It seems crazy as I should base my decisions for graduate studies soley on academic criteria but I called to ask about the socalled sports centre and I asked if there was a squat rack, to which the man replied no. Am I crazy or should I just eliminate said university from my list because I won't be able to do squats (they don't even have a smith machine)....freaking out...is it legimitate?
What would you do?
If this school has the academic quality you desire, I'd hardly consider eliminating it, simply due to their lack of gym equipment. I went through something similar my freshman year of college. I had to drag my old cement weights to my dorm room, because the gym equipment was lacking and the big weight room was reserved for the football players. Fortunately, I got a great Christmas present: A Bally membership (Premiere Plus), which allowed me to train at any Bally fitness center or club affiliated with Bally in the country.
I still have and use that membership.
From what you've described, the dumbbells go up to about 80 lb (37 kg) and the "fixed barbells" (presumably for curls, mainly) max at 120 lb (55 kg). You may be better served getting a gym membership. This school appears to be outside the USA; so, I'm not all that familiar with the franchises you could join at a fairly cheap price.