Recently, St. John’s University decided to make changes to its laptop program. It has went from providing a personal computer for a fraction of the cost all at once to charging students a fee per semester. While this may be a shock to some, St. John’s sent postcards to incoming freshmen regarding the change and it’s even depicted fully on the website.

Originally, the laptop program served as an extra incentive for students to enroll at the University. It allowed previous students to pick from one of three computers, usually a MacBook Pro, a Lenovo ThinkPad or a touch screen laptop, for the price of $400, $49 and $49 respectively. Upon graduation, the laptops became the student’s personal property.

This new laptop program charges students a fee per semester, ranging from $110 to $145 depending on the device, totaling to roughly the market price of the laptop. Some students have expressed their outrage for the supposedly sudden change, claiming that they’d be better off buying a personal computer themselves through another source, such as through a manufacturer, since it appears that the prices are relatively the same. However, what these students fail to realize is the plethora of resources and software that St. John’s provides on their laptops.

Each device has Microsoft Office and McAfee anti-virus software installed, providing

students with the means to complete schoolwork while protecting them from malware. On top of the provided software, St. John’s also offers four years of full warranty support, theft protection and accidental damage protection. This means if you drop your laptop, you may receive a new one with no extra fees. In addition to the protection and software, there is a laptop repair shop on campus completely free of charge, which offers a loaner device while the laptop is being fixed.

The total value of all that St. John’s provides for their laptops, from software to warranties, far exceed the price that students have to pay for the computers. The market prices for the same laptop with the same protection coverage and software would cost anywhere from $1,700 to $1,950, which is far greater than the price the University has implemented.

While it may be unfair for new students to pay more than the previous students, they will still receive the better deal from St. John’s, rather than purchasing the computer and all the supplemental insurance and programs from an outside source.

So, to the students who feel as if they’ve received the short end of the stick, you must understand that St. John’s does not profit from this increase in payment for the laptops because their value is worth so much more. It is personally in your best interest to purchase a laptop through the University, so that you may reap the all benefits and resources that St. John’s provides for their students.

While this may be hard to accept, the numbers don’t lie.