learn Which College experiences lead to future success

You may have heard this before, but it bears repeating. It's not where you go to college, but rather what you do there that matters most. Gallup and Purdue University research of over 30,000 college graduates found that many of the factors we prioritize in college admissions have little sway over college graduates' long-term work satisfaction or sense of well-being.

Large or small? PUblic or private?

The type of college attended, whether it was very selective or not, how large the campus was, or whether it was a public university or liberal arts college, didn't correlate with students' overall satisfaction with their career and life. Instead, research confirms it's the types of experiences students take part in while in college that lead to strong engagement in future work and overall thriving in life. OK, then what does lead to positive life outcomes?

Strive for one or more of these key college experiences

Having three or more of the following experiences more than doubles your chances of work satisfaction after college:

• An internship that allows you to apply what you are learning in the classroom.

• Actively participating in extracurricular activities on campus.

• Working on an academic project that takes more than a semester to complete.

• Having a professor who cares about you.

• Having a professor who gets you excited about what you are learning.

• Having a professor who mentors you toward your academic and career goals.

And what about life beyond work?

Work satisfaction is an important indicator of whether or not a graduate feels they are thriving in other areas of life, such as feeling healthy, financially stable, and socially connected. The odds of thriving in other areas of life are almost 5x higher for people who are engaged in work.

Student debt

Another key factor revealed in the study highlighted the impact of student debt on a graduate's overall well-being. Not surprisingly, the higher the student debt, the worse they scored on the well-being survey. Specifically, students who carried between $20,000 - $40,000 of student debt were far less likely to be thriving in all areas of well-being. It's important to remember this when factoring in your family budget to your college choice.

When it comes to finding the secret to success, it's not "where you go" but "how you do it" that matters most.