I was a computer science student (thankfully), so finding a job wasn't a terribly difficult task. However, I do think a CS student with a MBP is overprivileged. Throughout college I had a single laptop that cost $800 (which I paid for myself). I wrote and graded/proctored exams and problem sets, worked as a web developer for my school, organized presentations for a professor, in addition to doing internships over summers. After paying for rent, food and tuition (which unfortunately rose somewhere around 50% during my stay at Berkeley...), I feel that I deserve something better than a $800 machine, especially since I studied CS.
I can't possibly say the same about someone who did not work for everything else. If you got financial aid, that's for tuition, not for extra playthings. Use that money on tuition, books, and a basic machine, not a top-of-the-line MBP.
I apologize if I sound overly harsh of my peers who got off easy. I understand that some parents who are well-off enough to pay for their children's education should help out a bit, but I think it's unfair to punish a student because of his parents' circumstances.
I can't possibly say the same about someone who did not work for everything else. If you got financial aid, that's for tuition, not for extra playthings. Use that money on tuition, books, and a basic machine, not a top-of-the-line MBP.
I apologize if I sound overly harsh of my peers who got off easy. I understand that some parents who are well-off enough to pay for their children's education should help out a bit, but I think it's unfair to punish a student because of his parents' circumstances.
I hope you can understand.