News & Events

Will of 8/4 and Mike of 9/3: I agree that $ does not measure how well one does in life. It’s been quite a while since I left Colgate but I scan Colgate’s websites when the school makes the news. The Forbes and The Wall Street Journal reportings did not make me more proud of Colgate. I was extremely proud to have spent my 4 years there in the 80s, and I am still just as proud as a Colgate alumnus. I will always love Colgate and remember it with the fondest memories because of the interactions with the professors, students, and friends in various parts of the campus made Colgate the most awesome place on the planet for me (No, two “prestigious” grad schools (including the one in Cambridge, England) I’ve attended after Colgate did not make me feel the same way.). My sentiments here are very typical among all my Colgate friends. I would like to share this message with the current and future students: How “well” one does in life includes this form of “proudness”, and Colgate certainly gave me a lifetime supply of it.

I'm still below the starting salary and I've been out of school for 6 years and have a graduate degree. Where did I go wrong?

As much as I value my Colgate education for the knowledge I have gained from brilliant professors and endless available resources on campus, I will say that this post perpetuates in some way the negative feelings I have towards the general perception on campus that money is king. Granted, we live in America, where money is everything. But liberal arts, and college in general, should be about personal growth and freedom to embrace knowledge for what it is. Income does matter in a world that takes money to live; but it takes money to make money. For all of those parents who have been fortunate enough to offer such a place for their children, that's excellent. Lets not forget that these results can only be accurate when we consider where and with what most Colgate students come from.

I thoroughly agree that money means nothing more than fiscal worth. However, at a school where tuition is among the highest in the nation, knowing that you will likely be able to payoff your student loans after graduation is an incomparable comfort. My freshman year was plagued by my internal argument over the cost-benefit analysis of my decision. As much as I prefer to think of college as an irreplaceable experience, my economics training will not let me ignore the fact that college is an investment.

I think it's okay to celebrate things like this because it gives people hope, like there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All praises to the school you will soon call your alma mater are post-worthy. If not only to make your Colgate degree even more noteworthy, it's definitely worth bragging about after you spend so many falls, winters, and springs in two feet of snow.

I also believe all Colgate graduates matter--no matter what his/her salary may be. The fact of the matter is that we learn from our peers just as much as we learn from our professors, if not more. Secondly, not all jobs' salaries are equivalent to the value of the job. Look at entertainers, for example (I'm a music major, so no hard feelings :o), people who make mucho dinero by singing, dancing, acting, etc while the special education teacher or the cancer researcher don't. A Discrepancy? Most Certainly. Last, but not least, every job is worth something or else it wouldn't exist, right?

Ron,
How much money you make has little to do with how prepared you are to go out into the world and hold your own. Right after school, I taught middle school special education for three years in rural Louisiana. It was the hardest job I'll ever had and I crushed it - mainly because I had such a great Colgate education. I made $28,000/year. Do you see my point? I have to thank my Colgate education for helping me realize how ridiculous this Payscale study actually is. Yes, Go Gate!

pretty silly...but still interesting.

Will -

Speaking as a father of a Colgate senior and as a business owner, this report shows that Colgate grads are well prepared to go out into the world and hold their own. And it is wise to remember that a well educated gainfully employed Colgate grad is generally in a much better place to make a difference in the world.

Go Gate!

This is great news! Everyone already knew a Colgate education sets alumni apart from the rest as critical thinkers and leaders in society.

Go Gate!

This has to be the dumbest thing I've read on the Colgate website. Just because it's in the news does not mean it is post-worthy. Since when does how much money you make determine how "well" you're doing in life? Let's keep our eye on what's important - being good world citizens first. Terrible message to send to current and future students alike.

Go Gate! Love, Bob