Purchasing a Laptop
Laptop Computing at the Medical School

This FAQ will assist you in choosing a computer to bring with you to Medical School. If you have further questions, contact the LRC Help Desk at 734-936-2239 or by e-mail at lrc_help@umich.edu. One of the LRC computer consultants will be available to assist you with your computing questions and concerns.
Laptop requirement at the University of Michigan Medical School

You are required to have a laptop at Medical School. Purchasing a laptop is a large expense, so we recommend that if you already have a fairly modern laptop (four years or less), bring it to campus and try it. You can purchase a new laptop later if you need to upgrade. You can find detailed information and evaluate the suitability of your computer in advance at the following website:

The educational technology plan includes laptops to allow students to access virtual microscope images in a laboratory setting. We feel that laptops and related technologies will continue to evolve, and increasingly have an impact on patient care and medical practice. A laptop will allow you to participate fully in the opportunities available to you and prepare you for your future as a physician.

All laptops (new or old) should use antivirus software. Free antivirus software is available from the University. Scanning and antivirus support is always available at the Learning Resource Center (LRC) Help Desk at not cost.

To learn more about the how the digital microscope will be used in your first year, please watch the videos that describe this technology on the Med Curriculum site.

    Using the Virtual Microscope at school
2:00 minutes
       
    Using laptops for Digital Microscopy
2:30 minutes
PC or Mac?

Some of the software used in Medical School only runs on a Windows-based computer (the Medical School and the University of Michigan Health System are predominantly Windows-based environments). However, students with Macs have not been significantly limited by these few programs. Additionally, Windows computers are available to medical students on a 24/7 basis in the Medical School computing labs.

If necessary, an Intel-based Macintosh can also run Windows through a variety of means (Parallels for Mac, VMware Fusion, and Boot Camp). Assistance with these configurations is available from the Learning Resource Center (LRC) Help Desk. It is advised that you try the Mac OS first, in the Medical School environment, before taking on the complexity and cost of also running Windows.

Netbooks are small Windows-based laptops. Some students use these as their “travel computer,” but have desktops or other full-sized laptops at home, or utilize the computer lab. These are good for portability, but have limits on screen size.

Apple iPad?

At this time, we do not recommend using an Apple iPad or Android tablet as your only computer. There are still certain educational programs (e.g., Virtual Microscopy) that will not operate on the iPad at this time. Also, these devices are so new that we do not know how they will operate in the Medical School environment.

 
What should I get and where should I buy it?

There are many models and sellers of laptop computers. For this reason, we do not recommend one brand or vendor over another. Regardless of what and where you buy, we do recommend you purchase a warranty with full accidental coverage, when available.

A name-brand laptop with a good warranty will run between $350-1500. Students often purchase Dell, Apple, Lenovo, and HP brand computers. A full accidental care package is highly recommended with mobile technology. An accidental care package will normally cover both hardware malfunction and damage such as spills, drops, etc. for 3-4 years.

 
 
Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to students to help cover the cost of a new computer. The Medical School Financial Aid Office can approve an alternate loan application. However, you must request this alternate loan application. Upon approval, you can present a receipt of purchase (from a store), or have the computer purchase billed to your student account (from the U-M Computer Showcase).

The amount you owe, after financial aid has been applied, will appear on your Student Statement of Account in August or September.

For more information about your financial aid options, go to:

http://www.med.umich.edu/medschool/financialaid/

 
The University of Michigan Computer Showcase

The U-M Computer Showcase is a not-for-profit sales center that negotiates educational discounts on computers, supplies, and software. The Showcase offers several model choices and payment options (cash, credit, student account billing).

Student account billing cannot happen until after August 2, 2011, with a minimum purchase of $500. However, cash and credit purchases can be done at any time.

Prices are negotiated with each manufacturer and, when you consider the warranty, are very competitive. Computers purchased at the Showcase are available for pickup only.

For more detail on products, sale dates, and restrictions, see: http://showcase.itcs.umich.edu/
Hardware requirements and recommendations

The hardware requirements and recommendations listed below have been selected to ensure that your laptop will be able to use the software and other computing systems necessary for your curricular computing activities. Processor and operating system recommendations are specific to a PC; others apply equally to a Mac or PC.

 

Features

Recommended

Processor
(computer speed)

 
Pentium 1.5 GHz or faster recommended

Memory (RAM)

 
2 Gigabyte or larger recommended

Screen Size

 
14" is recommended - it will provide a good balance between screen size and portability

Hard Drive
(storage space)

 
80 Gigabytes or larger

Operating System
(any version)

 

Windows 7 and Mac OSX

 

Wireless

 
802.11g/n aka: WiFi

Wired
(Ethernet)

 
1000 built-in Ethernet adapter (should be a standard component)

Optical Drive
(optional)

 
DVD Reader & CD Burner Combo drive, or DVD Burner

Removable Storage
(not required, but strongly recommended)

 

• USB Key Drive (1GB or higher recommended) – will simplify document management and file sharing

• External Hard Drive for making backups

Weight/Size

 
Because you will be transporting your laptop to and from school, a lighter and less bulky model would be preferable over a heavier and more bulky laptop

Warranty

 
3-4 years of coverage. Highly recommended to get Complete Care (accidental damage warranty), or equivalent

Headphones

 
Some of the software used for coursework requires headphones

Case

 
A laptop carrying case (i.e. saddlebag, backpack) to transport your laptop and accessories is recommended

Ethernet Cable
(optional)

 

7 foot Cat 5e Ethernet cable
   
Software

Medical students use of a variety of software programs. Students get a discount on Microsoft Office and other software through the U-M Computer Showcase. Here is a list of commonly used software:

All computers

Microsoft Office – Office 2010 for Windows, 2011 for Mac

Microsoft Window 7 – available from the Showcase for $20.00
Upgrading?

Apple iTunes – free (Mac or Windows)
(http://www.apple.com/itunes)

McAfee VirusScan (PC) or Sophos Anti-Virus (Mac) – free
(http://virusbusters.itcs.umich.edu)

All laptops should use antivirus software – if you already have your own that works well, then you do not need to install these UM-provided versions

Mac Users only

The following two items allow Intel-based Macs to run the Windows Operating System in conjunction with the Mac Operating System.  These are optional programs, but allow Mac users to install Windows and be able to run any Windows program, too.  They both require the purchase and installation of Windows.

Parallels Desktop for Mac

Fusion for Mac
What about my home Internet access?

High-speed Internet (aka: Broadband) access is recommended. Many students use the Internet to download and stream lecture videos.  These files can be over 120MB for each hour recorded.  Download speeds vary with Broadband service.  Here is a quick table listing speeds and the estimated time to download an average 120MB lecture video.

Downloads Speeds Approximate time to download a typical lecture file (~120MB). You may expect 3-4 lectures per day. Comcast AT&T DSL AT&T U-Verse
1.5 Mbps 21.33 min - Express -
3 Mbps 10.66 min - Pro Pro
6 Mbps 5.33 min Performance* Elite Elite
12 Mbps 2.66 min Blast!®* - Max
18 Mbps 1.77 min - - Max Pro
24 Mbps 1.33 min Extreme 50* - Max Turbo

* Note: Comcast uses PowerBoost® to describe their offerings. PowerBoost® will double the speed of the first 10MB of a file. The service called “Performance” claims “downloads up to 12Mbps, uploads up to 2Mbps with PowerBoost®.” This means that for the first 10MB of a file, it will download 12Mbps. After that, it will settle around 6Mbps (with 1Mbps upload speed). “Blast!®” service claims 20Mbps/4Mbps with PowerBoost®, so expect 10Mbps/2Mbps.

 
What about printing?

You have 400 pages of free black and white printing per semester at Medical School and other campus computing labs. The cost of black and white printing at these labs is 6 cents per page once the 400-page limit is exceeded.

You can print from your laptop to the Medical School printers (LRC and Furstenberg labs) as well as to many printers around UofM's campus by using mPrint.



Who can I contact for laptop support or further questions?

Contact the LRC Help Desk M-F, 8 am–5 pm at 734-936-2239 if you have questions. Or email us at lrc_help@umich.edu and one of the LRC staff will be available to assist you with your computing questions and concerns. We will help you with your personal computing needs as much as possible (free of charge). If we don’t know the answer, we will help you find someone who does!

Finally, during the first week of medical school, an orientation to the technology resources, policies, and support will be provided. Staff from the LRC Help Desk will also be available throughout the year to assist with your technology needs and questions.