Grads give liberal arts colleges high marks in study

Residential liberal arts college graduates gave their college experience higher marks than did graduates of private or public universities for preparing them for getting a first job out of college, gaining admission to graduate school and meeting life's challenges, according to a new national study.

The study was commissioned by the Annapolis Group, a consortium of the country's leading liberal arts colleges. Four Iowa colleges are members of the Annapolis Group: Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Grinnell College and Luther College in Decorah.

"This data shows solidly that a residential liberal arts education provides significant value," Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said. "Graduates of our institutions say they are better prepared for life, personally and professionally."

Conducted by higher education consulting firm Hardwick Day, the study is based on a total of 2,700 telephone interviews made in 2002 and again in the summer of 2011. It is one of only a few studies that explore the lasting effects of college in such areas as career preparation and advancement, skill development, development of personal and professional values and attitude and community involvement.

Among the study's career-related findings:

* Seventy-six percent of liberal arts college graduates rated their college experience highly for preparing them for their first job, compared to 66 percent who attended public flagship universities.

* Eighty-nine percent of liberal arts college graduates reported finding a mentor while in college, compared to 66 percent for public flagship universities.

* Sixty percent of liberal arts college graduates said they felt "better prepared" for life after college than students who attended other colleges, compared to 34 percent who attended public flagship universities.

* Liberal arts college graduates are more likely to graduate in four years or fewer, giving them a head start on their careers.

Other findings in the survey were: 77 percent of liberal arts college graduates rated their overall undergraduate experience as "excellent," compared to 53 percent for graduates of flagship public universities; 79 percent of liberal arts college graduates report benefiting "very much" from high-quality teaching-oriented faculty, compared to 63 percent for private universities and 40 percent for alumni of flagship public universities; 88 percent of liberal arts graduates said there was a sense of community among students, compared to 79 percent for private universities and 63 percent for public flagship universities.

The study found that liberal arts college graduates are more likely than graduates of both private and public universities to give their college a high effectiveness rating for helping them learn to write and speak effectively.

Alumni of all three types of institutions – liberal arts colleges, private universities, and flagship public universities – were more likely in the 2011 survey to rate their overall experience as 'excellent" than in the 2002 survey. The increase was particularly pronounced for graduates of liberal arts colleges, who went from 66 percent to 77 percent, and public universities, who went from 41 percent to 53 percent.

The Annapolis Group, a non-profit alliance of 130 residential liberal arts colleges, commissioned the survey to determine how its graduates perceive the effectiveness of its member institutions in comparison to others.