<p>Hello, I have a few questions concerning undergraduate and graduate degrees. First, for graduate degrees, which is better: prestige or specialty? For example, I’m looking into becoming a pharmacist. UCLA is one of my dream schools and is pretty prestigious, while UCSD has a school just for pharmaceutical sciences. Which one would be better as far as getting a permanent full-time job?</p>
<p>Right now I’m considering going to UCI and transferring to either UCLA or UCSD for the last couple years of undergraduate school. Do employers even look at/care about which undergraduate school I went to? Or is there more emphasis on where I got my graduate degree? If so, I might consider going to UCI for all four years. Also, I heard that if you go to one UC for their undergraduate school, it makes it harder to get into their graduate school. Is this true at all?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance. :)</p>
<p>"Also, I heard that if you go to one UC for their undergraduate school, it makes it harder to get into their graduate school. Is this true at all?"</p>
<p>This is something I've read at CC many times regarding the whole "prestige" and graduate school ordeal.</p>
<p>They are most likely to take someone with say a 3.8 GPA from UCI then someone with a 3.5 GPA from UCLA or UCSD. I believe GPA is the most important factor in determining your admission.. and prestige only comes into play when it looks something like 3.9 GPA from UCI vs. 3.9 GPA from UCLA... Then they would take prestige into consideration.</p>
<p>"Also, I heard that if you go to one UC for their undergraduate school, it makes it harder to get into their graduate school. Is this true at all?"</p>
<p>Yeah, unlike the privates, UC's don't generally like to admit kids who attended their undergraduate college. This dosen't necessarily mean it's impossible... I know several people who have been attending UCSD for 8 years (Undergrad + grad)... I just know it's difficult.</p>
<p>"for graduate degrees, which is better: prestige or specialty? For example, I'm looking into becoming a pharmacist. UCLA is one of my dream schools and is pretty prestigious, while UCSD has a school just for pharmaceutical sciences. Which one would be better as far as getting a permanent full-time job?"</p>
<p>For graduate degrees... I would say specialty is more important. As you said UCSD has a school just for pharmaceutical sciences. I would choose UCSD right off the bat if I decided to pursue a career in pharmacy.</p>
<p>That cleared a lot up... thanks :D</p>
<p>But would transferring to UCLA hurt me a lot? Seeing as it's my dream school, I'd really like to go there even if it's for two years because I probably won't go there for graduate school. I doubt that I would get a better GPA at UCLA than at UCI, so would it just be better to stay at UCI for all of my undergrad?</p>
<p>Well, my advice is to see how you like your first year at Irvine. If you think it suits you and you can see yourself with a high GPA after 4 years, then there's no reason to not continue on for the next three years. But, if you still feel that UCLA is still your "dream" school, then by all means.. transfer. Transferring shouldn't "hurt" you at all. The only thing that can "hurt" you is if you do poorly and end up with a horrible GPA at UCLA. So.. my advice basically.. is go to UCI, see how you like it, and make your move from there. </p>
<p>P.S. - UCI is a great school. Don't be blinded by prestige too much.</p>
<p>Yeah, well after thinking about it, I think I'm going to stay. I don't mind UCI that much, it's just that I've been living in Irvine for over 15 years and I'm kind of sick of it.</p>