[Closed] Chromebook or Laptop

I think they are probably great for students given the all day battery life. O365 in a browser, or googles alternatives. Fast startup, small form factor. Would get my vote.

I'm a chromebook fan, but I'd go for a win 10 or apple laptop for a student.
Just more flexibility in terms of specialist software, connectivity or tech support she may need.

Laptop. All it takes is the need to use one piece of software for coursework or assessment that doesn't have a Chromebook app, and she will not be able to use it.

Just get a laptop. It'll do everything a chromebook can (including long battery life and fast start up) plus all the extra stuff that only a laptop will do.

Chromebook

they don't go slow. Can do things off line.

My work pc is a HP mobile workstation, with i9, 32gb memory, decent SSD etc
my relatively cheap chromebook knocks it into the park for speed of starting up, and battery life. It's also a lot lighter (for carrying around). No issue connecting to anything.

I love my Chromebook but a Windows laptop is the choice for Uni.

Everything will be MS centred and it just makes things more straightforward. You could probably make it work with a Chromebook but why swim against the stream.

I'd hesitantly say Chomebook.
Eldest daughter has a Macbook and admits that she doesn't need its capability for her uni business course - plus the screen got broken while she was there and would have been very expensive to fix if it hadn't been for a recall on her particular model.

One of my other daughters has taken over my Pixelbook and says it will be perfect for her business course starting [hopefully] this autumn. Don't forget that some Chromebooks will run Android apps - so she actually has a 'full' version of Word, etc. on the Pixelbook if she needs it.

Other daughter, who is also starting uni this autumn, has an older Macbook that works fine after an SSD upgrade. Not sure what we're going to do about that one.

If you need specific software for the course then a Windows laptop, but if it's just "Office" apps and browser (obvs may be one and the same thing) then chromebook purely for the speed, light weight and better protection.

I'm looking for a used Dell XPS that I can stick an SSD and run Ubuntu on - I think that would be a good solution also.

It depends on the course, I would think.

A lot of courses that 'just' require essays to be written could be done on a virtually any computer.

I did Mechanical engineering & had to install various bits of software during my course for projects that would only run on Windows machines.

I suspect there are many other subjects like software, material science, electronics, biology etc. where specific software might be required.

Find out what software she will have to run first. Without knowing that, you can't know whether a Chromebook will do the job. I use Endnote all the time. There may be equivalents that work on a Chromebook, but a Windows machine is a safer bet. I also use some specialized software for work that I was introduced to as a student. That is only available for Windows.

I am assuming that she will need Office, email and browsing.

Stop assuming and find out for sure. Because what @martinhutch just said, you're basically asking "should I buy a screwdriver or a hammer?" which is an impossible question without context. A Chromebook, a Windows laptop or a Mac may be the perfect tool for the job or wholly unsuitable depending on the course requirements.

And speaking from bitter experience, she really doesn't want to be the one student in the class who has different kit from everyone else.

she really doesn’t want to be the one student in the class who has different kit from everyone else

Schools are actually very progressive about gender issues these days.

I would go laptop every day of the week. My work one was replaced by a chromebook and virtually everyone who got one is asking for laptops back. The chromebook just seems to make simple tasks more difficult than they should be, tries to force Google products on you (and if you don't use them it makes even more simple tasks difficult!), has too many campatability issues with stuff she will normally use and just isn't as user friendly as it should be.

The instant 'on' and a few other bits are usefull but they are sunk by all the other issues. Avoid IMO.

Have you asked her?

“should I buy a screwdriver or a hammer?”

Hammer.
Always hammer.
Estwing.
🔨

has too many campatability issues with stuff she will normally use

And how do you know what stuff "she will normally use"?

For all you know she's already on Gmail, uses chrome and only needs Office apps - in which case a Chromebook is great.

If you can get away with a chromebook then that would be excellent. I have a 15" Acer that's ancient and it boots faster and is ready to go far quicker than my macbook air.