There's a water park at Texas Tech, a campus steakhouse at North Carolina's High Point University and a 293,000-square-foot indoor beach club on the main campus of the University of Missouri, replete with lazy river, whirlpools, waterfalls and waiters. All of which raises the question: college or country club?
For the last decade, colleges across the U.S. have been tricking out campuses to compete in an amenities arms race aimed at attracting prospective freshmen. Free tanning, bouldering caves, gourmet dining and luxury fitness centers are not uncommon. At MIT, students housed in Simmons Hall enjoy PS3 gaming stations and Roku access in every lounge, a ball pit and private bathrooms.