<p>Hey guys! I am narrowing my choice down to Mississippi State or Vanderbilt. I want to do Biomedical Engineering (specifically tissue engineering), and I want to attend a top grad school in the field some day. As I decide where I am going, I REALLY like MSU. But does the name on the degree matter to top schools?</p>
<p>Vandy will cost me a little money, but State is paid for since I am one of nine Distinguished Scholars. Also I will have
-two summers of paid research (MSU has a tissue engineering lab on campus)
-stipend for study abroad
-special help finding internships</p>
<p>If I keep up my grades, will these incentives be helpful in getting into a top grad school? Or will the fact that I went to a relatively unknown school hurt? thanks!</p>
<p>If “Distinguished Scholars” is something that is not an internal fellowship or program of Mississippi State, you can always ask Vanderbilt for more financial support in light of that award. Its not really a good idea to pick a school based only on reputation, but Vanderbilt will likely have many more opportunities for you.</p>
<p>I would normally agree, but I don’t know how accessible research is to every student at Vandy… and I don’t know how I could turn down 2 summers of it, plus free study abroad</p>
<p>You should not turn down that offer from Miss State. They look at the quality of your research experience, and it seems like State will be great for you. I interviewed for neuroscience programs and only one person did an ivy league undergrad. The rest had interviews at ivy leagues but had great grades, scores, and research experience. Most students came from decent schools that had good research opportunities, but nowhere near ivy league level. Each school has its star faculty members that are well-known in the field. I am sure you will find at least 1 or 2 people within your field at Miss State that are well-known whom you can get stellar recommendations from. AT that point, your application is comparable to anyone else’s. </p>
<p>Where you go to grad school will matter more because then you really need to keep an eye out for quality mentors. FOr undergrad, it only matters because your opportunities might differ. In your case, it’s clear Miss State is where you want to be and where you will get a lot of opportunities. Just make sure you check out how solid State’s tissue engineering research is (so you can work in a productive lab), and be happy.</p>
<p>What you do in graduate school is more important than where you go, and you can go to top schools with a degree from Mississppi State. In fact, it looks like Miss is offering you more resources/opportunities than Vanderbilt. Those two summers of paid research will do a lot more for your CV than just the name “Vanderbilt” will do, as will studying abroad in a great program and getting a good internship.</p>
<p>FWIW I go to an Ivy League graduate school and I did my undergrad at a top 100 LAC - good school, but not top. No one in my cohort has an Ivy background; the closest are two Michigan undergrads. One person went to an undergrad I had never even heard of before. What was important to the school was their research experience before they came, and you look like you have a teriffic offer at Miss State. Honestly, this shouldn’t be a hard decision at all - there’s no use going somewhere just for the name, when really not only the money but the opportunities they’ve got set up for you at Miss State are what’s going to give you proper prep for grad school.</p>