Becoming employment-ready is a goal of most college students and Clemson University’s Career Center is successfully helping many of them achieve that goal. In the new Princeton Review guide, “The 385 Best Colleges,” Clemson is ranked No. 1 in the Best Career Services category.

“Clemson attracts incredibly gifted students every year and challenges them to grow inside and outside the classroom,” said Neil Burton, executive director of Clemson’s Center for Career and Professional Development. “Our job in career services is simply to help these bright people tell their stories well as they pursue their professional aspirations.”

Burton noted that recent data show:

96% of Clemson graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation;

78% of undergraduates participated in an internship, cooperative education assignment or some other form of experiential education prior to graduation; and

83% of graduates visited the Center for Career and Professional Development during their time at Clemson.

In the annual Best Colleges guide, released Tuesday, the Princeton Review ranked Clemson among the top 10 colleges in nine categories, the most ever, including:

Best Career Services (No. 1)

Town-Gown Relations are Great (No. 1)

Students Pack the Stadiums (No. 2)

Everyone Plays Intramural Sports (No. 6)

Happiest Students (No. 7)

Best Schools for Internships (No. 7)

Best Alumni Network (No. 8)

Their Students Love These Colleges (No. 9)

Future Rotarians and DAR (No. 10)

Clemson also was ranked in these categories

Most Conservative Students (No. 13)

Most Religious Students (No. 17)

Best Quality of Life (No. 19)