This month, U.S. News & World Report unveiled its highly anticipated 2024 Best Colleges Rankings, a comprehensive list that evaluates colleges and universities across the United States based on a variety of factors, including academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. However, this year’s rankings mark a unique change to the over 40+ years of these rankings with a change to methodology. This year's methodology placed a greater emphasis on social mobility and outcomes for graduating college students, demonstrating the most significant methodological change in the rankings' history. This change in methodology intends to take into large part what student outcomes are post graduation and if these institutions are preparing students for the future.
While there is consistent on-and-off debate on who actually cares about these rankings, institutions still tout their rankings in press releases, brochures, and in their strategic plans and students look to these rankings to determine where they should apply to (and are internally celebrated at institutions when a ranking goes up).
At Symplicity we applaud this change in ranking methodology, understanding that a holistic approach to student success is preparing students for their future, thinking beyond just getting the degree in hand. We believe that work-based learning like internships, co-ops, experiential learning, etc. enrich student's lives with career readiness skills that set them up to be successful in the future.
Symplicity wishes to congratulate seven CSM clients for being nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of the nation's top co-op/internship programs in higher ed list for 2024! 🎊
We'd like to especially recognize to our clients that made the Top 20:
Schools ranked in this list require or encourage students to apply their academics to the real-world. All seven institutions highlight the versatility and importance of CSM to support the career services office as they provide ongoing, uninterrupted support to students.
"Having everything in one system, it allows for consistency, allows for us to share the system with other on-campus partners to help them better connect with students and employers."
Andrea Comsa
Director of Co-Ops and Experiential Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology
With an enterprise-scale employability platform, universities can leverage CSM to engage students, employers, staff and administrators in the career-readiness process. At Symplicity, we believe the careers center provides critical services and fosters lasting connections with students and employers. As a result, CSM has the largest network of students and employers in the space.
Additionally, across the globe Symplicity CSM’s Experiential Learning (EL) module has helped higher education institutions increase participation, enhance campus collaboration, and provide departments with robust student reporting on internships, co-ops, and other outside the classroom experiences. Easily adaptable to any university, no matter the size or number of departmental staff, Symplicity’s EL module has allowed universities the flexibility to utilize the module for their university’s needs more than any other vendor in the field.
For more information about virtualizing student services, email info@symplicity.com or schedule a conversation.