What will increase my chances of getting into a good graduate school?

[zacha1211]

I’m currently in my spring quarter at UC Santa Barbara. While it’s extremely fun and I’m enjoying my experience I have an intense desire to go back home. I want to get a house with my childhood friends and go to CSU Chico. However, I don’t want to risk my chances of getting into a good graduate school. Does where you get your undergrad REALLY matter when applying for a graduate school? I’d like to go to a prestigious grad school if possible. I know ECs matter and research experience. I plan on majoring in physics and going to grad school for physics. Does anybody know if CSU Chico’s physics would be crippling to an aspiring physicist?

Thanks!

[NCalRent]

GPA and test scores are the primary determinants of admission to grad school. As long as you are confident you can excel academically, there is no downside to heading to Chico.

[hisllama]

If you want to pursue a PhD, research experience and GPA are going to be the biggest factors an admissions committee will consider. ECs and good test scores are good to have, but I would suggest you focus on your GPA and getting good research experience in whether you are in SB or Chico.

[juillet]

Where you get your undergrad degree does matter:

“Some, maybe a lot, but what you do in undergrad is way more important than where you go.”

…But it’s not the sparkliness of the name; it’s the familiarity with the department, the faculty, and the work and rigor that go into that program. If your field has excellent departments at Wisconsin and Duke and Michigan and Stanford, then if you come out of one of those universities the professors at your graduate schools know that you had good training at the department…So when your application crosses their desk, a lot of the things you discuss are known quantities. However, this does not mean that if you go to East Carolina University, Cal State Northridge, UNC-Wilmington or Loyola Marymount that you have worse choices of getting into graduate school…It’s simply a data point - one that’s taken into consideration. There are lots and lots of people who go to excellent graduate schools from these schools and other smaller regional publics and lesser-known privates. What’s more important is what you do.

However, I would consider whether transferring away from UCSB is really a good idea for you personally. Although you can go to an excellent graduate school from anywhere - and no, CSU Chico will not be crippling for an aspiring physicist - it’s not really in question that UCSB has a better infrastructure for research than CSU Chico, with more professors and more resources invested into it. UCSB has a top-ranked physics department; their PhD program in physics is ranked among the top 10-15 doctoral programs in physics. While you can go to a great physics program from anywhere, UCSB is really a great place to get a good start.

If you were making this decision as a high school student, I would tell you to choose whatever makes you happy. But you did that already, and it seems that you are happy there! I would encourage you to explore why you have a strong desire to return home. Are you a first-year student? Are you homesick?

Also think about this: if you want go to go grad school for physics, there is a really good chance that you won’t live at home anymore. You’ll likely have to move away to go to one of the top departments in the country, and that place may not necessarily be one of your favorite places to live. Now is a good time to learn the skills you need to make yourself at home in a new place, without the familiar trappings of home.