I’’m going to elaborate on my earlier post, suggesting Manhattan University. Manhattan is a small college of about 3000 students, but it’s School of Engineering has a robust 900 students, which is a size typical of larger universities and which is big enough for them to offer 5 engineering majors with the breadth of course work needed to support that many majors.
A few years ago, Money Magazine named Manhattan the #1 most transformative college in the country, meaning that Manhattan graduates students at a significantly higher rate than would be expected by their academic standing in high school and by their socioeconomic background. A later Money Magazine study continued to rate them as top 10 in this category. In one study, Manhattan graduated students at a 37% higher rate than similar students at other colleges and in another study at a 25% higher rate. The college attributes this outcome to its Office of Academic Success, which connects with students at the first sign that they are struggling in a course and works with the student to help them succeed.
Manhattan also talks about its focus on career preparation as a factor in students’ post graduation success. through its School of Engineering, the Business School, the Teacher Preparation program, and its health careers programs. These career goals are facilitated by internship opportunities resulting from their New York City location and alumni network.
These outcomes are consistent with the university’s mission which has always been to provide higher education opportunities for students who are the first generation in their families to attend college. But getting them to graduation is only half the goal. Providing them with earning power after graduation is the other half. According to Payscale, Manhattan’s graduates rank among the top 50 colleges in the country in return on investment, based on the salaries earned by Manhattan alumni.
Located in the affluent Fieldston/Riverdale neighborhood in the Northwest Bronx, the attractive campus is a relatively compact 23 acres. But directly across Broadway from the front entrance of the Horan Hall dorm is 1100 acre Van Cortlandt Park, providing immediate access to a large expanse of additional open space, complete with a golf course.