LAPTOP REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION FOR FULL-TIME MBA STUDENTS

Willamette MBA students are required to have a laptop computer. In some classes you will use your laptop extensively; in others periodically or minimally. You will need your laptop on Monday, August 24th. The cost to purchase the required laptop can be included in your financial aid budget.

Laptop Specification Requirements
* 802.11b or 802.11g wireless LAN capability
* Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) compatible with Microsoft Office 2003
* Recommended RAM of 2G
* Some courses require Windows only software applications. Apple OS X Intel based laptops (MacBook and MacPro) must be set up to support the
Windows operating system. The cost to purchase Windows operating system software and license are the responsibility of the laptop user.

Special Note #1: The new Windows Vista with Office 2007 software will work fine. However, if students are submitting an assignment electronically, it will be important to do a "save as" and save the document in the previous version of Office before sending. The "save as" will allow the document to be received in a readable format by computers running the previous edition.

Special Note #2: If you intend to use a laptop provided by an organization or employer for your MBA course work, be sure the laptop administration is NOT restricted by the organization's IT department. You may be required to install software, make network changes, or make other system configuration changes to your laptop. Laptops with administration lock down or that are only partially configurable will not meet the requirements of this program.


Using Financial Aid Funds to Buy Your Laptop
The cost to purchase the required laptop can be included in your financial aid budget. If you plan to use funds from your Stafford Loan or private loan to pay for you laptop, contact Katy Wilson, Senior Financial Aid Counselor, (gradaid@willamette.edu , 503-370-6273, toll free in U.S. 1-877-744-3736) and submit the Budget Adjustment Form to Katy.

You can access a link to the Budget Adjustment Form and other graduate aid forms at http://www.willamette.edu/dept/finaid/graduate.htm

If you are planning to use financial aid funds to pay for your laptop, be sure sure to purchase your laptop before August 24th and use your financial aid funds to reimburse yourself. Financial aid funds cannot be disbursed before August 21st.