<p>Is it easy for students (particularly cal engineers) to be a grad student at CAL if they were an undergrad there? Is there such a thing that the faculty and admissions try persuade students to attend elsewhere? Is there such a thing that a cal undergrad student would get an advantage over students from other schools?</p>
<p>Any other comments? Is this even a good idea to attend the same school?</p>
<p>bumpppppppppppppp</p>
<p>it'd be kinda boring to go to the same school for graduate school. but thats me. and that is my 2 cents.</p>
<p>From what I hear CAL discriminates against their own students for grad school. I think I read somewhere that the UC's prefer that you go somewhere else for grad school other than the one you got your BS at.</p>
<p>Its usually better to go a different university for grad school.</p>
<p>Ditto that sentiment.</p>
<p>why is it better to go to a different university? At my school, students who have above a 3.5 entering their senior year can use their technical electives towards completion of a masters, resulting in a one-year completion of the MS. Does this apply to going to a different school for grad?</p>
<p>Generally, you go to grad school to do research. Which university engineering dept. is best in that research is where you might be looking. Even Richard Feynman, physics guru, (sp) was told to go to a different grad school so he could meet and be exposed to different people and ways of thinking. MIT undergrad, Princeton Grad I think.</p>
<p>Ya, Feynman said that going to a different school for grad school was one of the best pieces of advice he ever got in his autobiography.</p>
<p>It may be better to go to a different school for grad work, but if you look at some of the top schools, most of the graduate student body are made up of their own undergraduates. Just look at MIT for example, they seem to favor their own undergraduates over anyone else. Same for Harvard. And as merman2983 said, most schools have some kind of combined BS/MS program to keep their own undergraduates in their graduate school and it is usually a very hard deal to pass up. So it's not such a bad idea to stay at your own school for undergrad/grad, it seems to be pretty common throughout the country.</p>
<p>At many schools, there is a considerable amount of inbreeding. It makes it a lot easier to get into the school, but think of the birth defects ;). My point is if you go to MIT is 10000x easier to get into MIT for grad school, but its probably more beneficial to go somewhere else. molliebatmit once told me that almost every MIT undergrad that applies to the grad school gets in :/</p>
<p>I am almost positive that CAL actually wont even let you apply to their grad school if you went there for ugrad, or at least they will almost always reject you. They aren't a fan of inbreeding.</p>
<p>I think if you are at least in the top 75% of your MIT class, you will surely get in their graduate program. And for Cal, I think they won't let you inbreed within departments, but you can always just apply to another department and do the research you would have done if you applied to your original department.</p>
<p>It's becoming more and more common for MS programs to be only one year, so staying in the same school won't really save you much time, if any at all. Personally, I would go elsewhere mostly to get fresh perspectives on things.</p>
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why is it better to go to a different university? At my school, students who have above a 3.5 entering their senior year can use their technical electives towards completion of a masters, resulting in a one-year completion of the MS. Does this apply to going to a different school for grad?
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<p>I think what people are saying (and I agree) is that, all other things equal, it is probably better to go to another school for grad. When I say 'all other things equal', I mean things like being able to graduate at the same rate (hence, no acceleration possibilities like what you mentioned), and equivalent program rankings, etc. If nothing else, you would be able to garner access to 2 different alumni networks. </p>
<p>To give you an example, I would say that somebody who graduated from Berkeley EECS for undergrad should probably prefer to go to, say, Stanford for grad (as opposed to staying at Berkeley), if he doesn't have an acceleration possibility. After all, Berkeley grad and Stanford grad engineering are basically the same in quality. And you'd get access to both Berkeley and Stanford networking. That's a lot better than just access to only one network. </p>
<p>Now, of course, if things are not equal, then that's different. Then you'd have to weigh what you are giving up vs. what you are getting. </p>
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[quote]
It may be better to go to a different school for grad work, but if you look at some of the top schools, most of the graduate student body are made up of their own undergraduates. Just look at MIT for example, they seem to favor their own undergraduates over anyone else. Same for Harvard. And as merman2983 said, most schools have some kind of combined BS/MS program to keep their own undergraduates in their graduate school and it is usually a very hard deal to pass up. So it's not such a bad idea to stay at your own school for undergrad/grad, it seems to be pretty common throughout the country.
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<p>I certainly agree that it's common. But that's not to say that it's really a good idea. I think a lot it has to do with sheer inertia - that people get used to one place and just don't want to leave. While I agree that change can be bracing, it is also usually good for you. It's good to mix it up and see different things.</p>
<p>I think it can be fine if you intend your terminal degree to be a master's. If you're intending to get a PhD, I think it's probably good to go two different places for undergrad and PhD, because a PhD is a pretty hefty commitment and in general, you want to meet and network with lots of different people in your field.</p>
<p>
I would agree with that. My fiance says that this year, all but two of the MIT aero/astro undergrads who applied for the department's master's program were admitted. But of course, the people in the very bottom of the class probably weren't keen enough on the idea of grad school to apply in the first place.</p>
<p>I just got accepted to my school's grad school like last week. I will have both BS and MS after 4.5 yrs, and I am doing research. It is a good deal. If I am going to elsewhere, it will take me like 5.5yrs total. And plus that I don't need to take GRE, which is great.</p>
<p>generally it's easier to go to grad school where you did your undergrad, but at top school, it doesn't really matter if you did your undergrad there. They view everyone equally.</p>
<p>What chaoses just said is not true in any way shape or form. Please ignore that, it is just the opposite of reality.</p>
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What chaoses just said is not true in any way shape or form. Please ignore that, it is just the opposite of reality.
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<p>I'd also disagree with most of what chasoes said (except for the very first part). From my personal experience (at a top school) there is preference given to people who stay from undergrad. Most who had good grades and test scores and wanted to stay certainly were given the opportunity to do so. In fact, my funding came about directly from the result that I decided to stay at my undergrad school. </p>
<p>I think this whole issue is more important in liberal arts programs where research and classes are more aligned with individual professors. In engineering, the material doesn't change. Newton's and Maxwell's laws don't change from school to school. Certainly some schools have stronger research areas, and that should be the number one priority when picking a graduate school. If your current undergrad school has a strong research area, then definitely stay there. </p>
<p>Networking is certainly important, but I still think it's secondary to making sure your research interests are met.</p>
<p>in US news graduate ratings book it said about 65% go to the same school.</p>