Post Graduate Career Considerations Beginning to Play Larger Role in College Selection

The Wall Street Journal’s MarkeWatch recently reported that more and more students are factoring quality of life and the prospects of finding a good job in the region after school into their decisions regarding where they will attend college.   Todd Hoffman, a college researcher and consultant, has developed the College Destinations Index in which he quantifies the comparative merits of various college towns.  

Central Ohio was prominently featured in the WSJ article announcing the results of the study.  Dan Sharpe, a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, says that by going to school in Central Ohio he had access to a number of quality internships and post graduate employment opportunities and that the cost of living in Columbus made it possible for him to take full advantage of these opportunities during and after college.  Although considerations such as tuition, curriculum and financial aid are often at the top of the list when choosing a school, experiences such as Sharpe’s demonstrate that college living costs, access to internships and post graduate employment are becoming increasingly part of the decision process.    

The College Destinations Index utilized 12 measures such as post graduate job opportunities, earning potential, diversity and availability of cultural and leisure activities to determine the rankings.  

For the full list and more details, see the story from the WSJ