Best overall
$$$ Over $300
Apple
MacBook Air (M5)
Silent, light and fast enough for anything a CS degree throws at it, with all-day battery. Get 16 GB of memory or more.
For computer science students
From CS student to first tech job.
Plain-English guides to the classes, projects that teach you to build, and the internships that get you hired.
The path
Four stages. One goal: the offer.
-
01
Gear up
The laptop, calculator and books worth paying for, and the free tools to claim first.
-
02
Learn the classes
What each core course covers, which ones are hardest and how to pass them.
-
03
Build real projects
Guided projects in Python, Java and the web, from first program to full stack.
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04
Land an internship
Openings, timelines and what recruiters look for in a student resume.
Featured gear
Gear up for the degree.
Founder's pick
$$ $50 to $300
Texas Instruments
TI-84 Plus CE
The calculator most calculus classes are taught around, approved for the SAT, ACT, AP and IB.
Interview prep
$ Under $50
McDowell, Mroczka, Lerner, Mamano
Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview
The 2025 follow-up to the classic: how technical interviews work now, with 150+ new problems.
Focus pick
$$$ Over $300
Sony
WH-1000XM6 headphones
Class-leading noise cancellation for loud dorms and libraries, with a mic for calls.
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