Dartmouth comes in at #1 for all schools and the University of California - Berkeley tops the list for public schools when it comes to salary potential. According to the PayScale College Salary Report, Dartmouth graduates (with only a bachelor's degree) have a median mid-career salary of $134,000 while Berkeley graduates earn $112,000.

When it comes to starting salaries, the top engineering schools offer the best short-term return on your education investment. Cal Tech and MIT had the highest median starting salaries at $75,500 and $72,200 respectively.

We've included the top 25 schools from the PayScale Salary Report as well as a list of the top 25 paying degrees.

Top 25 Schools - Median Mid-Career Salary

1. Dartmouth College - $134,000
2. Princeton University - $131,000
3. Stanford University - $129,000
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - $126,000
5. Yale University - $126,000
6. Harvard University - $124,000
7. California Institute of Technology (CIT) - $123,000
8. Harvey Mudd College - $122,000
9. University of Pennsylvania - $120,000
10. University of Notre Dame - $116,000
11. Polytechnic University of New York, Brooklyn - $114,000
12. Cooper Union - $114,000
13. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) - $114,000
14. University of Chicago - $113,000
15. University of California, Berkeley - $112,000
16. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) - $111,000
17. Rice University - $110,000
18. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) - $110,000
19. Cornell University - $110,000
20. Georgetown University - $110,000
21. Bucknell University - $110,000
22. Brown University - $109,000
23. Colgate University - $108,000
24. Columbia University - $107,000
25. Amherst College - $107,000

Top 25 Bachelor Degrees - Median Mid-Career Salary

1. Chemical Engineering - $107,000
2. Computer Engineering - $105,000
3. Electrical Engineering - $103,000
4. Aerospace Engineering - $101,000
5. Economics - $98,600
6. Physics - $97,300
7. Computer Science - $95,500
8. Industrial Engineering - $94,700
9. Mechanical Engineering - $93,600
10. Math - $92,400
11. Physician Assistant - $91,700
12. Civil Engineering - $90,500
13. Construction - $88,900
14. Finance - $88,300
15. Management Information Systems (MIS) - $82,300
16. Philosophy - $81,200
17. International Relations - $80,900
18. Chemistry - $79,900
19. Marketing - $79,600
20. Geology - $79,500
21. Political Science - $78,200
22. Accounting - $77,100
23. Architecture - $76,800
24. Information Technology (IT) - $74,800
25. Business Management - $72,100

Labels: bachelors, college, degree, salary, value, wage

The College Board just announced a change in its score reporting policy. In the past, a school received all of a student's SAT Scores. If you took the test 3 times, a college received all 3 scores. The new policy will allow test takers to select which SAT scores a college receives.

Reduced Stress from Taking the SAT

The shift in policy was intended to "reduce student stress and improve the test-day experience", according to the College Board. With the new policy, you would know going in that if you screwed up royally on the SAT, you could always take it again and the college would never see your poor score.

Is the New SAT Policy Unfair?

Some people worry that this new policy may help higher-income families disproportionately. They have the money to cover the cost of the multiple SAT exams. If you could afford to, you could keep on taking the SAT until you got a score that you liked and only show that score to colleges.

More about the New SAT Score Reporting Policy

The policy does not kick in until the March 2009 test date. However, once it's in effect, it will apply retroactively, meaning you could choose to send your March 2009 score to a school and not your November 2008 score (even though the November 2008 test date was before the start date of the policy).

The new score reporting policy is "opt-in". You will need to actively choose this score reporting option or all of your test scores will be sent to colleges and universities.

Labels: college, SAT, Test

The age-old dilemma of in-state vs. out-of-state... stay close to home or venture off away from your family... save some money or go to the best college possible.

Many of you are going to grapple with this question, and it's not always an easy one to answer. We're going to share a few thoughts on the benefits of both staying close to home at an in-state college and going off to an out-of-state college.

The Benefits of In-State Colleges

In-State Colleges Make Financial Sense

So the main reason most high school students opt for an in-state college is the cost. You typically get a really good deal on tuition when you go to a public school in your home state.

Easier to Get Into In-State Colleges

You'll typically have an easier time getting into the state schools in your home state. Fore example, the bar is much higher for a New Yorker to get into the University of California, Berkeley than a Californian.

There May Be Money In It For You

A number of scholarship opportunities at public colleges and universities are reserved for in-state students. Many states want to encourage top high school students to stay close to home, figuring that they are much more likely to work in that state after graduation.

The Benefits of Out-of-State Colleges

See a New Place

One of the biggest benefits of venturing off to a college far from home is your newfound independence. You'll experience a new place that may open your eyes to new ways of looking at things. Going to college in Massachusetts is likely a very different experience than going to college in Florida (if nothing else, the weather will be dramatically different).

Meet New People

You'll also meet a whole new set of people. That was a big draw for me as I looked at colleges. I lived within a 2-mile radius my entire life and I wanted to meet people from all over the place. That's not to say there won't be a diverse crowd at most in-state schools, but it's likely that the majority of students will be from that state.

Go to the Best College Possible

You may have to venture out of state to find the college that has the best program for you. If you're an engineer, you probably can't beat MIT or Cal Tech. If you want to study visual or performing arts, Juilliard or RISD may be the best colleges for you.

Labels: college, college search, in-state, out-of-state