<p>What kinds of special preferences do athletes receive? This is something that really annoys me about college and that I hope to avoid.</p>
<p>Any university that you go to will have special privileges for student athletes (if the university has sports teams.) It’s just a fact of university life in the US.</p>
<p>Student-athletes at USC get many services such as free tutoring and guaranteed football tickets. I’ve also been told that they get free textbooks each semester, weekend money, and priority registration. They also tend to have better housing, more scholarship money, and their own dining hall, which serves better food than Russell.</p>
<p>With that being said, I’ve gotten to know many student-athletes over my four semesters at USC and I’m amazed at how hard they work. Two of the starters on the baseball team were in my English class last spring and they both were really impressive with their presentations. Considering that they’ve already played 38 games and the season isn’t over for at least another month, it’s amazing that they’re able to keep up with school work and the commitment of basically playing the equivalent of minor-league baseball.</p>
<p>I also have known and closely worked with on other projects students from the equestrian team, basketball team, tennis team, track and field, and swimming. They all worked just as hard, if not harder. Remember, most student-athletes won’t end up going pro in their sport. They put in a lot of hard work for the university and the university does what it can to support them.</p>
<p>Very well written AUGirl. Student athletes get perks because of scholarships - just like the honors college get perks too. It is not an easy task to keep your grades up and have a 25-30 hour a week commitment to your sport. Sometimes the “perks” are just their to help them manage their time and nutrition.</p>