<p>I know. I'm another undergraduate student posting on the grad school forum. I am looking for insight I won't be able to find anywhere else though, so I hope you will give me a chance...</p>
<p>I am in somewhat of a unique spot: I just finished two years of community college, and am now starting my search for the perfect university to transfer to for getting my BS. I started community college with a pretty sure idea what it was I wanted to study, and over the past two years, I have refined those interests enough that I have some picture of what kinds of things I would most like to study in graduate school. I realize that my research interests will surely shift at least a little bit before I finish undergrad, but I have gotten to a point where I can read faculty research interest pages for schools I am looking at going to for undergrad and say either "Oh! that looks so awesome! I don't think I would mind studying that! I want to know more!" or "that is interesting, but I don't think I would want to study this subject in graduate school" or even "Boring!". </p>
<p>Part of me thinks that it would be a great idea to apply to the schools where research which I am really into is being conducted, so that I have both the chance to do interesting undergraduate research and so that I can develop a relationship with faculty where I might like to apply for grad school. But on the other hand, the schools which are doing research I like are also out of state, so I wonder if this opportunity might not be worth the extra money, and I also worry that perhaps if I attend a school as an undergrad for two years AND attend the same school as a grad student for who-knows-how-long, that I might become very bored of the campus/department/people.</p>
<p>So, I am curious to know what others' experiences have been: </p>
<p>Do you go to grad school at the same place as your undergrad? Are you glad you did? Do you wish you hadn't? </p>
<p>Do you go to grad school at a different place than undergrad? Would you have considered going to the same school? Do you wish you had gone to your graduate institution for your undergraduate degree?</p>
<p>Well I'm not a grad student yet but I do know that in some Chemical Engineering departments (including Stanford and I believe Cal) they actually don't allow you to get a PhD in their department if you did a BS there. After discussing this peculiar law with a couple of professors who both supported it they said that they believed that it would be a lot better for the student to go to a different department and to broaden their horizons.</p>
<p>This makes me wonder if grad school admissions is more favorable or less favorable to students who received their BS from the same school! I assumed that if you went to a school (and if people there liked you), that you would have a nicer chance at being admitted to the graduate program... But maybe not?</p>
<p>It appears acceptable for some majors but not for others. I think it's definitely good to get out and see new places though. The pure sciences it doesn't seem very acceptable, but in engineering it's fine from my experience. One of my biggest concerns in undergrad was "am I learning my major only enough so that I could pass a test at this particular university or am I actually LEARNING my major?"</p>
<p>Speaking about the chemE at Cal thing... I know several who did undergrad here in chemE but moved on to other very related disciplines e.g bioE, MSE, nuclear.. etc @ Cal. They do essentially the same research anyways.. So it's not like they bar you from going the same school. There are always loopholes. In graduate school, your research focus area matters about 1000x more than your major. For example, even if you were chemE and did biological research, you would be later recruited by biological focus areas. Or similarly, if you were mechE and did traditional materials engineering type industrial research (metallurgy, mechanical behavior), you would be highly recruited by industry in those areas.</p>
<p>^Agreed the same can be done at Stanford too. The point still remains that the professors I talked to sincerely do believe that you should not do this and encourage you to go somewhere new. I had a very frank conversation with one of my professors about this and he was very genuine and honest. He told me that yes I could apply to a related department (say MatSci) and it would work (it has been done in the past) but that he would strongly advise me not to do it. I'm not saying it can't be done or voicing my own opinion on the matter but rather the opinion of two of my professors.</p>
<p>The point of that rule seems to be too provide students with more contacts for the transition into academia. Though I have seen that sometimes the very top students are kept on at my college.</p>
<p>Hmm well then let me say that I would not decide which undergrad school to apply to based on my grad school choices. Honestly I would choose the undergrad institution I liked best and which I thought I would have the best chance to graduate satisfied with my accomplishments and experience.</p>
<p>Superwizard: That sounds like good advice. But don't worry... I'm not jumping to any conclusions yet... just realizing that there was more to the situation I'm in than I thought there was.</p>
<p>I think I will bring this up with departments when I visit schools this fall to find out what is standard/acceptable/recommended for my major.</p>
<p>For the sciences, I've heard the same. It's much easier to get accepted into a graduate program that is not the same as your undergraduate institution. Personally, I would never want to do my undergraduate degree and graduate degree at the same university. It's better to diversify your education. You may also have a particular interest before starting undergrad that develops into something entirely new by the time you graduate. In this case you may find a different university that fits your new interests.</p>
<p>Go to a different university for your graduate degree. It's better to have a diversity of ideas and research. I wouldn't want to have the same professors for 4+ years.</p>
<p>at Hopkins, if you do really great research as an undergrad and learn the system very well, your PI will have no problem keeping you for grad school, but will def encourage you to apply elsewhere as well and write nice recs. Maybe it is good for a back-up if your buddies with a prof. This coming from a ChemE.</p>
<p>I was reassured when I graduated that I would not be accepted into grad school at the same institution that I went to for undergrad (by a member of the admissions committee). They had some obnoxious term for this - academic inbreeding.</p>
<p>Any of this apply for humanities? Social sciences? What if you attend a large research university or state school as an undergrad and switch departments in the same school for grad?</p>