Could Rejection from an Elite School Improve Your Job Prospects?

People love to throw around the saying that a degree from an elite school “opens doors,” but they fail to mention that graduates now face a revolving door.  Time wasted leaning on the doorframe to drop the name of your alma mater will leave you on the outside looking in on a candidate who may not possess a degree from an “elite” college, but has the skill set employers are seeking.

But don’t take my word for it. 

In September 2010, Jennifer Merritt of the The Wall Street Journal surveyed recruiting executives at nearly 500 companies to “identify the majors and schools that best prepare students to land jobs that are satisfying, well-paid and have growth potential.”  Recruiters were asked to rank the best-qualified graduates by school and major.  Public and private companies participated, representing sectors such as finance, technology, consumer goods, energy, IT, manufacturing, consulting, healthcare, non-profit and government.

Penn State topped the list, followed by Texas A&M, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Purdue and Arizona State.  The only Ivy on the list was Cornell, ranked 14^th.   The complete list is reproduced at the end of this post.

The recruiters favored schools with large student populations that teach practical skills and offer a well-rounded academic program.  State schools fared well because of corporate internship programs that companies rely on for hiring.  According to the report, “Recruiters made clear they preferred big state schools over elite liberal arts schools, such as the Ivies.”

In responding to reader questions, the author emphasized the importance of internships and practical skills to recruiters.  Other factors affecting a school’s position on the list include the quality of the career services office, length of service at the company for school alumni, student professionalism and preparation for the work world, and school location.

When asked about the study, a Harvard professor tracking the career paths of Harvard graduates responded, “We have none of the basic bread-and-butter courses that serve you well in much of industry.”  I guess that was left out of the glossy brochures.  Parents might not react too well if they read that their money was going to a school that didn’t value preparing students for the workforce.

Top 25 List of Colleges as Ranked by Recruiters

-Penn State

-Texas A&M

-University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

-Purdue University

-Arizona State

-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

-Georgia Institute of Technology

-University of Maryland, College Park

-University of Florida

-Carnegie Mellon University

-Brigham Young University

-Ohio State University

-Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

-Cornell University

-University of California – Berkeley

-University of Wisconsin – Madison

-University of California – Los Angeles

-Texas Tech

-North Carolina State University – Raleigh /University of Virginia (tie)

-Rutgers University – New Brunswick

-University of Notre Dame

-MIT

-University of Southern California

-Washington State University/University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (tie)

Source: Penn State Tops Recruiter Rankings, Wall Street Journal, 9/13/2010

  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704554104575435563989873060.html