Re: Journalism school ‘requires’ students buy iPhone
According to a post on CrunchGear, the Missouri University School of Journalism is allowing students to pay for their Iphones with Federal Student loans. At first glance, it might seem pretty ridiculous as many people consider the Iphone to be an unnecessary expense. But I think those people are dead wrong.
Consider how plugged in we are to technology – and not just for fun. E-mailing and text messaging are as essential to our careers these days as faxing and phone calls – perhaps more! Anyone having gone to college within the last few years downloaded at least some of their assignments, received last minute e-mails about class cancellations and enrolled in their school’s emergency notification text message program. And let’s not forget that having a laptop in college is a complete no-brainer these days – it’s as essential and common as a calculator was in 1975.
Journalism majors need to be especially familiar with technology. Print media is quickly fading into oblivion as more and more people flock to the internet for their news and information. In order to stay on top of the latest stories, a journalist musts be plugged in literally all the time. And since laptops tend to be a little bulky to walk around with, a smartphone really is a necessity.
It makes sense for students to familiarize themselves with smartphones like the Iphone while they are in school as they will certainly need them once they graduate. So yes, I agree with the idea that Federal Student loans should be used to pay for the Iphone. If they can be used to pay for books, why not an even more useful educational tool? And let’s face it – someday soon books will become obsolete anyway.
It would be nice if Nicholas Deleon replied in the comments section, But I’d love to hear what you readers think about my response.
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I totally disagree with your premise that students should be able to pay for the iPhone with student loans just because it has an educational use. Plus, think about it honestly: how many students can really say they have an iPhone to be updated regarding school or for other school related uses? I think you are deluding yourself when you say the iPhone is a very “useful educational tool.” Lastly, according to your reasoning, students should also be permitted to pay for at least a portion of their service bills with their loans. Would you agree to that too? There has to be some line drawn that states how much and for what the loan money can be used for. However, just to permit students to buy items that have an educational benefit is reckless.