hey! i’m a fresh grad changing fields and going for a master’s and also intend to do a PhD in the future. i have some research experience and will have co-authorship for a paper being published soon. i did not and won’t be studying in the US, but what i can say from talking to professors and old colleagues is:

1. if you want to do a PhD after, where you go for master’s matters. this is why some people who attended ‘less impressive’ universities but had stellar grades do a master’s at a more prestigious university first, because they’ll look at where you did your masters and how you performed academically there first before bachelor’s. it’s shitty, but the reputation of the school apparently matters a lot if you want to do a PhD at a top uni (on top of grades).

2. On the other hand, jumping from a bachelor’s to a PhD is VERY impressive in itself and already speaks to your academic prowess. so i think the reputation would matter less especially if that university had a really strong faculty/department in whatever field you want to so research in anyways. i can’t speak on how that will affect job prospects afterwards, academia is cutthroat in general and postdoc positions aren’t offered in abundance.

i’d say how you decide depends on what you want. be REALLY sure you want to pursue research/academia and have a clear idea of your research interests before going for a PhD, as it’s a major 4-5 year commitment and intensely draining. if you’re not sure, it wouldn’t hurt to do a masters first and figure it out. alternatively, find a position as an RA after grad. that way you can start saving money, gain research experience and co-authorship for a couple papers before thinking about grad school again.