Tips on Sending a Computer with a Student:

Roanoke College recommends a laptop for the portability and the amount space taken up by the computer in the residence hall.  Secondly,  all of the academic buildings are wireless therefore students can surf the net while in eating lunch or breaks between classes if they choose. For recommendations on a laptop click here.  The CDs for all software should be sent with the computer however keep the original copy of all CDs and license numbers of purchased software at home and send a copy of the CDs and license numbers.

When sending a computer to school please consider the following:

Maintenance:  Laptops are expensive to repair and susceptible to damage in transport or by accident.  Therefore at least 3 year coverage is recommended.  Complete Care from Dell covers accidental damage at $99 additional for 3 years but a home owners personal property add-on often covers both accidental and theft loss for as little as $20 per year with little or no deductible.

Microsoft Office:  Roanoke College highly recommends Microsoft Office Professional.  Students can purchase Microsoft Office Professional from the College Bookstore at a highly discounted price of $89.95.  Please call the Bookstore for current pricing 540-375-2317 or email at bookstore@roanoke.edu. 

Operating System:  Roanoke College highly recommends Windows XP Professional. The recommend systems come with XP Professional which allows students to connect network drives on the college network. 

Virus Protection:  Students must buy virus protection software.  Many systems come with only a 90 day evaluation version.  Please purchase the full version.  Roanoke College uses Norton Antivirus.  Norton System Works can be purchased at discounted prices at your local office supply store. 

Network Connection:  A built-in network connection is highly recommended.  The recommended system come with built-in network cards.

Wireless Networking:  Roanoke College recommends built in wireless.  The recommend system come with wireless and wired network access.

Printer:  A printer is very handy.  Inexpensive inkjet printers are often suitable as the primary cost of printing is the cartridges and transporting the printer often decreases the usable life.

CDW vs CDW/DVD:  CDW is recommend as students often copy and write to CDs. A CDW/DVD allows students to write CDs and play movies.