If you haven’t stepped foot on a college campus in many years, you probably won’t believe your eyes. Many “dorms” are in the form of suites and include kitchens with upscale appliances, living/dining rooms, and maid service to keep everything clean. The food often rivals, or surpasses, that offered in restaurants in students’ hometowns and includes a host of ethnic varieties as well as gluten-free and vegetarian options. The recreational amenities often mimic those found at resorts.
Are colleges spending their endowments and treating students to these amenities? Absolutely not. College costs continue to rise and the average student loan debt continues to increase, reaching $39,400 for last year’s graduating class.
But even in the face of rising student debt, colleges defend their spending as a marketing tool to help them attract students. The National Bureau of Economic Research confirms that colleges do indeed draw more applicants by spending large sums of money on facilities and amenities.
Students, in evaluating the academic programs offered by potential colleges, are likewise considering the amenities that they would enjoy.
Students looking for music-driven amenities might want to consider Oberlin College in Ohio. Its students have access to more than 1,500 state-of-the-art instruments, including over 200 Steinway grand pianos. Those with an appreciation for fine art might want to decorate their dorms by “renting” works of Pablo Picasso and other renowned artists for a fee of five dollars!
Students seeking all-around luxurious amenities should check out High Point University in North Carolina. A $700 million renovation provides students with state-of-the-art living quarters, a first-run movie theater with complimentary popcorn, drinks and snacks, an ice cream truck serving free ice cream, outdoor hot tubs, and a “1924 Prime Steakhouse” where students can enjoy a five-course meal once a week.
Students enrolled at Oklahoma State University get to play on Karsten Creek, the best collegiate 18-hole golf course in the country. It’s one of only ten courses in the U.S. to receive a 5-star ranking from Golf Digest and has given its students the opportunity to collect multiple awards and championship trophies over the years.
The Osprey Fountains at the University of North Florida has been likened to a resort for its pool with a lazy river, putting green, outdoor running track, lighted volleyball, tennis and basketball courts, six themed lounges, and so much more. In addition to the Osprey, the university hosts a 32-acre golf complex, a zip-line complex, and one of the only collegiate skate parks in the country.
The aquatic facility at the Georgia Institute of Technology is essentially an indoor water park for adults and includes a 184-foot curly water slide and a competition swimming pool that was originally built for the 1996 Olympic Games.
California Institute of Technology owns and operates satellites and observatories throughout North and South America as well as Antarctica, giving student astronomers an unparalleled view of the universe.
The list goes on and on, so students should do their research to be sure to choose the ideal college that meets their academic and leisure time interests.
Susan Alaimo is the founder and director of SAT Smart in Hillsborough that has been offering PSAT, SAT, and ACT preparation courses, as well as private tutoring by Ivy League educated instructors, for more than 25 years. Visit www.SATsmart.com or call 908-369-5362.