Why top college if you plan graduate school?

Law and med school admissions are quite different from PhD admissions. Great MCAT or LSAT scores are critical. However, MDs from any accredited med school will get a job. Lawyers have a harder time if they didn’t go to a top law school. There are a lot of nuances to grad school admissions.

Master’s programs are generally easier to get into, but not funded like PhD programs are. A PhD student will take 5-7 years to finish, but be paid by the school to teach and/or research, and get free tuition. Most master’s students pay to attend their programs.