Not All Online Schools Are Mac-Friendly
Like many out there, I adore my Mac.  It’s fast, sleek, and reliable.  But from time to time, I run into problems whenever I’m looking for software only made for PCs or I want to access certain pages that neither Firefox nor Safari can open.  For whereas many sites and companies have adopted open-source, cross-platform systems, not all schools (online or campus-based) are Mac-friendly.

I don’t think it’s always intentional, but you can imagine how frustrating this can be.  I often refuse to visit those sites that require Internet Explorer.  And with enough time, I can usually find a Mac-based equivalent for most of the software that I need.  But in the education world, you might not always have that luxury.

Sometimes There Are No Mac Workarounds for Online Schools
What if your marketing class requires that you download a PC-only simulation game?  What if your biology class requires that you have PC-only genome software installed on your computer?  In most of these cases, there are no easy workarounds for us Mac users.

Below are some of the more popular solutions for using your Mac in a PC-driven online school:

Ask the School for Assistance:
It never hurts to ask the school for assistance.  Chances are, they have received similar requests in the past from Mac users.  Maybe they’ll know of Web-based alternatives that other students have used before.  You might be surprised.

Borrow a Friend’s Computer:
You might be able to borrow a friend’s computers or go to an Internet café.  Although keep in mind that neither your friend nor the café owner will necessarily let you install software on his or her machine.

Run Windows on your Mac
Although not an ideal situation, you might have to purchase one of Microsoft’s operating systems and run this on your computer.  You can use Boot Camp (free with Leopard), Parallels (about $100), or VirtualBox (free).

The landscape is rapidly changing as more and more online universities become Mac-friendly.  However, if you go back to school, be prepared to postpone your escape from Microsoft’s clutches just a little bit longer.  I know how devastating this might be for you and all the other thousands of university-bound Mac users out there.  But in the end, it’s worth it.