<p>If any of you read the book The Five-Year Party, you know that the universities that don't exactly have the name recognition of top-20 schools try to gain better (or more affluent, out-of-state) students with more perks. </p>
<p>And should I add Mizzou's and Southern Mississippi's water parks? Or Ohio State's Taj Mahal, which is very much like BU's FitRec? Or Washington State's 53-people jacuzzi?</p>
<p>The harm may ultimately be to the students. After four years of living in happy rainbow world, they could be in for quite a shock. Temper-pedic mattresses! Maid and laundry service! Will most grads be able to afford to keep up this lifestyle on a starting salary?</p>
<p>Some of these perks are not exactly luxury in the sense of the college spending money on them. For example, I’ll bet USC doesn’t pay for those screenings and appearances by directors–it gets them because of its location and connections to the industry.</p>
<ul>
<li>I know a kid who went to Davidson because of the laundry service. (it was the tie-breaker)</li>
<li>RIT (Rochester Inst of Tech) had an amazing gym with a lazy river. It’s Rochester, they get a lot of snow & the campus is near nothing, so it sounds like a good thing on campus.<br></li>
<li>RPI includes a laptop in tuition</li>
<li>nearly all schools have nutritionists and can accomodate special diet.<br></li>
<li>many colleges have safe ride programs. not a big distinguisher</li>
</ul>
<p>Berea is one of the so-called work colleges, and certainly many (if not most) of the students attending would not have enough money to pay for their own lap-top computer. In this case it is not an “awesome perk”, but rather an effort on the part of Berea to provide their students with access to standard technology.</p>
<p>The USC film screenings are actually a class. Cinema 466, one of the most popular classes on campus. They screen films at or just before release followed by a Q&A with people involved with the film. It’s also held in USC’s very nice theater.</p>
<p>I agree, a lot of schools have these or similar perks. One school we looked at gives every UG a Mac and an IPad, both of which you get to exchange 1/2 way through senior year for new models and take with you when you graduate. If you think about that, it saves some expenses for college :D.</p>
<p>The laptop doesn’t seem to be a luxury per se. Especially if it’s a school where lots of kids are lower-income. The laptop can actually be used for academic purposes, and in fact there’s something to be said for having everyone on school-provided laptops (consistency, control, etc). Lots of private high schools and even some public ones provide laptops. Nothing wrong with a college doing the same.</p>
<p>The perks listed didn’t seem so perky (though I like the Mizzou lazy river!). USC has always had film screenings and discussions with Spielberg, etc.; that’s part of why you go there. We had Clark’s food and it was delicious, but there’s nothing notable about having gluten free options and a nutritionist on staff. Of course NYU can attract great bands. Etc. much ado about nothing.</p>
<p>These 9 really are just the tip of the iceberg (except perhaps Mizzou’s water park and Michigan Tech’s ski resort or, for the anti-Obamacare, JHU’s health plan) so please, list us stuff that actually are perky…</p>
<p>I like how both articles list Berea’s “free laptops” as a luxury in an article that relates such perks to the high cost of college…without mentioning that tuition is 100% free at Berea for all admitted students.</p>
<p>Speaking from personal experience, affiliation with world-class teaching hospitals and a superb medical school does not mean that a college has terrific student health services.</p>
<p>^^
What university is it that has world-class teaching hospitals and medical school and student health services that don’t exactly measure up? Johns Hopkins?</p>
<p>I think some of these programs don’t really cost much (such a nutritionist on staff). Others, such as maintaining a private “concierge” laundry look very over the top. They are labor intensive, and costly - as any 24/7 stand-by service. </p>
<p>What I think is problematic is the way academics are falling down on the criteria many students select their schools. College Confidential is an exception.</p>
<p>Why is that problematic? For most hs seniors in the US, college isn’t about the very highest and most rigorous academics - it’s about getting a specific major, at a good cost, and being close to home. Why can’t they have those priorities? Not everyone either has the capacity to be or wants to be a straight A student.</p>
<p>As far as luxuries go, it may depend on what is defined as a “luxury”.</p>
<p>For example, consider the “classic” college dorm with rooms off a hall and one large multi-person bathroom per floor. Would most students and parents today see it as a “substandard” choice compared to a suite dorm? Is the suite dorm, probably seen as a mild luxury decades ago, now considered the baseline?</p>
<p>How about air conditioning in college dorms? Have views changed on whether it should be a standard feature, versus a luxury?</p>
</p>