Bowdoin College to Provide Every Student With a Complimentary MacBook Pro, iPad Mini, and Apple Pencil

[pshufd]

This has been concluded wide-scale. Digital learning is inferior. It's not up for debate anymore. So I think it's odd that educators, which are places of "learning" and "science" would continue to push for an all-digital future. It's almost like they're getting kick backs from corporations, or selling their souls to get young people to enroll in---

Citations please.

The vast majority of learning in software engineering companies is digital today.

My home library has 3,000 books so we spent a lot of money on this mode of education but the vast majority of learning that I see in my field is digital. Books are too slow to keep up with technological change. In many cases, if you want to learn how something works, you download the code and look at it or run it through the debugger.

 

[chachawpi]

What Bowdoin student doesn't already have all of these? I live 15 minutes from Bowdoin College and it is an island of rich kids from "just outside of Boston" and "just outside of New York City".

 

[indychris]

It's just as free as government healthcare.

 

[aggiesrwe03]

Pay $250,000 to work at Starbucks in 4 years…

 

[SamuelW]

This might illuminate how the gift to the college came about. I don’t know. Yet I’ve known many Bowdoin students over the years and they aren’t all rich or from Boston or NY. Many receive substantial financial aid. They do share a curiosity about the world and desire create something better for others. Such colleges also provide employment, economic engines and varied cultural life in their communities which radiate beyond.

Expanding Coastal Studies: Meet the Schillers

www.bowdoin.edu

 

[kelleh00]

To clarify, expected expenses for this year are $76,000 (https://www.bowdoin.edu/admissions/costs-and-aid/index.html). So its not complementary.

Over half of the student body does not pay a dime.

 

[kelleh00]

While I think it’s great, 95% of the people who go there could easily afford it (well, their parents could). I’m from the area and all you see is 18-year-olds in expensive ass cars

I am also from the area and over 50% of all Bowdoin students DO get aid. The college covers the whole cost for them.

 

[chachawpi]

Over half of the student body does not pay a dime.

48.4% received financial aid according to Bowdoin.

 

[kelleh00]

48.4% received financial aid according to Bowdoin.

It does fluctuate every year. A very large percentage of student dont pay a single dime.

 

[SpotOnT]

This has been concluded wide-scale. Digital learning is inferior. It's not up for debate anymore. So I think it's odd that educators, which are places of "learning" and "science" would continue to push for an all-digital future. It's almost like they're getting kick backs from corporations, or selling their souls to get young people to enroll in---

One more time. This isn’t about getting students to enroll. The college has plenty of applicants and accepts less than 10% of those who apply.

This isn’t about kickbacks. This is a form of equity. Only about half the students pay tuition. By including a computer in the cost of tuition, the students who can’t afford tution get a free computer. This puts all students on an equal footing at the school. Not to mention makes the job a lot easier for faculty and IT, to know what capabilities every student has.

Lastly, as I said, college isn’t about reading the encyclopedia. College is about creating arguments, designing systems, learning how to make models and run simulations, etc. in short this isn’t about reading, this is about content creation.

Engineers, architects, physicists, journalists, novelists, script writers, music composers, etc aren’t using pen and paper anymore for their trade. They are using computers.

Surely you must understand that college students need a computer to learn to perform such crafts.

 

[pshufd]

What Bowdoin student doesn't already have all of these? I live 15 minutes from Bowdoin College and it is an island of rich kids from "just outside of Boston" and "just outside of New York City".

I went to Boston College back in the 1970s and it was upper-middle-class kids. I suppose that they accepted me for really high math scores, minority and social economic status. These days it's a university for wealthy kids and my donations go to the state university that our kids went to as they do actually help out students that otherwise wouldn't be able to go there.

 

[kelleh00]

What Bowdoin student doesn't already have all of these? I live 15 minutes from Bowdoin College and it is an island of rich kids from "just outside of Boston" and "just outside of New York City".

This just is not true at all. Just a typical uninformed non local opinion. As someone IN Brunswick it is easy to see that most are not just 'rich' kids. 15 mins away means you dont even live in Brunswick

over 40% of current students this year dont even pay a dime because of their lower family income.

 

[kelleh00]

I went to Boston College back in the 1970s and it was upper-middle-class kids. I suppose that they accepted me for really high math scores, minority and social economic status. These days it's a university for wealthy kids and my donations go to the state university that our kids went to as they do actually help out students that otherwise wouldn't be able to go there.

48% of Bowdoin students receive Aid this semester
$54,350 average Bowdoin grant
This school's financial aid meets 100 % of student's demonstrated need. When your endowment is close to 2 billion it allows you to cover the costs for students with needs.

 

[pshufd]

over 56% of Bowdoin students receive Aid.
This school's financial aid meets 100 % of student's demonstrated need. When your endowment is close to 2 billion it allows you to cover the costs for students with needs.

I think that most would just prefer a lower sticker price. Colleges are just playing a redistributionist game as a selling point.

What about the other 44%? What do they get?

 

[Solomani]

Better off taking a loan for that kind of money and have it increase by investing it in a house or crypto currency, heck even buying AAPL those students will be ahead in 4 years vice being in-debt and needed to repay it over time with interest.

What do you mean the students will be in debt? Billionaire Papa and Momma already paid for it up front. It's an elite school for American aristocracy.

 

[wood1208]

Wait for just a month. New M2 based 13" Macbook Pro is coming soon.

 

[pshufd]

Wait for just a month. New M2 based 13" Macbook Pro is coming soon.

It sounds like they're just putting the new chip in the old body. It will run about 11% faster and maybe better battery life but not a real difference. You buy now or later and you use what you have.

 

[SpotOnT]

I think that most would just prefer a lower sticker price. Colleges are just playing a redistributionist game as a selling point.

What about the other 44%? What do they get?

That is exactly what they are doing, increasing social equity. The argument goes that not everyone is born into a family that can afford to send their kid to Harvard (or in this case Bowdoin). Moreover, not everyone is born into a family that can even provide a conducive home environment for grade school education. It is completely the luck of the draw, where one is born and into what family. If society wants to maximize its total performance, it needs a method to funnel the kids with potential, regardless of background, into the most competitive schools.

As for the other 44%, well they are still getting the education they want for their kid. They can afford to pay full price, so why shouldn't they, it isn't really any swet off their backs.

If they don't think a fancy college is worth the high cost, their kids can go to a state school, where the tuition is much lower. Alternatively, if their kids are exceptionally talented, they might qualify for an academic scholarship and have to pay nothing (note: places like the Ivy League do not offer academic or athletic scholarships, so again, they would probably be looking at a state school for their exceptionally talented kid).

 

[pshufd]

That is exactly what they are doing, increasing social equity. The argument goes that not everyone is born into a family that can afford to send their kid to Harvard (or in this case Bowdoin). Moreover, not everyone is born into a family that can even provide a conducive home environment for grade school education. It is completely the luck of the draw, where one is born and into what family. If society wants to maximize its total performance, it needs a method to funnel the kids with potential, regardless of background, into the most competitive schools.

As for the other 44%, well they are still getting the education they want for their kid. They can afford to pay full price, so why shouldn't they, it isn't really any swet off their backs.

If they don't think a fancy college is worth the high cost, their kids can go to a state school, where the tuition is much lower. Alternatively, if their kids are exceptionally talented, they might qualify for an academic scholarship and have to pay nothing (note: places like the Ivy League do not offer academic or athletic scholarships, so again, they would probably be looking at a state school for their exceptionally talented kid).

The result is parents working to look college poor to maximize discounts.

Any system like this gets gamed.

The wealthy like discounts just like anyone else. They are just better able decide about the value of things better than most others.

 

[4nNtt]

Don't want to be pedantic but Bowdoin costs $56,000 a year for tuition. Not sure there's anything "complimentary" going on here.

True, but there might be cost savings in standardization and IT management of the device.

 

[SpotOnT]

The result is parents working to look college poor to maximize discounts.

Any system like this gets gamed.

The wealthy like discounts just like anyone else. They are just better able decide about the value of things better than most others.

Sure any system will always be gamed. And any system will always have cheaters. One has to continually re-examine if the system in place is meeting its intended goal, causing more good then harm, etc etc etc That is nothing unique to college.

As for the wealthy, they still have a choice. They can send their child anywhere. The negative impact to them is small. For the poor, they have very little choice, and without affirmative action, they would have zero choice. There is a fundamental difference there.

 

[pshufd]

As for the wealthy, they still have a choice. They can send their child anywhere. The negative impact to them is small. For the poor, they have very little choice, and without affirmative action, they would have zero choice. There is a fundamental difference there.

I have to disagree strongly with this.

I find is strange that you claim to represent all wealthy people.

 

[polarboiler]

Bowdoin College today announced that it will be providing every student with a 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 chip, an iPad mini, and an Apple Pencil, complete with access to a full range of course-specific software, beginning in fall 2022.

The cost of the program will be covered entirely by Bowdoin, a liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. Students will have the option to pay $1 to keep their equipment when they graduate, according to the announcement.

Bowdoin already provided students with a cellular iPad Pro, an Apple Pencil, and a Magic Keyboard in the summer of 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning students will use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil they already received, in addition to a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with course-specific software as part of the expanded program.

"During the pandemic we witnessed firsthand the power of a common technology platform for teaching and learning," said Bowdoin College president Clayton Rose.

"At Apple we believe education can be a profound force for equity, and that the right technology can enhance and extend teaching and learning," said Apple's vice president of education and enterprise product marketing Susan Prescott.

Most students will receive their new equipment at orientation, or upon arrival to campus in fall 2022. More details are available on Bowdoin's website.

Article Link: Bowdoin College to Provide Every Student With a Complimentary MacBook Pro, iPad Mini, and Apple Pencil

Last year my kid graduated from this college. She used this program during pandemic time and it really helped her.

I agree Bowdoin is very expensive college to attend but we got very good scholarship from there. At Bowdoin they don't give loans to the students. Almost everyone gets scholarship there. It's a very selective school.

Btw, there are many international students there who got stuck during pandemic time and this program was started to solve their issues and eventually decided to give to all students to keep same learning level.

I heard that one of the Bowdoin alumni is a board member of Apple. That could be a rumor.

 

[chachawpi]

This just is not true at all. Just a typical uninformed non local opinion. As someone IN Brunswick it is easy to see that most are not just 'rich' kids. 15 mins away means you dont even live in Brunswick

over 40% of current students this year dont even pay a dime because of their lower family income.

I live in Durham, my wife is from Brunswick, and her mom currently works at Bowdoin. Sure, close to half of the students receive financial aid. But of those that don't, they are paying for a tuition that nobody from the local area could afford on the median salary. You can always tell who the wealthy Bowdoin kids are at Hannaford and in the downtown area. Kudos to those who attend based on merit. I don't reject the notion that it is a great school whatsoever. My brother-in-law is also a NESCAC athletic trainer and he has a ton of stories about the crazy wealth these kids have.

 

[gsurf123]

The students are paying 250k in tuition alone for a liberal arts degree you can get at state community college plus state school for 50k. Yes these students are “that stupid”.

You’ll never get the advantages that one gains from a private high school or college. If one produces there and capitalizes on alumni connections they will more than get their return on the investment. You roll out with a crappy degree and you have done yourself in.

Public anything is almost universally the lesser choice. If the government is involved at any level then it’s inferior by design. Of course there are plenty of exceptions, but the vast majority you are just a number.