<p>I just transferred to SFSU, which doesn't have the best reputation. If I get a high GPA, what are the odds of getting into a good grad school (either Ivy League, or well-regarded public one, like UCLA or NYU)?</p>
<p>My transcript will have alot of transfer credit from different institutions - I went to school outside the US, so I can transfer in some of my high school work for credit, various courses I did in my gap year, aswell as work from the uni I transferred from. So, I'm worried I'll end up with a 'patchwork' transcript - would grad schools be put off by this?</p>
<p>It really all depends, see. Your application is a narrative you can mold and explain through your SOP but will come from your own experience, research and learning experience. SFSU has some very well known departments. So it depends on your department, perhaps. </p>
<p>Well regarded for grad school depends on your field and the grad program, not on the reputation of the undergraduate college. Grad schools won’t care about your high school work. Your college work will be what is important. Use any AP to skip prereq’s and take more advanced classes in that area.</p>
<p>If ‘prestige’ is so important, why didn’t you get it as an undergrad? really?? To get into top programs in your field will be competitive and you need to have the goods. Not just chasing a trophy, but really know what you want, who you want to study with, what is the best program for you and what you bring to the program. Of course get the top GPA if you can, duh.</p>
<p>Want a good story? I’m at SJSU (which has a similar reputation, at least in humanities) and I just got accepted at an Ivy grad school. I also had 6 different transcripts and a very uneven record. Oh, and my cum GPA is a 2.7 – it was very low before, but has been high since I returned to school. </p>
<p>So yes, it’s possible. There are a lot of factors involved, but it’s not completely impossible.</p>
<p>I went to a community college, scraped out of an un-prestigious Western state flagship with a 3.0mumblemumble - and have been accepted to every program I applied to, including four Top 35 publics.</p>
<p>Worry not about the name on your diploma - worry about building research experience and developing a rapport with professors who will write you letters.</p>
I also had 6 different transcripts and a very uneven record. Oh, and my cum GPA is a 2.7 – it was very low before, but has been high since I returned to school. </p>