Written By: Tatyana Phelps

A new Purdue University survey proves that getting involved on campus isn’t just good for your overall college experience; it’s beneficial to your future career and can even reduce your level of student debt.

Gallup and Purdue University teamed up to organize the Gallup-Purdue Index, the largest survey of college students in our country’s history. According to Gallup, the partners were aiming “to create a national movement toward a new set of measures, created by and for higher education, and to help foster a new level of accountability for the sector.”

Thirty thousand recent college graduates were surveyed to determine the relationship between their college experience and whether they have great jobs and lives now. The recent grads were measured on purpose, social, physical, financial, community and workplace engagement.

Based on the results from the GPI, Gallup and Purdue created a guide to help current college students get on the path to success after graduation.

The graduates were asked a wide range of questions about their college experience, such as how well they knew their instructors, their involvement on campus, study methods and overall well-being.

Students that had success after they graduated college got assistance from their professors, meaning that they asked questions when necessary, visited professors during office hours and made themselves known early in the semester.

Getting involved on campus and joining organizations, especially in leadership capacities, is very beneficial, according to the survey. Getting involved shows that students can take on more than one task at a time and are making good use of their extra time. It also looks really good to employers if students take on leadership roles and show that they have initiative, the survey said.

They survey also showed that graduates with the most success studied two hours for every hour they were in class, hardly ever missed class, utilized their campus resources, and even graduated in exactly four years.

In addition, the survey found that graduates who had emotional support during college and who were involved in deep learning opportunities had a higher well-being and engagement in their workplace.

To look at Purdue’s guide to creating a successful college experience, go to http://www.purdue.edu/checklist/BGR/GPI-StudentGuide.pdf.