Career Services at Clemson are No. 1, according to new Princeton Review ranking

CLEMSON — Becoming employment-ready is a goal of most college students and Clemson University’s Career Center is successfully helping many of them achieve that goal. In the new Princeton Review guide, “The 385 Best Colleges,” Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the Best Career Services category.

“Clemson attracts incredibly gifted students every year and challenges them to grow inside and outside the classroom,” said Neil Burton, executive director of Clemson’s Center for Career and Professional Development. “Our job in career services is simply to help these bright people tell their stories well as they pursue their professional aspirations.”

Burton noted that recent data show:

• 96% of Clemson graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation;
• 78% of undergraduates participated in an internship, cooperative education assignment or some other form of experiential education prior to graduation; and
• 83% of graduates visited the Center for Career and Professional Development during their time at Clemson.

In the annual Best Colleges guide, released Tuesday, the Princeton Review ranked Clemson among the top 10 colleges in nine categories, the most ever, including:

• Best Career Services (No. 1)
• Town-Gown Relations are Great (No. 1)
• Students Pack the Stadiums (No. 2)
• Everyone Plays Intramural Sports (No. 6)
• Happiest Students (No. 7)
• Best Schools for Internships (No. 7)
• Best Alumni Network (No. 8)
• Their Students Love These Colleges (No. 9)
• Future Rotarians and DAR (No. 10)

Clemson also was ranked in these categories

• Most Conservative Students (No. 13)
• Most Religious Students (No. 17)
• Best Quality of Life (No. 19)

The Princeton Review chooses the colleges for the book based on data it annually collects from administrators at hundreds of colleges about their institutions’ academic offerings. The Princeton Review also considers data it gathers from its surveys of college students who rate and report on various aspects of their campus and community experiences for this project.

The complete rankings are posted on The Princeton Review website.