Andrew84

Let me give you the situation: I'm a first year biochemistry PhD student. I was accepted into a decent program (my PI is well respected in our field, the university itself is "up and coming"). I have a 3.2 GPA and a 312 on the GRE. I like the program for the most part, but I don't like the reputation of the university. Many of my fellow students are lazy as are some of the faculty. I don't get the impression that graduates have gone on to do anything spectacular and I honestly don't want my PhD to bear the university's name. Even though my PI is well connected, I'm not how much her reputation matters versus the university's reputation. I have been considering dropping down to an MS and getting my PhD elsewhere. Would this ruin my academic reputation? I expect to maintain an A average in all my courses, so would this fact overshadow my poor GRE and undergrad GPA? I'm not aiming to get into Stanford or Harvard, but I would like to get into a school with a better reputation. Am I shooting too high? Would my PI's reputation override the school's reputation if I decided to stay? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.