Colleges and universities earn bragging rights for appearing at the top of America’s Best Colleges lists, but what do these rankings really mean? What kind of impact does it translate to for the student who did… or didn’t…. attend an elite or nationally acclaimed institution of higher education? Does it make an impact as far as who gets admitted to graduate school?

I get the anxiety. After all, the competition can be pretty stiff, and getting an acceptance letter can feel like… well, life or death.If your college or university isn’t sitting pretty on the top of the U.S. News and World Reports rankings, you can breathe a bit easier knowing that you have not dashed your chances of getting into grad school.

Diversity

Diversity isn’t just ethnic/cultural background, as some people would lead you to believe. Your undergraduate institution also figures in as well. Think about it – we couldn’t claim diversity if every lawyer, doctor, MBA or Ph.D. came from Yale or Harvard or another Ivy League. Or if top ranked programs only accepted graduates from other top ranked programs. That’s really not how it works, plus how boring would that be?

Higher education beyond the undergraduate level has a whole lot to do with creativity, innovation, critical thinking and exchange of ideas. Graduate programs benefit from diversity that exists when you bring together applicants from a broad cross-section of America – and heck, the entire world, really!

Academic Record

If there is any area I’d focus on moreso than which college you attended or where they fall in the ranking system is your academic record while you were in college. What courses did you take? Were they academically rigorous? Did you take courses that identified as require course prerequisites and how did you perform in those classes? These factors matter leaps and bounds more than where you went to college. Whichever undergraduate institution stamps your diploma, make sure that they are accredited. Accreditation gives peace of mind that you have taken sufficiently rigorous undergraduate coursework to adequately prepare for graduate study.

Mine Your Social Network

To ease anxiety levels, do some investigation work of your own. A little social proof goes a long way. Ask undergraduate advisors or initiate a conversation with your professors about going onto grad school. Inquire whether they have ever worked closely with students who have already been admitted to graduate programs.

Regardless, know that you have not placed yourself at any kind of disadvantage. Also know that the successful aren’t only born and bred at colleges on Top Ten lists.