McDaniel alumni value their degrees according to national study
A national study released Nov. 16, finds that graduates of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, including McDaniel, feel better prepared when it comes to getting their first job out of college, gaining admission to graduate school, or meeting life’s challenges.
McDaniel is a member of the Annapolis Group, a non-profit alliance of 130 residential liberal arts colleges, which commissioned the study.
Among the study’s career-related findings:
- 76% of liberal arts college graduates rated their college experience highly for preparing them for their first job, compared to 66 percent who attended public flagship universities;
- 89% of liberal arts college graduates reported finding a mentor while in college, compared to 66 percent for public flagship universities;
- 60% of liberal arts college graduates said they felt "better prepared" for life after college than students who attended other colleges, compared to 34 percent who attended public flagship universities
- Liberal arts college graduates are more likely to graduate in four years or fewer, giving them a head start on their careers.
About the study, McDaniel president Roger Casey said, “This latest study by the Annapolis Group reaffirms what we already know: a liberal arts education stands the test of time in an ever-changing world. McDaniel graduates are well prepared for future prominence in disciplines as diverse as our imaginations.”
Conducted by higher education consulting firm Hardwick Day, this study is one of the few exploring the lasting effects of college in such areas as career preparation and advancement, skill development, development of personal and professional values and attitude, and community involvement.
During summer 2011, 100 randomly selected undergraduate alumni from McDaniel who graduated between 1995 and 2005 and reside in the 48 contiguous states participated in telephone interviews that were used in this study. The study is based on a total of 2,700 telephone interviews of graduates from all of the Annapolis Group institutions made in 2002 and 2011.
An executive summary of the report is available at College News.org.
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