Medical Student Technology Resources

Macs are not currently recommended. Many software packages you will use in the School do not support Macs.

We recommend laptops to students due to mobility. However, it is really up to you.

We require 3 GB of memory (RAM) at a minimum. However, depending on the applications you run on your computer, more memory may be needed.

Please verify that your computer meets our minimum computer requirements.

With normal usage (under 6 hours per day), and under a normal environment (ie. Average humidity, air quality and temperature), a laptop, depending on the brand and quality, will typically last about three to four years. However, the life of a laptop or its components may be shortened if there is excessive usage or if the laptop is mistreated.

It is always recommended to get at least three years of factory or vendor warranty.

It is not required but may be useful depending on how you plan to use your computer. Bringing it to campus every day in a backpack will expose it to greater risk than using it at home.

There are many quality laptop brands available, including Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony and Lenovo. Consideration should really be placed on the processing capabilities, storage capacity, battery life, dimensions, aesthetics, pre-installed software packages and how well the combination of those features meets your needs.

If you purchase a Lenovo laptop from the VCU getIT program, then Microsoft Office will be pre-installed for you. However, if the laptop is bought from an outside vendor, then a full version of Microsoft Office is most likely not included.

Always use a single reputable anti-virus software and have a personal firewall installed and enabled on your computer. It is also recommended to have a reputable secondary malware scanner on your computer. VCU provides free Sophos anti-virus software. Additional reputable malware scanners include Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware.