Wake Forest appeared alongside schools such as Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt on the Princeton Review’s list of “Colleges that Pay You Back” — a comprehensive list of colleges and universities that deliver the best return on investment.

The Princeton Review releases many lists detailing the best and worst of many of the country’s colleges.

“My first thought is students at Wake Forest believe they work hard and lovingly call this place “Work Forest” sometimes, which reflects that notion,” said dean Christy Buchanan about Wake’s appearance on the list. “I think the positive side of that is that it does prepare students for what comes next very well.”

According the their website, the Princeton Review analyzes schools that pay you back based on three main attributes: academics, affordability and career prospects. To make the list, each school has to have a reputation as academically challenging and research driven. This also includes a school’s admission statistics, which includes the average GPA and test scores of its applicants, to see whether or not the college or university is selective in its admissions. The list also factors in the affordability of each individual institution. “Affordability” also includes financial aid, as to not give advantage to less expensive state schools. Financial aid ratings are self-reported by students, who declare how satisfied they are about their financial aid packages.

Finally, the Princeton Review researches career prospects at each institution. This can be measured in strong career development resources, such as offices or departments dedicated to career development or a strong alumni network.

“I’ve been at Wake Forest for 23 and a half years, I have heard more times than I can count from alums who go on to graduate school and go on to jobs who say all that the hard work I did at Wake Forest, it really paid off,” Buchanan said.  “Whether it’s ‘I’m in a graduate school class and I’m sailing through it’ because they clearly learned relevant information, or developed excellent work habits or in the working world: the discipline, problem solving, research and all the things that are taught and expected at Wake Forest contribute to job success. I do think the environment here leverages students’ capacity for that as well as attracted students who accomplished and demonstrated potential for that in high school.”

Wake Forest’s profile on the Princeton Review specifically discusses the Office of Personal and Career Development’s (OPCD) impact on its appearance on the list. The website detailed that the OPCD offers help with résumé reviews, career counseling, intern searches and job applications, resources which students call “incredible” for a school of small size. Overall, Wake’s “Career” subsection rating was a 90 out of 100.

“Hearing something like this is relieving for me,” freshman Bill Leftwich said. “I’m only a freshman, so knowing that I have resources to use in the future that are nationally recognized really lets me know that Wake has my future in mind.”

Wake Forest’s financial aid was also celebrated on the Princeton Review’s website. The list commended Wake Forest’s commitment to meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need for new students.

Also, the website detailed Wake Forest’s flexibility with various scholarships in order to pay for tuition. Wake Forest received a rating of 92 in this field.

“That’s something I definitely admire about Wake Forest,” freshman Cameron Waters said. “I was looking for scholarships when I was applying to schools last year. You have to admit that [Wake Forest] is pretty expensive, and their openness to scholarships helps anyone avoid paying out of pocket for tuition.” 

While this accomplishment draws immediate attention, it also carries permanent, positive implications for the future of Wake Forest on a national scale.