<p>If so, how much do they usually care?</p>
<p>No. if by then you don’t shine on your own merits, a prestigious undergraduate degree will not help you. </p>
<p>Generally, it’s not really taken into account. It may be ideal to go to your state flagship or one of your less expensive options, since grad school is all that really matters for PhDs seeking jobs.</p>
<p>No, not really. However, that doesn’t mean that your undergrad doesn’t matter at all, and I still think you should choose your undergrad carefully (although not necessarily under the criteria the average CC HS senior thinks is important).</p>
<p>-Undergrad has an influence on whether you go to grad school at all, and which grad school you go to. Again, not by prestige - going to Western Washington doesn’t mean you can’t get into Harvard. But the quality of the resources and networks you have access to in undergrad will influence whether your credentials are strong enough to get into grad school and whether you get into a strong one. For example, my undergrad (a great LAC in the top 100, but not a CC Most Popular school by any stretch of the imagination) had a fantastic range of undergraduate fellowships paid for by the federal government that gave opportunities in research in virtually all of its majors. We also had a ton of exchange programs with noted national research universities and professors who were knowledgeable about summer programs and the vagaries of applying - but who were willing to work with you directly.</p>
<p>-You may decide to work for a few years before graduate school. You may decide not to attend graduate school at all, as a matter of fact. Most people don’t, and you can have a fulfilling career without a graduate degree if you don’t want one.</p>
<p>-Undergrad isn’t just about getting a job. It’s about growing as a person, developing yourself, learning how to be a good citizen of the world and of a democratic society. You do want to enjoy your undergrad, and you want to make sure it’s an enriching experience for you and everyone involved.</p>
<p>NOW. Anyone who knows my posts knows I am NOT advocating for attending an expensive tony private school over your state flagship university or lower-cost option, because I think the vast majority of students can get all of the above and more at their local state flagship and that no one should go deeply into debt for undergrad. What I’m saying is that it’s totally fine to also be concerned about those things when choosing a school.</p>