One More Reason Why The Type Of College Doesn’t Matter
What’s the Latest Development?
Gallup and Purdue University asked 30,000 college graduates to determine which factors most affected their well-being both as students and after graduation. They found that the type of school attended — public or private, prestigious or less so, nonprofit or for-profit — had very little bearing on well-being, which Gallup defined using measures of physical, social and financial status. The same was true with regards to their levels of engagement at their jobs, with the exception of those who attended private for-profit schools, who were significantly less engaged compared to students who attended other types of schools.
What’s the Big Idea?
The survey results confirm what others have said for years: There’s a lot more to college than fancy reputations and steep tuitions. When asked to describe those factors that positively impacted well-being, graduates mentioned having caring professors and mentors, participating in extracurricular activities, and feeling supported by their institution, among others. Unfortunately, only a third of respondents strongly agreed that faculty cared about their futures, and even fewer agreed that they’d been properly prepared for the work world.
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