<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I am going to be a high school senior and I am currently trying to make sense of my college and career options. I am considering going to get my Bachelor's in some area of the liberal arts or social sciences and then moving on to ether get a Ph.D or enter law school, but it is still far too early to be sure about any of those things. I do have a couple of questions about the importance of undergraduate schooling in obtaining a graduate degree though.</p>
<p>First, how important is the prestige or "name" of where you get your Bachelor's in getting into good Ph.D programs? From what I understand, top tier graduate schools are incredibly important in getting a tenure-track position in academia. But is this true for undergrad study as well (both in terms of getting accepted to grad school and later getting a job in academia)? In other words, would I be wiser to spend my time trying to get a Bachelor's from a state university, a liberal arts college, or an Ivy?</p>
<p>Secondly, how important is the undergraduate major in getting accepted to a Ph.D program? What I mean is, can I get my BA in British Literature but then get my Ph.D in Early American Literature or even a totally different area, like economics or history? Even if I can do this, would it hurt the chances of getting accepted to a prestigious graduate program?</p>
<p>I'm grateful for any help and sorry in advance if this is overly wordy or confusing.</p>
<p>It’s less about where you go and more about what you do. </p>
<p>If your undergrad major can be applied to the graduate major, then you’re good. Certain graduate degrees require preparatory work in undergrad, so look for that.</p>
<p>Okay. So things like GPA, test scores, a thesis, and extracurriculars are more important than a college’s ranking.</p>
<p>And undergrad coursework requirements just depend on the program and differ from place- to-placef?</p>
<p>And thanks for the help.</p>
<p>If you want to read for a PhD, they like to see research outside of class. If you’re going to be doing a social science PhD, majoring in the subject should be enough. But yes, they look at everything. (Don’t forget letters of recommendation; very important)</p>
<p>Okay thanks ThePhilosopher for the very helpful advice.</p>
<p>Undergrad first: You need to go somewhere you will be happy, and study something you like. It should be someplace challenging, especially if you want to go to grad school. Undergrad programs can vary considerably, so make sure you pick someplace you like. I would also recommend you pick a school with several good program options - as an undergrad you are relatively unlikely to graduate in your initial major.</p>
<p>Grad school: The “prestige” of your undergrad program (note: program does not equal school!) will affect grad admissions in that it shows the nominal quality of your instructors and peers. That having been said, even mediocre schools can send people to places like Harvard and MIT. It is far more important that wherever you go you do well.</p>
<p>If you want to go to grad school, your early efforts should be towards keeping a high gpa and getting into research early. Later on you can worry about GRE’s, SOP’s, and LOR’s. Please note that neither your research nor your major need to align with your future graduate program, but the closer they are the better. In general, however, the only real problems tend to be when people cross the arts/sciences divider. If you have a BA it is difficult to get an MS, and vice versa - but even that happens sometimes.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: do not exist in graduate admissions unless you go for a JD or an MBA - even then I could not be sure. Your extracurriculars in college should be about having fun.</p>