Uconn to Ivy League Graduate School

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Connecticut
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<p>(Please pardon my grammar, it has been a long day...)</p>

<p>So I know Uconn is the number one public university in New England right now, so let me start off by saying that I know that it's a good school with good advantages. However, I like to look at the bigger picture of things, and I would argue that graduate school is more important than undergraduate. I have also known that I have always wanted to go to some kind of Ivy league university for graduate school. As of now, during my senior year in highschool, this seems like a far fetched dream. Seeing that Uconn is probably going to be the school I go to, my real worry is Uconn itself.</p>

<p>I have recently heard that only about a handful of students who graduated from Uconn receive admission to Ivy League graduate schools. However right or wrong this my be, the source that told me this does have a point: even though Uconn is considered good by many in Connecticut, what are the chances of getting into an ivy league school after you graduate? Uconn is neither a University of California or University of Michigan, nor could you say it's even a University of Florida. My biggest concern is my future, and as of now, Uconn seems to be one of the only choices I have. </p>

<p>In all, I would like to know someone's opinion on this. My question is that do a lot of Uconn graduates get into ivy league schools for graduate studies?</p>

<p>Please, I beg you to not answer with bull answers like "college is what you make of it" or "if you try hard enough". My argument would be that to even have a chance, you would not only need to be in the honors program, you would have to graduate with a very good GPA, in addition to a lot of EC's and some awards. Even then, you would probably have to be ranked very very high up in your class. Even with these stats, I would still be skeptical.</p>

<p>Anyone have any insights?</p>

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<p>I would begin my assessment by pointing out that “ivy league” does not have the same attraction or relevance in graduate school as it does in an undergraduate program. The exception to this rule are the professional schools (medicine, law, business, etc). I would encourage you to look at graduate school rankings and talk to professors in the field to assess which school has the best program for the field you are interested in researching. They are many non-ivy league schools which provide top quality graduate studies. </p>

<p>You can certainly go to a prestigious graduate school coming from UConn, and you do not need to be in the honors program to do it. You do need a good GPA, you do need to do well on the GRE, and you should have done research (assisting, but individual original is a big plus; getting that original research published is an even better plus). You will also need very good recommendations. You are correct in guessing that some individuals (not all) have a certain advantage coming from certain schools, but you certainly have a great chance getting into a top school coming from UConn. I realize you didn’t want to hear the cliches you mentioned, but they are certainly true in this case. </p>

<p>Also keep in mind that most (not all) people will go to the graduate school at which they receive the most financial aid / benefits. This may not be (and often is not) a top-ranked school. Realize that if you are planning to enter academia, the graduate institution from which you receive your degree matters less than the research you produce and the number of publications you have. </p>

<p>I would be happy to answer additional questions on the topic.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response Philospher; you seem to know more than most people, so I have some confidence now.</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch.</p>