Forbes published its "Top 100 Grateful Grads" ranking on Tuesday, using a "Grateful Graduates Index" to measure the return on investment for different undergraduate institutions. The index measures the amount of private gifts a college receives over a period of time divided by the number of full-time students enrolled, indicating alumni success and gratitude toward their alma mater, Forbes reported. Dartmouth is ranked seventh, with a $27,463.59 median gift per student for the period between 2002 and 2012 and $547,949 in endowment assets per student between 2011 and 2012. Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology rank ahead of the College.
A recent study conducted by the consulting firm Accenture reveals disparities between graduating seniors' expectations about the workforce and recent graduates' working experiences, Forbes reported. While only 18 percent of graduating seniors plan to pursue a graduate degree, 42 percent of working graduates said they plan on earning graduate degrees. A total of 85 percent of students graduating in 2013 expect to earn over $25,000 a year, but only two-thirds of recent graduates report making that amount or more. Accenture surveyed 1,000 students who graduated in 2011 and 2012 and 1,000 graduating seniors, and the poll reveals that only 16 percent of graduating seniors say they have secured job offers, and 34 percent say they would take the first job that they are offered. The poll cast doubt on the usefulness of internships, while 72 percent of polled graduates reported holding internships, only 42 percent of them said they led to a job.
A recent study conducted by nonprofit research group RTI International found that low-income valedictorians are more likely to be "undermatched" with less competitive schools than their wealthier peers, Inside Higher Ed reported. Because high schools do not always provide students with the support they need to plan their futures, students looking to attend college must turn to their families and friends for guidance, a luxury many low-income teenagers lack. Poorer students are underrepresented at highly selective colleges, and 51 percent of wealthy valedictorians polled attended selective, private universities, versus only 32 percent of their less affluent peers. This disparity feeds a cycle of stratification, as students at less selective colleges have a more difficult time finding jobs after graduation.
