2018 College Track Social Mobility Report 2018 Social Mobility Report | Page 5

Students make various choices on how
to spend their time in college. If we can
isolate the patterns that lead to better
career outcomes, younger generations
could benefit from these learnings. We
added to last year’s list of hypotheses
(internships, GPA & hours worked) to include
mentorship from faculty, type of college
and career sector. We also took a look at
the relationship between citizenship status
(being a “​Dreamer”​) and career outcomes.
Key Findings
The main drivers for better career
outcomes are:
4Internships is the strongest
predictor;
4In second place is the tangled
relationship between choice of major,
choice of sector and GPA. In any major
a higher GPA correlates with higher
earnings, and while STEM majors
earn higher salaries at their first job
in sectors such as technology and
finance, it appears that those in other
sectors experience greater career
growth and earnings catch up over
time.
4College Track encourages students
to attend “Best Fit” colleges:
institutions that have a high graduation
rate, strong support services for low-
income and first generation students
and enough financial aid so that
students can graduate with less than
$30,000 in loans. In this year’s analysis
we found that graduates from these
colleges were more likely to get a job
within six months.
4This year, we also found that having
a faculty mentor boosts a student’s
chance of getting a job within six
months of graduation.
4Dreamers face harder educational
and economic barriers than other
first-generation graduates. College
Track Dreamers’ career choices reflect
this: 70% have chosen to work in
immigration law or education, likely
the fruit of their own frustrations
with the existing system. While those
with DACA earn the same wages
as US citizens, those without earn
considerably less. Thus the looming
threat of this program’s repeal is of
great concern to us.
College Track
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