Courtesy: SmartAssett

Perhaps you too stayed up later than you intended last night watching a magic show that was billed as a baseball game. Perhaps your alarm clock also did not survive the beating it took this morning from the miniature Alex Gordon bat that you slept with, and now you too are looking for a new job. If so, a Kansas State degree may be a bit more helpful to you than a KU degree, according to one new survey.

The folks at the financial website SmartAsset have compiled a list of average starting salaries for graduates of four-year universities in Kansas. They found graduates at Kansas State University topped the list, while Kansas University graduates finished sixth, about $3,100 behind. KU did not quite finish first in Douglas County in terms of top starting salaries for graduates. Baker University in Baldwin City finished with the third highest starting salary figure in the state, about $1,200 more than KU’s. Of course, Baker’s average tuition was about $15,000 higher than KU’s too.

That, however, wasn’t the case at K-State. The study found that K-State students pay less in tuition and receive a greater percentage of their tuition in scholarships and grants than KU students.

They do have to wear purple, though, which has to be factored into this equation somewhere.

KU fared well, however, in the overall ranking that SmartAsset puts together on universities in the state. It finished second in the “Best Value” category of all schools ranked in the state. Kansas State finished first. Pittsburg State, Emporia State and Wichita State rounded out the top five. Baker finished seventh.

It is always interesting to look at how KU stacks up against other colleges, because I can assure you prospective students are looking at such issues. It also is important, though, to keep the numbers in perspective. For example, average starting salaries aren’t necessarily a reflection of what the market thinks of the quality of the degrees being awarded by KU. Instead, it may be more of a reflection of the degree mix of a university. A university that awards a lot more English degrees probably will have a lower starting salary than a university that awards a lot of engineering degrees. It doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of degree. Instead, it is just a supply and demand thing. America needs lots of engineering but a quick look at Twitter confirms we have abandoned English as a language.

But, the numbers for KU are a little surprising, given that KU has the only medical school in the state. Plus, we have engineering, law, pharmacy and several other high-paying degrees at the university. (To be fair, I can’t tell from the study whether the average starting salary is for all degrees or only undergraduate degrees.) We do have a very large liberal arts school, but so do some of the others that are ahead of KU on the list.

The study looks at a host of other statistics. It ranks tuition numbers, student living costs, the average amount of scholarships and grants and other statistics. The figures come from a 2013 report from the National Center for Educational Statistics, and a 2014 report from Payscale, a private company that says it tracks about 54 million individual salaries across the country.

Here’s a look at the chart for the 10 Kansas schools ranked:

I also did a little digging in SmartAsset’s study to see how KU stacked up with the other schools in the Big 12 that were ranked. The value rating is a subjective measure that SmartAsset puts together to measure the overall financial picture of the school. A score of 100 is best. Here’s a look at those numbers:

• University of Texas: $50,400 salary; $9,790 tuition; $15,602 student living costs; value rating 80.6

• Texas Tech: $49,000 salary; $7,517 tuition; $14,505 student living costs; value rating 71.65

• Iowa State: $47,800 salary; $7,726 tuition; $11,194 student living costs; value rating 84.84

• University of Oklahoma: $47,700 salary; $8,706 tuition, $14,584 student living costs; value rating 71.09

• Kansas State University: $45,200 salary; $8,047 tuition; $12,100 student living costs; value rating 70.63

• Oklahoma State: $44,400 salary; $7,442 tuition; $14,160 student living costs; value rating 66.08

• West Virginia: $43,800 salary; $6,090 tuition; $10,230 student living costs; value rating 77.46

• Kansas University: $42,100 salary; $9,678 tuition; $12,584 student living costs; value rating 64.02

When you compile the list that way, it doesn’t look too good for KU. The university has the lowest salary of the Big 12 schools that were ranked (I couldn’t find Baylor or TCU in the study), and it has the second-highest tuition of any of the schools ranked in the conference.

You’ll have to make what you will of the study’s “value ranking” — it clearly is subjective — but KU finished last in that category in terms of Big 12 schools. But remember, it finished second in Kansas.

SmartAsset apparently doesn’t think Kansas’ higher education strategy is that smart.

In other news and notes from around town:

• It likely won’t be long before another large retailer on south Iowa Street is open for business. The Boot Barn has set its ribbon-cutting date for Nov. 20, so it seems safe to assume the store will be open by then. Often stores hold soft openings before their ribbon cuttings, so keep that in mind.

If you have forgotten, The Boot Barn is going next to Dick’s Sporting Goods at 27th and Iowa streets. It looks like construction is largely complete, and I’ve seen signs that the store has been hiring employees. The business sells boots, if you can believe it. According to the company’s website, it also sells Western wear, work clothing and other such accessories. It has about 200 stores in 29 states. Its nearest store is in Olathe.

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