<p>So, this year's admissions decisions came in and I was a bit disappointed.
Didn't get in to a single school except UW and my local school, OSU, despite what I thought were pretty solid academic stats (3.98 unweighted, 36 ACT, 12 AP courses w/ 5s on all tests).</p>
<p>That's life, though.
So, I'm going to attend UW in the fall (which I'm actually very excited for now after reading a lot more about the university) and I was accepted into the honors program/offered direct admission into my major.</p>
<p>That said, I was wondering what the chances are of being accepted to a prestigious graduate school even if you don't attend an equally prestigious institution for undergraduate studies? Is it possible if you remain active in your community, earn a high GPA, write good essays, etc.?</p>
<p>Quick note: my dream graduate school has and always will be Cambridge.</p>
<p>I think this depends somewhat on exactly what type of graduate degree you intend to pursue, but, yes, certainly, UW is a world-class research university and it is possible to go on to any graduate school you can name with a UW undergraduate degree.</p>
<p>For a PhD, my understanding is that your undergraduate research experience and prof letter of rec, preferably from a prof who is known in the specific field where you want to pursue graduate research, are the most important factors in graduate school admission. There are plenty of opportunities for undergraduate research and plenty of profs doing cutting edge research who will be well known to the profs at top “prestigious” schools. The key is to actually participate in undergraduate research while at UW, and develop relationships with professors, so they can write stellar letters of rec and so that you can develop research skills and possibly contribute to one or more published papers.</p>
<p>If you are looking to pursue a professional degree (e.g. medicine or law), things are a little different, and my understanding is that GPA, MCAT, etc, will be bigger factors.</p>
<p>UW is a top world university and is recognized everywhere as a major research institution. Name recognition will not be a problem. However, to get into a place like Cambridge, you’ll have to be great from the beginning. Get good grades, get involved in research early, etc. Grad schools really don’t care about extracurriculars at all unless they’re related to your field, so while you should do whatever makes you happy, just know that being involved in something like student government or an anime club isn’t going to help you get into a top biology program (for instance).</p>
<p>Sorry you had to “downgrade” to UW, but it’s not a view shared by most. If you were attending Washington State you might have a valid concern. If you are Cambridge material then you should be able to run circles around the student body at UW and Cambridge will see that. I can assure you Cambridge does not have an Ivy League only requirement for graduate admissin.</p>