College Rankings: Corporate Recruiters’ Top 25

Fresh off the press! Large US companies hire a greater percentage of college graduates from public universities versus private or Ivy League schools when looking for entry level skills required for operations managers, product developers, engineers and business analysts.  Results from a Wall Street Journal survey published last week found when 479 corporate recruiters were asked to rate their “go to” colleges for hires, the resultant top 25 were primarily public universities. “Instead of casting a wide net…big employers are focusing more intently on nearby or strategically located research institutions with whom they can forge deeper partnerships with faculty”. Penn State, University of Illinois/Urbana-Champagne, and Texas A& M led the way with several other highly respected schools closeby (Purdue, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Michigan/Ann Arbor, Maryland, University of Wisconsin/Madison, University of Florida/Gainesville, Ohio State, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina/ Chapel Hill). Cornell University was the one Ivy League school to make the list. And, what about other highly selective private colleges? Of the five identified, the Wall Street Journal found that employers hire these graduates when “they prize their graduates’ intellect and cachet among clients, as well as soft skills like critical thinking and communication”.  Interested in learning more? Read Employers Favor State Schools for Hires athttp://online.wsj.com.