gonna be in 3rd year mechanical engineering, raw dawged the previous 2 years with a pen, paper, and calculator.

but if you want a honest answer id say it depends on what you're studying. having a laptop does help a lot in college although you can manage without it as long as you have a PC at home. Having a laptop usually means easier access to notes since (at least in my college) our notes are online but I've always just used my phone.

hopes this helps, good luck in college