Some of these comments are written with students in mind, and some with parents. See if you can figure out which is which. Well, it's a natural question. These days almost all students have a computer, and that's probably even more true of computer science students, obviously enough. But you ought to be careful about the purchase.
Computers are cheaper than they used to be, but they're still a major purchase.
So it's a sensible question. Here are some of my answers. It's really not crucial for a student to own a computer. Even if you plan to buy one eventually, relying on the labs lets you put off the decision until later, when you're more confident about what special features you'll want in a computer. And you will want special features.