That’s the result from the inaugural Gallup-Purdue Index, a joint-research effort between Purdue University and Lumina Foundation to study the relationship between the college experience and college graduates’ lives. In a nutshell, students are more likely to thrive after graduation, at work and outside of work, when they have the right kinds of support and experience during their college years.
Support
- Professors who make them excited about learning.
- Professors who care about them as people.
- Professors who encourage them to pursue their goals and dreams.
Experience
- Worked on a project that takes a semester or more to complete.
- An internship or job that allowed them to apply what they learned in the classroom.
- Extremely active in extracurricular activities and organizations while attending college.
Read more highlights or the whole thing (free download e-mailed to you).
HT: Jeff Selingo, who helpfully breaks down other findings, and whose book College Unbound is outstanding.