<p>What is everyone's opinion on the importance of the prestige of where you go for undergrad as far as future job prospects or getting into a fairly good graduate school?</p>
<p>No one every asks me about where I went to under grad.
In my case, my quirky, not-brand name, state undergrad program let me shine. I got great recs and went to a top of the line grad program.</p>
<p>Usually top grad. schools pull a larger number of students from well known college than less known colleges.</p>
<p>It definitely helps; but isn't absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>It's overrated. It's nice if you can afford it or get the aid. It is not worth going into big debt for.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that students who get into top colleges are probably more likely to attend top graduate schools simply based on ability and inclination. Top students are usually found in higher concentrations at top institutions. But a student with good grades and top GRE/MCAT/whatev scores is not going to be rejected based on where he went to school.
Also, the education is more similar than different among major universities. Physics or calculus is the same whether you learn it at Frostburg State or at Harvard. You might even use the same textbook.
Smart, hardworking people can do what they need to do virtually anywhere at an undergraduate level. Choosing which school's program matters more at the graduate level where content is more specific or facilities are more different.</p>
<p>Somebody once told me that the first thing a person wants to know about you in the West is what your leisure activities are; in the Midwest it's what kind of car you drive; in the Northeast it's where you went to college. I have found this to be fairly accurate. It would be interesting if the people who have an opinion on the OP's topic would identify where they are from.</p>