Education

Harvard graduates talk cheating, final clubs and starting salaries in senior survey

The Harvard Crimson's annual student survey gives a good look at the Class of 2016.

When Jeffrey Selingo surveyed 752 young adults, only one-third were prepared for career success after college. Lane Turner/Globe

By Allison Pohle

3 minutes to read

The Harvard College Class of 2016 will graduate Thursday, leaving behind a year filled with tension over race relations on campus, the school’s massive endowment, and its all-male social clubs.

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But it hasn’t been all dramatics. In its annual survey, the student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, asked seniors to reflect on their college experiences and what they have planned next (yes, including their starting salaries). The email survey received 906 responses, which is more than half the class, though The Crimson said not all respondents answered every question.

Here are the highlights:

Post-grad plans

  • About 66 percent of seniors will enter the workforce next year. Of those, more than half (53 percent) will work in consulting, finance, or technology.
  • Respondents who played a varsity sport were more likely to work in finance, and those who did not were more likely to work in consulting.
  • Speaking of finance, 43 percent of seniors in a male final club will pursue a career in the field.
  • Employed seniors reported a median starting salary of $70,000 to $89,000, much higher than the national average for graduates. An annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which was referenced by The Crimson, said last year’s college graduate will make an average of $50,651.

Campus life

  • This year, Harvard was one of many colleges where students protested the racial climate on campus. In the survey, 68 percent of black seniors reported feeling marginalized because of their race while at Harvard. About 44 percent of Latino or Hispanic respondents agreed, while 49 percent of East Asian respondents and 40 percent of South Asian respondents said the same.
  • In response to some criticism from students, the College changed the title of the leaders of dorms from “House Master” to “Faculty Dean.” Overall, only 29 percent of surveyed seniors agreed with the decision, but 58 percent of black seniors supported the change.
  • This year, Harvard filed a brief supporting affirmative action as part of the Fisher v. Texas Supreme Court case. A majority of seniors—55 percent—support race-based affirmative action.
  • They don’t, however, support Harvard’s sexual misconduct policy, which took effect in 2014. Last year, 22 percent of seniors supported the policy. This year, that number dropped to 17 percent. Further, 66 percent of seniors who said they had been sexually assaulted at Harvard had a negative view of the policies.
  • Earlier this month, the College said that, beginning in fall 2017, students who join Harvard’s male-only social clubs won’t be able to serve as sports captains or leaders of other campus groups. The Crimson survey was released the day before the school announced the policy change, but seniors were split on whether the college’s pressure to make final clubs co-ed, with 40 percent supporting the move and 40 percent viewing it negatively. Most seniors—59 percent—didn’t approve of Harvard’s final clubs in general.

2016 election

  • Most seniors are team Hillary. In a Clinton v. Trump match-up, 87 percent of seniors would vote for Clinton, with 4 percent choosing Trump.
  • The Crimson survey showed that Trump had more support among members of Harvard athletic teams — specifically male members. Twenty-three percent of male athletes support Trump  compared to 6 percent of men who didn’t play sports.

Other facts

  • Twenty-one percent of seniors will graduate from Harvard with student loans.
  • Since starting at Harvard, 43 percent of surveyed seniors said they lost their virginity.
  • The average GPA for graduating seniors was a 3.65. More than half of seniors said they have a GPA of over 3.67, which is higher than an average grade of A- in each class.
  • About 21 percent of seniors admitted to cheating during their time at Harvard. More than 90 percent said they did so on a problem set or regular homework assignment, while 23 percent said they did so during an in-class exam.

Despite it all, the seniors looked back fondly on their time at the College. Nearly all of them—93 percent—said they would choose Harvard again.

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