Students at William & Mary might be enjoying their four years, but it is their lives after they leave campus that is garnering attention.
Recently, CNBC published its list of “The top 50 US colleges that pay off the most” and William & Mary found itself seventh on the list for public universities.
“We really practice what we preach, said Kathleen Powell, associate vice president for career development at the Cohen Career Center. “Student success is important and having students define their success is where we win.”
For CNBC’s list, universities were ranked by taking the true net cost of college, including tuition, supplies and other expenses, and then after subtracting scholarships and grants, dividing the net costs by expected annual earnings.
For William & Mary, the results found that the average cost was $11,320 for a family making $48,000 to $75,000 a year and the median salary for alumni zero to five years out was $57,100.
But at William & Mary, the data shows even more than just salary.
Powell said the school sends surveys to recent graduates, within six months of graduation, to learn more about not only the employment levels and salaries, but whether or not alumni feel successful as well.
In the school’s survey, alumni are asked questions based on the guidelines of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which is an organization that collects data on the college-educated population. These national standards from NACE establish minimum standards that help institutions assess their process and compare themselves to other universities.
Some of the questions ask whether alumni have continued onto graduate school programs or if they work jobs that require more than 30 hours a week. Powell said William & Mary has added some of their own questions to create a more personalized assessment for their use.
One question is whether or not an alum’s job aligns with his or her career goals. Results from the 2017 survey showed more than 50 percent said that it did. Powell said the question is very specifically phrased to ask about career goals and not whether students are in jobs that align with their major.
“We are a liberal arts institution and because of that, students are developing different skills than just what they’re majoring in,” she said. “What you’re majoring in might not be the only thing you love.”
However, the college knows that passion doesn’t always pay the bills and the survey allows for the collection of data on salary as well. At William & Mary, the most common area of work is as a federal or nonprofit consultant which has an average salary of approximately $66,000. On the other hand, one of the less popular areas of work is English as a second language teachers who average about $24,000 a year.
Another way the college stands out from others is that it offers career services and advice to students in their first year of college. Powell said this helps eliminate some of the panic when students are about to graduate because they’ve had a plan and set a path from the moment they stepped onto campus.
The services for students only extend to three years after graduation. Powell said this is because that’s the time frame students are generally looking for entry-level jobs, while after the three-year mark alumni generally have a different skill set and are looking for something more.
While the service stops, though, the data doesn’t. The school also has started working with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to survey alumni past the five-year mark as well to monitor their success and employment.
Powell said the data helps the college know where past students have ended up working, which businesses are hiring William & Mary students and whether other alumni are hiring William & Mary graduates. Having that information allows career services to better help students find not only a place where they’ll earn a living but one where they can be happy.
“I like to say I work at Disneyland,” Powell said. “What we do is help students meet their potential and find their dreams.”
