“Paradise Hotel” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” are not the only new shows to jump on the reality-TV bandwagon. Now another group of “regular people,” in this case wily-eyed college kids in their first year of school, will be featured on Showtime’s “Freshman Diaries.”

The show, which takes place at the University of Texas at Austin, documents the lives of 18 freshmen during the 2002-03 school year. The series attempts to follow the cast through first-party experiences, late-night cram sessions and sexual explorations.

Unlike most reality shows, however, the producers of “Freshman Diaries” opted to ditch the posh apartment lifestyles and large camera crews that accompany other series in order to get a more intimate look at the students’ lifestyles.

“It’s a fairly explicit description of students and their interactions with each other,” said James Vick, vice president of student affairs at the U of T.

Don Hale, the school’s vice president of public affairs, said university officials felt the project could benefit the university and thus agreed to cooperate with the production. Hale also said the U of T is an ideal spot to produce such a show.

“We represent a whole mix of students. That’s reality,” he said, adding that the campus is composed of a student body of 52,000.

Vick also agreed that the campus climate was an attractive draw, which could have led Showtime to pick U of T for the series.

“We’re a large campus and we have a city and community that’s known to be popular,” Vick said.

Despite eagerness within the university to pursue the project, administrators still expressed concern about possible repercussions the series’ subject matter could have on the university’s reputation.

“Anytime you get in a project that is reality-based, there is going to be apprehension about how it comes out,” Hale said.

After a large casting call and several elimination periods, the 18 students were selected to represent the diversity of the campus.

“It shows the diversity of campus very clearly,” Vick said.

Indeed, the show tackles many different angles of student life. One example Vick noted was an openly gay male who talks about his experiences of coming out and the resulting effects within the series’ first episode.

Since its premiere Aug. 31, the show has received a positive reception from students, adults and critics.

“People just reacted wonderfully,” Hale said of the premiere viewing held by the university. “It was clear from the audience reaction that they (the cast members) were popular. I’m pleased with the product.”

Vick is also positive about the series, noting, “It was an engaging show.”

The “Freshman Diaries” airs every Sunday night on Showtime, and according to Vick, the network is currently looking at other universities nationwide to carry on the series.