Which Colleges Give Grads the Best Job Prospects?

In today's jobs market, new college grads can use all the help they can get when trying to crack into the professional arena.  While some economists are warning that unemployment numbers may remain high for a while, the Wall Street Journal has interviewed job recruiters from across the country to find out which colleges are best-preparing their grads for the working world:

Recruiters say graduates of top public universities are often among the most prepared and well-rounded academically, and companies have found they fit well into their corporate cultures and over time have the best track record in their firms.

Employers also like schools where they can form partnerships that allow them to work with professors and their students, giving them an inside track when it comes time to make offers for internships and jobs.

Here are WSJ's top 25 picks (and the schools' 2011 U.S. News ranking):

1. Penn State (#47 in U.S. News)
2. Texas A&M (#63)
3. Illinois (#47)
4. Purdue (#56)
5. Arizona State (#143)
6. Michigan (#29)
7. Georgia Tech (#35)
8. Maryland (#56)
9. Florida (#53)
10. Carnegie Mellon (#23)
11. BYU (#75)
12. Ohio State (#56)
13. Virginia Tech (#69)
14. Cornell (#15)
15. UC-Berkeley (#22)
16. Wisconsin (#45)
17. UCLA (#25)
18. Texas Tech (#159)
19. North Carolina State (#111)
20. [Tie 19]  Virginia (#25)
21. Rutgers (#64)
22. Notre Dame (#19)
23. MIT (#7)
24. USC (#23)
25. North Carolina (#30)
26. [Tie 25]  Washington State (#111)