<p>Hello, everyone. I am new user on the forums so bear with me. Okay, so I am a 16 year old high school junior who is working toward earning an associates degree as well as a high school diploma. I have really taken interest in attending the University of Miami (I would be an out of state student). However, I am concerned about only spending two years there to complete my undergrad. I know that I could also attend grad school there, but according to what I have read and suggestions from others, it is better to get undergrad and grad degrees from two separate universities. Therefore, I am thinking about attending George Mason University (in state) to complete my last two years of undergrad and going to the University of Miami for grad school. I've been considering this route because I like this in-state college, but I also want to get out of Virginia. Also, I would hate to fall in love with Miami and have to leave to soon. Or, if it really isn't so bad, I could just go to UM for both undergrad and grad school. So, what do you all suggest? Should I just go ahead to UM to finish my undergrad, go to GMU and go to UM for grad school, or get both my undergrad and grad from UM? Your insight will be very helpful!</p>
<p>I disagree that it is advantageous to attend different undergrad and grad schools. What will matter most is how well regarded the grad school is in your field, if that matters at all. </p>
<p>If money is an issue at all, then attend GMU to finish your undergrad. Just beware that grad school and undergrad environments are really very different, even at the same school. (I went to the same Beg Ten State U for undergrad and graduate.)</p>
<p>U of Miami is an expensive private school. With good GPA and SAT/ACT scores you may qualify for good merit aid. </p>
<p>Finances? Major?</p>
<p>@Crazed, I am really, really hoping that I can get a great scholarship that will pay for my college expenses. I’m very optimistic about receiving one since my grades are really good, I have extra curriculars, lots of community service, and so on. Oh, and my major will be psychology.</p>
<p>Several things come to mind here:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As crazed said, its the reputation of the graduate program that matters. Usually people say that it’s good to go to separate schools for a diversity of perspectives, but you can get that in several other ways (a postdoc somewhere else, a semester or a year of visiting status somewhere else, etc.) Also, the diversity of perspectives thing doesn’t matter so much when your department is one of the best in the field. So if you wanted to go to Miami for both grad and undergrad, that’s fine. However:</p></li>
<li><p>Generally speaking you don’t select a PhD program for location. You select it based on your fit with the department and the research and resources offered there. (I am assuming that you want a PhD in psychology because doesn’t offer an MA in psychology, and MAs in psychology are pretty useless anyway in most cases.) It’s very possible in 2-3 years from now you decide that you want to be a cognitive psychologist and Miami doesn’t offer that. Or maybe you do want to go clinical, but you want to use a technique/approach that Miami’s professor’s don’t offer. It could be that the best program for you is in Michigan, or Indiana, or California.</p></li>
<li><p>If you really like Miami that much, you can always live there as an adult after you graduate. You don’t have to go to college in some place to live there. But even if you just really like UMiami as an undergrad, the grad school life is completely different from the undergrad life, so staying on for a grad program won’t really extend the experience.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My suggestion is that for now you apply to a variety of schools - UMiami of course, but also George Mason and some other Virginia state schools (UVa has an excellent psychology department, as does James Madison). Then see what financial aid you are offered. You can make your decisions after that. But if you want to go to UMiami for undergrad, don’t try to “save” it, just go there.</p>
<p>More competitive schools may not count all your associate’s credits, so I wouldn’t bank on graduating in only two years from Miami. Not sure about GMU.</p>
<p>^As NAval Tradition said, you would probably graduate faster than other freshmen, but in all likelihood you’d need 3 years - your credits won’t all transfer due to specific distribution requirements - an example: your AS may not require a foreign language when UMiami may require you to reach Intermediate proficiency (roughly AP level), for example, so even though your language requirement may be done for your AA, it wouldn’t be for the selective 4 year school you’d be attending - same idea with quantitative skills, Cultural Diversity, etc (each school has its own requirements). In addition, AA transfer equivalencies are usually designed for in-state public colleges, not for highly selective, out of state, private universities so your AA program isn’t designed to transfer everything to UMiami.
With your AA, you’d have a lot more flexibility than others, you could graduate early, and you could take more advanced courses, which definitely is a bonus for grad school.
Another example: if you got credit for “English 101”, you may still have to take UM’s First Year Seminar for example (even if you can “skip” it, don’t, since it’s a common experience for freshmen, designed to get you used to the specific college’s culture, expectations, etc.)
– like Early College HS and dual enrollment students, you’d apply as a freshman, which is GOOD since you’ll access scholarships that aren’t available to transfers.
Grad school is very different from undergraduate. It’s very focused and you don’t pick your grad school based on the whole school, just on the one program you’re interested in.
Furthermore, you can’t bank on getting into UMiami for graduate school. So, if it’s your favorite school, apply for freshman admission (along with other schools, since it’s highly selective - we don’t know your profile -stats, ECs, etc - at all).</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your insightful answers so far! Please feel free to keep commenting.
As far as stats:
I am number 3 in my class with a 3.8 GPA
I haven’t taken my SAT yet - I will next month
I run cross country, participate on the scholastic bowl team, and I’m a part of many different clubs and organizations</p>
<p>So, will it make sense for me to go to a university where all of my Associate’s Credits won’t transfer? I decided to do this because it was recommended to me by a counselor and I thought it would benefit me. Is that still true if I decide to attend UM?</p>
<p>It depends on your individual needs and wants. Some people don’t mind staying an extra year, and can afford to do so, to go to their top-choice school - so some people would rather spend 3 years at the University of Miami than two years somewhere else. Others just want to get done as quickly as possible, and would much rather spend 2 years at their state flagship. Still others choose based on finances - typically the 2 years at the state flagship will be cheaper unless you get substantial aid from your target school.</p>