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A Front Row Seat
to Life,  Barbara
Pinto ’86, ABC News

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Small Town, Big Results

The data show that Houghton alumni do well after their college years.

Prospective students and their parents often ask “What will my Houghton education lead to?” We tell them about making lifelong friends, developing a Christian worldview and other intangibles that are vital components of a well-rounded Houghton College education. Eventually, though, students and parents want an answer that addresses a career-oriented bottom line: “What can I do when I leave Houghton? What about the return on my investment in a Houghton education?”

The evidence, gathered from a variety of sources, suggests that Houghton graduates do quite well in the post-Houghton world. For example, we surveyed our alumni several years ago using an ACT instrument which allowed us to benchmark our results against those of other private colleges, as well as against the national averages.  As you can see from the chart, Houghton graduates are far more likely than those of other private colleges to earn advanced degrees, at every level.

Education majors must pass the New York State Teacher Certification Examination in order to teach in the state. Nearly all of our students pass the exam; our rates exceed those of other private colleges and the statewide average by significant margins.

Houghton graduates have also fared well on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), a standardized entrance exam for many graduate programs. So it doesn’t surprise us that many are admitted into prestigious graduate programs in a variety of fields. For example, recent graduates are now or soon will be in Harvard Law School and Vanderbilt Medical School. (For a complete listing of graduate schools that have accepted members of our last few graduating classes, go to www.houghton.edu/acadmics/outcomes.htm and click on your favorite major or program. You’ll be impressed by what you see there.)

Houghton graduates continue to bring the concept of “scholar-servant” to a variety of vocations and activities after commencement. They have successful careers, pursue higher degrees and find ways to follow Willard J. Houghton’s ambition: to “fix up the world.” We will continue to gather and share evidence showing the variety of their achievements so that the next generation of prospective students will look to Houghton College to deliver solid preparation for their futures as well.