Reality television’s ever-increasing reach is now coming to a campus near you.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has decided to try to use the reality TV craze to recruit students. The project is called Real Nebraska, in reference to MTV’s “The Real World” reality television series.

The goal of the project is to allow those interested in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to see what life is like for the university’s students.

The university has selected three students and armed them with video cameras to record their everyday lives as Nebraska students. The footage will be posted on the school’s Web site during the year and a year-end video will be made from the highlights of what is filmed.

Iowa State hasn’t done anything similar to recruit students, but Associate Director of Admissions Phil Caffrey says he thinks it is a unique idea.

“It seems to be a type of entertainment people are interested in,” Caffrey says. “There are all kinds of innovative marketing ideas out there and this is just another way of applying them.”

Iowa State may not use a reality TV show to recruit, but the university does try to stay competitive and current. In the near future, Iowa State will give prospective students a glimpse of student life in other ways, mainly using the Internet.

“We are in the midst of revamping the admissions Web site,” Caffrey says.

Some Iowa State students are skeptical about whether a reality TV campaign would work at Iowa State.

Kristi Mitchell, sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication, says a reality show would not have swayed her college decision.

“I don’t like to base my decisions on what others think,” she says. “If I have my mind made up, watching TV isn’t going to change it.”

Caffrey says he was unsure how accurately the lives of three people could represent the entire student body. Showing a typical day in the life of a student could be difficult.

“There are 28,000 students at Iowa State with different lifestyles and tastes,” he says.

Students say they would be worried about how accurate the portrayal of student life would be. Joe Brown, junior in forestry, says accuracy would be hard to ensure.

“I’m guessing that it would be just as accurate as the student wanted it to be,” he says.

Others were more worried about other influences on accuracy. Justin Kole, senior in marketing, says accuracy could also be influenced by a university’s administration. He says he believes portions of student life not found acceptable, like drinking, might be removed.

“I think they would edit out a lot of stuff that isn’t good publicity,” he says.

Another obstacle in producing a reality TV show at a college is finding willing participants. Mitchell says she would not be interested in being the focus of a reality TV series. “I just think certain aspects of life should be kept personal,” she says.

Brown says he would also be reluctant to document his life for everyone to see. “It would just be a hassle,” he says. “I wouldn’t want to take the time.”