Is buying a MacBook for University a mistake?
I am a soon-to-be university student who is interested in pursuing a career in Investment Banking. I am in the market for a new laptop and am considering purchasing the latest MacBook model. However, I am unsure if it is suitable for the demands of an Student that wants to go into a Investment Banking career.
Is it acceptable to use a MacBook for Investment Banking/University? Are there any particular requirements that I should be aware of? Will I need to use any specific software that is incompatible with the Mac operating system?
Any guidance and advice from the seasoned professionals in this community would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time!
For university itself a Macbook is fine. Most students go with the Air, while the Pro model lineup gives you more power for content editing (videos, ..).
MacOS is not ideal for working on Excel spreadsheets, the keyboard layout is different and the shortcuts don't align with industry standards (which is PC based).
One of the biggest challenges for me was when I went from MacOS to my first ever work laptop (a Dell).
It is completely acceptable to have a work and a personal laptop though. I have three right now, Macbook Pro for personal use, a HP from work, and another Windows laptop for car modules/flashing them, etc
Windows based laptops can be extremely affordable and that's why a 2nd machine might be acceptable. It is generally a good idea to have two machines anyway, just in case something happens.
The other option is going with a programmable, mechanical keyboard (see my username for which one I am using). They can be customized to make a Mac "look and feel" like a Windows PC - but let me tell you, it won't be the same.
I used a MacBook throughout university and loved it
I used Bootcamp to install Windows on it as well (not a particularly difficult process), and with a cheap Bluetooth or USB keyboard it was then functionally a Windows computer and could fulfil all excel and modelling requirements (at least for a student, obviously now have a work separate work laptop)
Worth noting that bootcamp doesn't work on any new (M1/M2-based) Macs
A few people in my mba program use Mac with parallels on a M1 Mac. They claim they haven’t had any problems yet
If money no issue and you love MACs for everything they bring then a MAC & a PC laptop. You've got your MAC because it is a better multi-media machine and then practicing excel with PC short cut keys always helpful since that is what your going to be doing at work.
If you only can get one I'd go with a PC (Dell, Lenova, Acer) and become a wizard with excel. Store everything up in a cloud hosting service and if something happens to your PC head to best buy and pick up another.
Best part about using a mac was being able to text in class lol
No I'd recommend you use whichever OS you're more familiar with or ingrained as it will make the transition easier and save time. All throughout the finance industry you'll see windows but you can always install Parallels (a software which allows you to run Windows on Mac - it's affordable). Getting another keyboard via Bluetooth or USB is a great option and note most windows laptops do not have the number pad which you'll need in finance. But you can get a plug-in mini number pad on the side. Reliability wise I prefer Mac despite windows improvements in this area. I have found Lenovo and ASUS to be stellar w/o any issues. The Dell XPS is a popular windows option but Dell seems to be YMMV and can have wifi issues at the higher end. If you’re in an accounting program, I recommend getting a cheap windows because if your school does online accounting exams or uses accounting software for major classes those were only compatible on windows to my recollection. Hope this helps, would appreciate SBs and lmk if you have other questions. GL!
Finishing up my BSc Finance. Would 100% go for Windows if i were to choose over. Working in Office is a pain on Mac. Does not only apply to Excel, but also for Word etc.
Imo Mac is superior for casual use, but Windows is a lot better for school. I have also tried running Windows on Mac but it does not feel the same.
second this
Pepsi
At my college they did not allow you to have a MacBook if you were enrolled in the business school. It’s worse for excel and certain data analytics type programming.
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