UW Undergrad -> Prestigious Grad?

triseradad
Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:20:26 +0000

I think this depends somewhat on exactly what type of graduate degree you intend to pursue, but, yes, certainly, UW is a world-class research university and it is possible to go on to any graduate school you can name with a UW undergraduate degree.

For a PhD, my understanding is that your undergraduate research experience and prof letter of rec, preferably from a prof who is known in the specific field where you want to pursue graduate research, are the most important factors in graduate school admission. There are plenty of opportunities for undergraduate research and plenty of profs doing cutting edge research who will be well known to the profs at top “prestigious” schools. The key is to actually participate in undergraduate research while at UW, and develop relationships with professors, so they can write stellar letters of rec and so that you can develop research skills and possibly contribute to one or more published papers.

If you are looking to pursue a professional degree (e.g. medicine or law), things are a little different, and my understanding is that GPA, MCAT, etc, will be bigger factors.