This is my personal story:
I have known since high school what I wanted to be but did not want to move off to a huge university and feel overwhelmed. I graduated high school from a very small 1A school with my graduating class being that of 18. So I went to a community college and got my AA degree. Because I knew the degree I wanted in high school, I had already done the research of what schools would be the best for my degree. I transferred to the university that held the graduate program I wanted to finish my undergrad degree because I wanted to get the feel of the university and make sure it was the best place. I was recently accepted into the grad program at my undergrad institution and that is were I will be attending. It has been my top choice since high school and I am thrilled. As of now, I only want my Specialist degree (between a Masters and of PhD) and then I will begin my career. But if later I feel that I want a PhD, I will apply to the same school again...because, in my opinion, it is the best school for what I am pursuing.