Goucher College: Buying a Computer

Continuing for the Fall 2007 semester, Goucher will have a recommended laptop purchase program for students. If you have recently been accepted to Goucher College and are looking to purchase a computer for the fall, click here to read about the details of the program.

Personal Purchases

Educational discounts are available from Apple, Lenovo, and Dell for personal purchases by students, faculty, and staff of Goucher. Undergraduate students have the opportunity to buy a new Lenovo or Dell laptop computer preloaded with essential campus software or an Apple laptop computer. Click here to read about the details of the program.

Software

Goucher recommends the use of Windows XP or Vista operating system for PC laptops and computer workstations and MacOS 10.4 or higher for Apple laptops and computer workstations. Goucher College has standardized on Microsoft Office as the supported application suite for faculty, staff, and all campus computer classrooms and laboratories. Microsoft Office includes Word (Word processing), Excel (Spreadsheet), Access (Database), and PowerPoint (Presentations). Goucher College currently supports Office 2003 and Office 2007 for the Windows 2000/XP/Vista operating systems. Goucher College also supports Office 2004 and Office 2008 for the Macintosh OS 10.3 or later operating systems.

All students will receive a copy of the Microsoft Office Professional software and directions for installing the software.Additionally, students using personal computers in the residential halls will be required the college's McAfee Antivirus software.

All Goucher College faculty and staff are fully licensed for at-home use of Microsoft Office, Front Page, and other software titles under the Maryland Educational Enterprise Consortium (MEEC) agreement. NOTE: Operating system upgrades are not included. Contact the Help Desk for more information.

Purchases for Faculty, Staff, and Departmental Offices

Goucher College has a computer replacement strategy for labs, classrooms, faculty, and staff and provides assistance to departments when purchasing computers, software, or peripherals. The Help Desk will connect you with someone who will assist you in understanding your needs and providing you with recommended configurations and advice.