Does undergrad institution matter? (article)

[OTgirl]

technically, the only one of does in New England is MA. Also, a lot of those top schools are actually cheaper than state schools if you are really poor- they can afford to fill 100% of demonstrated need. But of course few college applicants think of it that way...

Not just "technically" - New York and PA are not and never have been part of New England, so as a New Englander, I find it amusing that anyone would say Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania are the three states which come to mind when they think of New England. New England is a specific geographic region made up of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

I understand the point about the Northeast, though. But I think if you included some of the actual New England states in your list, you'd get an even larger number of "elite" colleges and universities being in New England. Think Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Wesleyan, Connecticut College, Yale, Brown (just off the top of my head.)

Most elite colleges and universities are need blind when it comes to admissions.

Just to add - it is well-known that the highest concentration of elite colleges and universities are in the northeast. Generally speaking, the elite schools are also the oldest schools, so it makes sense that they would be in this geographic region. Awhile back US News even changed their rankings formula because the rankings were supposedly too East Coast-centric. I think this brought some schools to people's attention which they would not otherwise know much about (for instance, Rice, Pomona.) It didn't actually change the fact that the East Coast has the highest concentration of elite schools, though.

Edited April 9, 2012 by OTgirl

[bfat]

Most elite colleges and universities are need blind when it comes to admissions.

It's important to note, though, that "need blind" when it comes to admissions is very different from "need blind" when it comes to aid packages. When a school says "Sure, we'd love to have you! You're brilliant!" and then offers the "aid" of a 30k PLUS loan, which your parents do not qualify for because of income level (or, in my case, having already signed several PLUS loan agreements for older siblings), it doesn't really help the lower-middle income students attend those elite schools.

[Shelley Burian]

That's not true. They're usually funded by the department or the university, especially at the top.

They certainly are. In fact, most people in the humanities are being currently advised not to undertake graduate study unless it is fully funded.

[sacklunch]

I'm curious what everyone's opinion is on those applying to doctoral programs with 'prestigious' master's degrees? In my field (religion) it is becoming increasingly common, if not the norm, to have one or two masters degrees. If one went to say a SLAC or a unknown state school and then went on to a well-known, top ranked master's program, how would that compare to someone from a top undergrad institution?

best

Edited June 9, 2012 by jdmhotness