Schools Bachelor from non-top-university lowering chances?

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The discussion centers on the concern of pursuing a bachelor's degree at a lower-ranked university in the Czech Republic and its potential impact on future PhD admissions at top global institutions. The individual contemplates whether to aim for a better university for their undergraduate studies or to proceed with their current plan, given that successful alumni from their local university have achieved notable positions, including roles at NASA and professorships at prestigious universities like Stanford. The conversation highlights the importance of research involvement and academic excellence as critical factors for admission into top PhD programs, suggesting that regardless of the university's ranking, personal achievements and contributions to the field are paramount. The individual seeks advice on the best path forward, weighing the benefits of immediate enrollment in a higher-ranked institution against the possibility of advancing through a master's program at a better university later.
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Hi, I was recently thinking that if I want to get PhD one day, it would be useful, if it was from a very good university. However, I live in Czech Republic and I'm afraid that doing my bachelors degree here (http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2010/subject-rankings/natural-sciences - 134 - Charles University) (which I would prefer) could ruin me the chance of being admitted to any of the top universities, let's say top 20. Since it's in Europe I can do my bachelors degree here, masters at a better university and hope it helps me.
Do you think that I should aim for a better universtity right away for a bachelors degree or is this fine for my plans?
 
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The best university in my country is ranked even lower (it is top 500), and people who studied Physics there have gone on to work for NASA or do a PhD at MIT, a guy who studied study computer science went to do his PhD at Carnegie Mellon and then got (assistant) professorship at Stanford etc. From the interviews I've read with those people they've all done a great amount of research and were greatly involved in Physics/CS in general, so you do have to be really good to get in. But it's the same at better universities, the difference perhaps being that it's a dog eat dog world earlier on.
 
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Thanks. This information is really helpful.
 
Hi all, Hope you are doing well. I'm a current grad student in applied geophysics and will finish my PhD in about 2 years (previously did a HBSc in Physics, did research in exp. quantum optics). I chose my current field because of its practicality and its clear connection to industry, not out of passion (a clear mistake). I notice that a lot of people (colleagues) switch to different subfields of physics once they graduate and enter post docs. But 95% of these cases fall into either of...

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