Getting your PhD from your undergraduate school

[preapoptosis]

I have heard that it is wrong to get your PhD from the same school that you got your BA/BGS/BSc from. Is this true? What are your opinions?

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[myelin]

Good question. When I was an undergrad, I thought it would be nice to get my PhD from the same school since it was close to my family and friends. I approached some professors about my idea and they informed me that it might be better to go somewhere else for my MA/PhD to obtain a diferent perspective on things. I didn't like that answer but I listened and applied to 2 out of state MA programs.

Looking back (1.5 years later), I couldn't be happier. I've seen a ton of new places, met lots of new people, and have somewhat of a different perspective on "psychology." I realized that my undergrad program was very psychoynamic and my MA program is behavioral. I didn't get much of the behavioral perspective from undergrad so I didn't know much about it.

Although, I have known some people who obtained their BA, MA, and PhD from the same institution. So it's not totally taboo, just not as common as going away for your MA/PhD.

 

[Danbo1957]

Not taboo, but frowned upon. Professors want you to choose the best post bacc program available dependent on subject, most often found elsewhere. Now, if it turns out that the best post bacc program for you is at your undergrad school, everyone will know it, and there is no downside.

It sorta like the idea (suggested in the 1950's through the 1980's) that you take residency at another program than that of where you received your medical degree.

 

[paramour]

Keep in mind there are also programs that will not even consider you for admissions if you attended there for undergrad. If you are considering it, I would recommend speaking with them prior to potentially wasting your time & money.

 

[JockNerd]

Doing the BA/BS and grad work at the same place can have negative repercussions later. I worked at a funding agency in Canada, and if an applicant did all their education at the same place their application was (literally) moved to the bottom of the list. Some academic hiring committees frown upon it to.

However, if you plan on being in private practice, being in the same location could be very beneficial for building networks. If that's your plan, staying put could be useful.

 

[txpsychgirl]

I'm planning to attend a private school and I was told it was better to go there as an undergrad so that the professors could get to know me. I was told by the psych chair at my college that it would improve my chances of getting into the grad program.

 

[Disambiguation]

As an undergraduate student, I think you have the leg up in knowing the quality of your school's graduate program the best. Being an undergraduate from Rutgers, I'm personally not impressed with some of the Psych experiments the Grad. students have made me run through as part of laboratory experimentations on Livingston. Despite my personal opinion, many people argue otherwise and claim that Rutgers is a great school for graduate students to experiment and get their degree.

Edit: Sorry I didn't mean to necropost. I didn't realize how old the previous posts were.

 

[TypeInnocence]

I think that if your school has the program you're looking for and it's a specific program, there should be no harm in applying. However, if it's a program that can be found in many schools, look elsewhere. I asked the same question to one of my profs and he said that he doesn't even look at applications from U of T (where I went), he pushes them away.