new user's thoughts

[OneMoreEcon]

I hear mixed comments about UCF - a handful of people interested in research, and quite a few who would rather focus on teaching and don't really care about research. But I've also spent a few years hearing people argue about which state school in Florida is better than which other state schools (except UF, which most people seem to agree is the best school in the state... though I still hear bad things about the sports teams).

[jlist]

Hi Tripax: I will take on your questions one at a time. I must run though because my newborn (Mason) is crying and needs food.

Was it more difficult to get a job at Chicago after attending a school like Wyoming for your Ph.D?
Yes, it seemed difficult, but I do not know the proper counterfactual.

Was Wyoming your top choice?
Yes, but the reason why I cannot explain quickly--let us say because of academic guidance at UWSP.

You went to a small school in the Wisconsin state schools system, correct, are you happy with your undergraduate and graduate expirience, or do you wish you had gone places more prestigious?
Yes, I went to UWSP to play golf actually. I had some aspirations to be a pro golfer but was not good enough. I really liked the attention that I received within the classroom, though, which is a real bonus of going somewhere small. If my objective function was to be a UC professor, however, I suspect that it was not maximized by going to the schools that I chose.

Many of us are not going to elite schools, and many of us are, what advice do you have for those who are not who wish to have successful careers (ie, how did you do it)?
I am asked this alot and really do not have a good answer. Luck, hard-work, perserverance all come to mind but these likely seem trite to you.

I can say one thing though--it is likely that your first job will be at a place ranked lower than your phd school. And, your tenure will likely be at a place below your first job. Thus, this choice is quite important if these things matter to you.

There are exceptions to this rule, but the odds seem to be stacked this way (this is somewhat anecdotal, but I do present some evidence of this effect in the Southern Economic Journal study with Peter Orazem (maybe your prof. at ISU?) and Craig Gallet. My first paper on this was in the Jnl of Economic Education and was a result of my curiosity of why I performed so poorly on the market).

Best,
John

[tripax]

You answer seems less trite than my questions. I just felt like the questions needed to be asked, as they were the first observations that popped into my head.

[planetes]

Hi. I'll be attending a decent PhD program in economics this Fall 2006 (Wisconsin, Madison). I'm just wondering what it takes to ensure great placement into tenure track positions? That is - starting next year - what should I be doing to maximize the probability of getting a top placement such as Chicago. What do you personally look for when you hire Assistant Professors?

[vqlong]

Hi John, It's great to have you here. I have several questions to ask:

1. I guess for top research schools in hiring new PhD, they would focus much more on research potential. How about for liberal art schools and other schools such as CSF? What do they focus more, research ability or teaching ability ?
2. As I am going for a heterodox school this Fall, U of Massachusetts. I would like to know your opinion about alternative programs, if possible specifically UMass. Is there really a real difference between two camps ? or is it just that economists working on different paradigms ? and using different tools? by that I mean do they look at least respectablly at each other works?
3. What do y think are emerging fields, approaches, thinking in economic researchs?

Thanks for all your effort.

[kcure]

Hey John,

I'm considering reapplying next year for PhD programs. My particular interest is in IP/knowledge good econ, and I find that a number of schools don't have a single professor working in this area. A few people have told me that a business econ might be more suitable, even though I'm also interested in more traditional econ areas (labor/immigration policy, econ history, communist transitional economies). Are there any programs in particular that you'd recommend (either at a b-school or in a traditional econ program) that might be suitable?

[jlist]

Hi Group: I will try to handle all three questions in one email.

Planetes: Great choice! I was raised just outside Madison in a small village called Sun Prairie. I love the area and think the department is top-notch. I plan to spend more and more time in Madison in the future so I hope to meet you soon.

Concerning your question, which is a very good one, the bottom line for tier 1 programs interested in hiring scholars is research. In particular, at least one good research study (your job market paper) and hopefully one or two good complements. I am a believer in working jointly with professors early on to learn the ropes of how to craft a good piece--from the origins of the idea to the fine tuning during the revision process. This is fundamental to me, and will help you in the long run as well. Thus, get to know your professors early, find a few that you can work with, and impress them by working hard. Hopefully this leads to some joint work and you are on your way.

To my eye, I want hungry scholars who are imaginative in their research as my colleagues. I want to learn from them and help them get better--either through joint work or by commenting on their research.

vglong: Good questions. You are correct, liberal arts schools have traditionally looked more at teaching, but I am beginning to see a trend that suggests even these schools are moving more toward research. If this continues then clearly my comments above hold for these schools too.

I like UMass--good people across economics and resource economics. I think the main issue when you graduate is your research. It will take time, but eventually people will forget about where you are from (though everyone still remembers that I from UWYO) and evaluate you on your work. Though I see a difference in thought broadly across economics, that said, the field is open enough to consider any type of research on its merits. Great research that is true always wins in the end, no matter its slant.

I think the area of experimentation has alot of room to grow. In particular, I really like the use of field experiments to explore questions heretofore unaddressed (most will not be surprised by my prediction of an emerging field).

Kcure: I am not that familar with this area but for some reason MIT Sloan rings a bell.

Best,
John

[Zavera]

What would you recommend a well rested/traveled student do the summer before gradschool?

[jlist]

Zavera: If you are well funded and need no income, come to UC and help me run experiments!

Short of that, find out what books you will be using in grad. school and begin working.

Best,
JL

[Zavera]

Originally Posted by jlist

Zavera: If you are well funded and need no income, come to UC and help me run experiments!

Short of that, find out what books you will be using in grad. school and begin working.

Best,
JL

Definetely wouldn't mind honing my research skills.

I'll take that offer.