Personal

Ithaca College faculty, staff and students qualify for special educational prices from a number of computer manufacturers for personal computing needs. Educational pricing can be obtained by identifying with Ithaca College at time of purchase usually by providing an Ithaca College email address. Ithaca College primarily uses Windows computers from Dell, and Macintosh Computers from Apple. Both manufacturers offer special pricing to college students and employees. 

Hardware

Any new computer purchased from one of the leading computer manufacturers should be more than adequate for basic student use on campus (Microsoft Office, basic Internet access, etc.). If unsure as to which platform to buy, Mac or PC, students should consult with the appropriate academic department. The Park School of Communications strongly recommends a Mac laptop and the School of Business requires that all incoming first-year students purchase or bring a laptop equipped with Microsoft Office. All student computers must have anti-virus software installed and updated on a regular basis before being able to connect to the campus network or Apogee's ResNet.

Most computer purchases will come with a standard software package that includes the Microsoft Office and a browser like Internet Explorer for Windows or Safari for Macs. Some academic programs may require specialized software. Specialized software is also available in the labs for use by faculty, staff and students.

If your specific needs are more demanding (for example, if you use computer graphics development software or video capture) then you'll want to make sure that you purchase a faster system that has more memory and storage space. You can also check with your academic advisor or department to find out what they recommend.

We currently use Windows XP operating system and Microsoft Office 2007 products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) on campus. New PCs for personal purchase will probably come with Windows Vista operating system.

We currently use OS X operating system and both Microsoft Office 2004 and 2008 products (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). We recommend, if possible, using compatible software. If something happens to your personal computer, there are many lab computers avilable to use.

Software

Before purchasing specific software, you may want to consider which applications ITS is able to support. ITS can answer some questions and provide some help on supported applications; for those programs that ITS does not support, seek the help of your hardware or software vendor. A list of supported software is available in the Training and Documentation section of the website.

Software can be purchased at educational prices from many retailers and mail order companies when you identify yourself as a college student or employee for your personal purchase. Ithaca College participates in the Adobe Contractual Licensing Program through the Ithaca College Bookstore. The Bookstore also sells many other titles at significant savings.

Students

If you are  using ResNet, you must have anti-virus software installed on your computer. We recommend that you set your anti-virus software to automatically update at least once a week, if not daily. McAfee Anti-virus software is available for free download.

If you are a student and you will be connecting your computer to Apogee ResNet, the residence hall computer network, it must have a 10/100 RJ45 network adapter and driver software installed, as well as a network cable. Network cables are available for purchase at the Ithaca College Bookstore.