As employers’ eyes drift from the illustrious Ivy League, a mix of public and private universities, dubbed “New Ivies,” are rising in its place. Among them is Boston College.
In a recent ranking by Forbes, BC joins nine other private colleges and 10 public universities as part of a new cohort of top universities producing the most prepared and driven graduates.
“Forbes’ ‘New Ivies’ listing is an external validation of the quality of our students and their ability to use their liberal arts education to become leaders and solve problems in an increasingly complex world,” said Grant Gosselin, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, in a University release.
To narrow down the list of “New Ivies,” Forbes removed any Ivy League or “Ivy-plus” universities—including Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, and the University of Chicago—from its consideration.
The ranking also excluded smaller liberal arts schools, leaving a total of 1,743 universities with at least 4,000 students.
Next, using admission rates and average standardized test scores from 2022, Forbes weeded out schools until procuring a list of 32 colleges. For private universities, only schools with a 20 percent acceptance rate or lower were considered. Afterward, Forbes surveyed their hiring manager about each university to determine the list of 20 schools.
Alongside BC in the private universities category were Carnegie Mellon University, Emory University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.
Rounding out the 10 “Public Ivies” was Binghamton University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Florida, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland-College Park, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Texas-Austin, University of Virginia, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
After surveying hirers about non-Ivy League schools, Forbes found that 37 percent of employers are more likely to hire students from BC and other private universities than they were five years ago.
Associate Vice President for Career Services and Integrated Learning Joseph Du Pont said that the recognition from Forbes highlights BC’s commitment to academic excellence and career preparedness.
“Our students are equipped not just with knowledge, but with the adaptability and drive that today’s dynamic job market demands,” Du Pont said in the release.
It’s not just university policies, however, that are driving employers away from the Ivy League. The expectation of success from students at Ivies are souring some employers, Forbes said.
“Great state schools and ascendant private ones are turning out hungry graduates,” the article reads. “The Ivies are more apt to turn out entitled ones.”
After surveying 300 of its magazine subscribers—75 percent of which hold hiring power in their companies—Forbes found that a third are less likely to hire from an Ivy League today. Only seven percent were more likely to hire Ivy League graduates.
“33% of those making hiring decisions said they are less likely to hire Ivy League graduates today than five years ago,” another Forbes article reads.
Fred Prager, a trustee at Claremont McKenna College, noted in Forbes that some Ivy League graduates treat their schools as a golden ticket to career security, expecting a job offer solely because of their school’s status.
“For some, they believe once they’ve got the sheepskin, that’s their ticket,” Prager said.
Du Pont praised BC’s Jesuit teaching of cura personalis as one of the key factors in preparing BC graduates for success post-graduation.
“This designation underscores our commitment to fostering an environment where academic excellence and career preparation go hand in hand,” Du Pont said. “Our Jesuit tradition of educating the whole person is fundamental, encouraging our students to pursue work that is not only meaningful but also impactful, preparing them to make a positive difference in the world.”
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