I agree and have encouraged my daughter to attend a school that will put her in the best position for grad school. However, your story leaves out the fact that most PA programs nationwide now have roughly 1500-1800 applications annually for approximately 50 seats. This leaves out many over-qualified students from acceptance and is strictly a function of capacity. The same is now true for PT programs also. My point is that it may have nothing to do with the rigor of their undergrad program and may strictly be numbers. A 3.6 is a fantastic undergrad GPA and SHOULD be enough, but with the nature of acceptance these days into health professions, it is not.
Yes, a 3.6 GPA is an excellent score however the curriculum at Sacred Heart University (SAT Two-Way Admission Average = 1000 Combined) is viewed as inferior.
Hence, her "free" college experience left this talented student short when it came to getting into a named graduate school. [Side Note : One of the schools with a strong PA program that waitlisted this candidate was indeed Hofstra University.] Free is not always free.
Here is another point of view from a business owner...
I do not necessarily weigh the undergraduate degree nearly as much as the graduate. News to many but the corporate world will tell you it almost doesn't matter WHERE you get your BA from it matters how well you performed in it's quest. I weigh your Masters degree school of choice far more. My advice is to do your best to graduate with as little debt from your undergrad program and spend your money on your grad work. This means "take the offer with the most to offer". I know there will be those who do not agree with this approach and that's fine, but if you check with corporate HR's and head hunters it will prove to be valuable.
I have to disagree with you and I'm in the corporate finance/law field.
The corporate world and the federal government (FBI, CIA, NSA type) care where you graduated from. The strong alumni from certain schools also count as well. They send their headhunters to these schools and these schools monopolize internships.
For example, from a SUNY perspective, my firm (and others) don't even look unless it is Geneseo, Binghamton or Buffalo.
