U.S. News and World Report recently released its college rankings, but that’s not the only source available for students evaluating potential universities. PayScale.com published a list of the best colleges in the country, ranking them by their graduates’ salaries.
St. Thomas came in at No. 174 with a mid-career salary of $86,100. Harvey Mudd College sat at the top of the list with a mid-career salary of $143,000. Princeton University, ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report, took the sixth spot on PayScale’s list with a mid-career salary of $121,000.
PayScale.com surveyed 1.4 million college graduates with only a bachelor’s degree for the data. According to Lydia Frank, director of editorial and marketing at PayScale.com, 500 St. Thomas graduates completed the survey.
Director of Admissions Kris Roach said although potential salary is not the most important factor when students choose a college, the information should be available.
“Students look for a school where we offer the academic majors that they’re interested in, a place where they feel like they fit, and they’re looking for a whole package of things,” Roach said.
Sophomore Christian Henning, an engineering major, said potential salary influenced both his choice of school and choice of major.
“My dad is an engineer; he kind of pushed me a little bit,” Henning said. “(Engineering) has a lot of job opportunities, and a decent wage coming out of school.”
Career Development Center Director Diane Crist said it’s not uncommon for parents to be concerned with their student’s future salary.
“For the freshmen students, maybe at the choice level (salary) might not be quite as important,” Crist said. “For the parents, it’s probably more important when they’re choosing a college.”
Freshman Lia Ray, an education major, said potential salary had no effect on her college choice.
“(St. Thomas) was the best school for me, and I know that its education program is good,” Ray said. “The thing that matters to me most is being happy with my job.”
In its rankings, PayScale.com included the percentage of graduates who reported a “high job meaning,” or an emotionally fulfilling job. According to the site, 49 percent of St. Thomas alumni reported that they had found such careers.
Roach said St. Thomas tries to encourage students to find job satisfaction by looking at the big picture.
“I think St. Thomas does a great job of putting into the core curriculum things like philosophy, things like theology, and that’s interwoven in the classes so students begin to see kind of a bigger picture,” Roach said.
Ray and Henning both said finding a fulfilling job is important to them.
“I can make a lot of money doing stuff I hate, or I can make a decent amount of money doing what I like, so I guess they kind of go hand and hand,” Henning said.
Grace Pastoor can be reached at past6138@stthomas.edu.