| BC Law Recommendations | Purchasing Through Boston College |
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Boston College Law School strongly recommends that students own a personal laptop.
Why a Laptop?
Most students arrive at BC Law with a laptop. Students can access the Boston College network from a laptop using wired or wireless ethernet connections at tables and carrels in the law library as well as from most classroom seats. Use of laptops in the classroom and the law library is commonplace. The opportunity to take exams on personal laptops is offered at BC Law.
Why Windows?
For ease of compatibility with the BC Law environment and the world of law practice BC Law recommends that you choose an IBM/IBM clone running Windows XP Professional with SP2. Windows XP Home does not work well on the BC network and is not recommended.
Note regarding Microsoft Vista Operating System and MS Office 2007
Information Technology Services (ITS) at BC is currently formulating a plan to support these new releases and determine how best to proceed with their implementation. There are compatibility issues between currently supported applications and e-rources and MS Vista. A systematic approach to implementation is underway. Faculty and Staff currently use XP Pro with Service Pack 2 and Office 2003. Students purchasing laptops from retail outlets which only offer the MS Vista operating system should be sure to select MS Vista business or MS Vista Ultimate as the installed operating system. MS vista Home and MS Vista Home Plus are not supported at the University. Microsoft Vista OS at BC.
Wired vs. Wireless?
Although wireless technology is available throughout the law school, we recommend that you purchase a laptop that has wired or both wired and wireless capability.The demand on the current wireless network can at times cause performance issues.
Recommended Hardware Specifications
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo running at 2.33 GHz or greater
Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP2 (Vista Business or Vista Ultimate-see note above)
Memory (RAM): ,1 GB minimum, 2GB suggested (the more the better)
Accessories: writable CD drive and a sound card
Networking:
Wired Network
10/100 Ethernet Card
10/100 BASE-T Ethernet cable (cat5)Wireless Network
wireless 8.02.11B/G compliant network card with Windows software.
ExamSoft Requirements
BC Law uses ExamSoft's SofTest for exam administration on personal laptops running Windows.
Academic Services ExamSoft Memo
See the ExamSoft site for specifications. (ExamSoft is currently testing SofTest on MS Vista)
Word Processing Standards
Boston College supports Microsoft Word for both Macintosh and Windows. Microsoft Office X is installed on Macintosh workstations in the Computer Center and Microsoft Office XP is installed on IBM workstations. Conversion software is installed in the computing facilities on all monitor's workstations and on the scanning workstations. See note above re: Microsoft’s new releases: Vista OS and Office 2007.
Software through Boston College
Microsoft Office Suites 9for Windows and Mac) are available for FREE download from the Software Download site at www.bc.edu/software/applications/office.html. Or, students can purchase these in the law school bookstore for $99.95. Students must present a valid BC iD and sign the Microsoft License Agreement to make a purchase. Students are permitted to purchase one copy of each type of software. Virus Protection Software is available for FREE download from the Software Download site at www.bc.edu/software/applications/antivirus.html. You can get Windows XP Professional or Vista installed for FREE at the Walk-In Help Desk at: www.bc.edu/ctrc.
Financial Assistance
Some reimbursement for a computer purchase in the form of educational loans may be available after you enroll in August. Please contact the Law School Financial Aid Office at 617-552-4243 with any questions.