Student Technology Requirements
All students are required to bring a laptop computer to school to use for their academic needs. It is important that each student have a computer that is less than four years old. This will ensure that your computer is capable of running necessary operating system updates and the applications and web services our teachers employ for classroom work. We understand that student computers will also hold many personal pictures, movies, and other applications.
St. Andrew’s is a fully authorized Apple repair facility and can perform warranty and non-warranty work on all Apple products. Therefore, we encourage students to use Apple laptops such as the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Laptop computers from other manufacturers are also welcome on campus, and we can coordinate repair and service on those machines as well. The Technology Department does not recommend iPads, Chromebooks, or Linux-based systems at this time, due to some School software and campus printing being unavailable on these platforms.
Questions? Visit our Student Technology FAQ page for more information.
Recommended Minimum Laptop Specifications
Apple Macintosh
Models
MacBook, MacBook Pro Retina, MacBook Air
Requirements
macOS 10.13 "High Sierra" or newer, 8GB of RAM
Recommendations
256GB Hard drive (default size is fine, but more space is always better)
Other suggested peripherals
USB thumb drive or USB external hard drive (for backing up your important data)
USB Type-C Hub or adapter for connecting common peripherals, such as screens, thumb drives, or SD Cards
Software
St. Andrew’s uses the Google Apps for Education (G Suite) products for email, documents, and drive storage. These are all free for students. Students may choose to download Microsoft Office for free if they wish to use the Office suite of applications once they arrive and are connected to our network. Students should be using the latest version of the web browser of their choice: Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.
Windows-Compatible Computers
Brands
We suggest Dell or Lenovo for their superior repair service.
Requirements
Windows 10, 8GB of RAM, WiFi capability (802.11b/g/n - 802.11ac recommended)
Software
An anti-virus package is strongly recommended. Fortunately, Windows Defender is built-in and when enabled, should be sufficient. For additional security, Malwarebytes offers expanded protection and is designed to run alongside anti-virus software. St. Andrew’s uses the Google Apps for Education (G Suite) products for email, documents, and drive storage. These are all free for students. Students may choose to download Microsoft Office for free if they wish to use the Office suite of applications once they arrive and are connected to our network. Students should be using the latest version of the web browser of their choice: Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.
Warranty Coverage Recommendations
We highly recommend purchasing an extended warranty plan for your laptop. You can usually purchase an extended warranty when you buy your laptop, either online or at a retail store. Apple offers a free limited warranty for the first year, but we recommend purchasing AppleCare+ whenever you buy a new Apple computer due to the three-year repair coverage it offers. AppleCare+ also covers up to two incidents of accidental damage with much lower repair costs. More information is available on the Apple website.
In addition to AppleCare+, and for computers from all manufacturers, we strongly recommend an accident/theft policy from Student Insurance Partners/Worth Ave. Group. For a small yearly premium, this policy covers not only computers but also smartphones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment in the event of accidental damage, fire, theft, and other issues. Theft is not covered by AppleCare+ or other manufacturers’ extended warranties. Arrangements can be made directly with Worth Ave. Group via: https://www.worthavegroup.com/college-student-insurance.