Doing a PhD in the same college as your bachelors

CathalMc

Is that what most people are doing here?
Do you find it claustrophobic in a sense?
The same old places without the old friends, and new batches of annoying undergrads every year?

I did my Masters in the same university that I did my undergrad and it was pretty depressing at the start - it was like an extension of my degree. I could not have survived doing my PhD in the same place...

ballroom blitz

I am currently doing a PhD in the same college as I did my undergrad and i love it. It is annoying to have to deal with the same problems with the department and college as during your undergrad sometimes but at the same time it is comfortable and familiar. It also exposes you to how the department functions which is something you would never think about, it is a lot more complicated than you think!! If you really enjoyed your undergrad and theres a PhD that you are really interested in persuing I wont turn it down based on the fact that you'd been there for your undergrad. Its definitely not something I've regreted.

CathalMc

Well it's a bit late for me to make that decision now! I was just wondering did anyone else sense the same when choosing a college for their PhD.

Incidentally, I've heard (in a pretty unsubstantiated way it has to be said) that there is considerable advantages to not doing your PhD from the same university. This is from the perspective of a broader education, more contacts, less stifled exposure to methodologies and training etc.. This wasn't necessarily a big part of my decision-making process, but it was definitely thought-provoking.

Drift

I'm doing my PhD in the same college/department as I did my undergrad. Like ballroom said you are exposed to the "runnings" of the department (when it runs!) but you have the advantages of knowing the staff too. I didn't do a masters though so I can imagine a 3rd degree there would be too much. I'll be happy to leave the place when I finish now.

As for broader education in another college .... I think thats more a perception than a truth. There is no doubt if you went abroad you would receive more of a "life" education but I don't think the quality of your PhD would be different. I have heard however that some people view people with a bachelors and phd from the same college as being somewhat less prestigious than from seperate colleges. But then again the people who think that will always be the ones who got them in two different colleges!!

brianthebard

I'm happy to be looking elsewhere after three years. I'm not impressed with the way the departments are run, and I like the idea of starting on a clean slate, beginning from scratch. Doing a masters in the same college have a kind of same old same old feel to it, plus a lot of people I know who do it start to become part of the furniture. I don't want to be some sort of institution or myth on campus, I want to go out there and challenge myself. I'm not sure I could do that if I was in the same place as I am now.

St_Crispin

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St_Crispin

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r3nu4l

Hee hee, the picture wasn't exactly irrelevant, Brianthebard could tell you that . Naughty and right to remove it but not wholly irrelevant

Anyway, on-topic, I think that if you are to pursue a postgrad degree in the same college then it should definitely be by research only. There are very few advantages to pursuing a taught postgrad degree in the same institution.

When it comes to a research degree, things are different, especially in the Sciences. Staying in the same institution as you did your undergrad is perfectly fine so long as the lab you are going to is well funded and/or has a good publication record.

The one thing that saddened me slightly on staying in the same University for my PhD as my BSc was that some of the magic was lost. As people have said, you find out a lot more about your department and how it is run. You learn which members of staff would happily kill one another, how they can interfere and hinder one another...and sometimes how they will actively hinder PhD students in one lab just to get at the supervisor! Sad but true, academic politics is no place for the weak of heart.

I was lucky in that while my PhD was in Maynooth, I got to spend 9 months of my research at Trinity, exposing me to how other labs are run and new techniques. Likewise one of the PhDs from TCD then came to our lab in Maynooth where we taught her new techniques. Exchange of information...brilliant

We had PhD students and post-docs from DCU in our lab because we had our MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometer up and running so even a lack of equipment in your own Institute doesn't necessarily hinder your work too much if you are pro-active about things.

The main thing in Science is to get a position in a well-funded lab with a decent publication record, doesn't matter if it's on the same campus or in another country.

The main thing in Science is to get a position in a well-funded lab with a decent publication record, doesn't matter if it's on the same campus or in another country.

Except us thphys-heads who don't need a lab

I'm doing a taught masters in Maynooth, same as I did my bsc. Actually the course is kinda split between tcd and nuim. So I'm working with a different dept in maynooth than I did for the bsc, and I'm doing some modules in tcd. It certainly makes me realise how much I love maynooth and think it's great, now that I've had experience elsewhere.
But a lot of people I know are gone and I kinda had to make new friends again so it wasn't exactly the same as it used to be...

anyway, I don't think I'd stay here yet again for a phd, I've been here 6 years already... but if they did offer me a good one maybe I would!