By virtue of being a School of Computer Science student, you can access some commercial software for free:
Most Microsoft Software is available for free to students in Computer Science (and some other departments). A significant portion of the software and operating system license keys do not expire - ever!
The Carleton MSDNAA website has more information and includes a link to the School of Computer Science's e-academy WebStore (where the software can be downloaded).
NOTE: Microsoft Office is not available as part of MSDNAA. It can, however, be purchased by students at the Carleton Bookstore at an educational price.
A variety of VMWare products are available to students on the School of Computer Science's e-academy WebStore (where the software can be downloaded). The license will expire after one year, but can be downloaded again if you return as a student next year.
Students and faculty can login to the WebStore on the School of Computer Science VMWare login page