How important is your undergrad alma mater?

[Thedude22]

I have a lot of questions about the the grad school applicant review process but I'll keep this simple. I went to a third tier college, I graduated in the top 4%, have a 3.85 and have a history degree. I'd like to get my MA but I'm really only interested in top 30 history programs. I'm looking at these four schools right now, three of them are Canadian.

1. Northwestern- I'd really like to go here just because they specialize in African history, which is the direction I'd generally like to go in.

2. University of Toronto- They have some courses in colonialism which I have a great research idea about, also would like to live in Toronto.

3. McGill- Haven't done enough research but it's supposed to be Canada's best school

4. University of British Columbia- they've got some cool international relations/history blends and it would gear me up to work in Seattle eventually.

Anyhow none of these schools require the GRE and are all super elite programs. Their minimum GPA requirements are 3.3 and I have great letters of recommendation etc. Still I went to a very plebian undergrad and despite my grades I worry I won't be considered due to this.

[gellert]

What college you attended for undergrad is not nearly as important as what you did with your time spent there.

Did you get a well-rounded education in your field? Were you able to specialize your classes toward your field of interest or, most importantly, to get research experience?

The only thing I can think of that would make a big difference regarding prestige of undergrad is relative renown of your research PIs. If you went to a large research institution, you'd have more opportunities to work with people whose names are well-known and potentially get some very impressive LORs out of the deal. Also, it may be more difficult for adcomms to compare your GPA if you're from a relatively-unknown school to other applicants, as they don't know the quality/difficulty of your classes or whether your school tends to inflate grades or not.

Bottom line though is that there's nothing you can do about your alma mater now. Focus on your research experience and the things that you CAN change.

(Also, just a note: prestige isn't everything for grad schools, too. Just because McGill is a great school doesn't necessarily mean it's a great fit for you, personally. Fit is the most important thing grad schools look at. You don't want to apply somewhere if your research interests don't match. Not only will it decrease your chances of acceptance, but would you really be happy spending that many years of your life studying a topic that doesn't really fascinate you?)

[canberra]

If you can prove your overwhelming commitment in your desired subject areas (eg work, internships etc), that can help a lot.