<p>"The new ranking, based on data from 42,000 alumni, has some surprising winners and losers. Washington & Lee University comes out on top, with Yale University, Princeton University, Rice University and College of the Holy Cross rounding out the top five."</p>
<p>The strong alumni network is a big factor these days with the job market the way it is. It is certainly a part of why i chose Holy Cross over Bucknell, Colorado College and Richmond. Glad i did.</p>
<p>Analysis in this morning’s paper:</p>
<p>COLLEGE TOWN</p>
<p>By Bonnie Russell TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF</p>
<p>A new college ranking system has given College of the Holy Cross an overall rank of fifth in the nation based on survey questions its alumni answered without being aware that the tally of their responses would be used to rank their alma mater. </p>
<p>And that makes it objective, according to Monica McGurk, CEO and executive editor of The Alumni Factor. </p>
<p>“We used a number of different channels to get people to take the survey, but it was never identified as a college ranking survey,” she said. </p>
<p>The Alumni Factor findings are based on surveys and interviews with more than 42,000 alumni from over 450 schools during the past four years. Researchers measured 15 different factors, including income, net worth, job opportunities, intellectual development and overall happiness. </p>
<p>Some questions were very specific such as those about net worth, while others were left up to the respondent to define. “Overall happiness,” for example, was based on a six-point scale with “not at all happy” on one end and “very happy” on the other, Ms. McGurk said. </p>
<p>While many colleges and universities that typically are high on other rankings appear in The Alumni Factor’s list of America’s top colleges, there are many schools on the list that have rarely achieved the coveted top-10 positions in established college rankings. </p>
<p>The top 10 listed in 1-10 order include Washington and Lee University, Yale University, Princeton University, Rice University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Notre Dame, Middlebury College, United States Naval Academy, United States Military Academy and Stanford University. </p>
<p>There are also schools, which place uncharacteristically low, such as Harvard University at 37th and Columbia University at 91st. In comparison, Harvard and Columbia ranked 1st and 4th respectively in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 annual list. </p>
<p>This list of the top 177 colleges and universities in the United States provides students and parents with a performance-based method of assessing and selecting the best college for each student’s unique needs. The Alumni Factor equally weights all of its attributes, providing a more objective look at each college or university, whereas other college ranking publications are based on such subjective factors as reputation and peer assessments. </p>
<p>“When developing The Alumni Factor, our researchers learned that students and parents were desperate for unbiased information to assist them in making the best decision in identifying the right college or university. </p>
<p>“With the rising cost of tuition and the nation’s alarmingly high student loan debt, students and parents crave quantifiable data that measures the expected return of investment, and the value of an education at one school versus another,” Ms. McGurk said. </p>
<p>Through its website, The Alumni Factor offers its members the option of creating personalized rankings based on The Alumni Factor’s key attributes. A “Match Me to U” feature, for example, allows students to weigh attributes critical to them, generating a personally tailored list of top college “fits.” </p>
<p>Ms. McGurk says it’s similar to an online dating match service, but this matchmaking service allows students to customize to their life goals. In addition to its high overall ranking, Holy Cross also placed second in the nation in liberal arts and was one of only seven schools to rank in the top 30 of all of The Alumni Factor’s 26 attribute lists, including a first-place ranking in Spiritual Development among liberal arts colleges. </p>
<p>Seeking input from alumni is something that makes sense, said Ann McDermott, director of admissions at Holy Cross. “It adds one more interesting layer to the college search process.” </p>
<p>Clark University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute were included among the top 177. Clark is ranked 138 overall, and WPI is ranked 118 overall and 55 among national universities. </p>
<p>William J. McAvoy, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations at WPI, said the university was pleased to be included on the Alumni Factor ranking, which also ranked WPI 55th out of 104 national universities in the report. </p>
<p>“WPI students’ college experience has served them very well in the job market. WPI ranked second among universities in employment rate, ninth in immediate job opportunities, and tenth in preparation for career success,” Mr. McAvoy said. </p>
<p>A full list of The Alumni Factor’s college rankings can be found at: <a href=“http://www.alumnifactor.com%5B/url%5D”>www.alumnifactor.com</a>.</p>