<p>I agree with this … with one caveat … if you go to the less demanding school you need to hit the road running and get great grades from the get-go … that was the implied point to my previous point … at a top grad school the expectations for applicants from less challenging schools is that the applicant has terrific grades; there appears to be less less slack for a ramp up of grades over time compared to students who attended tougher undergrad schools.</p>