Zoology at Exeter University Penryn Campus

Hi, I'm hopefully going to Exeter uni in September this year and was wondering what the best laptop to buy for the course is and if there are any specific requirements for certain softwares and stuff like that, I was thinking of maybe getting a MacBook Air but just wanted to ask of anyone else's experiences. Thanks!

Hi!

I am studying Zoology at the Penryn Campus and from my experience, there’s nothing specific you need a laptop to do.
I would just recommend picking one with a good battery life and that you are comfortable using, although make sure it is able to handle Microsoft office (not just the web version). My apple products can load office in the app, but it is so much harder to use properly than the desktop version on my HP laptop.
The only course specific program we use is a statistics coding site, but that is mostly done of the lab computers, or is accessed as a website, so there’s nothing to worry about there.

Good luck with your applications and your exams!

Hi, I'm hopefully going to Exeter uni in September this year and was wondering what the best laptop to buy for the course is and if there are any specific requirements for certain softwares and stuff like that, I was thinking of maybe getting a MacBook Air but just wanted to ask of anyone else's experiences. Thanks!

Hi Ollieeillo,

As an extension to the previous reply from 16hdennis, you shouldn't have to worry about specific requirements too much. In the course you will mostly be using Microsoft Office products (e.g. Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint, etc) for day-to-day assignments and university emails, but access to this will be provided with your Exeter account once you are formally enrolled. Later in the course you will also use R, a statistical programming software, and RStudio, which is a more accessible interface to access R. Both of these can be freely downloaded online and should be able to run on most devices without worry (just make sure you download the correct version for your operating system). Additionally, you may also use QGIS or ArcGIS if you're interested in spatial ecology and mapping, but that will depend on the modules you choose.

As well as your own laptop, you'll have access to the IT suites in the library which are open 24/7 through term time, and so you should never be short of access to computing resources whether it's for day-to-day work or for more involved projects requiring specialist coding or mapping software.

I hope that's helpful, and let me know if you have any further questions.

Kingsley
University of Exeter Student Ambassador (and current Zoology PhD student)

Hi Kingsley,
Thank you very much for your information, it was very helpful and informative!