General EPH Computer Recommendations:

These are basic recommendations only. At this time there are no requirements for EPH students to own computers or laptops. The EPH faculty assumes that EPH students have access to their own computers or have access to the EPH student computer lab. This lab has 30 Dell computers outfitted with the software used in the EPH curriculum. These lab computers are, however, in high demand. A computer of one's own makes life a bit easier.

We offer a deal on Dell Laptops.

If you choose not to buy one of the Dell laptops through the deal we have set up with them, we offer you the following recommendations:

  • Buy a laptop: With the ability to easily tie into the campus network at EPH you will want to be able to use a computer without having to wait for one in the computer lab. A desktop computer will obviously still work for you, but they are a bit heavy to carry around.
  • Buy it with the either the Windows XP Professional operating system or the Windows Vista Business or Ultimate editions. While there is good Apple support in the Medical Center, some of the statistical software needed at EPH only runs natively on the Windows platform. Some have reported success using Parallels/MS XP on a newer Intel Mac to run some of the statistical software, but for maximum compatibility we recommend Windows. That said, 15% of the students here have Macs.
  • Get at least 1 GB of RAM (more RAM is even better, but it can get expensive).
  • Microsoft Office: When you get here you will be able to cheaply purchase Microsoft Office, and you will also be able to get other Microsoft software packages for free.
  • As an EPH student you can connect a laptop to the campus network via an Ethernet card or a Wireless Ethernet card. Any Ethernet card should work. For Wireless Ethernet Yale has a growing 802.11b wireless network (also known as "wi-fi."). We will loan a Wireless Ethernet card to any EPH student, but having it built into the laptop is more convenient for you.
  • 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. This option costs extra, but it is well worth the expense for a laptop. All major computer manufacturers should have a similar extended warranty. The Dell computers we offer through our Dell deal all have this extended warranty and accidental damage protection.
  • Consider purchasing a printer.
    		•