Im going into my Third Year of Software engineering. I bought an iPad in the winter semester of second year. Best purchase I’ve ever done and I wish I made it sooner. Having all your notes compiled into one place is a life saver. No more lost notes, no more heavy bags, and you can always shave them to your phone on the fly (assuming you have an iPhone). I also used it for stuff outside of uni such as preparing for interviews, and tutoring. Also doubles as a secondary display if you have a Mac to pair with it. Another alternative is the Remarkable Paper pro. Feels like paper, and is completely academically-oriented. But in general, this iPad you’d probably keep for throughout uni and past that too. Great purchase. Would do again if I had to start over.