Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment students practice the Transcendental Meditation technique in front of TM teacher Siggi Lamothe, right, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, in Fairfield, Iowa. Students at the school do TM, the practice of invoking a state of deep relaxation brought about by mentally repeating a word, or "mantra," for about 15 minutes several times a day. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Duke may have one of the best law schools in the country, but in recruiting new students, its promotional materials point out that Durham's bar scene has exploded in the past few years.

At Carnegie Mellon, the pitch is similar: "Pittsburgh rocks after dark," prospective students are told.

The story is the same at schools across the country. The "student experience," which often includes binge drinking and raucous parties for undergrads, is for many students as important as getting good grades and a degree.

The Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, might as well be on another planet. Its consciousness-based education involves daily transcendental meditation for its 1,200-something students, organic vegetarian meals, and four hours a week of required physical activity. Its ideal routine stresses rest as the basis of activity, including a "strongly" encouraged 10 p.m. curfew.

That early bedtime curtain call may be what prospective students thought they left behind in grade school. But the universitys routines, particularly regular transcendental meditation practice which involves sitting comfortably with eyes closed is not invasive, says Craig Pearson, Maharishis executive vice president.

Meditators report that once they begin to meditate, they naturally find themselves taking better care of themselves," he says. "But its not necessary to embrace any different lifestyle.

And, according to Pearson, students who meditate can expect to see a variety of benefits, from increased grade point averages to better focus, memory, energy, ego development and brain integration. Meditation, he adds, can also improve relationships and lower stress and anxiety levels. The benefits usually begin to be evident quickly, he says.

With its daily meditation, Maharishi is a good test case for the efficacy of meditation for students. But other schools, including Brown University and UCLA, have found benefits to meditative practices without making it a requirement.

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The rise of meditation on college campuses