Helpful links

As admitted students become more interested in statistics like job placement, internships, average starting salaries, etc., it is important to keep up-to-date with Notre Dame's information in these areas. Below are some links to help answer questions and guide your conversations with students.

Future Plans Data

Based on an annual survey of graduating seniors, The Career Center complies a profile for graduates of each individual college and also the University as a whole. The most recent numbers -- for the class of 2008 -- show that, at graduation, only 2% of graduates were still seeking employment (meaning 98% were placed in employment, graduate/professional school, service programs or the military).

A bit further down on that page is the average starting salary for students based on college.

Below that might be the most helpful information on the page. If you click on one of the majors, you will find a profile of future plans for students graduating in that academic area. For example, clicking Chemical Engineering will show you that 67% of Class of 2008 graduates had full-time employment plans, 25% planned on furthering their education, and 8% were going into service. The average starting salary of the 24 chemical engineers who reported a figure was $62,346, and the employers, graduate schools and service organizations are also listed.

This example would be a great opportunity to explain to a student that, although Notre Dame may not be known as an "engineering school", graduates from that college are still incredibly well prepared for their future endeavors.

Internship Survey Data

Students also want to know about internships -- they may not know what they are, but it's a question that is almost always asked as they search for the right college. The link above will take you to a page with more information than you could ever want about internships (broken down by college, year in school, geographic location, pay type, experience type, etc.).

This page, like the one for job placement, will also break down the information by major.

College Salary Report

Last summer, payscale.com conducted a survey to determine the "best investment" for an undergraduate education. 1.2 million users of the website reported their salaries and education credentials, and those without an advanced degree were considered in the final figures (to determine the value of the undergraduate education).

Notre Dame ranked eighth on the list, with a median mid-career salary of $121,000 and a starting median salary of $55,300.

If there are any other questions we can answer, or information we can provide, please do not hesitate to let me know!

EA Reception

Considering the city is only 90 miles to our west, it's no surprise that a good number of applications and admitted students come from the Chicago area. To try to reach as many students as possible, the ND Clubs of Chicago, DuPage County and Lake County have coordinated their Early Action admitted students receptions, all to be held on a single weekend in January. The invitation is at the bottom of the post.

This might be a good idea for clubs that would like to do something, but are struggling with what to do or how to pay for it. If you are in an area where there are a multiple clubs, consider throwing a joint reception for any admitted students. In the end, our main concern is reaching out to the students and doing our best to get them to Notre Dame, not club boundaries.

Thanks to everyone for their help--please keep the ideas and best practices coming!

The Chicago-area invitation:

Early Action Party

For you and your family to meet ND students & parents

Sunday ~ January 10

11:00 am ~ 1:00 pm

St. Ignatius College Prep

Please RSVP ~ www.ndchicago.org

Questions? Sheila O’Brien sobrien368@aol.com

(FYI ~ Sunday Mass at Holy Family next door at 9:45 am)

If you cannot attend this party, attend another!

Du Page County party

Saturday ~ January 9

2:00 ~ 4:00 pm

Benet Academy Cafeteria

2200 Maple Avenue

Lisle, Illinois 60532

Rsvp - dcrowley@hsemuni.com

Lake County Party

Saturday ~ January 9

4:00 ~ 6:00 pm

Home of Chris & Andy Burke

23671 N. McGraw Court

Lake Barrington, Illinois 60010

Rsvp – twistagogo@aol.com

Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program

Yesterday, the University announced the third-largest gift in Notre Dame's history, a $35 million donation from Mr. and Mrs. Mark and Stacey Yusko of Chapel Hill, N.C.

The gift will be used to create the Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars Program, "a comprehensive merit scholarship and enrichment initiative that will seek to attract talented undergraduate students to the University".

Each year, twenty Hesburgh-Yusko Scholars will be selected by an advisory committee; the committee will take nominations from high school guidance counselors and University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. "The students will be chosen based on distinguished academic accomplishments, exemplary integrity and moral character, demonstrated leadership abilities, and a commitment to a life of service embracing the values of Catholic social tradition."

The twenty HY Scholars will receive $25,000 of merit-based financial aid annually, in addition to summer "enrichment" experiences.

As an ASC, the main point to take away from this is that, when asked about merit-based financial aid, we can now answer that yes, there is merit money available at Notre Dame. To be fair, I think it is important to stress that the money is very limited and competitive, but there are funds available.

The full University press release can be found here.

Facebook for parents

Facebook, and other online social networking website, are quickly becoming a part of mainstream society.  These utilities not only provide ways for individuals to connect with each other (I know I'm "Facebook friends" with a few of you!), but also hold tons of potential for universities in their recruitment with students.  

Somewhat related is this article about a Stanford professor who is teaching a Facebook class for parents.  His website (found in the article) gives newcomers a general background on the site.

The "Gap Year"

I might say this because a student just e-mailed me about one this morning, but "gap years"--taking a year off between high school and college to do service or other related activities--
seem to be growing in popularity. Some students are finding they are not ready for college immediately after high school, and a number of these students choose to productively spend there time elsewhere, usually in some sort of international immersion program.

This New York Times article recounts the experiences of a student who completed a gap year which influenced her degree--and her life's direction.

Research on the "Millennials" generation

The College Board recently conducted research concerning the "Millennials" generation, made up of those students who entered college at the beginning of this decade/century/millennium.

We have all heard the stories of how this generation (my generation!) is disinterested, lethargic, apathetic, selfish, etc., especially in comparison to the immediately preceding generations. However, the College Board research concluded that the "Millennials" are more like their parents than many believed.

You can find the research and its conclusions here. Of particular interest are the findings about "Factors in College Choice", "Purpose of a College Education" and "Factors in the College Environment".

nd.edu Videos

As you may have noticed by now, the new www.nd.edu features a number of videos about the people, places and events that make Notre Dame so special. A nice archive of all these videos can be found by clicking this link. It's a good site to look over as many of the videos cover subjects which are relevant to the prospective students you meet in your area.