Colleges Dangle Perks to Attract Students

Lifestyle goodies are part of the university package

May 19, 2011

The University of Houston’s 'Rockwall' is open to adventurous students, and is a great recruiting tool.

Many American high-school students worry about getting into college. And their parents worry about paying the tuition bills.

And - except for crème de la crème schools that can pick and choose whom to admit - many colleges are worried, too. They already compete with each other to attract star athletes, and now they’re vigorously competing to attract the brightest students, the wealthiest applicants, and the top minority candidates as well.

To win the recruiting contest, they’re offering extra inducements in hopes that superstar students will choose THEM rather than the campus down the road.

Colleges used to offer scholarships and low-cost loans to sweeten their appeal. Now, they are laying out a smorgasbord of lifestyle goodies.

Stanford University in California has a world-renowned golf course, which its students can play at greatly reduced rates.

Boston University, for instance, has a big pool with a wave machine, so young scholars can jump waves with their boogie boards. A University of Houston facility offers a hot tub and a rock-climbing wall. Massages are available at the student union of the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.