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The latest version of this document can be found at http://cobweb.aecom.yu.edu/ooe/compreq/compguide.htm (Last Updated 01/2007).
What are the practical implications of us "requiring" you to buy a computer without many specific requirements being stated?
If you don't have a computer, we believe you will be at a severe educational disadvantage, but we keep the requirements as general as possible because we want to maximize your flexibility in deciding when and what to buy.
All the requirements relate to network connectivity and security and can be found on the Research Information Technology Policy page. Simply stated a computer must
If you plan to buy a wireless card (in addition, not instead of an ethernet adapter) it should be 802.11a/b/g specification. (see note)
If all you want is an example of what kind of computer to buy, you can skip to the end of this document. If you want to know the reasoning behind the example or want more general advice, keep reading here.
Operating Systems: As the Internet has become a more hostile environment, hackers have found security "holes" they can use to take over student computers. The people who support these operating systems develop "patches" as quickly as the holes are found but at some point they decide they will not patch older versions of their software. At that point, any holes found become permanent holes. Such computers become prime targets for hackers and because of the sophistication of today's operating systems that means not only is the target computer taken over but it becomes a base of operations for attacking other computers on the network. The University has no choice but to disconnect such computers from the network. The problem has gotten so bad that computers that are found to be at high risk (i.e. with older operating systems) will be disconnected from the network before they are attacked.
So why the need for this long technical explanation? To soften the blow when we reveal that how often you need to buy a new computer is partly up to Microsoft or Apple. At one point, Microsoft policy had a lifespan of less than 3 years for it's current operating system. This would mean a new computer with the latest (but still 2 year old) operating system would be obsolete before a student graduated from medical school. Microsoft since has changed their policy. The latest information about operating system lifespan can be found on the Microsoft web site. Apple does not provide similar information. Caveat emptor!
Antivirus Software: If you don't have it already, you should. On the other hand, if you have it, but it is about to expire, don't run out to get a new copy. Once you arrive, you'll be able to get Anti-virus software as part of our University site license. Which raises the question that if you don't have it, can you wait till you get here? You can, but your connection to the campus network will be delayed. We've found our most common source of virus infection has been arriving students. If you're computer has not been immunized you'll need to obtain the software and immunize your computer before it is placed on the network.
Ethernet: For students living in student housing, ethernet is current the best way to connect to the Internet. There are currently no plans to install wireless connections in student housing. For students living off-campus, there are some situations where having an ethernet adapter in your laptop will be useful. Getting it as part of the computer now is much better than trying to add it later. Finally, this requirement is almost a given in that few computers today come without an ethernet adapter but we thought we'd mention it just to be sure you had one.
Wireless: Wireless connections will be available in classrooms and the library. Laptops with wireless connections will be used within some small group sessions but they are not required (as not every course or section will make use of them). However, students report there is additional benefit in having the wireless access available during off-hours when studying in the classrooms. So we don't require you to have wireless but if you do have wireless, it has to match the technology we are currently supporting. Older wireless cards might still work...but then again they might not.
If you've bought a computer two years ago, there is a good chance you can limp along for a while. But it is also probable you will need to buy a new computer within the next few years to keep pace with other changes.
If you don't own a computer, ideally you should get one before you arrive on campus or arrange for it to be delivered shortly after you arrive. Special support hours are set up to assist students with problems during the orientation week. After that, there is no on-campus support (AECOM does not have a computer center, computer science department, or any of the other things large Universities have that imply a lot of available support) so getting help will take more time and effort on your part, just as you are trying to find more time for studying.
If your computer just won't get there in time or it has a break down on contact with our network, there are still some on-campus computers available in public rooms. Not the ideal place to work as compared to your own apartment but you won't be completely helpless without your own computer.
Either is sufficient. Almost all educational materials will run on either or are available via the web. Most major word processing programs are available for both platforms. If you are looking for advice on this issue, it runs like this: stick with what you have used in the past. It is probably harder to switch from one platform to another than it is if you've never used a computer at all. If switching back and forth isn't an issue for you or you've never used either, then stick with what your friends and family are using. Sooner or later you'll have to pick up the phone and ask someone a quick question and it helps to have a long list of people to try. If you have no friends (who use computers) and you really know nothing at all, then Dr. Cimino's personal advice leans slightly towards Mac. This is based on having taught a fair number of novices to use one or the other platform and the novices have a slightly easier time of it with Macs. Cost and reliability is often raised as an issue as well; is the higher cost of Macs really justified by longer life or ease of use? Four or five years ago it would have been easier to say yes; today, Windows and PC makers are closing the gap in terms of reliability, maintenance, and ease of use.
So what about Linux? Yes, Linux will work but the community of people you can turn to on campus for help is going to be very small. Linux is not officially supported by the University. The policy of keeping your version up to date and patched still applies. If your reason for running Linux is because you want to run your own web or file server, be aware that for a variety of reasons (dynamic addressing, security issues, bandwidth issues) servers aren't allowed within the student housing network. Your only option in this case would be to subscribe to cable-modem or DSL services from a private provider (i.e., outside our network). Check http://www.aecom.yu.edu/rit/resnet/aup.htm for the latest policy details.
If you don't have it already, you should. On the other hand, if you have it, but it is about to expire, don't run out to get a new copy. Once you arrive, you'll be able to get Anti-virus software as part of our University site license. Which raises the question that if you don't have it, can you wait till you get here? You can, but your connection to the campus network will be delayed. We've found our most common source of virus infection has been arriving students. If you're computer has not been immunized you'll need to obtain the software and immunize your computer before it is placed on the network.
The Computer Based Education Committee strongly recommends a laptop over a desktop but probably not for the reasons students assume. Many undergraduates are used to living a mobile lifestyle and so the thought of "taking it with you" is appealing. The reality of med school is you will become somewhat more sedentary because of studying and when you are on the move, you'll want to leave your studying behind. Unless you already know you'll be commuting significant distances every weekend, you probably don't need a laptop for this reason. Many students assume they will be bringing their laptops to the hospital during their clinical years. There will be no place to safely keep them, they will be too heavy, get in the way, and get stolen.
However, as AECOM has increased access for laptops on campus, students are reporting high value in being able to bring their laptop wherever they need to study. In addition, some courses have started experimenting with small group exercises in which many students in one group have laptop/Internet access. The results of those exercises have been very positive and more of them will be occurring with each passing year. At some point we will probably start requiring entering students to have laptops; we just haven't gotten to that point yet.
On the flip side of this issue is that there is still a difference in price. You can get a desktop that will be more powerful, bigger, brighter, last longer, and be cheaper than the lowest priced laptop. However the price difference is only a few hundred dollars and the major performance difference has to do with screen size.
The school doesn't take a stand on this one way or another primarily because there is still a lot of variability between Palm and PocketPC and what software is available on each. Students in their clinical years find having ready access to a drug reference very helpful. There are mixed reports about using PDA versions of various medical texts. They would be more helpful during the clinical years if they were the same models as what residents use, but hospitals haven't standardized either. During the first two years the main usefulness would be for managing your schedule but if you are convinced of this use, it's because you already own a PDA.
The school does have a site license to Clinical Pharmacology OnHand which you can down load while on campus (or in student housing). Go to: http://www.cponhand.gsm.com/download.asp It is available for both Palm and PocketPC. There is a variety of free and shareware software that is useful - Go to google and search for medical pda software or medical pda users groups. Steer away from the pay sites because almost everything that you can pay for is also available free. The one exception are things like medical textbooks.
Another caveat to consider before rushing out to buy one or putting a medical textbook on your Amazon "wish list": PDA screens are very tiny. Much of the useful information found in the print version comes in the form of large tables, graphs and diagrams which are hard if not impossible to render on a PDA.
Printing is available on campus at a cost of 10 cents a page. Some students find the convenience of printing where they study makes it worth the cost. Others find the cost of a printer (now under $100) and the overall savings out-weighs the inconvenience.
Obviously if you get a desktop computer you will need a monitor but a laptop (especially if it has a small screen) will also benefit from a large external monitor. Aside from writing papers and case write-ups, much of what you will use you computer for is to study anatomy, pathology, and other images. A larger screen will let you compare multiple images which can be a real plus. If you can afford one 19 inches or larger then go for it. If the largest LCD you can afford is less than 17 inches then think about putting that purchase off to the future (when prices will drop).
For more specific guidance on what kind of computer to buy, the starting point should be to realize that unless you are doing major video editing, 3D animation, real-time simulations, or other high-end tasks, a new basic low-end computer will be plenty powerful for everything you need to do when you arrive at med school. But if you buy the absolute lowest-end model, you'll find when you need to upgrade (as eventually you will) your computer won't handle it. To get the longest life out of your new computer you should get something "just a little bit above the low-end".
We recommend this approach. Choose your operating system and read the recommended hardware requirements and then double the RAM, double the Hard Drive space, and double the clock speed. If the recommendations were written more than three years ago, then consider quadrupling everyting. If you still have money to spend, increase RAM and speed by the same increments until you run out of money. You can always add more hard drive space later.
Given the operating systems currently available it would work like this:
PC: As of Janaury 2007, Windows Vista has just been released but Windows XP Professional is still supported. It is too soon to say which version of Windows Vista makes the most sense and Microsoft does not clearly list mimimum requirements (instead they ask you to run software on your computer to see what upgrades it might need). We recommend 2 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 256MB Video RAM, and 60 GB Hard Drive. To get a longer lasting machine, increase the RAM to 4GB and after that increase the speed and RAM by equal proportions until you can afford no more.
Mac: As of January 2007 the currently recommended Mac Operating system is still Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). The Apple recommended minimum includes 600 MHz G3, 256 MB RAM, and 4 GB Hard Drive. Back in 2005 we recommended 1 GHz G4, 512 MB RAM, and 10 GB Hard Drive. BUT, now the operating system is about to be replaced by Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). So we recommend a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive.
If you have additional questions, please send mailto:cimino@aecom.yu.edu