I will be starting my first semester this fall. I intend to earn a computer science degree.

I was considering loading a Linux distro onto a thumb drive and using that on campus and at home to keep all my school files and programs in one place. Would it likely be a problem for me to boot from a thumb drive at the library or in a classroom? Would staff or admin have a problem with this?

Is it necessary to have a laptop on campus my first year? Are computers provided in classes where they are needed? (At AACC the classrooms have a computer at every desk in a computer science class.)

Any insight into the computing situation especially for computer science majors would be appreciated.

- Jonathan