I am wondering how going to a smaller school like Champlain College might affect my chances of getting into a graduate computer science program at larger (and possibly more prestigious) institutions later on.
I sent some emails to the admissions departments in some schools I would consider for graduate school. Each and every one of them said that prestige of undergraduate college is a small or not considered factor of the admissions process. This is quite contrary to what I have heard previously?
To what extent does the prestige of an undergraduate college effect admissions into graduate programs?
Would a graduate school really consider a Champlain graduate equal to one of a larger known university like Northeastern or UW Seattle?
Is Champlain a bad idea if I am considering possibly going into a masters program later?
So, your question is ‘should I believe the actual admissions departments at the schools I want to go to or should I believe things that random people (peers, parents, etc) have told me’ ?
You’ll be able to go to a masters program of some sort later.
phd level is another thing entirely because the neck of the bottle is so much more narrow there. Entry depends on your accomplishments at the time, your areas of research interest, what you objectives are, etc.
My daughter completed her undergraduate degree at one of our small state schools that most here have never heard of. She was accepted to all of the graduate programs that she applied to. She currently attends an outstanding program in a large, well known university and is doing very well. Her grad school advisor recently told her that she came out of college well prepared. I would listen to what the grad schools tell you. I should mention that my daughter took advantage of what was offered at her college- she attended local conferences, joined clubs etc in her major, attended monthly community meetings that were relevant to her field, etc.
To collegemom3717’s point - you already asked the admissions offices at the departments you’re interested in, and they gave you a concrete answer. What reason would they have to lie to you?
I have two comments. One, you’re presumably a high school student right now and haven’t even started college, so I wouldn’t worry too much about graduate school. Focus on getting into and getting through your first few years of college. You may change your major or decide you don’t need graduate school after all.
But secondly, the admissions offices who admit people who apply are the experts on admissions to their own programs. If they say that prestige is not important…then it’s not important. Believe them, not your random friends or family members who likely have no experience in admissions.