<p>If you want to go to a “super graduate” school in physics, you need to (a) get A’s in virtually all your math and physics classes, (b) have stellar recommendations, (c) ace the Physics GRE, and (d) put your name on a published paper. Basically, you have to demonstrate true excellence in the field, and it doesn’t matter so much where you went to college. Students from MIT aren’t much better off in this regard than students from Carleton: MIT places better because MIT attracts a much larger number of people with exceptional talent in math and physics.</p>