<p>Top business schools don’t care where you go as an undergraduate. They are much more interested in what you have accomplished in the business or professional world prior to your arrival. </p>
<p>Top business schools generally expect you to have worked at least 2 and, on average, 5 years before matriculating. Some undergrad institutions have better recruiting ties to Wall Street, which generates a lot of future MBAs - but top schools don’t want to fill their classes with analysts either. Typically, you won’t even know where most of your classmates went as undergrads unless you ask, but you will become aware of their professional backgrounds and what experience they brought to the table as a result of class discussions.</p>
<p>My suggestion to anyone interested in a top business school is the same as my advice to someone who wants to go to an HYPMS: grades and test scores won’t differentiate you (and neither does the school name). You have to have accomplished something that makes you stand out, and makes you a desirable addition to the class. You need the kind of recommendation letters that make people want to meet you. If you are an analyst on Wall Street and 500 of your fellow analysts are all applying to HBS, you are going to have a very, very hard time making a case for your uniqueness.</p>