Laptops
The School of Pharmacy requires all entering students to purchase a laptop for use during their four-year educational program.
The Dell Store is OPEN for student purchases. The laptop will come with:
- Windows Vista ONLY
- 4-yr warranty - covers parts, labor, and accidental damage
NOTE: Laptop batteries are only covered for one year under warranty
You can see specifics about the laptop by clicking here.
Minimum Laptop Specifications
- 1 GB RAM
- 50 GB Hard Drive
- DVD/CD-RW combo drive
- 100Mb/1Gb BaseT Ethernet with cable
- Wireless Network Adapter that supports 802.11g
Required Software
You must have either:
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Ultimate Edition
Important: XP Home and Vista Home Basic editions are not supported.
Before you arrive on campus, you must have updated your operating system to its latest service pack. For XP, this is Service Pack 3; Vista is up to Service Pack 1. To make sure that your system is up-to-date, open the Start menu and choose Windows Update.
You must also have professional anti-virus software installed and up-to-date in order to use the school's wireless network. The following vendors are supported:
- McAfee
- Sophos
- Symantec
- Trend Micro
The HS/HSL Library sells software to students at a discount when the semester begins. You may puchase a copy of Symantec Corporate Edition Antivirus for $30.
Finally, you should have a copy of Microsoft Office 2003 or later. The HS/HSL Library will have copies of Microsoft Office 2007 for $80.
What If I Want to Use a Mac?
As long as your computer meets the minimum specifications listed above, you may use it. Software used in certain classes may require you to be able to run Windows. Apple's Boot Camp software, which lets you run Windows on a Macintosh computer, comes with the latest version of the Macintosh operating system, but a separate copy of Windows XP or Vista is required.
If you do decide to use a Mac, we strongly recommend getting a copy of Microsoft Office 2008.