Same UG & grad institution

[bcliff]

So I've heard from some that attending the same UG institution and grad institution is basically intellectual incest and I've also heard from others that it's not that big of a deal. Is there a consensus in the psychology community? My UG institution hardly ever accepted its own UG students for it clinical psych program, but I'm not sure if that's because it's UG psych program isn't as competitive as its clinical psych program, or if that's the norm in regard to clinical psych programs.

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[Pragma]

So I've heard from some that attending the same UG institution and grad institution is basically intellectual incest and I've also heard from others that it's not that big of a deal. Is there a consensus in the psychology community? My UG institution hardly ever accepted its own UG students for it clinical psych program, but I'm not sure if that's because it's UG psych program isn't as competitive as its clinical psych program, or if that's the norm in regard to clinical psych programs.

There are some existing threads about this.

Ex: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=894666

 

[wigflip]

i wasn't clear whether you were asking if it's likely that you'll get admitted, or whether even applying is advisable from an educational standpoint (i.e. it really is "intellectually incestuous!"), or whether (if admitted) there might be consequences down the road for one's career...? "d": all of the above?

 

[bcliff]

i wasn't clear whether you were asking if it's likely that you'll get admitted, or whether even applying is advisable from an educational standpoint (i.e. it really is "intellectually incestuous!"), or whether (if admitted) there might be consequences down the road for one's career...? "d": all of the above?

Haha, yes "all of the above" would be great

 

[wigflip]

Haha, yes "all of the above" would be great

i think "b" ("is it really "academically incestuous"?") is just one of those BS fables that wacky academics subscribe to. so will it actually be "bad" for your intellectual development? i doubt it, unless you go to a crummy school now and want to stay there for some reason! will academics perceive it as a bad thing? that's another question (probably best answered by faculty with experience on a hiring committee).

 

[Doctor Eliza]

I think it varies by institution whether they will consider one of their own UG's or not. But based on info from a number of profs across the country, it is true that many don't consider their own UG's. There was one case where my grad school took one of their own UG's.

(Assuming they would consider you) One worry I would have is that they would continue to view you as an UG. This would particularly be a concern if you stayed in a lab where you had experience. They might give you more busy work and less responsibility and opportunity.

Best,
Dr. E

 

[syzergy]

I think it really depends on the institution and faculty preferences. I went on a few interviews that were interviewing current undergrads but this was pretty rare. My undergrad mentor advised me not to apply to my ug for grad school because she said she didn't take current students. Interestingly, judging from Dr. Eliza's previous posts, I think she may have completed her grad studies where I went to undergrad. So, I guess it really depends on faculty preferences.

 

[member612]

I think it really depends on the school.

I was an undergraduate at a university that had an extremely competitive graduate clinical psych program, and was always told to not even bother applying (their track record of inviting their own undergraduates to just interview was about 1-2, if lucky).

The (unofficial) reasoning I've heard is that they want someone that thinks outside of the box and can think about things differently; the idea is that if you went to that institution for 4 years, could you bring something fresh and new to the table? Of course, there are those that can break the mold, so there will still be 1 student every once in a while that gets in.

Another issue that I've seen come up is research coordinators then becoming graduate students, but there are different opinions about that (and a bit of a different situation).

 

[Ollie123]

Opinions will vary. If moving is an option and you want to play it absolutely safe than I'd probably recommend going elsewhere. If there is just that "perfect fit" at your UG institution though its worth a try. It probably matters more if you are going academic versus a purely clinical career.

This isn't a black & white thing (though some people have very strong opinions) so like anything I think its going to boil down to gradations, goals, etc. I'd give it consideration when looking at schools but EVERYTHING has pluses and minuses when it comes to school choice so this is just one of many factors you should think about and its not something that should drive your decision.

Personally, I'm an advocate of branching out. Dr. E brought up one reason why. It may help with networking since it forces you to "meet" more folks in the field. I also think its helpful to work with different labs in your area and see how different people do things. Is it absolutely critical and anyone who doesn't do so is destined to be an incompetent failure who will never do good research? Of course not. However, I'm generally an advocate for getting varied experiences (be it a different UG and grad institute, doing practicums in multiple locations, or whatever else). Obviously that's something to strive for, but we can't base our entire lives around doing new things whenever possible and sacrificing everything else to make it happen. Hence - its a consideration, but not the end-all, be-all.