<p>Hi, I will be going to Duquesne University in the fall, and it was not my top choice by far, but I really couldn't turn down the scholarship, and I decided that the other schools I was deciding among were just too far away from home. I am just wondering what are people's opinions on how much prestige matters for undergrad? When I visited Duquesne, I liked it much more than I thought it would, but I still wasn't in love with it. I will be double majoring in International Relations and Sociology with concentrations in Humanitarian Aid and Social Justice. Obviously to make a living for myself in this area, I will want to obtain a Ph.D. Duquesne does have a 5 year program where I can get a masters in Social and Public Policy which I think I will do, If I stay at the university, however ultimately the plan is to enter into a joint JD/Ph.d in Political Science. Also eventually I would like to pursue an MBA in Business and Public Policy. Will going to Duquesne lessen my chances into getting into graduate schools like Stanford, NYU, Penn, Northwestern, Georgetown, Columbia, University of Chicago, Harvard.</p>
<p>Should I look into transferring immediately? I just feel like I'm not going to get into a good grad school because of where I went for undergrad, and in the field that I want to go into I really need the prestige of grad school. I can't seem to get this thought out of my head, and it really bothers me. </p>
<p>What you get out of college (and life in general) is mostly up to you. It is perfectly OK to follow the money. Here is a thread started last spring by a student who did just that. If you want an update, you could send a PM to the OP who is still active here at CC.</p>
<p>People will debate the value of prestige. It has some value but how much is difficult to quantify. However, I wouldn’t discount the prestige of your scholarship. I hope things at Duquesne work out for you.</p>
<p>No it will not lesson your chances at a top school. (Spouse and I have MBAs and an MA from schools on your target list.) They don’t care where you went as an undergrad, judging from where our classmates came from. They do care that you performed well at your school and they really care about what you’ve accomplished since you graduated.</p>
<p>I agree with happymom - it’s really about how you use the opportunities your are presented with. Use your summers to get internships, visit your career placement center early and often, take advantage of your alumni network to do informational interviewing in your field of choice. Use the connections that your faculty have (once you’ve impressed them with your intelligence and motivation). And use your extracurricular activities to develop your interpersonal, managerial, and organizational skills, to demonstrate your creativity and leadership, and to meet the kind of people who change your life.</p>
<p>I do not think it a fair statement to say that prestige does not matter. For example, every justice currently sitting on the United States Supreme Court attended law school at either Harvard or Yale.</p>
<p>So although I think presitge is something worth considering, it is only one of a number of factors to consider. For the OP, there is the cost of a college education, distance from home and the prestige of a scholarship. Also worth noting is that prestige is not a guarantee of future success - I agree with happymom and M’s Mom that it’s really about how you use the opportunities you are presented with.</p>
<p>“I do not think it a fair statement to say that prestige does not matter. For example, every justice currently sitting on the United States Supreme Court attended law school at either Harvard or Yale.”</p>
<p>OP didn’t ask if the prestige of your graduate school matters. OP asked if the prestige of the undergrad school matters. It does only at the margin if you go to grad school.</p>
<p>Law firms and law schools may be more prestige conscious. Students in the top MBA programs were educated in a wide range of schools. Admissions were generally based on what they had accomplished professionally since leaving school, and what they planned to do in the future. Start a business, inherit a business, rise meteorically in an existing company or organization, have a compelling vision…this is what matters to business schools.</p>