<p>Sounds like a dumb question, but how important is it really which undergrad school you go to? Are grades at ANY college more important than WHICH college? And how much weight does the school vs. the grades have on admission to grad school or law school? Really need to know! Where can I find out? And, how about financial aid for grad school compared to undergrad? How difficult?</p>
<p>In terms of your career, your choice of undergrad school is important primarily if you do not go to graduate or professional school because it's the only school that will appear on your resume. If you do go to a graduate or professional school, that school matters a lot more than your undergrad school does.</p>
<p>In terms of financial aid, graduate school and law school are two entirely different situations. Graduate students (those working on Ph.D.s and some kinds of masters degrees) can support themselves by working as teaching assistants. This is where TAs come from. Law students take out huge loans.</p>
<p>Marian is pretty accurate. </p>
<p>Undergrad institution will matter less if you plan on staying close to your alma mater, even with poor grades (eg if you go to U of Kansas and end up moving to Kansas City, 40 minutes away.) </p>
<p>If you are applying to grad school or professional school, the biggest factors are Admission Test scores (GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT etc), grades, interview and experiences. Where you accomplished all this is a much more minor detail, and one that probably only serves as a last resort tiebreaker.</p>