<p>@PurpleTitan: I entirely disagree, especially because all my examples intentionally referred to first-tier professional schools (and their likely follow-on career opportunities), not to fully respectable Law and Medical Schools (e.g., those at most public universities) that clearly do not have the same level of admissions or the academic rigor. The simple fact is – all other factors being equal, which isn’t too usual – the applicant with (for example) a 3.8 GPA and an equally high LSAT/MCAT from the Ivies, the elite LACs, Stanford, MIT, Duke, Northwestern, Hopkins, Rice, etc. has a greater acceptance probability for the top-dozen law and medical programs, than one from most state flagships or other good/fully reputable – but not superior – undergraduate programs. Of course, this does NOT suggest that only alumni of elite undergraduate schools will matriculate at elite professions schools, simply that have have an appreciably higher probability of doing so.</p>
<p>I found the following analysis the be illuminating, particularly because it substantiates the probable financial ramifications of first-rate law and medical education: <a href=“http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/LEO/Oyer_WelcometotheClub.pdf”>http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/LEO/Oyer_WelcometotheClub.pdf</a></p>