<p>Ahoy everyone. From a prestige standpoint, what matters more: where you go as an undergrad or where you go to grad school? If going to Big Name University is more important as a grad school student than as an underclassman, would it be better to just go to an "easy college" for 4 years to better your standing, GPA, etc. to get into a better grad program? Or does an undergrad degree from a more prestigious university increase one's chances for grad school more than the GPA? I have no idea...that's what all of you are here for! Thank you in advance for your advice.</p>
<p>i think in the end it doesn't matter. i've talked to some grad students, and it seems that there are plenty of ppl from both prestigious and non-prestigious places. it's kind of like college in this respect - there are ppl from top tier private schools and public schools in the slums in each university</p>
<p>what this comes down to is the same thing it comes down to for college - that a good a student is going to do fine regardless of where he/she goes. so, what's really more important is if ure smart or not. </p>
<p>but all other things equal, i think going to a prestigious place is better because ur probably going to be better prepared to succeed on a graduate lvl.</p>
<p>Well. I can imagine it's much easier to get a 4.0 at say, UCI than at Stanford.</p>
<p>Though of course, the disadvantages of going to such less prestigious schools include:
1) Harder to know "good" (aka prestigious) professors to write you recc
2) If you're Stanford material, I can imagine you being bored at UCI. Out of your mind.
3) Harder to prep for those grad-school-standardized tests, I can imagine. (By that, I mean, need more self-motivation to study harder on your own.)</p>
<p>From a career viewpoint in the academic world, where you went to grad school is not just the most important thing, it is the only thing. By this, I mean PhD's and certain prestigious MBA's. For your friends and neighbors, they would be impressed by a name school no matter where you went to grad school. If you are getting a masters in something like computer science, then job interviewers are going to be more like your friends and neighbors, although they will really care more about what you did on your last job than where you went to school.</p>
<p>In terms of getting into grad school, being at the top of your class at a prestigious undergrad college is best. However, it is better to be in the top of your class at State U than the bottom half of your class at a prestigious undergrad college. You certainly don't have to go to a fancy private school to get into a top of the line grad school.</p>
<p>Admissions to grad school, except in certain extreme cases, is much less insane that the mad dash for HYPSM when you are in high school.</p>
<p>I think that from a prestige standpoint, where you go to for grad school is undoubtedly more important than where you go as an undergrad.
It's like this... once you're in college, no one (basically, if you will) cares how prestigious your high school is.
In the end, select your undergrad institution in terms of fit. If your dreams are to go on to grad school, choose the school where you can see yourself thriving!
Yes, a prestigious school is probably going to help with your grad school chances; however, if you're not doing well there, you might as well kiss your chances of going to a just-as-prestigious or even more prestigious grad/pro school goodbye.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks for the help everyone. Now you can help me look at finding the best route to grad school. I'm not a slacker at all (my profile at this thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=118337%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=118337</a> ) OK, here's my next question: I know classes could be pretty tough in the UC system. Should I go to a UC like UC San Diego, UC Davis, etc. as an undergrad or a school in the CSU system, like San Francisco State? UC's have the bigger name (and probably lower grades) and CSU's don't have the name (and probably higher grades.) Your thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>I'd vote for UC, especially as UC San Diego is not bad.</p>