General YSPH Computer Recommendations
These are basic recommendations only. At this time there are no requirements for YSPH students to own computers or laptops. The YSPH faculty assumes that students have access to their own computers or have access to the YSPH student computer lab. This lab has 30 Dell computers outfitted with the software used in the YSPH curriculum.
The university has worked with Dell and Apple to offer some computer packages for students. More info is available here.
A few things to consider
For an all around good computer with a decent deal, we recommend one of the Dell Latitudes offered through the link above. They make a decent computer with a decent price--and with an important extended warranty and accidental damage protection. Other computers would work as well and the specifications of the Dell Latitudes could serve as a model for other brands.
SAS, one of the major statistical software packages we use here, has limitations on which version of Windows it will run on. In general, with the exception of Windows 7 Home Premium, it will not run on the "Home" versions of Windows. It will also not likely run on Windows 7 Starter, the version of the operating system popular for netbooks.
SAS, one of the major statistical software packages we use here, does not run natively on the Apple Mac OS. You can run it under Windows on a newer Mac computer, but it will take effort on your part to set it up. That said, close to 50% of our students report owning a Mac and we will help you get SAS running on it.
Microsoft Office: When you get here you will be able to purchase Microsoft Office cheaply, and you will also be able to get other Microsoft software packages for free.
When buying a computer, be certain to inquire about the warranty, particularly about the turnaround time for repairs and what the warranty includes and excludes (many laptop warranties exclude the LCD screen, a costly item to fix). If you are buying a Dell laptop, we recommend the Dell Next Business Day CompleteCare warranty and that you extend it to cover three years. If you are buying an Apple then consider the AppleCare protection.