Other information
We recommend you do not buy any particular software as much of the software you will need over your degree will be available to you for free or a much-reduced price once you start. You will find having your own computer exceedingly useful. This will help you to do your assessments in your own time and attend any classes that are online. If you are looking to buy a computer then we would suggest that you look at reviews of different computers online as we find it hard to recommend a particular product.
As a computing student you will find that you will need a computer with an above minimum specification for the chosen operating system (look at what is required for Windows 10). We would suggest that you look at the recommended specification for Visual Studio Professional as an absolute minimum specification. Higher specifications will help safeguard you against future increases in minimum requirements, and higher processor speeds will help run multiple programmes at once. For hard disk space higher is required to fit on other software as well, and a minimum suggested size would be 256GB – particularly important if you plan to use solid state drives.
You should note that we use the Windows environment predominantly in the Department of Computing, so if you buy an Apple system then it would benefit from being dual boot Windows and MacOS. If you buy a Linux only system then you may find you will need to install a Windows operating system at a later date, and this is generally more expensive than buying a computer with Windows already installed on it. Having a web-cam, headphones and possibly even a second monitor are really useful. If you use a laptop, do consider a mouse and full-size keyboard. We have found that students who are trying to study at home appreciate having a good, stable internet connection, and you want to note that changing provider at the moment is taking longer than it has done previously.
Community
On the social side, the Student Union (CCSU) has a huge range of clubs and societies – all of which have unique social calendars of their own and offer endless opportunities to make lifelong friends and discover new hobbies. And you can always create your own society and cultivate your own community!
We understand that you may be nervous about your first few weeks on campus but rest assured - you'll be joining a nurturing and supportive environment where diversity, equality and individuality are part of everything we do. Take a look at the Community pages and the CCSU website for further details of what’s on and how to get involved.
If you are an International Student joining us then please see our International Student Support pages for further information and guidance.
We look forward to seeing you at your welcome session during welcome week (w.c 20th January 2025). Details of this will be found in your Welcome schedule. Teaching then starts the following week. Visit the Welcome Hub to find everything you need as a new postgraduate student.
