How much Does where you got you grad degree Matter

[HappMatt]

So I am graduating with a undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering and would like to pursue MEMS/NEMS. I have applied to grad school and got into one which is ranked around 100 in the nation( Louisiana Tech) and am accepted to PennState if i can find some one to RA for. I know in academia reputation is everything and thus I would like to go to Penn but that going to be tuff to find a RA position. I'm in at LaTech but am worried that once I get a PhD there my chances of employment my be significantly reduced due to them not being the big name that some one like Penn would be. So I am wandering what experiences others have had or seen out there that relate to this issue.

Thanks
Matt

[twofish-quant]

. I know in academia reputation is everything and thus I would like to go to Penn but that going to be tuff to find a RA position.

How much reputation matter depends on the field. In astrophysics the reputation of the school doesn't mean a whole lot, but the reputation of the advisor does. Things are different in other fields.

I'm in at LaTech but am worried that once I get a PhD there my chances of employment my be significantly reduced due to them not being the big name that some one like Penn would be.

Employment at what? Your chances at getting a position in academia are low enough so that this shouldn't be a major concern. Most industry companies don't care much about reputation of the school when it comes to Ph.D.'s.

However, some schools are better at placing alumni not because of reputation, but because the school has better career services and marketing.

[HappMatt]

thanks, I'm basically interested in BioMEMS field and while I am interested in academia, odds are I will go to industry so thats good to know.