Did it matter where you went to undergrad? Does it matter, on average?

[L'Arrogant]

As a student, I constantly think about the program I'm in. I'm an undergrad right now attending a school that's, while private and well funded, not much in rank. It is big, though.

I'm also enrolled in a pretty competitive liberal arts college. I'm actually matric there, but not attending for reasons that don't really have much to do with academics.

My question for you all: as people who have no doubt attended a variety of schools, am I going to miss out by staying where I am? Not necessarily whether a good gpa from a less competitive school is going to look worse to some future employer, but are there remarkable differences between curricula?

From what I hear, certain universities try to weed out, even intimidate students, while others are far too lax, inflating grades and ignoring material. From what I see, it's a good deal more complicated.

There is certainly a marked difference in student bodies, but I've heard time and time again that professors know their stuff in almost all cases, mostly because in math and physics the things taught at an undergrad level are often pretty trivial. Is this true? It seems to me that even very simple ideas can be delicate, and most importantly fundamental.

These seem kind of like annoying questions to ask when I see them written, but as a student I'm disoriented.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

These seem kind of like annoying questions to ask when I see them written, but as a student I'm disoriented.

It doesn't matter as much as some people will make out. If you're worried about differences/lacking in curricula, then why not do some work on your own outside of classes? When you graduate, things become less about what grade you got in a class and more about whether or not you actually know how to do the math.

 

[Fizex]

For whom are you asking your undergrad will matter for? If your college doesn't have the classes you need and your research interests then it will matter where you are going. For getting into grad school you will need to find a professor or two to advise you, do research with, and hopefully get a recommendation from. So yes it does matter, but most colleges have these things.