Where you go to college....for most it matters!

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Here is an interesting study for all you closet stat guys.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/28/the-...aboolainternal

So before your kid goes to that d1 soccer camp this August with hopes of landing a bench spot at an average academic school with average or below average average starting salaries.....think twice.
Check for your favorite soccer school. Be prepared to have to scroll for a while.
http://www.payscale.com/college-sala...chelors?page=1

[Unregistered]

Here is an interesting study for all you closet stat guys.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/28/the-...aboolainternal

So before your kid goes to that d1 soccer camp this August with hopes of landing a bench spot at an average academic school with average or below average average starting salaries.....think twice.
Check for your favorite soccer school. Be prepared to have to scroll for a while.
http://www.payscale.com/college-sala...chelors?page=1

By these rankings FSA does better than CFC on the college commit list. CFC doesn't come close to FSA top commits. Yale ranked 49th, tied with Loyola University Maryland. West Point ranked 6th where FSA gets a commit almost every year. I think CFC best is 20th place?

[Unregistered]

By these rankings FSA does better than CFC on the college commit list. CFC doesn't come close to FSA top commits. Yale ranked 49th, tied with Loyola University Maryland. West Point ranked 6th where FSA gets a commit almost every year. I think CFC best is 20th place?

Yale...49th. Yeah, okay.

[Unregistered]

Yale...49th. Yeah, okay.

Believable, liberal activism generally doesn't pay well.

[Unregistered]

Sure it's important, but so is what you make of your college education and experience. Everyone knows highly successful people who didn't go to good schools, and people who went to good schools who have struggled in their careers.

Also you can find a list to satisfy any preconceived notions. If a list has Yale at 49th that's a pretty shi**y list

[Unregistered]

1) the two lists partly contradict each other. Some schools that have a high mid career number start lower on initial salary. Yet the other article says once you start out behind you're always behind.

2) certain schools that are more specialized in good professions are high on the list like Colorado School of Mines (engineering) or Babson (business), while others with more liberal arts focus (resulting in often lower paying professions) will be lower. Majors matter as much if not more so than the school. Teaching English is a noble profession but pay?

[Unregistered]

1) the two lists partly contradict each other. Some schools that have a high mid career number start lower on initial salary. Yet the other article says once you start out behind you're always behind.

2) certain schools that are more specialized in good professions are high on the list like Colorado School of Mines (engineering) or Babson (business), while others with more liberal arts focus (resulting in often lower paying professions) will be lower. Majors matter as much if not more so than the school. Teaching English is a noble profession but pay?

Agree with your second point, however, no contradiction between the lists on your first point. The scatter plot has a variance like it should and there is a super strong correlation to the data. Only if all schools lined up exactly on the correlation line would there be no variance as you describe.

[Unregistered]

Sure it's important, but so is what you make of your college education and experience. Everyone knows highly successful people who didn't go to good schools, and people who went to good schools who have struggled in their careers.

Also you can find a list to satisfy any preconceived notions. If a list has Yale at 49th that's a pretty shi**y list

One missing variable is the major. Yale is 49th because a BA in African Women's Studies does not lead to high income... even with a Yale diploma. Conversely, an Aerospace Engineering degree from a middle of the pack State School will bring in high income. Therefore, not surprising the engineering-heavy schools are all near the top of the list because while MIT and CMU may graduate some Anthropology majors, they mostly produce world-class engineers... who earn well.

Another missing variable is the personal network. Your kid's classmates at Miami Dade will all be struggling in the same dead-end jobs. Your kid's classmates at Harvard are the future leaders of America and can help their career. I didn't go to Harvard or Yale but was a solid B econ/finance major at a "lesser Ivy". While my diploma was helpful, it was contacting the alumni network that most dramatically helped my career. I can only imagine what the Harvard network would be like.

[Unregistered]

One missing variable is the major. Yale is 49th because a BA in African Women's Studies does not lead to high income... even with a Yale diploma. Conversely, an Aerospace Engineering degree from a middle of the pack State School will bring in high income. Therefore, not surprising the engineering-heavy schools are all near the top of the list because while MIT and CMU may graduate some Anthropology majors, they mostly produce world-class engineers... who earn well.

Another missing variable is the personal network. Your kid's classmates at Miami Dade will all be struggling in the same dead-end jobs. Your kid's classmates at Harvard are the future leaders of America and can help their career. I didn't go to Harvard or Yale but was a solid B econ/finance major at a "lesser Ivy". While my diploma was helpful, it was contacting the alumni network that most dramatically helped my career. I can only imagine what the Harvard network would be like.

Of course it isn't every kid at every school. It is average. Generally speaking, you have. Better chance of being paid more if you go to a school that has a higher starting salary. Of course, grades, networking, major, etc all play a role.

[Unregistered]

Of course it isn't every kid at every school. It is average. Generally speaking, you have. Better chance of being paid more if you go to a school that has a higher starting salary. Of course, grades, networking, major, etc all play a role.

Generally speaking, there is very little difference between schools that are generally in the Top 20 or Top 30 (pick your ranking). While Harvard may be a bit better, your kid will do just fine going to Emory or UCLA. However, there is HUGE difference once you start looking at schools outside the top 20 or 30. The dropoff is significant... in terms of quality of education and more importantly in terms of job opportunities and alumni network. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who went to Fairfield or Bridgeport and have had successful careers... but they are the exception and likely a result of the kid and not the school.

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Generally speaking, there is very little difference between schools that are generally in the Top 20 or Top 30 (pick your ranking). While Harvard may be a bit better, your kid will do just fine going to Emory or UCLA. However, there is HUGE difference once you start looking at schools outside the top 20 or 30. The dropoff is significant... in terms of quality of education and more importantly in terms of job opportunities and alumni network. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who went to Fairfield or Bridgeport and have had successful careers... but they are the exception and likely a result of the kid and not the school.

Every kid should try to get into the best school that they can, obviously. Not everyone is equipped to be accepted to a top 20-30 school, obviously. There are plenty of kids who go to schools 31-200 that have "successful careers" as well. Many! Not the exception to the rule. There are excellent schools beyond top 30.

[Unregistered]

Every kid should try to get into the best school that they can, obviously. Not everyone is equipped to be accepted to a top 20-30 school, obviously. There are plenty of kids who go to schools 31-200 that have "successful careers" as well. Many! Not the exception to the rule. There are excellent schools beyond top 30.

No one said they won't have a successful career. Only that thier starting salary will be lower and if so, statistically, they will trail for the remainder of thier career.

[Unregistered]

No one said they won't have a successful career. Only that thier starting salary will be lower and if so, statistically, they will trail for the remainder of thier career.

Not really true. I was responding to this from post above...and it's simply false.

"The dropoff is significant... in terms of quality of education and more importantly in terms of job opportunities and alumni network. I'm sure there are plenty of kids who went to Fairfield or Bridgeport and have had successful careers... but they are the exception and likely a result of the kid and not the school."

[Unregistered]

Every kid should try to get into the best school that they can, obviously. Not everyone is equipped to be accepted to a top 20-30 school, obviously. There are plenty of kids who go to schools 31-200 that have "successful careers" as well. Many! Not the exception to the rule. There are excellent schools beyond top 30.

Absolutely true, especially if a lower ranked school has a program of interest that happens to be tops for that program. If your kid wants to become a forensic scientist then go to the best forensic science program in the country even if that school may not be in the top 25 (I don't know who has the best forensic programs I just randomly picked that specialty). Don't go too far down but don't obsess about the top 25 either.

The other issue is money - going down the list slightly can result in much better academic grants. Graduating with little or no debt is a big deal, especially if you're pursuing a career that pays less or if you want to go to grad school. If grad school is in the works that's where you spend your money on top schools.

Also there's the intangible "fit". We've been through the process twice now. Sometimes your kids just won't feel it. They just can't see themselves going there. It may sound like the perfect school on paper but you get there and are disappointed.

All of it gets that much more complicated when you layer sports on top of it - coach, quality of program, likelihood of playing etc. I get tired of posters criticizing kids choices on this site. If kids and families are happy that is all that matters. It's a complex decision and every student is different

[Unregistered]

Absolutely true, especially if a lower ranked school has a program of interest that happens to be tops for that program. If your kid wants to become a forensic scientist then go to the best forensic science program in the country even if that school may not be in the top 25 (I don't know who has the best forensic programs I just randomly picked that specialty). Don't go too far down but don't obsess about the top 25 either.

The other issue is money - going down the list slightly can result in much better academic grants. Graduating with little or no debt is a big deal, especially if you're pursuing a career that pays less or if you want to go to grad school. If grad school is in the works that's where you spend your money on top schools.

Also there's the intangible "fit". We've been through the process twice now. Sometimes your kids just won't feel it. They just can't see themselves going there. It may sound like the perfect school on paper but you get there and are disappointed.

All of it gets that much more complicated when you layer sports on top of it - coach, quality of program, likelihood of playing etc. I get tired of posters criticizing kids choices on this site. If kids and families are happy that is all that matters. It's a complex decision and every student is different

Well said. Major is of large importance and you cannot underestimate "fit".