The New York Times Magazine / mtvU Poll Advises High School Seniors to ‘Chill Out’ Over Choice of College

A new national poll of recent college graduates by The New York Times Magazine and mtvU suggests that high school seniors anxious about their college choices ought to forget rankings, chill out and savor the best years of their lives.

The nationwide poll of nearly 300 recent college graduates under age 30, conducted by telephone this summer with mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, reveals they are satisfied with the choices they made about where to go to college and with the educations they received. It also shows that the moments in college life that make a difference have nothing to do with brand marketing or college rankings. The poll is the centerpiece of The New York Times Magazine College Issue, which publishes Sept. 30. It will also be available on Sept. 29 at www.nytimes.com/magazine. The poll was conducted June 15-23; it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.

Separate online surveys conducted by The Times during the summer polled more than 1,300 graduates, most in the class of 2002, from three institutions: the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school; Reed College, a small liberal arts school in Portland, Ore.; and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a state university.

Five years ago, when these graduates were high school seniors frantic about SAT scores, they were focused on college brand names and reputations, as well as the rankings by many magazines.

Today, about one-third of Penn and Michigan alumni said that the rankings seemed ”less important” to them now than they did in high school. Graduates of both universities were more likely to cite the friendships they made at school. At Reed, which doesn’t even supply data to magazines, students are encouraged to choose a college for what it stands for rather than where it stands in the rankings.

Jim Schachter, deputy editor, The New York Times Magazine, said he hoped that this special issue “shows students and parents that they can get past the drumbeat of worry, anxiety and anticipation that comes with choosing a college. If we’ve learned anything from our poll, it’s the message that those in the process should relax a little and think more about the qualities they are seeking in a college experience than the bragging rights that come with admission to any particular school.”

Respondents were asked questions like whether their undergraduate education was worth the money; what proved valuable in their college experience that prepared them for life beyond college; and whether it is possible to succeed in work without a college education. Additional questions asked the recent alumni whether annual college rankings in magazines seemed more or less important now than when they were applying to schools, and what they most valued — and most regretted — about their college experience.

An analysis of the national poll reveals that 93 percent of recent graduates rated their experience as “excellent” or “good.” Looking back, 42 percent said magazine rankings of undergraduate colleges were less important now. College was worth the money, said 89 percent; and 75 percent in the national poll said their undergraduate education prepared them for the jobs they currently hold. Yet when asked whether it is possible to succeed in work without a college education, 52 percent said it was not necessary.

There were some surprises in the regret category. Some recent graduates say they didn’t socialize enough, play enough, have fun and or take full advantage of extra-curricular activities offered by the school while 18 percent regretted not taking school seriously enough and playing too much.

Times reporter Jacques Steinberg, who writes about the poll results for The Magazine in “Don’t Worry. Be Students.” said the responses suggested that perhaps the critics of college lists “are onto something: maybe the devaluing of the rankings can serve as a tonic to the unrelenting obsession they foster among many applicants and their parents.”

The College Issue also features an essay by Nicholas Handler, a junior at Yale University, who bested 600 other entrants to win The Magazine’s essay contest for college students. Students were asked to read an article by author and historian Rick Perlstein that contrasts college culture today with that of the 1960s and 1970s and submit an essay in response. Mr. Perlstein argues that the experience of going to college has become uninspiring, offering students more of what they’ve grown up with rather than startling them with new ideas and belief systems.

Additional online features, available at www.nytimes.com/magazine, include an original film about campus suicides by filmmaker Deirdre Fishel and a special interactive feature that allows users to search for, read and discuss more than 450 entries in The New York Times Magazine College Essay Contest. The site will also be the only place to read the essays of the four runners-up in the contest, with audio of Mr. Handler reading his winning essay.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2006 revenues of $3.3 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 30 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

About mtvU

Broadcast to more than 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of nearly 7.5 million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach — on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists which can’t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives. mtvU is always on campus, with more than 500 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com.