<p>If I dual major in Poly Sci and Economics at Penn State University, how good is that for good job placement or graduate school?</p>
<p>How about compared to UChicago or UPenn?</p>
<p>I am just wondering, because I plan on going to graduate school, and have heard it is where you end not where you start that matters. So if I can go to PSU for cheap, then get into a good grad school, will I be on the same footing as someone who goes to a better undergrad school and same grad school?</p>
<p>well from my POV, UPenn and UChicago are definitely high caliber schools, but its not really what school you go to but rather how well you perform at the school. Penn State is a good school and if you can pull a high GPA there you are in good hands. Make sure you give it your all and do internships if you can to boost your resume because that is what matters for grad school. I know I’m going to work my ass off in ugrad and do a lot of internships so I can get into Columbia for my MBA.</p>
<p>To answer your question: YES, with a few notable exceptions.</p>
<p>There are VERY few career paths that care at all where you went to school after you start working. The second you start working, the most important thing becomes your work experience. Unless you will be in a field where your past will be constantly scrutinized (like if your ambition is to be the president), Penn State is a much wiser decision. You can save your money now, and then go all out for grad school. Since Penn State is a nationally known and well respected school, you will likely be able to get into just about any grad school you want if you do really well and have a good resume as parikhs already suggested. I went to a state engineering school in CA for undergrad, and now I am going to USC for grad school (starting in 3 weeks!). It was a fairly easy and inexpensive way to go. I now have a full time job working next to MIT grads, because I did well at my school, which has a decent reputation for engineering. Bottom Line: Your undergraduate school is really not that important, and your graduate school is not that much more important either.</p>