Get into non prestiguos graduate program from a non prestiguos undergrad?

b_r_um
Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:52:28 +0000

Wait, how are the odds stacked against you?

For example, professors in the top math programs like to swap their students for grad school. All of the American students who got admitted to Princeton, Stanford and MIT in my year had their undergraduate degree from a top 20 university. A prestigious undergraduate degree is not required to get into to a top math program; but students will have to work extra hard to excel with fewer resources and in a less competitive environment. (Don’t underestimate the impact of high-achieving peers.)

I am not saying that this is true across the board. But there are certainly circumstances where undergraduate affiliation has a notable impact on graduate admissions.