<p>On undergrad/grad:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=367237&highlight=inbreeding[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=367237&highlight=inbreeding</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=147365&highlight=inbreeding[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=147365&highlight=inbreeding</a>
<a href=“http://www.helium.com/tm/174687/school-english-creative-writing[/url]”>http://www.helium.com/tm/174687/school-english-creative-writing</a></p>
<p>On hiring:
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31618.msg428314.html#msg428314[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31618.msg428314.html#msg428314</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/07/2006070501c/careers.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2006/07/2006070501c/careers.html</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,28082.0.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,28082.0.html</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31511.0.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,31511.0.html</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,15256.0.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,15256.0.html</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,39589.msg610020.html#msg610020[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,39589.msg610020.html#msg610020</a>
<a href=“http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,17928.0.html[/url]”>http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,17928.0.html</a></p>
<p>What I came across is that some fields, such as computer science and engineering, tended not to care about this issue so much. This is likely because those fields are less competitive on the job market (lower supply). In the humanities and social sciences, particularly, there are significant biases against that kind of inbreeding. Additionally, when on the job market, it is beneficial to have experience with different types of departments, as unis tend to want to hire a person who has some experience with their general “type” - public vs. private, comprehensive vs. LAC, etc. The other major issue is networking - attending more institutions means having more connections, and that is always a good thing. More connections leads to publications and reputation, which in turn leads to jobs.</p>
<p>I think you can safely say that in some fields attending both the same won’t hurt you, but it won’t help you, either. In other fields, it will actively work against you. The only time this may not be true is at the Ivy League-MIT level, where significant inbreeding takes place (but almost no one gains tenure, so something to consider there as well). If you are in a competitive field, to me, it’s not worth limiting my job prospects.</p>