<p>State flagships by a good margin. Least favorite by huge margin–Online schools</p>
<p>[The</a> Employment Mismatch - Special Reports - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/The-Employment-Mismatch/137625/#id=overview]The”>http://chronicle.com/article/The-Employment-Mismatch/137625/#id=overview)</p>
<p>What I’ve noticed is that major employers tend to favor schools that are located near their divisions. So, if you’re at a state school (even a directional) near a division of a Fortune 500 company, then your school will get recruited and get internships/co-ops. </p>
<p>I’m not saying that these companies don’t also recruit elsewhere, but if they can fish in a nearby pond, they’ll do it.</p>
<p>Some will so won’t I think. Worked for one of the largest financial services firms in Chicago regional office. Only recruited at flagships in midwest plus Chicago, Northwestern. Same at other regional offices. Engineering, comp sci may be different too.</p>
<p>There seems to be a gap between what is expected from the industry and what is taught at the university.
The industry expects graduates to have skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, general software (excel at the minimum, statistical, if feasible) savvy - analytical skills, excellent written and verbal (interpersonal) abilities, global orientation, simple project management, and in-depth subject matter expertise.
Quite often, it takes more than 4 years to acquire these skills, and the industry is not willing to expend the necessary resources to develop these skills, when they have a readily available supply of experienced people available for employment.</p>
<p>Around here people have their local/regional places they prefer - if the major if part of their skill. Others (those without the major being important) only look for the “degree” box being checked and don’t give a hoot where it came from.</p>
<p>If kids coming to be for advice have areas of the US where they think they want to live/work, I generally recommend they look for schools recommended/loved in that area. If they are looking to go to grad school it doesn’t matter as much.</p>
<p>And again, if they are just getting a degree and don’t necessarily need to use the major - just need the degree, anywhere works.</p>
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<p>Flagships might be a bit of a hyperbole. </p>
<p>The linked story offers an example of Boeing, a company that has been known to recruit heavily at the UT at El Paso campus. Despite its engineering reputation, UTEP would hardly be considered an elite school in Texas. Lockheed Martin does just the same to fill its need of business majors in Fort Worth. The main attraction? Those graduates are happy to accept the lower scales of salaries and unglamorous jobs. </p>
<p>In the same vein, accounting firms hardly need to rub elbows with more prestigious firms at the non-public elite schools. Different strokes for different folks!</p>
<p>I doubt they included UTEP as a flagship. Today any job with decent pay/benefits with a F500 firm is pretty desirable IMHO. Starbucks is unglamorous. Living in your parents’ basement is unglam. Fighting Yale grads to get into TFA–not that glam.
Did you see the rankings chart?</p>
<p>BTW the UTEP placement report is pathetic. Maybe Boeing hired 1 guy.</p>
<p><a href=“Vice President for Student Affairs”>http://studentaffairs.utep.edu/Portals/75/Student%20Docs%202011/Spring%202011%20Average%20Salaries%203.15.2012.pdf</a></p>
<p>Here is the placement data for Northwestern, acquired in the summer right after graduation in 2011…</p>
<p>Full-Time Employment or Offer Pending : 40.3
Continued Education: 19.5
Unemployed/Seeking Work: 18.7
Internship/Fellowship: 7.2
Temporary or Contract Job: 5.4
Employed Part-Time: 3.5
Self-Employed/Freelance: 1.3
Other: 2.2
Voluntarily Unemployed: 1.1
Community Service: 1.3
Military Service: 0.3 </p>
<p>Over 25% were either unemployed, had temp jobs, doing community service, etc. Really glam stuff.</p>
<p>Meanwhile flagships like UW put out a real useful detailed report for engineering.</p>
<p><a href=“Engineering Career Services – College of Engineering – UW–Madison”>Engineering Career Services – College of Engineering – UW–Madison;
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Exactly. From the outside people seem to think that recruiting is a carefully thought thru strategic decision based on sound analysis, etc. Maybe somewhere it is. But in large companies I’ve seen it is often is a much more casual affair. They can send a few managers to local colleges with the only expense being mileage reimbursement instead of hotels, airfare, etc. And the managers, mostly being middle-aged with families, are not that keen on flying across the country for a 2 or 3 day trip. But they don’t mind driving an hour or two to an area college. When companies do recruit at an away college, in many cases you can trace it to a zealous alum who volunteers to fly out.</p>