Do you identify and feel more connected with your undergrad or graduate institution?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 on the interesting question.

But I'll diverge. I have zero connection to my undergrad (NCSU)....but have way more gear and am invested in both DH's schools (Richmond and Auburn). Doesn't hurt that we live in RVA and attend many functions at UR. Best friend's spouse is of the Roll Tide category while their DC is a freshman at Auburn...so we have lots of fun ribbing each other over SEC foibles.

Also, I also feel more invested in our own DC's undergrad as, in just two years, we've already paid more to them than we did for our entire, collective post-HS educations. And we still have another DC to go!

And, for retirement, we will be looking for a small(ish) college town that we can "adopt" (although I would personally be ok with fall/winter in Auburn!). If done right, we love the spirit and community an institution of high education brings to an area.

You would move to Alabama?

Yep. Would prefer to snowbird it there with something further north during the hot, miserable Summers they can have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad hands down (Dartmouth). For grad school, students didn’t live on campus and the pre-professional nature of it made students more focused on taking care of business than socializing.

+100

I was a teaching assistant. Lived off campus. There wasn't really a 'group' of us. It's not like undergrad where you all start out in the dorms together and have your 'coming of age' adventures and mishaps, forging bonds.

[Anonymous]

Grad school.

My undergrad was too big. Grad program was small, and we were mid 20s rather than late teens/early 20s, and we bonded more in the young adult, literal complete freedom environment. And it's a school with great school spirit.

This is very much a YMMV thing. If you went to, like, Vassar for undergrad and NYU for a master's in social work, or something, you'd probably have the opposite experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 on the interesting question.

But I'll diverge. I have zero connection to my undergrad (NCSU)....but have way more gear and am invested in both DH's schools (Richmond and Auburn). Doesn't hurt that we live in RVA and attend many functions at UR. Best friend's spouse is of the Roll Tide category while their DC is a freshman at Auburn...so we have lots of fun ribbing each other over SEC foibles.

Also, I also feel more invested in our own DC's undergrad as, in just two years, we've already paid more to them than we did for our entire, collective post-HS educations. And we still have another DC to go!

And, for retirement, we will be looking for a small(ish) college town that we can "adopt" (although I would personally be ok with fall/winter in Auburn!). If done right, we love the spirit and community an institution of high education brings to an area.

You would move to Alabama?

Yep. Would prefer to snowbird it there with something further north during the hot, miserable Summers they can have.

NP. My in-laws moved to the Alabama coast (from a different part of AL) in retirement and their life is freaking idyllic.

It's also a progressive area, but I know that's a very hard thing for you to wrap your mind around, or even understand can be true.

[Anonymous]

Grad school 100%

[Anonymous]

Socially/lifelong friends - undergrad
Professionally - grad

[Anonymous]

I liked my grad school more. It was more me, but just not enough time to develop good lasting relationships.

I liked the last two years of undergrad. Met my true friends then. Feel that my undergrad, in retrospect, was too narrow focused. Same type of kids, same narrow minds. Good in some ways but not real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I liked my grad school more. It was more me, but just not enough time to develop good lasting relationships.

I liked the last two years of undergrad. Met my true friends then. Feel that my undergrad, in retrospect, was too narrow focused. Same type of kids, same narrow minds. Good in some ways but not real world.

It took me to my senior year of undergraduate to really enjoy it, which was then bittersweet for me.

Grad school I was working and busy with night classes; no connection.

[Anonymous]

Grad school

[Anonymous]

Undergrad - Seven Sisters

[Anonymous]

I ended up going to the same school for undergrad and grad school (with time away in between). I feel much more connected to the graduate program and people I met there. Part of that I think is the culture (more like-minded people than I found in the somewhat snobby undergrad population) and part is that those are the people that I’m still regularly interacting with as a professional. I’ve also been involved with the grad school as an alumni (guest teaching classes, sponsoring internships).

In terms of rooting for sports teams, undergrad definitely had more of an influence

[Anonymous]

Undergrad for sure. By graduate school I was married (master's) or had child(ren) (PhD), and I did not live near campus.
During my master's degree I was basically working full-time so I only went to campus for class and then left, I didn't make any friends at all. I'm sure it's different if it's Med School or Law School, especially if you go right after undergrad like most do.

My best friends 30 years later are my friends from where I went to undergrad and I've been to multiple college reunions.