Is going to a different college for your Masters than you did for your Bachelors beneficial?

Question

Hi, a lot have people have told me that going to another school to obtain your Masters is better than going to the same school for both Bachelors and Masters degrees. I have heard it makes you look more "well rounded", etc. I am considering Graduate School next year, however, due to finances and living situations, I am probably going to stay and go to the same college for my Masters after I graduate. Any imput would be appreciated, Thanks:)

Answer 1

I think there is some validity to the idea that if you do your Bachelor's Degree at one university and do your Master's Degree at another university it demonstrates you have successfully navigated two different institutions.

I did my undergrad degree at one university and my graduate degree at another. The primary reason I chose my graduate program was because of the program, and not because it was at a different school.

A friend of mine wanted to attend two different schools but kept getting scholarships at the same university so he did both degrees at the one university. It did not hurt him professionally.

A few years out of school, it's more about what you have accomplished and are capable of doing.

As a professional, I seldom get asked where I did my education. Clients just want to know I am qualified.

Answer 2

Hi,

Well, it doesn't just make you LOOK well-rounded, it makes you more well-rounded in your viewpoints on the subject you are studying. Faculty usually has a large say in who gets hired as new faculty. A common human flaw is we pay more attention to and like more the people who hold the same viewpoints as we have - and faculty members are quite human. This means that a department often becomes thick with profs holding similar views. Meanwhile, college two cities away may have an entirely different clique. Going there would possibly give you an eye-opening experience.

However, please don't get down because of this. You're not doomed to be viewed as narrow-minded or a failure if you stay at the same place. In the long run, nobody will care. For your own sake, be aware of the pitfalls of staying put, and do what you can to extend your knowledge and understanding - that's what a Masters is for, anyways. Go to conferences. Read papers. Contact people at other institutions.

Best of luck in whatever you do!

Answer 3

It is beneficial, but not because it makes you look well-rounded (which could be better accomplished by doing things outside your subject matter, wherever you do it). It is useful because you end up looking at the subject matter from a different perspective; each faculty member and department have a different approach, and you get exposure to more of them if you go to different schools.