I am an applied mathematics major at Coastal Carolina University and I anticipate finishing with well above a 3.7 GPA. Assuming everything else goes well, would it be possible for me to get into a good, well-known, graduate school? I am asking this question because I am aware of the reputation Coastal has, and I am hoping that will not effect my chances of getting into a selective graduate school. Thank you.
At my graduate school (the best graduate school in the country for a given field) we have students from large state schools (like myself), students who did two years at CC then transferred to a 4 year university, students who went to small private schools I’ve never heard of, students who went to small public schools I’ve never heard of, students who went to top LAC, and students who went to Ivy League schools.
In undergrad, do well. Keep your GPA up. Do research with a professor. Research is paramount to getting into grad school, especially a good grad school.
Admissions officers for grad schools are in the business of knowing undergraduate institutions, so "unknown " should not be an issue.
As @mademoiselle2308 points out, there are a lot of elements that matter for grad school admissions. Depending on what you apply to study in grad school, subject-specific GRE, general GRE or GMAT exams may be in your future. Summer work- and the recommendations they bring- in your field (internships) will also matter.
Every school has it’s stars: be one of them at Coastal. Get to know your profs: students sometimes forget that their success is one of the satisfying things about teaching! Most profs are only too delighted to have students who genuinely want to shine in their field- be one of them.
If you meet admissions criteria nicely and do very well on the GRE you have a god chance. There aren’t many schools who lack a reputation.
Checking out you school should be easy.
It should not hurt you.
For general graduate school preparation in mathematics, it might be recommended that you elect courses in complex analysis, topology and functional analysis, should they not be required by your department. However, I’m not certain that these courses would be relevant for an MS in applied mathematics. In any event, materially academic factors such as this would seem to be at least as important as the particular undergraduate school of attendance for graduate school applicants.