HPSP Computer Rental: Renting vs. Buying a Laptop

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why would I rent a laptop when I could buy one?”  This is a legitimate question, and we at Laptops For Military Docs hope to help you find the answer. 

The first thing that must be considered is cost.  A laptop in this day and age is not cheap.  Many schools require students to have a newer laptop with certain specifications, which could cost the student $1,000-2,000 out of pocket.  Many students do not mind paying this much for a laptop because they were planning on buying one anyways and they believe the laptop will serve them for many years. 

This brings us to the next major topic to consider - the average lifespan of a laptop.  Jane Williams of Demand Media wrote an article titled The Average Lifespan For Laptops.  In this article she states that the average laptop will provide 3-5 yrs of use.  This means that by the end of medical/dental/professional school, students will already need a new laptop. Not only will students need a new laptop, they will likely want a new laptop with how fast technology is progressing. 

HPSP scholarship recipients have the unique opportunity to rent a laptop instead of purchasing one.  The military covers the entire cost of the rental for the duration of professional schooling.  The benefit here is that students can rent a brand new laptop at no cost to them, and save the money they would have paid out of pocket to purchase a laptop.  The only potential downside is that the laptop MUST be returned at graduation, whereas the students who purchase have the option to keep their laptop at graduation.  However, because the lifespan of a laptop is only 3-5yrs, it is likely that the students who purchased their own laptop will also get rid of it at this time to purchase a new model.  The students who rented will also purchase a new laptop for use after graduation, however, they will be able to make this purchase using the money they saved from not purchasing a laptop at the beginning of professional school.

In both cases, students had a top of the line laptop available to them for use throughout school. Both the students who rent and the students who purchase will likely invest in a new laptop at graduation. Therefore, the only major difference between these two scenarios is that some students are paying an extra $1,000 – $2,000 just to say that they “owned” their own laptop during school.

For HPSP recipients, there is huge benefit to renting a laptop over purchasing one.  Laptops For Military Docs has made the rental process quick and easy, while offering many of the latest and greatest laptops on the market today.  So what are you waiting for? Get your rental started today!