How big of an impact does undergraduate school prestige impact grad school admission?

<p>How much does the prestige/reputation of a student's undergraduate institution impact a student's chances of getting into a top graduate school?</p>

<p>This has been asked so many times, please do a search.</p>

<p>Many people say that it doesn’t matter, many people say that it does. </p>

<p>All I can say from experience is that I went to a Tier 3 School and got accepted to several top 20 graduate schools in my field (accounting). My stats were nearly identical to those of the accepted student profiles provided by the universities.</p>

<p>It’s a small to non-existent factor in my opinion.</p>

<p>I think it plays a role in grad school admission. Stanford Grad, will most likely not accept someone from Cal State San Bernadino, because there classes, arent up to Stanford standard. Unfortunatley its true.</p>

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<p>Just wondering, is English your first language? No disrespect intended–just had trouble reading your post with the punctuation.</p>

<p>“Unfortunatley” for SeattleBulldog, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Don’t listen to him.</p>

<p>My dad has a BA in anthropology from Cal State-Northridge, nobody’s idea of a prestigious school. His Ph.D in paleontology is from UC Berkeley.</p>

<p>I have always been told by professors that it’s not what school you’re from, but what you have accomplished while you’re there. I believe this to be true!</p>

<p>The answer is not a simple one. This thread is just one of many that discusses the issue in some depth:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/1131892-how-much-does-prestige-matter-your-opinion-undergrad.html?highlight=prestige[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/1131892-how-much-does-prestige-matter-your-opinion-undergrad.html?highlight=prestige&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Apparently being the son of a Ph.D. Scientist doesn’t mean that you understand science. One anecdote does not prove much of anything; after you take a large sample size, run a statistical analysis, and see that undergrad institution doesn’t make a difference then maybe you can say something.</p>

<p>Short answer: it’s not the prestige but rather the quality of your undergraduate education. Going to a prestigious university doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get quality experience, and going to a third-tier one doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a subpar education. The difference is the availability of opportunities and the level of advising. </p>

<p>In either case, you’ll have to prove that you are well-prepared for graduate school.</p>

<p>Funny, someone calling for data when the OP presented none of his own. Just a flat pronouncement that “top” schools won’t accept students from “lowly” CSUs, without even an anecdote to back up your claim. Where’s their peer-reviewed statistical analysis?</p>

<p>SeattleBulldog made it sound impossible. Frankly, it’s not even close to impossible. What matters is not the name on your diploma, but what’s behind that diploma. Research experiences, personal interests, coursework, etc.</p>

<p>Gradcoms are not made up of College Confidential users. They are not so shallow as to be deluded into thinking that if you don’t go to “HYPSMOMG,” you’re third-class trash. Real professors know that quality students can come from anywhere.</p>

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I’m always bemused by posters presenting as evidence people who acquired their PhDs 30 or 40 years ago – as if that has anything at all to do with the state of admissions today. There are many more applicants to graduate programs (both because of the increased number of college graduates and the unstable job market) and fewer spots available (thanks to funding shortages). One of the leading specialists in my field majored in an unrelated humanities field (German) and got into a top notch graduate program. If he applied today, his application would land in the auto reject pile thanks to his lack of appropriate language preparation. Times change.</p>

<p>In any case, it seems it is highly field specific. My impression is that certain fields are more egalitarian than others. My own field (in the humanities) is almost exclusively composed of graduates from top universities (Berkeley, Hopkins, Yale, Brown, etc.) because its selectivity creates high language and research pre-reqs; most universities simply don’t have those offerings. Successful applicants from other colleges have almost invariably spent time either at one of these universities as visiting students or in a master’s program that acts as a feeder to the more elite PhD programs. It should be emphasized, however, that even when programs consider an applicant’s college, it is the program strength that matters, not the school’s overall prestige. </p>

<p>On the other hand, other fields - like environmental policy at my alma mater - seem to be much more interested in work experience than the reputation of one’s undergraduate college. So, I think it very much depends on what you want to do. </p>

<p>One opinion on math:

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<p>A professor at UC Riverside on philosophy:

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<p>An opinion on biology:

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<p>My dad earned his Ph.D less than 25 years ago, not “30 or 40.”</p>

<p>The correct answer is it depends. The more correct answer also discusses what it depends on.</p>

<p>Admissions changes from school to school, and even from year to year. It almost wholly depends on the subset of the faculty who volunteered or were assigned to do admissions. Different professors have different philosophies and will rate applicants differently. There’s no one hard answer to your question. Admissions is a very human process!</p>

<p>Also, it’s difficult to give a good answer without a good idea of what a ‘good’ school is. For example, is University of Florida a good school? It’s top 100 but not top 10. Yet I know multiple people from UF who got into my top tier graduate program.</p>

<p>I think everyone will agree that going to a top 100 instead of top 10 school will not prevent you from attending top graduate programs. Whether that choice makes it easier or harder is tougher to say.</p>

<p>My personal advice is that you should go wherever you think will grow the most as a person/scholar/bank account. Worry about the future later. Those doors will stay open.</p>