One Acceptance - Reapply?

[herbie77]

Hello All,

 

I applied to 10 PhD programs in Sociology and right now if looks like I may only be accepted to the same university that I received my BA from, although I have yet to hear from many schools.  I do like my home like my alma mater, which is why I applied to it, I was really hoping to go somewhere new.  I also know that it can be unfavorable to receive all of your degrees from one department.  Would it be a good idea to wait and reapply next season? I'm already taking a year off right now after receiving my BA in June and I can't imagine doing this again, but it might be the best choice in the long run.  I was wondering if I can have some input from those who have applied for more than one season.  How did you strengthen your applications from one year to the next?  Did you apply to the same schools or apply to a broader range?

 

Any advice would be very helpful! 

 

Thanks

[uromastyx]

although I have yet to hear from many schools.

[kaister]

I am in a second round of applications now.  I applied to different schools and changed my focus of research a bit.  I don't think going to your Alma Mater is necessarily a bad thing.  It really depends on your research fit with that school.  Could you see yourself happy doing research there?  If you can't see yourself happy there, then I would reapply elsewhere.  I strengthened my application by getting more experience in a different lab.  That gave me more exposure to new professors and research and I think it helped a lot having a recommendation from my new lab.  I also retook my GRE, improved it a little bit.

[herbie77]

Thank you for sharing your experience kaister. I could see myself being happy there but I don't think I would be as happy as somewhere else.  I really want to get some experience in a new department. I guess I was jumping the gun with this post though because I have been accepted to a master's program that is slightly better than alma mater's PhD program. The MA program offered me no funding though so it's hard to turn down a fully funded PhD program.  But I'm leaning towards the MA because it might improve my chances of getting into a better PhD program later.  Would it be a bad idea to move all the way across the country to go to an unfunded MA program when I could stay where I am and be in a funded PhD program?

[rae303]

I think that would depend on a lot of factors.  Taking out loans to do an MA can be a really bad idea.  On the other hand, you don't want to waste your time in a sub-par PhD program.  Don't accept the PhD program unless you are enthusiastic about it and think it will give you the pedigree and the skills to be able to go where you want afterwards.  I actually did three rounds of applications, and turned down unfunded MAs, funded MAs, funded PhDs, etc, until I found a program that was a perfect fit.  It is a lot of work to apply and reapply, but it can also be worh it. 

 

As for your question about what to do with a year off, there are lots of things:

 

-Try submitting a paper to a conference in your field.  It's a lot easier to get into conferences than most people think, and it looks great on your CV.

-Go abroad.  Most people don't think of this, but it's looked on very favorably by grad schools.  I spent a year abroad working for a NGO and I know this significantly impacted my application's competitiveness.  

-Spend the year reworking your materials.  Make your writing sample AWESOME.  Rewrite your SOP until it is the best it could possibly be.

[ANDS!]

I also know that it can be unfavorable to receive all of your degrees from one department./quote]

 

This reminds me of one of those ". . .Oh I heard once - " type anecdotes that gets spread around on the internet and then somehow becomes an unchallenged fact.  If the program is good and well respected, what difference does it make that you attended for your UG?  The only programs I could see this being a "problem" are programs that emphasize worldly experience (as if you can't get that from having a residence in the same spot for years).

[ShortLong]

 

I have had multiple professors tell me that it is not the best idea to stay at the school you did you undergrad at. Mainly just so you can experience new professors and points of view. If anything, you will have a larger network within your field. I think this point of view makes a lot of sense, but then again I like going to new places and meeting new people.

[St Andrews Lynx]

This reminds me of one of those ". . .Oh I heard once - " type anecdotes that gets spread around on the internet and then somehow becomes an unchallenged fact.  If the program is good and well respected, what difference does it make that you attended for your UG?  The only programs I could see this being a "problem" are programs that emphasize worldly experience (as if you can't get that from having a residence in the same spot for years).

I've heard it from a real person, not just on the internet. This was an individual who recruits people with PhDs & postdocs, and he didn't think going to the same school for UG/PhD looked great on a person's CV. That is only one person's view, and it does depend on what else you've got on your CV...but it's right to be aware of the potential issue. 

 

In my field it's not unheard of for PhD students to go on an exchange to another university in a different country for part of their graduate study. That might be something to enquire about. 

 

If you are going down a career path that requires a postdoc, then you can aim to do that somewhere else, that should go some way to countering the shared UG/PhD institution. 

[Sijae]

 

I've been told this by numerous professors. They say that it looks better to show that you can be successful in more than one school environment. Additionally, each school has a different emphasis, so if you are doing the same field for undergrad and grad, it's better to go to more than one school to increase the breadth of your education. 

[wildviolet]

A PhD student who is currently in my program got his BA and MA from here (and I'm pretty sure he grew up here as well, yikes!). I don't see it as a huge negative since our college (and even department) is fairly large and diverse. However, he won't be a faculty member here for sure. What I've heard is that you need at least 10 years away if you do want to eventually return as a faculty member.

 

This is my third institution of higher ed. I've enjoyed the diversity of viewpoints, but I'd wager that, at least in my field (education), we're all fairly progressive and most institutions will be more similar in terms of ideology than not. I think it's more important to focus on who your potential advisor will be--that will make a huge difference in your grad school experience. But, my sample size is just one, so take what I say with a big grain of salt!

[quick1]

I wonder if there's a difference between those who want to work in academia and those who want to work out in the world? I'm gearing up for a doctoral degree with the desire to go out and work in various roles instead of academia.  Granted my chosen field involves an expectation to obtain license to practice. I can't see how getting your degrees from the same school matters in most fields.