What are your graduates doing within six months of graduation?
At our college fair tables and in our interview sessions, we hear this question often and—as the economy continues to sputter—with increasing frequency from parents and students considering investing in a Lawrence education. While six months after graduation seems to be the common metric—often employed by parents who, despite loving their children, aren’t that excited about having them back in the house right after college—we encourage families to take the long view.
Sure, we can talk about “learning how to think critically” and being a “creative problem-solver” and “independent thinker,” but these are tough to measure. Because they’re hard to measure, they can often leave families frustrated. We don’t blame them.
One metric to consider is mid-career salaries, defined as salaries earned by alumni 10 to 15 years after graduation. One resource that tracks this metric is Payscale.com. In a report they published this year, we were delighted (and not all together surprised) to see Lawrence graduates enjoying a healthy midcareer salary that puts them among the nation’s “top liberal arts college” graduates at just under $90,000 per year. Check out the list to see where our graduates rank among other liberal arts colleges’ graduates.
While we know an investment in a Lawrence education yields a lifetime of intangible results, it’s comforting to know that it can also yield this pretty significant tangible one, too.