<p>I've heard that going to an unknown or State school for undergrad really doesn't affect job offers and future life if you go to a great Grad school. Is this true? Will going to a state school for undergrad be a better plan than going to a private school b/c money will be saved and then going to a prestigious grad school? many thanks.</p>
<p>well, if you’re planning on going to grad school, i say it’s a pretty smart thing to just go to your state school. But, to give yourself a competitive edge, apply for the honors college there. ya know? i’ve heard this is true. My doctor went to a little tiny college in new york and ended up going to yale for his med school. He’s probably the most brilliant man i know.</p>
<p>Well, where you go for undergrad may easily shape where you go to graduate school – it may shape the opportunities you have to shine, the kinds of people you meet who spur you to work, etc. So it’s not such an easy answer.</p>
<p>However, if you go to a top grad school after going to a relatively unknown undergraduate school, the grad school is what people will care about.</p>
<p>Can a high school student from a poor public school that never sends any students to very good colleges still get into a very good college. Yes, but the odds are heavily stacked against them. </p>
<p>Kind of the same thing with colleges and grad schools. Many top colleges brag about the % of students that go to grad school and the % that receive full scholarships to grad schools…</p>
<p>While it certainly is true that students from less-prestigious undergraduate backgrounds can end up at highly-ranked graduate programs, I think this whole “go to an easier school and do better versus go to a harder school and do worse” thing is a fallacy. Unfortunately, the best way (and probably only) way to get into a top-tier graduate school is go to a harder school and do better.</p>
<p>I am currently at a top graduate school and, to be honest, MOST of the people I encounter went to top schools for undergrad. Sure, there are exceptions, but in general, everyone went to top schools. I think it is different for professional schools that accept more students, but I was once told that for PhD students, it is harder to get into top programs from less prestigious undergrad. One of the key factors in PhD admissions is recommendations, and if the person reading your app knows the recommender (which he/she will if they are both well known in the field), it helps. Of COURSE there are well-known people at less-known schools but, again, the odds are, the more prestigious school you go to for undergrad, the more likely there will be some weight behind the name of your recommender.</p>
<p>Obviously, financial reasons are an excellent reason to choose a “less prestigious” undergraduate school, especially if you will be going into debt for graduate school. The bottom line though is, academia is a world that still cares a lot about prestige. You may have to make yourself stand out even more at a less-prestigious school than you would at a top school (aka do more than just get great grades).</p>
<p>To ncmentor and Collegegrad007…</p>
<p>you guys have got to be kidding me? Go to any top 150 university’s website and half of the professors will have gone to random undergrad schools and excellent grad schools. Look into any profession and you’ll see the same thing. I think that this fact is something that really bothers the typical CC student who works their ass off to get into HYP for undergrad, because it shatters all of the unneceassary, excessive work that many commit themselves to. When you can go to your state school, put in the same aount of effort and get BETTER results and just as easily get into a good grad school it kind of brings these CC kids down to EARTH where they have to face the faulty logic in their slavish work “ethic” and realize that high goals go too far when they reach the point at which teenagers are crying over their first B and calling anything below a 3.9 GPA “low”.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>Before I got to grad school, I would have agreed with you 100%. All I can tell you is what I have seen, and that is that the majority of my colleagues went to top undergraduate schools (and by that, I don’t mean top 10, but a broader definition of “top”)</p>
<p>Some of my colleagues went to less-prestigious state schools, but they are in the minority.</p>
<p>Perhaps my school is more prestigious-conscious than others, which would make the rest of the world a better place.</p>
<p>Again, I don’t like the system…I am merely reporting what I have seen and what I have heard from my professors here–that they have to fight like hell to get an admit from a lower-ranked school past the graduate school deans.</p>
<p>In a nutshell: YES</p>
<p>I agree with Collegegrad007. It will be much more difficult (i mean you have to be very dedicated, disciplined, and smart) to overcome the “lack of challenge” barrier you would face at Podunk State university and be able to own the LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE for graduate school (which arguably is much more important if you are coming from Podunk state with a 3.9 GPA)</p>
<p>My dad’s Vice President went to Umass for undergrad and went to Harvard Business School for masters. Then again, even my dad’s VP admits he was very special because he graduated Valedictorian of his class from Pakistan (AKA Uber genius to begin with) and had to go to UMass for financial reasons. He doesn’t recommend anyone to take that route. lol. He said he did not feel challenged at UMass.</p>
<p>I would say, it matters, but it is not the be-all end-all. Like many other things in life, a degree from a top college is useful, and the experience of going to one can be tremendously valuable, but it won’t make or break your success in life.</p>
<p>It’s also important to consider that plans change. Someone who is certain that they plan to attend graduate school now may change their mind later in their undergraduate career. In this case, the last degree earned will be from whatever undergraduate school this person attended. This is a problem if the undergraduate school in question isn’t very highly regarded.</p>
<p>There are any number of reasons why one’s plans could change. Your career plans might change such that graduate school is no longer necessary. It might be financially infeasible to attend graduate school. You could get a job offer directly out of undergraduate which is too good to refuse.</p>
<p>oh another thing, if you’re trying to go to a liberal arts college to get into a really good graduate school, try to avoid schools that see itself solely as a stepping stone. as much as you might wanna end up going to an elite grad school, you are spending four years in your undergrad-- choose one that you would actually enjoy going to!</p>