So I’ve been silent the past month or two; however, I can’t pass up a chance to wax philosophical on the Mac vs. PC debate. But first a disclaimer: I’m an avid Mac user and have been for some time. This being said, I appreciate the few merits that PC’s have (Actually, I don’t but I’m trying to appease the loyal PC users out there).
A laptop is vital to the MBA program. Whether you use a Mac or PC, that’s your choice. With regards to the program concerns that Alice discussed, this was in running an online simulation software called CAPSIM. If you’re a Mac user, you can use FireFox and Mac Office 2004, as opposed to Safari and Mac Office 2008 for the program. Windows users won’t have a problem with this at all. As well, for the Post-Core Statistics class, you will need to have the advanced plug-ins for Microsoft Excel. These are not available for Mac Office, so Windows Parallels is required if you’re rocking a Mac (Go Mac!).
Two other considerations: Let’s not kid ourselves, laptops are expensive, but the documents on them are of much more importance. I HIGHLY recommend you invest in a backup hard drive for your computer and do weekly, if not daily, backups of the data. This is in addition to a large flashdrive, which is a necessity during the program. During the core, two laptops crashed and there were several laptop thefts that occurred, only to leave the student without valuable coursework and all (The laptops were stolen off campus, not in class!).
I would also take the time to become familiar with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint prior to entering the program. There are a few program wizards in our class and believe me, they’re in high demand. The ability to wax up a spreadsheet in a few minutes, or create a PowerPoint presentation overnight is essential. Don’t kid yourself: you will have no time to acquire these skills during the Core or Post-Core modules. For Mac users you can use Keynote, but it’s much better to be on PowerPoint, as the classrooms are all rigged with two large projectors, lecture PCs and PowerPoint presenters.
On BlackBerrys, iPhones and the like: Most students have cell phones, although there are a few who have chosen to do without. Personally, I’m a longtime BlackBerry user and can’t live without it. The ability to read and reply to emails on the fly is essential to my daily routine. In the Core you’ll receive a TON of emails. Some students have iPhones too. It’s a matter of choice. My only recommendation is that you keep these silenced in classes and exams. Least we forget that one of our classmates forgot to turn off his cell phone during our Core Final, only to have his alarm go off in the middle of the exam – a four hour final worth 20% of the entire Core grade (Thanks Pres.)!
