<p>I'm thinking about going to grad school for Comp Sci (eventually). Do grad schools look at what college you went to for your Bachelor's? Or do they just base it on your grades? (Considering that you are going to grad school elsewhere from where you got your Bachelors).</p>
<p>Also, do they look at high school grades in selection?</p>
<p>Yes, they look at your school. It’s not the most important factor, and if you’re not at some big name school, it can be made up for with more important criteria like experience in the field (or a related one). </p>
<p>And no, they don’t see anything related to high school, although in some cases where people received college credit while in high school, they’ve had to send those college transcripts.</p>
<p>Yes, profs on admissions committees indicated to me that they do look at school. It especially helps if people from your school went to that program and the program was pleased with them… kind of like pattern matching.</p>
<p>To give you an idea of how they might consider undergraduate institution - a 3.5 GPA at Harvard will probably mean more than a 3.6 GPA at an unfamiliar or much lower ranked school (assuming all else in the applications is equal). But like virions said, there are more important factors, such as GRE or GMAT scores, research or internship experiences, leadership, personal statements, and recommendations.</p>
<p>The follow on question is, “Do employers care what college you attended?”</p>
<p>For some areas in federal government hiring such as federal law enforcement (FBI, USSS, etc.), the answer is no.</p>
<p>Someone with a MS from a state university is more likely to be hired than someone with a BA/BS from Harvard all else equal.</p>
<p>Someone with an MBA and JD from a state university is more likely to be hired than someone with just a JD from a T14 school all else equal.</p>
<p>@NovaLynnx-</p>
<p>Having attended, both, a large state flagship school as well as an expensive private university, I can tell you that I would seriously consider hiring a 3.6 gpa student from a large state school over a 3.5 gpa student from Harvard…all other things being equal. I know from experience that the person from the large state school really earned his/her grade within a very impersonal environment with possibly up to 1500 students in some of the classes. That is very difficult to do, especially in the technical/science classes. On the other hand, a 3.5 gpa Harvard student makes me seriously think about grade inflation.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s just me?</p>
<p>To give you an idea of how they might consider undergraduate institution - a 3.5 GPA at Harvard will probably mean more than a 3.6 GPA at an unfamiliar or much lower ranked school</p>
<p>Not necessarily, since the Ivy League is known for rampant grade inflation. I am TA at an Ivy League school and I was just discussing this with my professor and the other TAs on this week.</p>
<p>My D is in a top PhD program. For the American half of the cohort, every single one came from either a top research Uni (Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, etc.) or a Top 20 or so LAC.</p>
<p>One data point (one program, one University) does not a trend make.</p>
<p>Sadly yes. But if you have stellar grades at any college, you can still stand a chance going to a top grad school.(:</p>
<p>
Meanwhile other schools are known for giving A’s for papers that wouldn’t muster a C at Harvard. The quality of students has to be taken into account.</p>
<p>People I know at Ivys say ~70% of the people there are no different than average people at state schools and that getting a 3.8 at a place like Yale requires no real effort; whether that’s true or not is debatable of course, but it doesn’t really matter because the perception that I think most people have is that the Ivys are just filled with the best and brightest therefore a slightly lower grade can be forgiven.</p>
<p>I used Harvard as a random example, not because I am familiar with or care about the actual quality of work or grade inflation there. But if you had a student from, say, Wharton at UPenn v. a student from NoName Business School at Podunk University, you would probably consider the student from the well-known and well-respected university over the one from a place you’ve never heard of with not much higher (or equal) GPA, assuming all else is equal. But like I said, GPA is not the deciding factor in most cases. And maybe Wharton is a bad example too, but that’s not the point I was trying to make. My example was taken too literally. I wouldn’t focus on the GPA half as much as the other admissions factors (even though doing your best is ideal, it is not the most important aspect of the application).</p>
<p>In short: If you are attending a lesser ranked school, you will want to make the other areas of your application as stellar as possible. You do still have a chance at a highly ranked program, but your GPA alone won’t get you there.</p>
<p>Historically, is it harder to get into grad schools (take uc’s for a grad school example) if you get your bachelors at a smaller “less known” college? For example, I’m considering Eastern Washington University, Marymount University, and CSU Fresno. Two of he three are considered liberal arts colleges, and their comp Sci program is not really well known. Would it be better to go to one of these schools for my Bachelor’s and have a good chance of getting into grad school (uc’s, I’m hoping) or try my luck at a JC first?</p>
<p>@roaringloudly
I can’t speak for Marymount or CSU, but I’m originally from Spokane and I can say that EWU does not have a great reputation in most fields. It’s lovely for K-12 education and music education, but otherwise, it’s just not great. I even did a year of Running Start there when I was in 11th grade, and I found it very subpar and well below the level of education I could have in high school AP classes. If you’re looking to go to a well known or ranked grad school in comp sci, I would strongly advise against EWU.</p>
<p>i’m wondering if the same applies if your school is known for being the first or second most grade-deflated in the country? (can’t remember which, there was an article a while back that all of my BU friends shared on facebook)</p>
<p>Okay, school name aside, is it difficult to get into a good grad school (for example, UC)? Like, is it competitive?</p>
<p>It will be competitive to get into any good program; many schools post the number of applicants they get and some sort of profile of the accepted ones (such as 400 applied, only 12 were accepted into the doctorate program, average GPA of <em>__, average GRE of </em>, etc.). There is not much point in asking about grade inflation; this is why other factors are more important in the admissions process, as discussed previously. </p>
<p>In my opinion, the main reason students from highly ranked schools have an advantage is because that highly ranked school often has more research and internship opportunities and connections, more funding for research, you’re getting letters of recommendation from well-known researchers/professionals in the field, etc. Not because the courses were tough or they got a X.0 GPA. </p>
<p>Lesser ranked schools often have these opportunities as well, but sometimes students have to search for them or create their own independent research, or find funding with their professor if the school doesn’t offer any. But if you work hard, you can still come out of a lesser ranked school with a strong CV/resume to compete with the higher ranked schools.</p>
<p>So you’re saying that coming from a small or “lesser known” college, one would have to be assertive in creating these opportunities for themself?</p>
<p>For undergrad at schools like Eastern Washington University, Marymount University, and CSU Fresno, you would have to walk on water, be the kind of student that profs are talking about ten years later, to get into a top grad program. The demands upon you as a student simply won’t be what they would be at more competitive schools. The peers with whom you’re working and competing won’t challenge you and promote your own development in the same way.</p>
<p>You also need to re-frame your question beyond “good grad school.” For graduate work, what field you’re talking about is the key, not the school. For Econ, the UC’s have programs that are Top 5 (Berkeley), Top 10 or so (UCLA), Top 20 (San Diego), and well regarded 20-50 (Santa Barbara). It’s not the name of the school that’s important, it’s the strength of the particular department. </p>
<p>So: just how strong a department are you aiming for for a PhD?</p>
<p>As strong as it would be to prepare me for grad school. I’m looking at Comp Sci as a major.</p>