A:Answer Pretty much any laptop is good for that because essays and internet research are not things that require a robust high end computer. This is a gaming computer with really fast processing speed and a kick butt video card because that is what is needed for video intense games. It is overkill for simply doing schoolwork because the features you are paying for are no needed for those tasks. This laptop does NOT come with Microsoft Office pre-loaded, so that would be an extra cost. This is a cool looking computer that is designed for gaming and thus has a lot of gaming support that is readily visible - could be a distraction if you have someone who would prefer to do gaming instead of school work. NOTE - because this is a gaming computer that depends on the primary input being the mouse and keyboard, it does NOT have a touchscreen. It does have a really cool customizable keyboard (will impress others), it boots really really fast thanks to the SSD, the video output is awesome - and if the person who wants this is also going to use it for games it will definitely do both wonderfully. It is small for a gaming laptop, but is heavy compared to most other laptops so lightweight and portability are not it's strong points. Personally, I would recommend looking at something cheaper it if is not going to be used for gaming also.
