They offer to give you a line of credit, even if you have no credit history and even if you have no job. It seems like a great deal, but it's not. It's evil and insidious, and you should be outraged. Mommy and Daddy will pay any bill while you're in college, the theory goes, so why not get a piece of the action. You run wild with a card, they pay the bill, and the bank makes out big time.
Students have easy access to low-interest student loans.
While these are not intended to be used to pay off credit card bills, the banks know that this is exactly what many students do. So they give you the credit and look the other way while you borrow from Uncle Sam to pay them their almost criminal interest charges. Students coming out of college and entering the job market for the first time are particularly vulnerable. Banks know this, and they know that your parents know this. Even if Mommy and Daddy wouldn't pay your bills in college, they would probably take over the payments afterwards until you get a job.