Clemson provides a comprehensive new student orientation to introduce incoming students to campus life, resources, and traditions. During orientation, you will also get an introduction to the School of Computing (SOC), meet with a School of Computing advisor, and register for classes.
If you're not certain about which degree you want to pursue, discuss your interests and options with an advisor during the advising session. To make the best use of the session, have a list of interests, prior computing history and/or courses, and any information that you think would be helpful.
Use Clemson's iROAR system to search for courses ahead of the advising session. If introductory courses are full, spots may open before the semester starts. During summer orientation, many departments hold back available seats for incoming students and release them in blocks throughout the summer. Your advisor will help you through the process during your orientation session.
Clemson requires all entering students to own a laptop; Clemson’s Computing and Information Technology (CCIT) publishes information on laptop support and lists recommended laptop configurations for each fall. We strongly urge students to consider extended warranties for laptop purchases. Extended warranty coverage can help recover quickly through manufacturers’ authorized service centers. Clemson’s CCIT offers limited computer repair services and a loaner laptop program for certain laptops purchased through Clemson. About half of our students opt to purchase a laptop on their own.
The School of Computing does not endorse a particular laptop model—our students use a mix of Windows, Macintosh, and Linux-based devices. All of these operating systems allow a Computing student to connect remotely to our systems. Please note that required software may only be available for Windows and/or Mac in some cases. If you plan on developing iOS applications, Apple’s Developer Guidelines specify that you must use a Macintosh-based computer to run the XCode integrated development environment.
One of the most common questions incoming students ask us is, “Which laptop should I get?” To supplement information provided by CCIT, our recommendations come from experiences from the SOC systems support staff, faculty, and students who responded to a survey.
For most students, personal preference is a driving force between selecting a laptop, and SOC does not specify one particular model. Our students use a mix of laptops from different manufacturers and use the major operating systems. During a recent survey of students, the highest percentage of students happiest with their laptops had purchased 13.3” MacBook Pros.