My answer is no, though I understand the feeling “for what we’re paying…you bet I expected excellent features”.
I believe a lot can be gained from “roughing” it. Personally, I believe resilience is not only an admirable quality, but a necessary one for navigating life. There are times I think, we as parents, do a disservice to our children, by running interference for them. We may do it out of love, but we may be robbing them from experiences which may help them develop their self confidence in real world situations.
I have kids like that @ChezCurie , but they’re not at all into fancy amenities & a lazy river would be a no-go for them. I would agree with others that access to good fitness facilities ranks highly, as working out has become somewhat of a social activity. And yes, food is also important, but it’s more about variety and options and less about lobster.
When my daughter started looking, a high priority was suite style bathrooms. She had an ugly bout with the flu last winter, and the thought of having to find her keys and run down the hall to a community bathroom so she could throw up in front of other kids was not appealing.
Somewhere along the way, she got over it. That would be a nice perk, but it’s not even on the list of priorities anymore. None of the schools she’s deciding among offer that to freshmen.
So would she love luxury accommodations? And would I like them for her?? Sure… if they happen to be at the school she ends up for. But it’s not a deciding factor for her.
I know the question is directed to parents but I will say that 2 schools that have risen much higher on my list of considerations are WUSTL and Northwestern for different reasons. WUSTL has been listed as top 5 in both dorms and food. As well as being a top academic university WUSTL offers me 2 big factors that will play a huge part in my college life and who can overlook a Tempurpedic bed every night lol.
Northwestern also offers top academics but for different luxuries than WUSTL. I will also be playing football in college so top athletic facilities are a big consideration for me as well. Weightlifting rooms, meeting rooms, training rooms, football facilities etc…
@bjkmom - I was very surprised that my S17 was able to get into a suite as a freshman at a SUNY school. He is very happy with his dorm and plans to stay in it for at least next year as well. If he can get enough friends to fill the 4 rooms, he can move to a first floor suite with a self-contained patio area for next year. He’s currently working on it.
@bjkmom - Fredonia. There are freshman suites in the honors dorm and, I believe there is at least one all female suite dorm, but I am not sure about that because, having a son, I didn’t really look into it.
@Luska19, playing football at a D1 Power 5 conference school is going to be much different than just about any other college dorm or climbing wall experience. There is absolutely no way to compare what a football player at UMiami is offered to what the typical freshman at a SUNY will see. Even the non-football players at UMiami are not getting the same work out rooms or team dinners.
At many universities, athletes have their own facilities, but the standard facilities are also spectacular (albeit more crowded). It’s also difficult to compare a private U like Northwestern, which is the one Luska19 referenced, with a public U like SUNY.
I appreciated reading the student perspective. Parents may be paying for it, but the student has to live there, so they are both being targeted by universities when they introduce luxurious amenities.
