Welcome to college life—where your laptop becomes your best friend, and your printer becomes… well, mostly a dust collector.
Before you start stuffing power strips and ethernet cables into your suitcase, here’s a quick guide to what tech you actually need on campus—and what can stay home.
Bring the device you’re most comfortable using. Both Windows and macOS work great with our systems. Avoid Chromebooks if possible—they’re fine for casual browsing but not built for the kind of academic work, multitasking, and specialized software you’ll need throughout your courses.
Used for checking your email, receiving campus alerts, logging in with two-factor authentication (2FA), and occasionally calling home. Make sure it’s updated and secured with a passcode or biometric lock.
Don’t forget your chargers—and pack extras if you can. If your device uses a unique cable (we’re looking at you, proprietary power bricks), bring a spare.
Great for online lectures, Zoom meetings, study sessions, or politely ignoring a snoring roommate.
Whether it’s a USB drive, external hard drive, or a synced cloud folder, having a backup could save your final paper from a sudden tech failure.
Please don’t bring your own router. We’ve already set up secure, reliable Wi-Fi across campus. Personal routers interfere with the network and can cause headaches for you—and everyone around you.
Campus printers are faster, maintained by IT, and don’t require you to buy overpriced ink cartridges at 2 a.m. You don’t need one, we’ve got you covered.
There’s no size limit, but you can’t mount them to the wall. Also, many smart TVs and devices like Rokus are not secure by default. People on the same network may be able to control them remotely—so double-check your privacy settings before plugging them in.
Love your RGB tower and 7.1 surround sound? So do we—but your neighbors might not. Keep it modest and volume-conscious. Dorm walls are thinner than you think.
Desktops are welcome, but if it takes two people to carry it up the stairs, you might want to reconsider. Laptops tend to be more practical for campus life.
Still unsure?
Reach out to the IT Helpdesk before move-in—we’re happy to look over your tech list and answer any questions.