<p>How much does where you went to college matter and affect grad school applications? For example, I am a UC Davis Mechanical Engineering undergrad and I want to go to one of the top 10 schools for grad school, Will the fact that I went to Davis which is only #38 or so on the national rankings affect my chances? Or is it purely about your research interests and internships that get you into grad school? </p>
<p>You can go to a prestigious grad school (Harvard, MIT, Stanford) from just about anywhere. </p>
<p>But you have to keep in mind the different opportunities offered at different undergraduate institutions. This was likely not a factor going from high school -> undergrad, but it certainly is from undergrad -> grad. </p>
<p>You must also remember that undergraduate students at said top school always have the advantage in admissions to the school of which they attend. </p>
<p>There is certainly a positive correlation between research experience and grad school admissions, but there is also a positive correlation between research experience and the opportunities available at your current undergraduate school. Therefore, it is much harder to determine whether your research experience or the college attended affect admissions more. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, there have been many success stories of students starting off at a local community college, transferring to some unknown state school, and attending a very prestigious graduate school. Keep your grades up and apply to many internships in your field. MechE is a rigorous major, but returns many opportunities even before you earn your degree. Plus, you are in California! The number of opportunities is endless! </p>
<p>Remember, engineering tends to have the highest grad school placement, but is also the most self-selective. Don’t worry about the type of institution you attend and focus on your future, and you’ll surely end up somewhere worth mentioning.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Can a UC Davis alumnus be admitted to highly ranked postgraduate programs? Absolutely, I’m sure it happens with some frequency! Will alumni of so-called elite universities have an admissions advantage (all other conditions being equal, which is quite rare)? Yes, they will. </p>
<p>UC Davis is an excellent school, you won’t be hampered by that at all. It is really all about how you did academically and what you made of your opportunities to do research. That is really all that matters for graduate admissions.</p>
<p>Thanks all. That is very reassuring.</p>