Intelligencer

Pomp and New Circumstances

A random survey of 2006 Columbia graduates about their GPAs, how much money they think theyï¿½ll make, and if they agree with Hillary that theyï¿½re lazy and entitled.

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Published May 21, 2006

College is over now. Do you wish you’d worked less and partied harder?
Yes . . . 16
No . . . 73
Unsure/No answer . . . 11

What are you doing next year?
Entry-level job . . . 46
Grad school . . . 11
Law school . . . 9
Traveling . . . 5
Med school . . . 4
Finding myself . . . 2
Interning . . . 2
Moving home . . . 1
Other . . . 2
Don’t know yet . . . 19

If you do have a job, what field is it in?
Finance . . . 13
Consulting . . . 7
Engineering . . . 6
Law . . . 5
Social work/nonprofit . . . 4
Education . . . 4
Medicine . . . 3
Urban planning . . . 3
“Retail” “The United Nations” “Journalism” “Transportation planning” “Interpreting” “Ski-lift operator . . . hopefully”

Hillary Clinton derided your generation as entitled for having grown up in a “culture that has a premium on instant gratification.” What’s your favorite form of instant gratification?
Instant messaging . . . 17
Credit cards . . . 13
MP3 downloading . . . 8
Text messaging . . . 8
TiVo . . . 8
Drug-delivery service . . . 3
Emotion-free casual sex . . . 11
“Internet porn” “Google” “Ice cream”

Do you think Hillary had a point and your peers are lazy?
Yes . . . . . . . 35
No . . . . . . . 44
Don’t know. . . . 21

Do you think she has a point and you are lazy?
Yes . . . 19
No . . . 68
Don’t know . . . 8
That question is too hard to think about . . . 5

What was your GPA?
2.5–3.0 . . . 3
3.0–3.3 . . .17
3.3–3.7 . . . 25
3.7–4.0 . . . 48
No answer . . . . 7

Did you write a thesis?
Yes . . . 35
No . . . 63
No answer . . . . . 2
“Guan Xi: The Use of Networking in Sino American Business Relations” “Introducing Transit to Low-Density Environments” “Beyond Rights: Reconfiguring Indian Feminism” “A Decent General Average of Achievement: Hitler and the Great German Art Exhibition”

How much do you expect to start making at your first job?
Nothing . . . 4
$20,000–$30,000 . . . 17
$30,000–$40,000 . . . 12
$40,000–$50,000 . . . 16
$50,000–$75,000 . . . 26
More than that . . . 18
No answer . . . 7

Are you staying in New York City?
Yes . . . 51
No . . . 34
Unsure . . . 14
If I get a job . . . 1

Are your parents going to subsidize you at all next year?
Yes . . . 29
No . . .71
“Whatever I want, without limits”

Are they going to pay for your apartment?
Yes . . . 26
No . . . 65
Have to ask . . . 7
No answer . . . 2

How much debt do you have from student loans and credit cards?
None . . . 23
$5,000–$15,000 . . .19
$15,000–$30,000 . . . 19
$30,000–$50,000 . . . 10
$50,000–$100,000 . . . 16
More than that . . . 6
No answer . . . 7

Do you ever wish you’d gone to a cheaper school?
Yes . . . 11
No . . . 57
Yes, but it was worth it . . . 30
No answer . . . 2

How much do you expect to make in ten years?
$30,000–$40,000 . . . 3
$40,000–$50,000 . . . 0
$50,000–$75,000 . . . 9
$75,000–$125,000 . . . 9
$125–$175,000 . . . 23
$175,000–$250,000 . . . 22
More than that . . . 28
No response . . . 6

Do you expect to stop work when you have kids? (Women only)
Yes . . . 9
No . . . 36

Do you think your generation will be better off than your parents’ generation?
Yes . . . 51
No . . . 22
Unsure . . . 23
No answer . . . 4

Would you ever work for the CIA, military, or Department of Homeland Security?
Yes . . . 33
No . . . 59 (“Hell no!”)
I have a job with one of them now . . . 2
No answer . . . 6

Domestic surveillance:
Makes me very angry . . . 51
Doesn’t bother me . . . 35
No answer . . . 14

Have you ever joined a protest?
Yes . . . . . . . 52
No . . . . . . . 44
No answer. . . 4

Do you have a blog, Facebook or MySpace page?
Yes . . . . . . . 71
No . . . . . . . 27
No answer. . . 2

What is the greatest of the Great Books?
The Iliad . . . 7
Plato’s Republic . . . 4
The Bible . . . 2
The Great Gatsby . . . 2
Crime and Punishment . . . 2
The Brothers Karamazov . . . 2
"Atlas Shrugged” “On the Road” “The Wealth of Nations” “Great Expectations” “Invisible Man” “Lord of the Rings” “The Da Vinci Code” “Moby Dick” “Goodnight Moon” “Zagat’s”