Answers about Yale...(Econ that is)

[andyecon]

Cliff
I won't know where I'm applying until the end of next fall really. I still have to take the GRE and finish my math major (next fall will be analysis 1, topology, and probability). So, I guess it depends on how I do in those classes and on the GRE. I would be thrilled to go to Michigan, because I need to stay in the Midwest. Strange, I haven't seen anybody on here who applied there. Then again, this board seems to be fequented by extremely strong candidates (including yourself, of course, congrats on all the great admits).

[Edgar]

Originally Posted by cliff23

Yale's webpage makes a big deal out of their emphasis on collegiality and a cooperative environment amongst the students. It says people are encouraged to work together, and not to compete, and to be friends, in contradistinction to a place like Chicago. I think, bearing in mind the stress of the phd program, that I will need that.

Also, one of my advisors warned me against Harvard because they tend to focus all attention on the superstars, and the rest of the graduate students are left to languish. Yale, on the other hand, has a reputation for nurturing every single student into the best s/he can be (similar to MIT). I need this, I believe, coming straight from undergrad. People who have masters degrees will be running circles around me until I can catch up, and I don't know if I would make it into the front half or the back half of the class at Harvard.

I have to say that looking at Yale's faculty does not really convince me of their strength in macro.
None of the big names in macro is there and I can't remember any macro-guy out of Yale doing well in the job market in the last few years.
Having said that, if you are not 100 percent sure that macro is your thing, then Yale might be attractive because of its strengths in other fields (econometics, theory...).
If you are very sure that macro is your thing, I would prefer Harvard, even though I heard the same stories about them. However, if you got into Harvard and Yale, aren't there any other offers you can consider? (if you really want to do macro, there are better places than both Yale and Harvard).

[cliff23]

Not yet. Rejected from Stanford, waitlisted at Princeton, no aid at Chicago. Haven't heard from Berkeley, MIT, Penn, NYU, Northwestern, which I think bodes ill except for MIT and Penn which haven't really released decisions yet....

Edgar, that's my only misgiving about Yale is their lack of prominence in Macro. I haven't talked with the bulk of profs here I need to consult with yet, as I don't have all my final offers. There's only one that I really keep up to date, the rest I'm going to go talk to when I hear from MIT.

Thank you for your advice edgar and kind words andy

[floplo]

Originally Posted by Edgar

None of the big names in macro is there and I can't remember any macro-guy out of Yale doing well in the job market in the last few years.

...well, last year we placed one of the Macro-guys (aehmmm, sorry a Macro-gal ? what's the female version of guy...???) at Harvard.....

but well, yes, Macro is not really Yale's strongest discipline

Edgar, if you don't mind, how come that you are monitoring the complete job-market over the last years...?

[floplo]

Originally Posted by cliff23

I got the package about New Haven today from Yale. It seems like a place where the stipend goes a really, really long way... but unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too much to spend it on. Not that I'm planning on having too much time to get bored there! Although I will probably be so busy I won't mind too much. As long as there's one decent disco or something and I can have my one night of clubbing per semester (that's all I can take!) I'll be fine. There's always a possible trip to NY - do you go often?

New Haven has had a downtown revival in the last years and there is a considerable range of bars and nightclubs (the most renowned club is actually just next door to the grad dorm ),... well, I am not to much of a nightlife person (but I know a few Econ people, who enjoy it considerably more than I do...), so I prefer to try restaurants more, and for the size of New haven there is a surprising diversity of decent ethnic food available.

we don't have big sports in town,...but that's something you have to go to NY (or Boston.....) (although I believe there should college Bball around somewhere, or where does UConn play ? Sorry, I don't follow it so I don't really know)

Personally I don't go to NY too often (the last time was for the Christo Gates in Central park, pretty interesting), but I know one of my classmates took a class at NYU (he was an Undergrad there) last semester, commuting one day a week there,...and relevant for Macro, I know one higher year, who actually works with Sargent there... but yeah, it's close from an american perspective (not really from a european one, but I am slowly getting used to thinking larger...)

if you are more into cultural things, we have an interesting range of theaters , museums and galleries, classical music. Most of them are located closely to Campus, so they are easily available. Small drawback, no mainstream cinema directly downtown, need a car to get to there, but there are two little bit more artsy cinemas in case you don't need Schwarzenegger...

and I don't know whether you want to live on campus or not, but yes housing is a little bit cheaper here than in Boston/Cambridge,...so your stipend should go a little bit further

if there are other spending categories I haven't mentioned...let me know

[floplo]

one more comment, and this is true for Yale, Harvard, any other school,

professors have the stupid habit, of occassionally changing schools (voluntarily and involuntarily).....so even if a school has a person you want to work with, there is always a change he/she won't be there anymore once you start writing your dissertation....and there is always a chance that a school hires somebody right in time for you

[Econ]

Originally Posted by floplo

...well, last year we placed one of the Macro-guys (aehmmm, sorry a Macro-gal ? what's the female version of guy...???) at Harvard.....

but well, yes, Macro is not really Yale's strongest discipline

Edgar, if you don't mind, how come that you are monitoring the complete job-market over the last years...?

actually I think that yale's placement was exceptionally good last year with 2 guys ending up at harvard! Yet, my main concern is the lack of big-name profs doing macro at yale. From what I can recall. Smith's work is well respected (the smith-krusell 98 paper is now a standard in the literature), E.Engel is working on some nice things too, and there is also G. Hale working on international development.

[Edgar]

Floplo, I just looked at the placement when I applied to grad school last year.
Sorry, you are obviously right about the Harvard placement, but still that is one case in a few years.
Really, someone is working with Sargent at NYU? Hm, I wonder if NYU students can then also take courses at Yale...

[floplo]

Originally Posted by Edgar

Really, someone is working with Sargent at NYU? Hm, I wonder if NYU students can then also take courses at Yale...

if you have somebody at a different school and you can convince your own school it should be possible at a lot of schools that you have one of your advisors from a different place (I think H doesn't kill you if you work with somebody from MIT...). This also works if your advisor moves, some students will probably move along, some will stay and have a long-distance relationship :o....


the guy taking the course at NYU really had the inside track there through having been an undergrad at NYU and knowing their DGS and the course prof,.....and he even had luck with the schedule...

well, I don't really know too much about the macro placement in previous years, (well at least Yale is publishing it....) but one word of caution, the sample size is pretty small, profs came and leave so things are changing, and personal reasons might lead people who could have good academic jobs to leave academia (or at least leave the US...)

ok, enough defended, obviously I am biased (even if I am not a Yale Macroeconomist), and will describe my school in glowing terms
(from which you may infer that I like it there)

[TriEcon]

Floplo-

I have not been admitted to Yale, but I plan to apply next year. How would you describe the environment in New Haven for spouses of PhD studetns? There are obviously many individualized relationship factors between husband and wife. Even so, does New Haven have enough good quality of life factors to balance the hardships of being married to the PhD candidate? (I'm thinking of the Chris Silvey scenario here. I don't want that to happen to me).