccer79]

hi everyone,

as i prepare to move down to sxm in 2 months i'm trying to organize things here and i had a few questions...
1. i'm a bit of a technophobe and as such don't know a great deal/care about computers although yes i do indeed use them at great length daily but gigabyte, memory, etc really doesn't mean much to me - how important is the laptop model for med school, in particular auc[like right now i have a dell that's 5 years old with no-warranty...it's served me well - through undergrad/grad - but the no warranty thing makes me nervous] - does anyone have any solid advice with a pc/mac [one that is compatible with whatever the school uses?] that has served them well in med school
2. how important is internet service within your own apt - are classroom slides put onto a website accessible to students - i guess basically is it necessary [outside of scoping vmd posts] with regards to my education
3.did anyone rent an apt first semester without going down to actually see it first - i just can't financially justify an apt. hunting trip to sxm at this time...
i think that's it for now - i appreciate your responses
thanks.

[tylertexas]

if i can remember to pack along a digital camera when i go down in march, i'll be happy to send some photos upon my return. i'll see as many places as i can, over my 2 days there. i'd give you my impressions of the places, but i don't do impressions. (ba-duh-bum)

[stateofequilibrium]

1) A good laptop makes your life easy. You'll need something that can handle constant usage, DVDs, games, and whatever. Durability is key. Best bet would be to get a new laptop. Have a friend help you out.
2) Not vital, but convenient. Notes are not on the net but on a drive, so either bring your laptop to school or a keydrive.

[FOID]

1. you should get a new laptop before you come down here. you probably don't need a top-of-the-line $3500 laptop but you do need it for powerpoint lectures, doing some write ups, etc. 2nd most important thing is to bring a flash drive so you can transfer files.
2. the school's student internet is slow. i suggest you get your own internet.

[DrShikima]

1. you should get a new laptop before you come down here. you probably don't need a top-of-the-line $3500 laptop but you do need it for powerpoint lectures, doing some write ups, etc. 2nd most important thing is to bring a flash drive so you can transfer files.
2. the school's student internet is slow. i suggest you get your own internet.


I saw a deal on Dell laptops for $499... includes XP home and 512mb memory and a 1.8gz centrino processor I believe.

[stcheng82]

3. i'm a first semester, and i rented a studio apt before i got to the island through the school's off campus housing list. i thought it was fine, and kinda like how i expected it to be. make sure you run a search for the complexes around school and read up on other people's opinions in terms of safety, distance from school, and price range. be nice but aggressive to the contact person, ask them to send you pictures of the place. if you like what you see, and would like to rent it, make sure you don't wire them the deposit money unless they put some sort of clause into the contract that if the apt isn't what it appears in the pictures, you have the right to terminate the contract. if the landlord is trustworthy, they'll agree to it, but if they'll start to act shady then look elsewhere.

[soccer79]

Thanks everyone - you guys are super helpful - i appreciate it

[stateofequilibrium]

Thanks everyone - you guys are super helpful - i appreciate it

I would make a quote about the Super Best Friends, but since it include Muhammed I best not 'lest VMD is responsible for fresh Embassy burnings.

[Shasta McNasty]

I got an apartment before I actually got here, and am quite satisfied. Make sure to ask us (or other people down here) about whatever apartment you're about to grab, though. We can be your eyes!:shock:

[options]

1. you should get a new laptop before you come down here. you probably don't need a top-of-the-line $3500 laptop but you do need it for powerpoint lectures, doing some write ups, etc. 2nd most important thing is to bring a flash drive so you can transfer files.
2. the school's student internet is slow. i suggest you get your own internet.

Slow is an understatement. The schools internet is slower than the slowest dial-up connection. You think I'm joking but I'm not.

[rnagy54]

I got an apartment before I actually got here, and am quite satisfied. Make sure to ask us (or other people down here) about whatever apartment you're about to grab, though. We can be your eyes!:shock:

I rented an apartment sight unseen. My fiancee and I were happy with it til we went and checked out one of our friend's places. So, we broke our lease, got our deposit back and moved out. It's not that tough to find someone to take an apartment you dont want, even though you might have to wait a semester.

Later,
nagy

[stateofequilibrium]

Internet is slow in your apartments as well.. very very very slow especially.

[neil]

For those who have apartments, how long of a lease did you sign? what is the bare minimum you have to sign, its six months where i live in the states? how are the school housing and internet access there? And finally, some of you said you got a apartment before you got there and they were fine. can you tell me some names and how much should we expect to pay for apt thats no more than a ten min walk from school.
sorry about how long this is but your response would be appreciated!
Neil

[Shasta McNasty]

For those who have apartments, how long of a lease did you sign? what is the bare minimum you have to sign, its six months where i live in the states? how are the school housing and internet access there? And finally, some of you said you got a apartment before you got there and they were fine. can you tell me some names and how much should we expect to pay for apt thats no more than a ten min walk from school.
sorry about how long this is but your response would be appreciated!
Neil

My landlord is just this wickedly cool guy, and it's not really documented, but I'm signed on for a year. I'll probably stay the full 20 though...I love this place. I don't know of any six-month leases, but I know a lot of people can break their leases and get their deposits back if they give three-month notices. The school housing seems nice enough, although people are ready to move out they don't *hate* the conditions. Some people here have already commented on the internet. Like I said, my landlord is just some guy, but Solutions Management (I think that's the name) is the big renter around here. They have like five or six complexes. My apartment is 5-10 minutes from school, and I pay $850+utilities for a 1BR on the lagoon. It's a cheaper place...I got lucky. Expect to pay $1000+utilities for a 1BR within true walking distance, at least... Some of my friends are paying about $1200+utilities.

[options]

Internet is slow in your apartments as well.. very very very slow especially.

Umm.. are you talking about the dorms? If you have a caribserve connection you can get up to almost a megabyte per second. That's not really slow at all. My internet at home is .5 megabytes per second. There really is no reason for the internet at school to suck so much. Those speeds are 1000X and 500X faster than at school, respectively.

[stateofequilibrium]

Umm.. are you talking about the dorms? If you have a caribserve connection you can get up to almost a megabyte per second. That's not really slow at all. My internet at home is .5 megabytes per second. There really is no reason for the internet at school to suck so much. Those speeds are 1000X and 500X faster than at school, respectively.

I have caribserve in Lagoonview.. I get maybe 5k/sec if I'm lucky.

[stateofequilibrium]

Umm.. are you talking about the dorms? If you have a caribserve connection you can get up to almost a megabyte per second. That's not really slow at all. My internet at home is .5 megabytes per second. There really is no reason for the internet at school to suck so much. Those speeds are 1000X and 500X faster than at school, respectively.

As for speed at school, I hear it's because some of the er, computer help people are constantly streaming TV shows and movies of the net.

[microphage]

Umm.. are you talking about the dorms? If you have a caribserve connection you can get up to almost a megabyte per second. That's not really slow at all. My internet at home is .5 megabytes per second. There really is no reason for the internet at school to suck so much. Those speeds are 1000X and 500X faster than at school, respectively.


megaBIT not BYTE....

[options]

I have caribserve in Lagoonview.. I get maybe 5k/sec if I'm lucky.

The new or the old.. thats about what I got on the old as well.

[options]

megaBIT not BYTE....

No thanks, I'm going to still with byte.

[stateofequilibrium]

The new or the old.. thats about what I got on the old as well.

What do you mean the new vs old? You mean when they came and took away the antenna boxes and plugged us into the wall? Yeah, everything went downhill since then.

[Shasta McNasty]

What do you mean the new vs old? You mean when they came and took away the antenna boxes and plugged us into the wall? Yeah, everything went downhill since then.
Did you get the email they sent about installing additional bandwidth capacity? Apparently they've really outgrown their current amounts. So that's :cool: because my connection's been horrible lately. Also, 100th post!

[options]

What do you mean the new vs old? You mean when they came and took away the antenna boxes and plugged us into the wall? Yeah, everything went downhill since then.

Hmm.. i c, you guys must be on some different system than the rest of us. I just have a radio device on top of my apartment. Cost $400 for equipment and is $55 per month. But, it's worth the money.

The skipper has a 1mb/sec connection all to his self right now.. what do you do with all that bandwidth skipper?

[stateofequilibrium]

Hmm.. i c, you guys must be on some different system than the rest of us. I just have a radio device on top of my apartment. Cost $400 for equipment and is $55 per month. But, it's worth the money.

The skipper has a 1mb/sec connection all to his self right now.. what do you do with all that bandwidth skipper?

Somethings I REALLY REALLY do not want to know man.

[DrShikima]

Did you get the email they sent about installing additional bandwidth capacity? Apparently they've really outgrown their current amounts. So that's :cool: because my connection's been horrible lately. Also, 100th post!

Hey congrats... soon you'll be almost as useless as micro!

[Shasta McNasty]

Hey congrats... soon you'll be almost as useless as micro!

one can only dream...

[Cardinal]

one can only dream...

For some reason, whenever I see your name, I think of McDonalds:confused:

[Shasta McNasty]

For some reason, whenever I see your name, I think of McDonalds:confused:

Fair enough, but the actual inspiration is http://imdb.com/title/tt0206508/ . NOTE: I have not watched a single episode of this, just found the name crazy enough to work.