gary@milo.mcs.clarkson.edu (Gary Levin) (11/03/88)
Here at Clarkson, each student is required to purchase a personal
computer. The particular model varies from year to year, but it is
currently a Zenith-200 -- AT-compatible, 512K, 2 floppies (370K & 1.2M),
at a cost of $1800 spread over 4 years ($200 deposit, $200 per semester).
The administration is interested in comparing this program with other
similar programs. I'd appreciate it if those of you at schools that
require (or strongly recommend) computers could answer the following
questions. Please respond by e-mail and I will summarize.
(1) School (name and address)
(2) My school [requires / strongly recommends] a personal computer
(3) If schools arranges sale of machines to students
(a) Manufacturer and Model
(b) Memory size
(c) Disk
(d) Cost to student
(4) Anecdotal material on how students like owning and using the machines
(5) Has your school studied / reported on any effects of the program?
Enrollment? Retention? Improvements in learning? Frustrations?
(You need not reproduce the information in your response. I will
be happy to write to your school for the information.)
Thanks for your time.
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Gary Levin/Dept of Math & CS/Clarkson Univ/Potsdam, NY 13676/(315) 268-2384
BitNet: gary@clutx Internet: gary@clutx.clarkson.edustephen@plx.UUCP (Stephen Heath ) (11/10/88)
In article <GARY.88Nov3104412@milo.mcs.clarkson.edu>, gary@milo.mcs.clarkson.edu (Gary Levin) writes: > Here at Clarkson, each student is required to purchase a personal > computer. The particular model varies from year to year, but it is > currently a Zenith-200 -- AT-compatible, 512K, 2 floppies (370K & 1.2M), > at a cost of $1800 spread over 4 years ($200 deposit, $200 per semester). > [ deleted text ] > Gary Levin/Dept of Math & CS/Clarkson Univ/Potsdam, NY 13676/(315) 268-2384 > BitNet: gary@clutx Internet: gary@clutx.clarkson.edu Note: $1800 is far too much to charge for an AT computer with the features which you discribed. The school should at least obtain quanitity discounts. Unless their trying to make a healthy profit from the students. Maybe the school is paying a large interest charge for the 4 years in question. It cost me $1350+tax at a local computer store for a 10Mhz 0 wait state system 15 months ago. It included 1meg of memory, herc.monitor+card, parallel port, two 1.2 meg drives and a 20Meg HD, st225 type. Also 1 year parts and labor. The system you mentioned would have been less that $1000 and that includes profit for the retail establishment. Thats is $200 down with $800 in payments to be spread over 4 years/8 payments. Plus interest. With the first payment made with the first tuition bill, then the interest would be applied to the $600. You figure the interest but I figure it at at roughly 54+ percent per year. That is 7 payments, $200 per payment, and $600 that we're making payments on adds up to 27.12% charged every 6 months. (Payments are not made at even 6 month periods but you get the idea. ) |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=| | | Stephen Heath sun!plx!dyrk!stephen | | |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=| | | My employer may or may not (dis)agree, or both. | | |=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|=|