<p>So, if you go to maybe a lesser known college, will that affect your chances in getting into a top grad school for PhD? And not even that, but will it affect your chances in getting into a good state university program? How much does institution matter in the PhD admissions process? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>What matters is the strength of the program and your opportunities within that program.</p>
<p>What I mean by that is, if your “lesser-known college” has a great department in your field, and you leverage those resources, there’s no reason you can’t end up at a strong graduate institution.</p>
<p>Conversely, if your goal is to pursue a Ph.D in, say, fisheries ecology, and your “lesser-known college” doesn’t have any faculty who specialize in fisheries ecology… you will likely have a more difficult time making the connections and finding research opportunities necessary for doctoral admissions.</p>
<p>Okay, I’m most interested in an MD/PhD program which are extremely competitive. Say I go to Roanoke College or High Point University (two schools that aren’t in the top tier), and I do substantial research, maybe published, a 3.8+ GPA, and a 36+ on the MCAT. Would going to colleges such as these handicap my chances, or do admissions officer pay more attention to stats and research?</p>
<p>My main reason for not wanting to go to a top tier school is financial. I can’t afford $20,000 a year for my state school, UVA, and I definitely can’t afford the Ivies or top ranked privates. That is why I am targeting schools that I could get full tuition to full ride scholarships. Some other schools I’m considering are Clemson, University of Alabama, Furman, University of Kentucky, Delaware, UNC-Charlotte, NC State, University of Richmond and University of South Carolina to name a few. The least known ones would be Rollins, Appalachian State, and JMU. Would these schools be fine for an aspiring MD/PhD applicant?</p>
<p>You should check what schools students who get an undergraduate degree at the school you are considering go on to for advanced degrees. My son was considering Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo for Physics, because of cost (CSU rather than UC) and because overall it is a great school. It is an undergraduate only institution, so he was hoping to go to a University of California for a graduate degree. He visited the Physics department and they were very nice. His cousins both went to the college of engineering at Cal Poly and Stanford for their advanced degrees. However, he noticed that most of the physics graduates going on to an advanced degree were going to other CSU’s. When we toured UC Berkeley and asked if they thought they would accept a Cal Poly student for an advanced degree, they replied that they only considered students who had attended a Research 1 institution (which Cal Poly is not).</p>
<p>Not all top programs are as short-sighted as UCB in this. In my experience as a physics advisor, strong letters plus significant research experience (even with summer REUs) coupled with a strong Physics GRE will get a student into a top 20 physics program.</p>
<p>The very “top” programs are highly competitive and sometimes the decisions on who is admitted and who is not can be more a question of fit than quality. </p>
<p>In @cmarshall497’s case, he wants to go to an MD/PhD program and there the most important things are the MCAT scores and the interview. medical schools tend to be less hung up on the undergraduate institution than physics departments…</p>
<p>I don’t think going to a flagship state university would hinder your chances of getting into a PhD program.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any questions about Clemson!!</p>