<p>I am intrested in going to an awesome grad school with a huge rep. b/c of the competition in Law. I am not sure if I should enroll at a prestigious undergrad or less prestigious. I could get more money at the less prestigious one, but how much does the name of your undergrad matter once you've complete grad? Any advice would be great!</p>
<p>Once you have completed grad, the name of your UG institution matters far less. </p>
<p>That being said, you should attend the institution that provides you with the best education and the best overall experience. If you believe it to be Harvard, so be it. If not, then that is fine as well. Don't choose based on "name" or wrongly perceived grad-school concerns.</p>
<p>Why not go to an AWESOME hella great college too, just to have enough time befor grad school to mature?</p>
<p>Take the bird in the hand. Some people say you can always go to Harvard for grad school. Sure, but grad school admissions are just as competitive as undergrad. If you want to go to Harvard at some point and you get in now, go now. You may not get in next try.</p>
<p>Are you talking about academic graduate school, or are you talking about law school (which is NOT usually classified as "graduate school"). If you want to be a lawyer, you should DEFINITELY accept admission to Harvard undergrad if you gain it. I have seen more than one advertisement seeking lawyers that specified that the law school graduate had to have an "Ivy League undergraduate degree," and I remember that students with elite college backgrounds did MUCH better at getting law firm summer jobs or prestigious internships, law schools being equal, than students with typical college backgrounds. Prestige matters when starting out as a lawyer.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I suppose I'll apply at the highly rated colleges for undergrad and apply to Havard, Stanford, etc....for law school when that time comes.</p>
<p>My advice:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>aim as high as you think reasonable; </p></li>
<li><p>apply to the best undegraduate institution to which you are admitted.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>It makes little difference whether one attends Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc. for undergraduate. Sure, there is a gap between Harvard and say, UCSD, but that is obvious. </p>
<p>Prestige matters, but law schools also care about the actual education received, and how well you do, and what you did besides academics. And that's not to say SYP don't have prestige. </p>
<p>Having a poor time in college will be reflected on your transcript.</p>
<p>Think less about which school is 'more prestigious' (or, in your case, 'less prestigious') and more about the school that has the most to offer you. That may not be Harvard; but if it is, why go to a less prestigious school that is ALSO less compatible?</p>
<p>And if it's money you're worried about, it might be better to ask this question once you're sure Harvard's not giving you as much as the less prestigious school (because that might be a really important factor in your decision.)</p>
<p>If you are thinking about pursuing a J.D., your Undergraduate degree doesn't really matter once you get in the field. Experience, talent, ability, motivation, charm, attitude, personality, etc. matter MUCH more.</p>