Recreation Attracts Students, Adds to College Experience
2023-05-14
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1When GianMarco Douglas was thinking about which medical school to attend earlier this year, he had a number of things in mind.
2He wanted to go to a school that offered a good education, friendly students and financial aid.
3He was considering schools such as the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
4All of those schools fit his requirements.
5But he also hoped to find a university that offered good recreational activities.
6 likes playing friendly games of basketball - known as pick-up games - with other students in his free time.
7Douglas started doing that when he was an undergraduate student at Emory University.
8He discovered that he could make friends with students from his classes through basketball.
9"One thing about basketball is that, I noticed, in comparison to other sports it allows like a good bit of socialization. The court isn't very big. It's a good balance between playing a very active sport but also having enough of a break to socialize."
10The basketball games resulted in invitations to parties and other events.
11Between games, students even traded information about professors and classes.
12Douglas has visited friends and family in Italy.
13Based on seeing what university life is like there, he thinks international students who are thinking about studying in the U.S. would be surprised by the recreation opportunities.
14In Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland State University, there is a large recreation center.
15The center takes up four floors of a building across the street from the school's college of engineering.
16It includes swimming pools, basketball courts, weight-training equipment, courts for racquet sports and rooms for classes in activities like yoga and boxing.
17There is even an area for e-sports competitions.
18Michelle Rieger is the senior associate director of programming and operations for the recreation center.
19She said it makes sense that Douglas, the future medical student, would also want to know about recreational opportunities.
20She said research by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, or NIRSA, shows that 68 percent of students say the campus recreation center is part of the reason why they choose their school.
21Rieger said Cleveland State has long been known as a "commuter school."
22That means many students come to the university buildings to take classes and then go home.
23But she said the recreation center is "a big wow factor for them."
24Some students even decide to live in university housing so they can use the recreation center more often.
25NIRSA's research suggests that not only does a good recreation center, or gym, help students decide to attend a school, but it also keeps them in school.
26In a city like Cleveland, where the weather can be cold and snowy for much of the school year, it is good to have an indoor place for students to spend time.
27Rieger said that is important for international students who come from warm parts of the world.
28"A lot of times, people who aren't used to it, the weather, they don't want to leave their room. So, we do try to do things indoors for them as well as outdoors to get them moving.And try to do a number of different programs just to entice them and really get them to feel like they belong here and that there's a community here so that they want to keep coming, not just for the wellness, the physical wellness aspect, but for that social wellness and the mental wellbeing as well."
29Cleveland State offers students many off-campus recreational opportunities.
30Students can go on camping and hiking trips. They can also learn how to use watercraft, such as canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.
31Cleveland is home to an important river and is on Lake Erie, one of America's Great Lakes.
32However, not every student goes on those kinds of trips.
33NIRSA notes that the majority of students center their time on weight training, fitness equipment such as treadmills and open play - like the pick-up basketball games Douglas enjoys.
34The school offers recreational activities to keep students involved in campus activities.
35One recent morning, a message board had announcements for a racquet sport called pickleball, a fitness club meeting and a club event for a video game called Rocket League.
36Rieger said she wants to make sure the recreation center is "a friendly place for everyone, where they can come in and just experience the joy of recreating."
37Feeling at ease was important for Oman Pokhrel, who was lifting weights there recently.
38Pokhrel is from Nepal and lived in Cleveland for almost 10 years before attending Cleveland State.
39He is in his first year of criminal justice and business studies.
40He comes to the gym nearly every day to lift weights and run.
41"I do think people are friendly and enjoy themselves here," he said.
42Pokhrel said he sees how the recreation center could influence some students.
43Pokhrel can get some exercise before or after class, and it is cost-free.
44Before starting at Cleveland State, he spent extra money to go to a martial arts gym in his community.
45"I love going to the gym and lifting weights, I do think having a gym here for me does clear my mind. I feel lighter and faster than I was last year," he said.
46Douglas is the student who attended Emory.
47He starts medical school later this year at Case Western Reserve University.
48He said it was surprising how much he valued his time playing basketball with friends during college.
49He said it is not necessary to be a great athlete to join a pick-up game at a college recreation center.
50He offered some advice for international students who may walk past a campus bulletin board and wonder about the activities advertised.
51"They should really inquire into those things instead of maybe just seeing an advertisement and like ignoring it.I feel like they would end up perhaps enjoying several of these activities more than expected and make very good friendships."
52I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1When GianMarco Douglas was thinking about which medical school to attend earlier this year, he had a number of things in mind. 2He wanted to go to a school that offered a good education, friendly students and financial aid. 3He was considering schools such as the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. All of those schools fit his requirements. 4But he also hoped to find a university that offered good recreational activities. He likes playing friendly games of basketball - known as pick-up games - with other students in his free time. 5Douglas started doing that when he was an undergraduate student at Emory University. 6He discovered that he could make friends with students from his classes through basketball. 7"One thing about basketball is that, I noticed, in comparison to other sports it allows like a good bit of socialization. The court isn't very big. It's a good balance between playing a very active sport but also having enough of a break to socialize." 8The basketball games resulted in invitations to parties and other events. Between games, students even traded information about professors and classes. 9Douglas has visited friends and family in Italy. Based on seeing what university life is like there, he thinks international students who are thinking about studying in the U.S. would be surprised by the recreation opportunities. 10Even e-sports 11In Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland State University, there is a large recreation center. The center takes up four floors of a building across the street from the school's college of engineering. It includes swimming pools, basketball courts, weight-training equipment, courts for racquet sports and rooms for classes in activities like yoga and boxing. There is even an area for e-sports competitions. 12Michelle Rieger is the senior associate director of programming and operations for the recreation center. She said it makes sense that Douglas, the future medical student, would also want to know about recreational opportunities. She said research by the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, or NIRSA, shows that 68 percent of students say the campus recreation center is part of the reason why they choose their school. 13Rieger said Cleveland State has long been known as a "commuter school." That means many students come to the university buildings to take classes and then go home. But she said the recreation center is "a big wow factor for them." Some students even decide to live in university housing so they can use the recreation center more often. 14NIRSA's research suggests that not only does a good recreation center, or gym, help students decide to attend a school, but it also keeps them in school. 15In a city like Cleveland, where the weather can be cold and snowy for much of the school year, it is good to have an indoor place for students to spend time. Rieger said that is important for international students who come from warm parts of the world. 16"A lot of times, people who aren't used to it, the weather, they don't want to leave their room. So, we do try to do things indoors for them as well as outdoors to get them moving. And try to do a number of different programs just to entice them and really get them to feel like they belong here and that there's a community here so that they want to keep coming, not just for the wellness, the physical wellness aspect, but for that social wellness and the mental wellbeing as well." 17Cleveland State offers students many off-campus recreational opportunities. Students can go on camping and hiking trips. They can also learn how to use watercraft, such as canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Cleveland is home to an important river and is on Lake Erie, one of America's Great Lakes. 18However, not every student goes on those kinds of trips. NIRSA notes that the majority of students center their time on weight training, fitness equipment such as treadmills and open play - like the pick-up basketball games Douglas enjoys. 19'The joy of recreating' 20The school offers recreational activities to keep students involved in campus activities. One recent morning, a message board had announcements for a racquet sport called pickleball, a fitness club meeting and a club event for a video game called Rocket League. 21Rieger said she wants to make sure the recreation center is "a friendly place for everyone, where they can come in and just experience the joy of recreating." 22Feeling at ease was important for Oman Pokhrel, who was lifting weights there recently. Pokhrel is from Nepal and lived in Cleveland for almost 10 years before attending Cleveland State. He is in his first year of criminal justice and business studies. 23He comes to the gym nearly every day to lift weights and run. 24"I do think people are friendly and enjoy themselves here," he said. Pokhrel said he sees how the recreation center could influence some students. 25Pokhrel can get some exercise before or after class, and it is cost-free. Before starting at Cleveland State, he spent extra money to go to a martial arts gym in his community. 26"I love going to the gym and lifting weights, I do think having a gym here for me does clear my mind. I feel lighter and faster than I was last year," he said. 27'You might be surprised' 28Douglas is the student who attended Emory. He starts medical school later this year at Case Western Reserve University. He said it was surprising how much he valued his time playing basketball with friends during college. He said it is not necessary to be a great athlete to join a pick-up game at a college recreation center. 29He offered some advice for international students who may walk past a campus bulletin board and wonder about the activities advertised. 30"They should really inquire into those things instead of maybe just seeing an advertisement and like ignoring it. I feel like they would end up perhaps enjoying several of these activities more than expected and make very good friendships." 31I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 32Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. 33___________________________________________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35recreational -adj. related to something people do to be at ease, to have fun and to exercise 36undergraduate -adj. a student at a college or university who has not yet received their degree 37socialization -n. the process of educating someone to live in a society 38court -n. an area in which some sports such as tennis or basketball are played 39opportunity -n. a chance to do something 40e-sport -n. an electronic sport usually like a video game 41wow factor -n. (informal) something that greatly impresses someone 42gym -n. a place to get physical exercise or practice a sport 43entice -v. to get someone interested in doing something 44aspect -n. a part of something else 45fitness -n. using exercise to improve your physical health 46treadmill -n. a machine with a motorized belt people run on for exercise 47martial arts -n. several forms of self-defense that are widely practiced as sports 48bulletin board -n. a board in a public place where people place announcements 49_________________________________________________________________ 50We want to hear from you. Do you know about college recreation centers? 51We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 52Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.