(The following is a guest post from Gradspot.com – a resource for soon-to-be and recent grads making the transition from college to the real world.)
With commencement season around the corner, seniors are starting to look at potential post-college cities like they once looked at schools. Where is the best party scene? The best food? The greatest opportunities for enrichment?
And, perhaps most importantly, how much will it cost?
In a way, the main concerns are not so different, but the real decision-makers lie in the details. To help seniors and other recent grads assess their options, Gradspot.com has published its first annual Top Ten Cities for Recent College Graduates report, with top marks going to Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.
In addition to relevant stats like bar closing times and average apartment costs, the report provides colorful testimonials from recent grads living in each city. Most seem to genuinely love the city they chose, but look out for some moments of brutal honesty, like the writer’s assistant in Los Angeles who says, “LA’s a terrible place. It’s a city designed based on its fair weather, and, as fate would have it, all of its citizens are fair weather in their friendships and fandom.”
Even in the economic downturn, the post-commencement diaspora is sure to send grads all across the country looking for the right environment and job opportunities. To keep things realistic, Gradspot’s list focuses on industry hubs where jobs tend to be more abundant in certain field. (So while Little Rock is awesome, don’t expect to see it represented.) Here is the top 10 in its entirety:
1. Chicago
2. New York
3. San Francisco
4. Washington D.C.
5. Seattle
6. Boston
7. Houston
8. Denver
9. Los Angeles
10. Atlanta
Gradspot.com’s Guide to Life After College, a humorous manual for tackling the first year out of school, is avaliable on Amazon.com or as an e-book at gradspot.com/book.
Vin,
I am familiar with a few of these places…these are some great spots. I used to live in Jamaica Plain Boston and I liked it there. I would recommend http://www.boston.com for anyone interested in Boston.
Thanks, Simon! Yes, Boston is a great city for any life stage, but especially nice if you’ve just graduated!
Vince