Which alma mater are you most proud of, undergrad or grad?

[Catria]

This is assuming that you are about to get a graduate degree from a different school than from your undergrad. Of course, the question is mooted if, for some reason,  you stayed at your undergrad for a graduate degree (be it because you are attending a graduate-level, professional program or because your undergrad has a star professor in your subfield)...

 

Are you more proud of your undergrad school or of your graduate school?

[biotechie]

I am equally proud of both, for a combination of reasons.

 

My undergraduate is a mostly unknown field, but I got some incredible research and leadership experience, and it still feels like home. You'll never hear me say I'm not proud to be from there. There are amazing people who I got to work with who, though not extremely well known, were amazing PIs or mentors to me. I would recommend anyone go there for undergraduate or a masters.

 

My PhD school is a top 25 school, and the research environment is amazing. Any resource I need, I can find. Professors working on things within my field are available and willing to talk with myself and other graduate students. Emphasis is put on becoming a good scientist first and foremost, and these professors push us to succeed. Graduate students aren't competing with each other, either... we help each other.

 

I guess my point is that I'm not "more proud" of one place or another. I love both schools, though on some points to slightly varied degrees. Just because the top 25 school is ranked so high isn't going to make me love it more, just like the unknown undergrad isn't going to make me less proud to have called it home. If you've seen my previous posts, you know that I don't like to pick things based on "rank" or "big names." I picked both of my schools for the environment, and I hope that all of you take that into account as well! If the students were happy and I felt like I could mesh with them, I knew I could be happy. If professors were approachable, I knew that I could work with them. This is why I can't be "more proud" of one over the other.... because I was able to pick where I would be happy, and have been equally so at both!

[spectastic]

i will never be proud of iowa state, ever. 

[kyjin]

My undergrad. It was an incredible four years, and I made friends I hope to have for the rest of my life. Plus I was involved in the entire culture of the institution. My MA was just a place where I went to school. I'm marginally proud of my PhD school, but I am not a part of the university culture (football, etc) in the same way I was in undergrad. 

[maelia8]

I loved my undergrad experience and am incredibly happy that I went there, but since it was a small up and coming private liberal arts college that no one outside of the region has heard of, "pride" isn't really the word I'd use to describe how I feel about having gone there. My grad institution, on the other hand, is a lot more well-known and offers an incredible variety of great programs, so I guess at this point I'm more proud of myself for having gotten in here than my undergrad. I'll get back to you after a couple of years here though and see how I'm feeling after I have had more experience here

[shadowclaw]

If you asked my sometime during my first year of my M.S. program, I would have definitely said undergrad without hesitation. My tiny undergraduate college in the woods was a wonderful place to study biology and the perfect place to get exposed to ecology and conservation. I had so many hands-on experiences there (we were always going out into the field), plus some great research and work opportunities. It was also the place where I turned myself around. I had been struggling at different schools and in different majors, trying to deal with some personal problems and trying to find a major I was actually passionate about. One I got into biology, everything changed for me, and as a result I have strong feelings about the program and the school. Plus the faculty were all tight-knit and extremely caring and supportive, and they treated us like colleagues by the time we were seniors. I can't imagine sharing my lunch with any of my professors at my grad school, or eating Cap'n Crunch with them in their kitchen before heading out into the field to do research. Hell, my one of my undergrad professors even let me drive his car. I really felt like family there, and I wouldn't trade it for any Top 25 university.

 

For my first year in grad school, however, I felt like I was just there to take classes. I didn't really talk to the other grad students much since I didn't live in town and I spent my study time alone. It wasn't until I was preparing to defend my thesis proposal that I really started to connect with other grad students (who were defending as well). When I came back after a summer of solo research, I had a graduate assistantship and I ended up spending way more time on campus and interacting with other students. I also managed to get involved with some research one of my committee members is doing and I had a blast doing weekend fieldwork for the first month of school. Over the course of the semester, I've really gotten to know all of my peers, and the faculty members seem more warm and friendly, too. Maybe it's because I went from a scared newbie adjusting to new styles of classes to an M.S. candidate with research under her belt.

 

So I really feel more at home now, but nowhere near as at home at I did back in undergrad. That place will always be home. The department chair keeps joking with me that I'll have to come back after I get my PhD and take over the position of a professor that will likely be retiring by then. And you know what? I'd love it. So I'm not sure if I really have more pride in my undergraduate college, but I certainly do love it more. I'm hoping that when I get to a PhD program, I'll be able to really integrate myself into the school's culture and really get to know everyone in the department well. Maybe then I'll have some school pride.

[spunky]

graduate school, all the way.

 

i went to a freakin' small liberal arts college in the middle of freakin' nowhere in the 'Bible Belt of Canada'. i met people there who literally had never left their hometown. EVER.

 

i remember the first day in a Sociology 101 class the prof was explaining some social myths like how what we call a 'traditional family' is a relatively new invention or that people lived longer before (which is a lie, given the advances we have in medicine today). then this girl raises her hand and says "oh, but long ago people used to

live like 100s of years!" the prof was like "oh really... like where? or who?" and the girl said "like Methuselah", took out her bible and quoted it. my first week of classes. my 2nd week in Canada. it was like the twilight zone.

Edited December 1, 2014 by spunky

[spectastic]

but then again, I never made the best of my experience. I always had the wrong priorities, which was usually something like overloading in classes so I can get the hell out of there. It wasn't worth it.

[Catria]

Undergrad + MSc? My undergrad was open-admissions (at least for physics and math) but I had no other affordable option because I wanted to go to undergrad in winter.

 

I felt that, regardless of where I'll end up (fingers crossed for any of the Ivies I applied to, as well as UChicago) a PhD will represent a much greater accomplishment than a BSc or a MSc.

[shadowclaw]

i remember the first day in a Sociology 101 class the prof was explaining some social myths like how what we call a 'traditional family' is a relatively new invention or that people lived longer before (which is a lie, given the advances we have in medicine today). then this girl raises her hand and says "oh, but long ago people used to

live like 100s of years!" the prof was like "oh really... like where? or who?" and the girl said "like Methuselah", took out her bible and quoted it.

 

This reminds me of my last job. Early on in my biology program, I was thinking about going into some kind of environmental consulting job when I graduated. One day at work, the husband of one of my co-workers came in for dinner and was talking to me about school and what I wanted to do with my degree. I told him, and the conversation moved to the natural gas companies that moved into northeast Pennsylvania and potential environmental issues related to the industry. Then he said to me, "Don't believe all the bullshit they say about oil and gas only lasting for another 100 years or so. God designed the earth so that our natural resources replenish themselves. It's not like this stuff took millions of years to form. The earth's only around 6,000 years old, so the oil and gas replenishes probably every 100 years."

[VulpesZerda]

This reminds me of my last job. Early on in my biology program, I was thinking about going into some kind of environmental consulting job when I graduated. One day at work, the husband of one of my co-workers came in for dinner and was talking to me about school and what I wanted to do with my degree. I told him, and the conversation moved to the natural gas companies that moved into northeast Pennsylvania and potential environmental issues related to the industry. Then he said to me, "Don't believe all the bullshit they say about oil and gas only lasting for another 100 years or so. God designed the earth so that our natural resources replenish themselves. It's not like this stuff took millions of years to form. The earth's only around 6,000 years old, so the oil and gas replenishes probably every 100 years."

When people say stuff like that it honestly fascinates me. I hope once I get deeper into social psychology I can study the process behind forming and really sticking to opinions, like that one, because it's so interesting (among other things)!

[shadowclaw]

When people say stuff like that it honestly fascinates me. I hope once I get deeper into social psychology I can study the process behind forming and really sticking to opinions, like that one, because it's so interesting (among other things)!

 

You know, I can understand really believing what your religion tells you and sticking to it (even though the Bible doesn't actually say anything about how old the earth is... some guy thought this stuff up sometime in the 20th century I think). What I don't get is where this idea about the earth replenishing its resources came from. It was a new concept to me, and to be honest, I really don't see the logic, even if the earth really was 6,000 years old.

 

[spunky]

i think it freaked me out majorly because i had this super-idealized version of what universities in developed countries are and my undergrad uni didn't quite measure up. i also was completely unfamiliar to the concept of a 'Bible Belt' and what it entailed.

 

i was born and raised Catholic. all my elementary and high school teachers were nuns. but none of them made a big fuss about any of the issues i see brought forward over and over again by people who advocate a literal interpretation of the Bible. heck, i learnt how to put a condom on from a nun! (yes, a nun as sex ed teacher was the source of countless nightmares ). but for some reason there was this implicit understanding that what we learned during catechism kind of only applied to religion and not the real world. nobody really questioned it. it wasn't until i moved to North America that i did realize this was an issue for many people... to the point that they even considered relevant to bring it up in class. in a public, non-religious university. and what scared me the most was that a substantial number of students agreed and were OK with it. that kind of made me wonder whether i had made the right move in switching countries until i realized it was *me* who was actually living in the twilight zone and the more i moved away from the Bible Belt and towards a big city, the more 'normal' things seemed. 

[nugget]

If you asked my sometime during my first year of my M.S. program, I would have definitely said undergrad without hesitation. My tiny undergraduate college in the woods was a wonderful place to study biology and the perfect place to get exposed to ecology and conservation. I had so many hands-on experiences there (we were always going out into the field), plus some great research and work opportunities. It was also the place where I turned myself around. I had been struggling at different schools and in different majors, trying to deal with some personal problems and trying to find a major I was actually passionate about. One I got into biology, everything changed for me, and as a result I have strong feelings about the program and the school. Plus the faculty were all tight-knit and extremely caring and supportive, and they treated us like colleagues by the time we were seniors. I can't imagine sharing my lunch with any of my professors at my grad school, or eating Cap'n Crunch with them in their kitchen before heading out into the field to do research. Hell, my one of my undergrad professors even let me drive his car. I really felt like family there, and I wouldn't trade it for any Top 25 university.

 

For my first year in grad school, however, I felt like I was just there to take classes. I didn't really talk to the other grad students much since I didn't live in town and I spent my study time alone. It wasn't until I was preparing to defend my thesis proposal that I really started to connect with other grad students (who were defending as well). When I came back after a summer of solo research, I had a graduate assistantship and I ended up spending way more time on campus and interacting with other students. I also managed to get involved with some research one of my committee members is doing and I had a blast doing weekend fieldwork for the first month of school. Over the course of the semester, I've really gotten to know all of my peers, and the faculty members seem more warm and friendly, too. Maybe it's because I went from a scared newbie adjusting to new styles of classes to an M.S. candidate with research under her belt.

 

So I really feel more at home now, but nowhere near as at home at I did back in undergrad. That place will always be home. The department chair keeps joking with me that I'll have to come back after I get my PhD and take over the position of a professor that will likely be retiring by then. And you know what? I'd love it. So I'm not sure if I really have more pride in my undergraduate college, but I certainly do love it more. I'm hoping that when I get to a PhD program, I'll be able to really integrate myself into the school's culture and really get to know everyone in the department well. Maybe then I'll have some school pride.

 

I loved reading your story. As happy and satisfied as I am to have attended my alma mater in undergrad, your school sounds really great!

 

As for my experiences, I'm most satisfied with my under grad school. Great school, faculty, access to resources, extra curricular activities,  tuition fees, small class sizes, and very good geographic location.

 

I appreciate it even more now when I compare it to my grad school. While the first school was not rich, this school seems very poor in comparison. We are greatly lacking in resources (ie: library access and research support), space, have limited services for students, large classes and high tuition. But the faculty are great.

 

If I could move the entire department to my first first alma mater, then it would be a near perfect situation. .

Edited December 3, 2014 by jenste

[dr. t]

Same place, so far.

[grad_wannabe]

Grad. I went to a very decent public undergrad, but somehow wiggled my way into one of best schools in the world for my MS. changed my entire life. 

[CBclone]

i will never be proud of iowa state, ever. 

 

May I ask why? I went to ISU for undergrad and loved nearly everything about my experience there.

 

I'm still very early in my grad school search, but will always be proud to be an ISU alum. My preferred Masters field isn't offered at ISU, and grad schools I'm looking at range from similar schools (one Pac 12, one Big 10) to smaller schools (Div 3, smaller D-1 schools) that are very well-known and respected in my fields. My feeling may change after attending one of them, but I feel like 2 years as a grad student won't give quite the same connection to the school that 4.5 years as an undergrad could produce.

[wildviolet]

Both, but for different reasons.

 

My undergrad was a private, Top 20 national university known for it's medical school and undergraduate engineering programs. My MS degree was from a local state university. My PhD will be from another state university, but my particular college and program is nationally known and highly ranked. I'm working with top scholars at the forefront of my field. When I meet graduate students from other universities, they say, "I can't believe you're working with Professor X!"

 

I've been extremely lucky in my educational career.

[juilletmercredi]

I am slightly more proud of my undergraduate institution.  I went to a small mid-ranked historically black college for undergrad and an Ivy for grad school.  But I loved my HBLAC, as I like to call it - it was such a nurturing, wonderful place where I had really great experiences and learned so much.  I was so well-prepared for graduate school, and I feel like they manage to do a lot with a little.  50% of our students were Pell grant recipients and still they manage to send many, many students on to top graduate schools and to great careers.  Plus the school has a huge commitment to community service.

 

My grad school has so many resources that made being a graduate student there a pleasure academically speaking.  But in other ways it was not so enjoyable.

[mandarin.orange]

My undergrad is largely unknown, outside of the small state where I attended (which is 1000s of miles from my native home, which is now where I live). Great experience for academics and programs, but weirdest/most stunted social experience of my life (~80% Greek affiliation among the student body). I think my loyalty must lie most with the school I'm at now, because at the end of it all I will have spent the most time here.   
 

Then he said to me, "Don't believe all the bullshit they say about oil and gas only lasting for another 100 years or so. God designed the earth so that our natural resources replenish themselves. It's not like this stuff took millions of years to form. The earth's only around 6,000 years old, so the oil and gas replenishes probably every 100 years."

 

Oh my god. As a trained geologist, this is all I have to say...

Edited December 11, 2014 by mandarin.orange

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

Grad

I wasn't really involved with my undergrad. I never lived on campus, didn't go to events... I was just there for my degree. It's a decent state school, but not really known outside of my region in the country. My grad school is more known. It's not world renowned, but I'm much more a part of the school here.

[eeee1923]

At this point my undergrad (hopefully the school I choose for my PhD works out well). I went to the top undergrad program in my field (engineering/STEM) and it was a hellish ride but I definitely appreciate the environment and the people I met a lot more than when I was a college freshman.

[Mattie Roh]

My community college. There were a lot of events on campus and my friends and I had a cozy place to gather between classes. I had a great professor and plentiful opportunities in my major (theatre) and ended up with way more knowledge in my field  than juniors at the four year college that I transferred to. The small state school school where I got my master's was wonderful as well, but I had to commute an hour to get there and ended up missing out on a lot of campus activities.

 

My four-year undergrad institution sucked and I still hate it.

[SLPosteriorCricoarytenoid]

I am most fond of my undergraduate institution. I can't compare too much, but I am currently a post-bacc student at another institution and it made me realize how wonderful my time at my undergraduate institution was. Although it was a state school "in the middle of nowhere in the upper midwest", I was able to form close relationships with professors who really went above and beyond for me. I was given research, teaching assistantships, and internships that I don't think would have been possible had I been at another institution. I had never been a person to like being involved before college, but I completely changed that in my undergrad. I give all the credit to my professors at this college for helping me find my true calling as well. 

 

With that said, I now attend a state school in a more semi-metro area and I don't care for it. The professors and students seem less personable. I am in a competitive major/program but the hostile "I am smarter than you" type mentality that is very prevalent at this school gets old. People at my other institution were competitive but this is something else. I am applying to my master's program at this program because I can save $$$ but it doesn't compare to my undergrad.

[Wordsmith]

Not sure how I feel about my graduate school yet, as I'm beginning this week, but my interactions up through the admissions process have been positive.  I felt pretty personally emotionally invested in my undergrad as a community, and took great care in selecting the perfect, nurturing community with an atmosphere I really wanted to live in for four years, etc., and was very much invested in on-campus life and all that that entails.    My graduate school is simply the school closest to me that had the program most in line with my professional needs...more of a "this fits the bill" situation than "This is where I always dreamed of going!" one.  My approach is more clinical for my master's than it was for my bachelor's.  At 18, I was looking at college choice as a major factor in lifestyle, because it was.  At 37, my graduate program is, really, more professional development than looking for that ultimate place to feed my soul. 

 

That said, I did do my due diligence to ensure that I was picking a school that was not only convenient to where I was located, but one with an atmosphere that seems amenable to me and has a philosophy of education that appeals to me. Not just looking at it as work training, but I do have to admit that my priorities are different this time around.