There are warnings to not apply to the same grad school when you’re an undergrad there, but would the same hold true if you were to return for a doctorate? If you went to Stanford for undergrad, then came back for an MBA or PhD, would it be better if you went to Harvard, Yale, etc. for one? What about receiving a masters and a doctorate from the same place, or getting a Masters from MIT, then Princeton, and going back to MIT for a PhD?
I’m not even in college yet, but I’m just curious.
The reason to go somewhere else for grad school is so that you are exposed to new ideas within your field. However lots of people end up with more or all of their degrees from the same place because of their specific research interests and/or other factors in their lives.
Very often people complete both the Masters and Doctorate at the same place because it is not uncommon for a person to be admitted directly to a PhD and just pick up the MA or MS part-way through the program.
As a general rule, you want to try to go to different institutions to learn from different people, learn different ways of doing things, etc. It is often frowned upon to go to the same institution for grad school as for undergrad. I have heard this referred to as “inbreeding” before. As happymom mentioned above, a masters/PhD from the same program is not typically frowned upon as much as undergrad/grad at the same place.
It depends on the field.
In my field (psychology), nobody cares if you went to the same university for all three degrees if the program is highly ranked. If you went to Stanford for undergrad and your PhD…everybody would understand that decision. Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA, Harvard, etc. They’re all highly regarded programs, and by the time you’re applying for faculty jobs nobody really cares where you went to undergrad. Your PhD program is what matters.
There is the case of potential “inbreeding,” as it’s called, but there are ways around that - inter-university collaborations, postdocs, scholars on your committee, networking at conferences, etc.
There are other fields that may care more about it, but I suspect that if you’re going to a highly-ranked program or have an excellent, well-known advisor, it matters less. If you went and got your BS and your PhD in electrical engineering from MIT and you had publications and worked under a famous professor, I doubt that you’ll get turned down for jobs because you got your BS from MIT. (Now, some PhD programs don’t like to admit their own undergrads - they want to send them to other places - but you can ask about that ahead of time.)
I think the same is pretty true in business. Stanford and Harvard MBAs do pretty well regardless, and a relatively high proportion of Harvard MBA students were Harvard undergrads, etc. Why would a consulting firm or investment bank care whether you went to Stanford or Harvard for undergrad if you have a Harvard MBA?
A different side of your questions is this: do you want to do your degrees in the same place? the answer may change as you move through the process.
For example, you may get better funding elsewhere. My niece just turned down a very nice Masters-PhD package from her undergraduate (JHU) for an even nicer one from UNC-CH.
Or, as your research interests may evolve you may find that you are interested in work being done in another university.
It can even be as individual as preferences in who you work with. A PhD is a long process, and the relationship with your supervisor is absolutely critical. By the time you have gone through undergrad and perhaps a Masters you will know who your potential supervisors are- and you may feel like looking elsewhere!
Thanks for the answers everyone! From what I understand, it depends a lot on what field you go into, more than just a yes or no answer, correct?
Not to throw the train off the rails, but I just realized I have a bit of a problem.
I have HYPSM dreams, like most on CC do. My dream undergrad school is Yale, because
They are all great schools (obviously), but I have a few other problems with each (Yale included), but Yale seems to have no major problems that would change my opinion of the school.
However, I’m interested in the dual degree program at Yale to allow you to get a bachelors (leaning towards environmental engineering and philosoph) and a Masters in Environmental Management… But there is also a program for a joint degree, with a JD from the Law School(!!!) AND a Masters in Environmental Management.
I know I’ll probably switch majors, and probably won’t want or need the Masters in Env Man or the law degree, but I know I’m interested in getting a dual degree as an undergrad, so I don’t want to throw away a (possibly better chance than the average applicant at getting a) JD from Yale law school because of the whole ‘inbreeding’ bit, which I think holds some truth.
Can anyone vouch for another school, or another dual degree program at Yale that I don’t know of (like a BA/BS at Stanford, which I wish Yale had)?
Your post is so full of stunning statements that I went and looked up your other threads. I am relieved to see that you are a rising junior, because it gives you time to do some maturing and get a better sense of what you want. Right now you are all over the place (which is completely reasonable at this stage) and full of preconceptions (which is not reasonable but also not uncommon at this stage).
=>Work on figuring out what you are really interested in: you need to know what you want to study before you figure out whether a dual degree is the best option.
=>Keep researching programs and the colleges. Harvard as a 'rich white male school? 60% of students are on Harvard scholarships. From the Harvard website:
;
Come on back next summer when you have developed your thinking further & the CC community will be better able to help.
In addition to what @collegemom3717 said (all very good points), it is far too early for you to be thinking about this. You will gain a much better understanding–not only of what you want to study–but also of what is involved in any kind of graduate study, and for that matter undergraduate study, after you’ve spent a few years in college.
Stereotypes are stereotypes. Honestly, I find it kind of amusing that Harvard is considered a rich white male school…and Yale isn’t? They both have similar demographic makeups, and both are going to be teeming with privileged white students. I also don’t think Yale is any less (or more) focused on their graduate schools and research than Harvard. Both of them are elite research universities; if you are worried about attending a school where the professors are more concerned with their research than the education of their undergrad students, you shouldn’t attend either of them.
If you want to go to graduate school - particularly a PhD - a senior thesis shouldn’t sound intimidating to you. It should sound exciting!
I agree, though, that as a high school junior you are thinking about this far too early. Don’t select your undergrad college based upon where you think you might go to grad school. Pick based on your interests and fit; the rest will fall into place later.
Also think,of Smith for engineering.