It was a lifesaver in university. I barely had the $60 I needed for a used Chromebook -- it gave easy access to all the online gradebooks and assignment postings, I had ready access to google docs and overleaf, the battery lasted all day even with 8+ hours of active use, with crouton I had a nearly complete Linux CLI (math major here, jupyter with sympy was extremely useful). As an added bonus it weighed in under 3lbs; due to unforeseen circumstances I was biking a fair ways to school each day, and after a textbook or two every extra pound mattered.

Was a Chromebook the only workable solution? No, of course not. Having _something_ was a huge advantage over hoping the library would be open some time you weren't in class or working (a tenuous proposition, especially near weekends or anything that might be misconstrued as a holiday), and in that price bracket there was no competition that came close to a Chromebook.