Hello. I am a second year junior at UC-Riverside. I’ve been told that my school is “trash” and lacks a good reputation. When I tell others where I go they automatically think I’m an imbecile. I was a hard working student in high school and graduated in the top 9%. However, I myself struggle at UCR and have to work super hard to get at least a B+ in my courses. So it saddens me when people think my grades and effort have no value compared to a student at Cal or UCLA.
I am planning to apply to graduate schools (only in California) that are super competitive and based from others’ opinions I won’t have much of a chance to get in.
I was thinking of transferring to another UC, perhaps San Diego. However, I am already on track towards graduating early at Riverside that I don’t want to slow down the process.
I am determined to raise my GPA and I’ve been also involved in volunteering as well. I don’t think it’s fair that being a UCR student won’t let me “reach my full potential” (actual words I’ve seen on this site).
It really comes down to what the grad schools in question are looking for. Your GPA, test scores, essays, research, experience, and other materials are really the determining feature. See if you can find recent class profiles for the programs you’re interested in and see how you stack up.
Attending UC-Riverside should not preclude you from consideration from a competitive grad program. It will boil down to how YOU do at the school, how YOU do on standardized tests, what experiences YOU have gained through summer work/internships etc, YOUR involvement at school (including any research opportunities, leadership positions etc.) and YOUR application (essays, LORs etc.),
No, of course not. Even if you were going to a generally less prestigious school - let’s say, Cal State Northridge or something - that wouldn’t preclude you from going to a top graduate school. But on top of that UC-Riverside is an excellent research university with a great reputation.
I don’t know who is telling you that your school is “trash” or thinks you’re an imbecile for going there, but whoever they are you should ignore them. At best, they don’t know what they’re talking about, and at worst, they’re trying to gaslight you.
Also
The people who are giving you opinions - are they in any place to actually judge? In other words, do they do graduate admissions, or are they familiar in graduate admissions in other ways, or do they have the degree you’re seeking? If they are random high school classmates of yours you should doubly ignore them.
I agree with the above comments. Also UCR is a well respected research institution. Try to do well in the standardized graduate admission tests, i.e, GRE, LSAT, etc. and you should be fineh Some of those at UCB or UCLA might be struggling, especially at Cal where the bell curve grading is harsh.
if you mean a professional school like law or medicine you can find plenty of material online and at your career center on how to prepare. If you are talking a PhD then the TAs in your classes are grad students who have done exactly what you plan and can give you advice. You should also talk to your profs, and in any event getting to know some profs well so you get strong and personalized recs is going to be needed for any kind of grad school.
At least one possibility is you never learned to study effectively. Many kids do well in HS with native smarts and some hard work, but unless you have somehow picked up effective study skills this often isn’t enough in college. I suggest reading thru the book “Make it Stick” which is about the science of learning and has tips specifically for college/HS students.
Go to the websites of the graduate programs you are interested in applying to later, and see what they are looking for in applicants. The websites will often provide a lot of tips and guidance for what to accomplish as an undergraduate to be a competitive applicant.