Being a college student has its perks: living with all of your friends at a safe distance from the "real world," no rent to pay, and no full-time job. But there are other benefits to being a student as well, especially in Boston - Amercia's "college town." But with so many things to go out and do, many students feel strapped for cash. For this reason, many sign up for the "Student Advantage" program. The Student Advantage Membership is a fee-based discount card that offers college students discounts on transportation, hotel accommodations, food, and clothing.
Nearly 3,000 Tufts students have the Student Advantage Membership, according to Heidi Van Vliet, a Public Relations and Marketing Specialist for Student Advantage Inc. Students who have the card especially enjoy its discounts on train and air transportation.
"I used it a lot last year on Amtrak going to and from home," sophomore Rachel Klein said. "It was definitely worth it." But Klein added that the card might be less useful for upperclassmen with cars on campus. "It's really good for freshmen, it makes traveling from home and back much easier and cheaper," Klein said, adding that she rarely used the card for non-transportation discounts. "I wish I took advantage of the [other] discounts more," she said.
Perhaps not as widely known are the discounts students can receive aside from travel. Students can use Student Advantage at area stores such as Champs Sports and shopping online, like at Urban Outfitters (urbn.com) or Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com). The discounts vary, from the meager - $1 off a haircut or tanning session at Ultimate Hairstyling Salon in Medford or a free soda with purchase of an entr?©e at the The Burren, to the more valuable - 50 percent off tickets to the Broadway play, Rent, in New York. However, discounts may be reserved for certain items and my be offered only at specific times. A full list of discounts and restrictions can be found on the Student Advantage web site at studentadvantage.com.
Sophomore Lizzie Buchen warns that restrictions apply when using Student Advantage Membership to book travel arrangements.
"I tried to use my roommate's [Student Advantage] card to buy train tickets, but it didn't work for the train I wanted, so I paid full fare," Buchen said. Students should double check with Amtrak to find out what trains accept the discount.
One local business that participates in the Student Advantage network is Fire and Ice, a restaurant in Harvard Square. Chris Umbelina, a manager at the Fire and Ice in Harvard said, the reason for joining the Student Advantage Membership (network) was simple - to bring in more business.
"Basically [there are] a lot of colleges in the area and we wanted to get as many young people into our restaurant as possible," Umbelina said. "We thought the discount would bring in students to our restaurant over another restaurant." He added that he hopes to reach out to local colleges in search of customers.
The Student Advantage Membership is part of a larger network of student services, Student Advantage Inc. According to the company web site, Student Advantage Inc. was founded in 1992 with the goal of connecting college students with the businesses that serve them. Other services include U-wire (a newswire for college media that is printed in the Daily), FansOnly.com (a web site focusing on college sports) and a marketing group for companies who wish to target college students.
Being a student at Tufts also gets you some other freebies, such as free entrance into the Museum of Fine Arts with Tufts ID. But according to sophomore Lizzie Buchen, Museum discounts are not well publicized. "I didn't find out about that till this semester, my boyfriend and I were planning on going next weekend," Buchen said.
Tufts students can also receive other discounts at the info booth at the campus center. There, students can purchase discounted movie tickets for Lowes and Showcase theaters in the area. Students also get can get discount-priced tickets to Red Sox and Celtics games. The tickets are cheaper as they are bought wholesale for the info booth. According to info booth worker sophomore Chinua Thelwell, students take advantage of the discounts for sporting events, but rarely take advantage of discounted movie tickets.
Buchen, who is from Irvine, California, says that before coming to college in Boston, she expected a college-town with businesses more eager to entice and please students.
"I had this vision of college students everywhere and every business targeting college students, but I don't think [Boston] is any different from Irvine, where I'm from," she said.
There are 347 local merchants that accept the Student Advantage Membership card in Boston including the Wrap, Pizzeria Uno, Boston Sports Club, and New England Aquarium. There are 161 businesses in Cambridge and currently 22 in Medford that accept the Student Advantage card according to Van Vliet.
