Applying to UG school?

[ccouniha]

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Hey everyone,

I'm a senior this year and finalizing the list of clinical PhD programs that I'll be applying to in the fall. Here's the deal: I would absolutely love to stay at the school I'm at now - it would be the ideal situation. I've been working in a clinical lab for the past 1.5 years (so far) and I love my advisor as well as the research we're doing. However, I plan on asking him to write a LOR (which will probably be my "main" letter).

I know it's probably not common to stay at your undergrad institution. However, I know of a girl in another lab who had her advisor write a LOR, then applied and asked to work with her, and got in. So I know it is possible.

So here are my questions:
- Would I be putting my advisor in an awkward position if I apply to work with him?
- Is it weird that I am asking him to be one of my LOR writers, and then I apply to work with him?
- When I talk to him about it, should I ask about the LOR first? Or should I ask about applying to the program first? Or should I do both and ask him what he thinks?
- Is it generally frowned upon to do this?

Thanks a lot! I don't know if there are certain rules regarding this type of situation. Has anyone stayed at their undergrad institution?

 

[justme08]

You've been there a year and a half, I imagine you would be comfortable enough to just ask him what he thinks about it. As you stated it does happen but it is highly program specific.

 

[deleted343839]

I stayed at my undergraduate institution. Well, technically, I returned to my undergrad institution after moving away and working for a brief time. But I came back to the lab where I had worked as an undergrad. This was not unheard of at my school, but the practice varied by faculty member. Some of the faculty would not dream of accepting even a top-notch undergrad from the same institution because they believed very strongly in recruiting from outside. Others were more relaxed about it. So, ask your professor and have a frank discussion about whether it's even a possibility; he will be the best source of advice.