<p>Hello everyone. I just have a simple question that is tearing me to pieces on the inside as I begin to figure out where I wish to be within the next five years. In the next five years I want nothing more than to enroll in a quantitative finance/financial engineering master's program at either Columbia, Princeton or Carnegie. Getting into a graduate program at an Ivy is very important to me, but I am unsure if the prestige of my undergraduate school matters to these institutions. I have gotten into great schools for engineering {OSU, Purdue, GA Tech, etc.}, but I am in love with a school of lesser ranking and prestige, Howard University. While I would go to any of these schools with no problem, I would like to know if the prestige of my undergraduate choice weighs heavily upon my admittance to an Ivy League graduate program.</p>
<p>Should I be worrying about the prestige of the school or what I do while I am there?</p>
<p>I don’t think prestige, per se, matters so much. But in many graduate fields the <em>reputation</em> in that field of the school you came from can sometimes matter. Prestige and reputation are not exactly the same thing, but they can sometimes be connected or related.</p>
<p>Good point. I’m afraid that if I decide to go to Howard over Ga Tech or OSU or Purdue, it’ll hinder my chances of getting into a great graduate program regardless of my merits.</p>
<p>There’s a guy I know who’s just finishing his undergraduate course at MIT. Meanwhile, he’s applying to some medical schools around the country. He once related that, most times he’s been on an interview for a med school application, the interviewer’s first words after reviewing his file were: “Oh, so you’re at MIT…”</p>
<p>As someone who’s been involved in PhD admissions at an Ivy and another elite school, but in an entirely different field than the one that interests you: yes, prestige does matter, but it matters indirectly. That is, nobody will rule you out because you went to a less prestigious school as an undergrad. Nor will they assume you are competent just because you went to a wonderful school. On the other hand, the most prestigious schools are prestigious for a reason–you get a very rigorous education there, and you tend to have contact with faculty who are influential in the field and who are doing cutting-edge research. As a result, the applications from people from prestigious schools–especially if they have excellent grades and recommendations–often tend to be more sophisticated than those from less prestigious schools. I don’t know enough about your field or about the schools you list to know whether the difference in prestige is significant enough to matter: often small differences seem to be magnified on College Confidential. If Howard is clearly inferior, then tread carefully. However, the most important aspect of your application is your own performance in your undergraduate program, and you are likely to do your best work in an environment where you are comfortable and happy.</p>