<p>I was thinking about just going to a state school (University of Oklahoma) doing the honors program and living in the honors dorms, then going to a top ranked school for grad school; f and only if I make National Merit cause you get a full ride. What is the down side to this plan? I know there is a down side cause if there wasn't top colleges wouldn't have like any undergrads and my state school would have more National Merit people. My other plan was to hopefully go to Johns Hopkins for biomedical engineering, to pick a path of engineering or medical, I hope to do the same at the state school. </p>
<p>So what are the pros and cons of going to a state school (university of Oklahoma) for undergrad then going to a top college (JHU) for grad school?</p>
<p>Job applications, they MIGHT favor JHU over OU. But I’m not a hiring guy so I’m not too sure. And CC will haze you because you’re not going to a top 20 school like the elitist students hope to do.</p>
<p>State schools aren’t even a bad thing though - Rutgers is way up there in my college list and if I get in the 6 year program that’s almost a lock. Cheaper, closer to home, and everything else your heart might desire.</p>
<p>And I assume that OU girls are better looking. But that’s an opinion.</p>
<p>There are so many really great state schools! Like in Michigan, New York, Cali, Illinois or a bunch of other states (sorry I am not really familiar with Oklahoma). Of course those sort of are all top 20 schools, the ones that I mentioned I mean (oops). But really though, I know for a fact that many state schools give much better undergrad educations than many privates including (gasp!) a few Ivies. </p>
<p>Plus what really matters is what you make of your education and if the school you choose is decent and interesting when it comes to your major. </p>
<p>I have also been told countless times that if you are planning on going to grad school, then that is all that will really matter. The name on your degree from that school will be what impresses in the job market (and everywhere else, really). The most important part of undergrad is probably to make the best out of the education and be prepared not only to attend a top ranked grad school, but to get accepted at one as well.
Of course, I am not exactly a top authority on that kind of stuff. This is just an accumulation of advice I have received from everywhere I have looked.</p>
<p>I hope it does help though! Good luck wherever you go.</p>
<p>As cliche as it sounds, go where you will be happy. If you plan to attend grad school then that is what employers will look at more closely rather than your undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Having the money to do grad school, study overseas, take interesting unpaid internships over summer jobs, etc could make your strategy better than JHU. Taking on debt can affect your choices in grad school, jobs after graduation, buying a house, having kids, etc. </p>
<p>It is not necessarily a non-CC strategy. Look at all the kids going to U of Alabama and loving it.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with going to a state school, especially if you’re going for free. That’s a huge boost financially over a $200K education somewhere else.</p>
<p>You can do well at a state school if you make the most of the opportunities there, especially if you’re in an honors program. While the name of your undergrad school is sometimes important in job applications, it’s only important until you have a grad school name to replace its importance. Getting internships from a state school will still be doable, so this won’t be much of an issue, as you’re planning on going to grad school.</p>
<p>As much as people say that names don’t matter, they help get you in the door. Names might not help you keep a job or move up in a job, but they help move your application to the top of the pile.</p>
<p>More than moving your application to the top of the pile, a Harvard alum has access to a powerful network of alumni. Using that tool, in and of itself, puts them ahead of the game.</p>
<p>That being said, you would have access to that even if you did your graduate degree there.</p>
<p>Wait can you seriously get into Harvard Grad school even if you don’t go to a top college for undergrad?!</p>
<p>And my problem is that I think my state school is more a a party and drug school. Also that there are people there who had like 1.0GPAs and like 1200 SATs. I kinda want to be around “smarter” people. </p>
<p>Plus I kinda want to set up a life somewhere before I go there for grad school. Also in general how do you even pay for grad school?</p>
<p>^ Okay, ZombieDante I like you but the line “Wait can you seriously get into Harvard Grad school even if you don’t go to a top college for undergrad?!”… come on, it’s certainly possible, don’t scare me like that. Unless you’re being sarcastic. Then joke’s on me.</p>
<p>I’d imagine a school like Oklahoma would also have the mix of intelligent kids too. I never pictured it as a 100% party school even though they’ve got good athletics. Just find the right group and stay with them.</p>
My Dad, who came into the USA from India, did his Masters in VTech (a great school in its own right, but not a school one would put in the same league as Harvard) and went on to complete his PhD and Post Doc at the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School respectively. Certainly possible.</p>
<p>It is possible. Grad School is more oriented in your GPA and Specific scores for example: Law school. Harvard looks at your GPA and LSAT score more then anything else. Those two are about 90% of their admission decision. As long as you have those cleared, your admission isn’t hampered by the college you go to.</p>
<p>I am not a grad school student, nor college. Just researched it alot.</p>
<p>Professional school admission (read: law) is vastly different from an academic masters or doctorate. If he wants to do law or medicine the most important things, as you mentioned, are his exam scores and GPA.</p>
<p>If he wants to pursue business postgraduate work experience will also factor into the admissions decision.</p>
<p>So I should go to OU if i get National Merit, then go to a top grad school; instead of going to a top undergrad then going to a top grad for grad?</p>
<p>No one should shoulder themselves with an unreasonable amount of debt for an undergraduate education. </p>
<p>That said, if you’re reaching high for grad school or professional school, you will want to seriously consider the rigor of your undergraduate education and the opportunities available for research. The top publics certainly offer those opportunities; I’m not sure whether others do (simply because of a lack of knowledge).</p>
<p>You will see a higher proportion of undergrads from top universities going to top grad schools. That is, however, not because of the rigor or quality of the undergraduate education, but the caliber of the student body.</p>
<p>To put it in words that have been used before, a Harvard student at Oklahoma will do as well as he did in Harvard.</p>
<p>Go ahead and apply to JHU and to OU and to wherever else you feel like. Then in April, when you have all of your admissions offers and all of your financial aid offers on the table, you can make your decision.</p>
<p>ZombieDante – my father went to Witchita State University (88.6% acceptance rate, Critical Reading SAT: 470-600, Math SAT: 500-623 ), a school much worse than OU…</p>
<p>He was accepted to Yale Law School 4 years later. </p>
<p>Yes, he is a unique case, and yes law schools are different than most graduate schools, but you should go to an undergrad that YOU want to go, not because you think that a grad school might “like it better” Even if you are dead set on a specific grad program, your plans are probably going to change, so stop worrying about what grad school wants, and start thinking about what you want.</p>
<p>I would apply to an array of different schools and then seriously consider every one of your acceptances. Just my advice (and I’m an upcomming senior as well :P).</p>