I am being told that the best undergrad schools that graduate admissions look at are small Liberal Arts schools and/or State U’s. Is this true, especially for Computer Science majors?
If you are going to be a computer science major, then pay attention to how strong a CS department each school has. Some LACs are lacking in CS, but some are very good. Many state universities have very strong CS departments. CS is also an area where employers care about what you can do, and don’t care whether you went to a “prestigious” school as long as you went to a good school with a good program.
If the school has a good program in the field that you want to study, then in many cases you can get a very good undergraduate education at either an LAC or your local in-state public university.
Also pay attention to cost.
No…the type of school you go to doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of education you get there. There are lots of places where you can get a good quality education - both all-around and in CS.
Last time I checked there were tons of CS majors at HYPSM that went on to top graduate programs, and those are not small LACs or state Us. What will matter in graduate school admissions a lot more than where you go to college are the following: your GPA, your GRE scores, your recommendations, your research and internship experience, and your honors and awards (especially if national or international). Getting a patent or starting a CS-related business or having other stellar achievements could also help. Other things that look good include experience as a teaching assistant or tutor, leadership roles and volunteer work.
The question you should really ask yourself is why graduate school? Most CS students do not go to graduate school. The job market is so hot that there’s no reason. That is, unless you want to get into a more theoretical, research based career. If you do, don’t do it for more money, because there won’t be any, just a different path.