If you were just like me and going to school (or getting ready to go), you are probably overwhelmed by everything you need to buy.  Textbooks, paper, pens, supplies, and everything else seems to add up quickly.  And of course there are laptop computers and the costs to buy one of those.  While most schools don’t necessarily require you to own a computer, it’s a really smart decision to get one.  Every teacher requires typed assignments and the library and school computers are only available for limited parts of the day.  If you’re someone that likes to procrastinate (like me) you probably can’t rely on the unreliable school computers.  Sometimes school assignments get put off until the night before they’re due and there is absolutely no access available for any computers except for ones that you own.  So, if you’re someone that thinks they can benefit from the convenience of owning a laptop–which I’m pretty sure you can–you’re probably wondering “what laptop you should buy for school” as well as “how do I finance a college laptop”?  The first answer is fairly easy to answer and I can list a couple laptops that are really popular for students.  The second answer can be a bit more tricky.  It’s not that getting financing is particularly difficult, its just that getting financing as a student can result in nasty interest rates and high monthly payments.  If you’re a student who wants cheap monthly payments for a laptop, you’re probably going to want to be smart about who you get financing from.

So what laptop should you get for college?  Well, there’s really two types of laptops to choose from.  One question you should ask yourself is what you’re going to be using the laptop for.  If you’re going to be using the laptop only for school, maybe surf on the internet or listen to music, you’re only going to need cheap laptop from Compaq, HP, or Dell.  The most you should think about spending is about $500.  If you’re thinking you’re going to play lots of games on the laptop or use the laptop for high productivity tasks like 3DS Max or Photo Shop CS4, you might want to get a nicer computer.  A laptop like that could cost you anywhere from $800 to over $2000.  A good choice in the entertainment school laptop category is the Macbook Pro.  The Apple Macbook has lots of features that are great for college students wanting to watch movies, play games, and be really productive.

For financing, there are a few ways to get the laptop you need with low, affordable monthly payments.  As a student, you have many financing plans available that other people can’t get.  For example, there are a lot of government loans for students that allow you to purchase school-related things.  These government student loans can even be used for buying a laptop.  If you’re a low-income student, there are interest free loans available from the government that don’t require you to make any payments until you get your degree.  If you’re from a more advantageous background, you still have options for low interest loans from the government.

Besides government loans, you also have the option to finance or even pay for your laptop using scholarship money.  Scholarships aren’t only restricted to people with good grades either.  If you have athletic talent or do extra-curricular activities like FBLA you can usually get a scholarship to help pay for school and supplies.  Talk with your financial adviser at your high school or college to learn more about scholarships available to you.

After student specific loans and scholarships, you also have the option to finance your computer with a credit card.  Credit cards are fairly easy to get and with responsible purchasing decisions can be a very useful tool.  If you choose to use a credit card for a laptop, make sure you’re going to be able to make the monthly payments.  You don’t want to find yourself trapped in payments that you can barely afford.  There have been a lot of unfortunate students who got themselves into severe debt and ruined their credit rating.  Even after getting their debt squared away, they now are having difficulties getting car loans or even new credit cards.  Because of this, its imperative that you make sure you make your payments your laptop on-time and hopefully above the minimum payment.

Whichever way you choose to finance your computer, make sure you practice responsible spending habits.  Good spending habits help you grow your savings account and let you buy much nicer things down the road.  Not only will you get a much better credit rating, but you will also have less stress and happier relationships (at least when it comes to relationships torn by debt).  Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

This post is tagged with: affordable monthly payments, apple macbook, college laptop, compaq, dell, entertainment laptop, financing school laptops, goverment loans, hp, laptop computers, laptops for school, macbook pro, photo shop, scholarships