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felinity's review
4.0
It's hard to rate something like this, because almost none of my usual scales (enjoyment, faithfulness to genre, rereadability, etc.) apply, except for "informative". Alumni Factor ranked the top 7% of all four-year colleges, which worked out as 227 schools, based on detailed questionnaires sent to 52,000 alumni. These asked them for their views on topics ranging from strength of friendships to views on social and political issues to current earning powers, giving the ability to see beyond the fancy exterior, facilities or reputation of a school to answer one basic question: does this school provide what its students want?
The target audience is threefold: prospective students and parents, colleges and universities, alumni. I fell into more of the second category, wanting to know the methodology and theories and with general interest in the conclusions. The authors sought out which colleges excel in fully developing students - socially, economically, spiritually, intellectually, financially, and in preparing them for careers - not just in churning out graduates.
The schools were divided into types (regional, national, liberal arts) and size (small, medium, large, very large) and each percentage generated is compared across the board and like-with-like. Some are also broken down by age, race and gender.
I am not a statistician, nor are (probably) at least 2/3 of those reading this, so it was helpful to see the terms defined in clear English at the beginning, and to know that the exact methodology is also explained at the end, even though I know I'm missing many nuances in the data. I appreciate the transparency in their explanations and in exposing their methodology so others can replicate their results.
A selection of some interesting results:
* The strongest correlation with recommending their college is the degree to which graduates feel they were socially developed. The second-strongest correlation is with the ranking they gave their college on Value for the Money.
* happiness among graduates skews toward females who tend to be conservative and choose smaller colleges.
* 72% of graduates disagree the media basically tells the truth.
Possibly the most useful section for individuals searching for a specific school is the last. This final section has summaries of the top 227 schools including obvious factors like campus setting, total expenses for a full academic year, number of undergraduates, freshman retention rate, transfer out rate, school type rank, size rank and Alumni Factor overall rank, but also includes more unusual rankings for alumni performance and employment, political spectrum, income distribution, selectivity & demand. Each of the 227 schools is ranked amongst their type, amongst others of their size, and overall amongst the 227 schools.
I can't say I'd buy this as an individual, but it's a useful reference book for libraries or people working in this industry, and as a prospective student (though probably not for freshmen) or prospective-student-parent it gives you some more things to think about while choosing a school.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The target audience is threefold: prospective students and parents, colleges and universities, alumni. I fell into more of the second category, wanting to know the methodology and theories and with general interest in the conclusions. The authors sought out which colleges excel in fully developing students - socially, economically, spiritually, intellectually, financially, and in preparing them for careers - not just in churning out graduates.
The schools were divided into types (regional, national, liberal arts) and size (small, medium, large, very large) and each percentage generated is compared across the board and like-with-like. Some are also broken down by age, race and gender.
I am not a statistician, nor are (probably) at least 2/3 of those reading this, so it was helpful to see the terms defined in clear English at the beginning, and to know that the exact methodology is also explained at the end, even though I know I'm missing many nuances in the data. I appreciate the transparency in their explanations and in exposing their methodology so others can replicate their results.
A selection of some interesting results:
* The strongest correlation with recommending their college is the degree to which graduates feel they were socially developed. The second-strongest correlation is with the ranking they gave their college on Value for the Money.
* happiness among graduates skews toward females who tend to be conservative and choose smaller colleges.
* 72% of graduates disagree the media basically tells the truth.
Possibly the most useful section for individuals searching for a specific school is the last. This final section has summaries of the top 227 schools including obvious factors like campus setting, total expenses for a full academic year, number of undergraduates, freshman retention rate, transfer out rate, school type rank, size rank and Alumni Factor overall rank, but also includes more unusual rankings for alumni performance and employment, political spectrum, income distribution, selectivity & demand. Each of the 227 schools is ranked amongst their type, amongst others of their size, and overall amongst the 227 schools.
I can't say I'd buy this as an individual, but it's a useful reference book for libraries or people working in this industry, and as a prospective student (though probably not for freshmen) or prospective-student-parent it gives you some more things to think about while choosing a school.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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