As all Illinois Wesleyan students know, tuition here is not cheap. With such a big bill, it’s difficult for students to afford little pleasures like a sit-down dinner outside the dining hall or gas to take a trip across town. College students are impressively well versed in finding deals and taking advantage of what their colleges offer, but most students aren’t aware of the amenities IWU provides. For a school as expensive as Illinois Wesleyan, every student should know about the extra things IWU does that can make their on campus experience more enjoyable.
There are a lot of financial perks to Illinois Wesleyan that students engage with on a daily basis. One of the biggest benefits that IWU provides is free parking anywhere on campus. All a student has to do is fill out a form with their vehicle information and then place the permit sticker on the windshield of their vehicle. It’s as simple as that. Other schools do not offer such a luxury.
Illinois State University, for example, charges roughly 300 dollars a year for parking and only in specific locations across their vast campus. The difference is surprising for being in the same town, and Illinois Wesleyan covers a huge cost.
Another perk that many IWU students take for granted is free laundry, as well. Every Wesleyan housing option has not only free laundry, but an app where you can check on the machine status’. Instead of having to shell out a few dollars every week to get a basic need like laundry done, IWU takes care of it for you.
There are a lot of other amenities IWU provides that students don’t even realize they can use. A lot of these perks can be found at Ames library, including the Bike Share Program. The Bike Share Program is where students can rent a bike from the library for up to 48 hours at a time at no charge. They are available not only to students but faculty and staff, as well. The program is an excellent way for students to get active and not have to worry about storing a bike somewhere on campus.
Another fun perk that Wesleyan students aren’t aware they can use is the Esports facility. While the Esports team spends a lot of time playing tournaments and scrimmage games, any IWU student is allowed to use their space for their own enjoyment. The gaming computers are all up to speed and have a variety of games, such as Overwatch and Rocket League. Modern computers are incredibly expensive, so for students who want to unwind and play with friends, the Esports facility is at their disposal every day from 8:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
While Illinois Wesleyan does have a big price tag, they still try to provide all kinds of resources to encourage student success. Having social resources that make student life enjoyable is just as important as having access to academic resources, and Wesleyan puts a lot of money towards having those gamechanger benefits other schools cannot provide. Every student should be taking advantage of these resources and truly get their money’s worth.