<p>People keep telling me that it doesn't matter which school you go to for undergrad as long as you will pursue your education at a prestigious school afterwards. For example, if you wanted to get your masters, go to med school or law school, the undergrad school that you went to wouldn't matter as long as you graduated from a top grad/med/law school. Is this true? Does that mean that people can go to a not-so-good undergrad school, and still be successful by graduating from a top grad school? My friend told me that he knows someone who got accepted to Harvard Law from Rutgers, and another person who got accepted to Harvard Law from Duke. Both are equally successful. I'm totally confused about this matter now....</p>
<p>It depends. A top undergrad school can help you get into good grad/med/law schools, and the education you received at a top undergrad school can help you succeed in the rigorous grad/professional school environment. But if, say, you get a PhD and are looking for a postdoc position, then your undergrad school matters little. I would say it still helps a bit, but the amount that it helps is drastically decreased, and the importance pales in comparison to your grad experience.</p>
<p>If you go into the workforce with a bachelor's, based on what I've seen, a top undergrad school will help you a lot. It got me interviews in cases where my resume/application would likely have not gotten a second glance otherwise.</p>
<p>if you know you're going directly to a grad school after undergrad, I'd say it matters little what your undergrad is. For example, undergrad doesn't matter as much for a doctor as med school or residency.
However... a better undergrad usually (not always) means a better education. Plus, it's really really hard to go to a good grad if you go to crappy undergrad. It usually works the other way around. You see Harvard undergrads going to Ohio State med school.</p>
<p>I think the advice you're getting is pretty dead on. Basically, academe is a fairly small world, and even smaller within our specialties. Most medical, law, and grad business schools have their own admissions staff, so there will be a level of professionalism (variable as it is) in how those with their first degrees are admitted. How those staffs view your undergrad school will vary, but many of them will give you a boost if your undergrad school (and major) are well regarded.</p>
<p>In most other grad departments, the faculty decide who gets admitted, with the input and often screening from admissions staff. In those cases, we often know the faculty at your school and a letter of recommendation from a well-regarded person is very persuasive. We can also call up our colleagues for recs, and a well-known and respected colleague is always more influential than an unknown.</p>
<p>I have often heard that med schools tend to look at how you did in the large, pre-med courses, and are very aware that most of those are graded on a curve, meaning that it's tougher to be at or near the top of your class at Harvard than it is most other places.</p>
<p>You're right... Medical employers care more about where a person went to med school much more than undergrad...</p>
<p>The problem is if you're in high school right now, you can't assume that you'll be going to grad/professional school for sure. Lots of things can change in 4 years.</p>
<p>undergrad school is important only because it leads to grad school (plus lifelong friends, best 4 years of life, etc).</p>
<p>Grad school, on the other hand, is the one that employers REALLY care about and look at</p>
<p>Take note of ken285's comment--a heck of a lot changes in four years. You may well decide not to go to grad school.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Grad school, on the other hand, is the one that employers REALLY care about and look at
[/quote]
Considering most people don't get a grad degree and are hired right out of undergrad, this may not be the most relevant advice ;)</p>
<p>Aside from being used for simply looking at how qualified you are for a certain grad/pro school, standardized tests like the MCAT or the LSAT or the GMAT are used to provide context regarding undergraduate institutions. A kid with a 4.0 from Podunk State and a 150 LSAT smacks of grade inflation, especially when this situation is multiplied times one hundred. On the other hand, a kid from Podunk State with a 4.0 and a 170 LSAT would more likely be seen as someone who is qualified for the top law schools, despite the inferior academic curriculum offered at Podunk.</p>
<p>When looking at an undergraduate school, realize that it is essentially where you're committing the next four years of your life to. Do you want to go to a school where you can't grow intellectually? (I used to say no, undergrad merely a stepping stone towards professional school, but now I see the opposite perspective.)</p>