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If you’re great, you’ll shine no matter where you are. The top kids, the ones who are clued in from high school on out, don’t have problems getting into graduate school. But for people who are really-smart-but-not-ridiculous, and those who don’t come from clued-in families, going to MIT provides the kinds of opportunities that really make a difference.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s necessary to go to MIT or another top school in order to get into a great grad program, and of course there are plenty of anecdotes about people who went to East Nowhere State and got into Harvard for grad school. But going to a top school (and taking advantages of the opportunities that entails) absolutely helps, and it helps in a significant way.</p>