Importance of grad school being much different than undergrad

[creepypasta13]

For those of you who are currently in, or have finished, grad school, how important would you say it is to attend a school that is MUCH different than your undergrad? I ask this because I've always heard one should attend a school different from your undergrad. But I got into a school that is very similar to my undergrad in its geographic proximity and weather (its only a couple hrs away), type of students, and school structure (ie both are large state schools). I would have liked to been admitted to a much different school than my undergrad, but it didn't happen. There were definitely some things I didnt like about my undergrad, so I could see it happening at the new grad school. Is this one factor to consider for declining this school and reapplying? This is my only grad school acceptance with guaranteed funding

 

[fss]

I've never heard any good reason for going somewhere that much different than your undergraduate institution. As far as I'm concerned this is a myth.

 

[RandomGuy88]

The only real benefit is that you get to experience something different. Its not like it will hinder your job search when you finish grad school.

 

[twofish-quant]

I've never heard any good reason for going somewhere that much different than your undergraduate institution.

Based on my experiences, it is a very good idea. I went to an undergraduate and graduate school that was completely different, and it's useful to see how different schools do things differently, and what works and what doesn't.

On the other hand, if you don't have much choice, then you don't have choice. I don't think it's so important that you should reapply.

 

[fss]

Based on my experiences, it is a very good idea. I went to an undergraduate and graduate school that was completely different, and it's useful to see how different schools do things differently, and what works and what doesn't.

How would you know it's useful to go somewhere different, since you've only seen one side of the coin? Plenty of successful graduates come from either situation.

 

[twofish-quant]

How would you know it's useful to go somewhere different, since you've only seen one side of the coin?

One note here is that the MIT physics department makes it a very strong policy not to admit their own undergraduates into their graduate physics program. Feyman mentions this policy in his books.

I do know people who have spent most of their careers at MIT in other departments, and I've noticed that I see things that they don't because I've been outside of the Institute.

Plenty of successful graduates come from either situation.

Sure, which is why this is merely a "good thing" rather than an "stop everything that you are doing" sort of thing.

To give an example of how going to different schools is useful. MIT and UT Austin define "success" in fundamentally different ways. If you are really good at football and use your social skills to sell used cars, then this would be more of a "success" under the UT Austin definition than MIT. If you invent something new and original, start a business that fails, that would be more of a "success" under the MIT definition than the UT Austin definition.

If you've only been to one school, you'll likely only see that one schools definition of "success" and so you don't think about the fact that there are multiple definitions, and you don't think quite as much about what "success" means.

 

[creepypasta13]

To give an example of how going to different schools is useful. MIT and UT Austin define "success" in fundamentally different ways. If you are really good at football and use your social skills to sell used cars, then this would be more of a "success" under the UT Austin definition than MIT. If you invent something new and original, start a business that fails, that would be more of a "success" under the MIT definition than the UT Austin definition.

Haha, I like the MIT definition a lot more than UT's.