The importance of where you did your previous studies when applying to PhD schools?

[HYHY02]

I'm about to begin my masters this fall, but this question has been bothering me so I thought I'd go ahead and ask...

 

anyways, I'm doing my Masters in an average Canadian school, the same school where I did my undergraduate. If I do go down the PhD route (which is what I'm intending), I also want to apply to some top schools in the States. Anyways, I wanted to ask just how important/what factor does where you went to school for your undergraduate/masters play when applying to some of the top schools in America? In Canada, I know people that have gone from little schools to the top tier ones and vice versa as they moved from one degree to the next. However, I don't know what factor it would play in my application in the States. Not only am I in an average school, it's an average international school, which I would assume puts me at a disadvantage when competing with other international students from top schools from their respective country, with all of us competing for the PhD position. It's bothering me that I feel doomed in regards to applying to PhD schools in the States before I've even begun my masters (even though I probably wouldn't get into any of the top schools I was potentially looking at, I thought I'd ask anyways about how big of a factor your previous school's reputation is...).

Edited September 1, 2013 by HYHY02

[dat_nerd]

The success of your application depends on, well, your application. Coming from a top tier university helps an applicant if one of their recommenders knows the applicant well, can write a strong letter, and is well known in the program of study. It won't hurt your application to come from a lesser-known school, but you may have to put in the extra effort to show that you took advantage of research opportunities and to obtain strong, positive letters of recommendation.

[juilletmercredi]

^ The above.  Going to a top school with a well-reputed program in your area can help you, but going to an average university won't *hurt* you.  And if you have an outstanding application you can definitely still get admitted.  Happens all the time.

[Sigaba]

I disagree with the previous two posts. Pedigree does matter for better or for worse, fair or unfair. Some schools have reputations that work to the benefit of their alumni in ways that are obvious and subtle.

That being said, I recommend that you not worry about it nor even care. Focus on the path you're about to walk, not the ones you didn't. Focus upon what you can control in the here and now.

If, down the line, a professor on an AdComm wants to bypass your application because you didn't go to Happyland University at Meniscus, so be it. You will vindicate yourself by kicking ass and taking names as a doctoral student at Somewhere Else College.

Here's the thing. A school's reputation is built in part by undergraduates and graduate students. Where ever you end up, you have it in you to be a feather in your department's cap.

[Guest |||]

Going to a more prestigious school could help you, not because the quality of education is worse (it could even be better) but for a few other potential factors.

 

The prestige of your school you are going to might matter in a minimal sense in that, if two applicants are equally ranked and, can anyone be certain that an oxford grad won't be picked over a grad from some never heard of school?  Maybe, maybe not, but we should be honest in considering admission comittes are people with their own views and biases.

 

 

But I think far more important than that, a prestigious school is often better funded and allows professors more flexibility with lab equipment, research time, etc etc - which could all splill over when you volunteer for research experience.  I would actually be curious in seeing what the average publication record of an undergrad from a top ranked school is to one from a lower ranked school.  On a different note, I had a chance to meet, and often my professor knew, other professors in schools I was interested in.  Going to a more prestigious school might mean more professors come to that university for guest lectures, or that your professor is better connected to other professors, in either case letting you meet people you are interested in or having someone else squeeze in a word. 

Edited September 7, 2013 by |||