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djgoldma · 06-16-2006, 12:45 AM

Hi,

I have received admission with full support and stipend to the following

1. University of Florida, Gainesville
2. University of Maryland
3. University of Toronto

The stipend is a little higher at #1 and #2, but I dont know too much about the schools. I only know that florida and Maryland are ranked very high for pharmaceutical economics, and that Toronto is Canada's #1 institution.
The program is PhD in pharmaceutical economics, through the faculty of pharmacy, so its not a hardcore econ program. I also do not know too much about the cities, except Toronto. I;d love advice on where you think I should accept and why. All have distinguished faculty, and Maryland has more pharma/biotech in the area. I'd love any advice.

Thanks.

douggator · 06-18-2006, 05:11 PM

Djgoldma, I am a senior econ major at UF, so that is really the only one I can confidently talk about. We are relatively strong and have some great faculty in your field, but our overall econ ranking is nothing amazing. So if your final goal is to do research at a large institution UF's ranking could be a bit of a roadblock. That said, almost all of the faculty are extremely devoted to the students. The city of Gainesville is perfect for some, but definitely isn't for anyone. It is the quintessential college town, but since there are nearly 50,000 students it is a very large college town. The campus is beautiful, and there are tons of interesting nonacademic things to do, but if you are looking for a big city like Toronto then this is not the place for you. I hope some of this helps, feel free to pm me if I can be of any more help.

notacolour · 06-18-2006, 11:24 PM

Two questions: 1) Where did you get a ranking for such obscure programs? Is this obtained from talking to your advisors, or faculty in the field, or what? 2) How have you not yet accepted or rejected funding offers at such a late date? April or May seem to be fairly universal deadlines for such things, so I'm kind of curious.

djgoldma · 06-19-2006, 02:08 AM

Hey,

I have been offered admission for January 2007, not the Fall, so I have some time to respond. I have spoken to 9 experts in my field, asking them to rank the schools, and all have almost unanimously given me the same list.

notacolour · 06-19-2006, 05:03 PM

Well, given that they all have good reputations in the field, I would encourage you to examine faculty's research interests to see if one school has more people doing specific work that really interests you.

Beyond that, all three are pretty comprehensive universities. The econ departments are much stronger at Toronto and UMd, though Florida isn't bad, and you probably won't be taking any courses in those departments, anyway. UF has the disadvantage of being in Gainesville, which is not somewhere I would choose to spend four or so years when other options include Toronto and College Park. While College Park itself is not that great of a place, it's a lot closer to DC than I thought before visiting a while ago, on the Metro line and not much of a drive into downtown DC. So, if you'd prefer a busy city to a college town in the middle of nowhere, go with one of those two.

Oh, is the department at U of T based in downtown Toronto, or on the Mississauga campus? I seem to recall biological sciences being on the Mississauga campus, but I don't know about this program.

djgoldma · 06-20-2006, 02:09 PM

The U of T program is on the downtown campus. Regarding faculty, all schools have at least 3 advisors that share my interests for a research project, and all are known in the field..making this decision even tougher.

I have heard that Baltimore is a terrible city in regards to crime. Is it really that unsafe in college park?

By the way, I will be taking classes in the econ department, so the strength of the respective econ departments is quite pertinent information.

Maryland is huge for biotech/pharma, so I am leaning towards there, but I have just heard that it's exceptionally unsafe to live there...would love some comments on the validity of that...

Thanks.

notacolour · 06-20-2006, 10:08 PM

Say what you will about Baltimore (though I do think it gets a bit of an unfairly bad rap), but <A HREF="http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=College+Park,+MD">note</A> that College Park is a close-in surbub of DC (inside the Beltway, no less), not of Baltimore, which is 30 or so miles away. Like I said, College Park isn't the greatest place, but you have easy access to DC and proximity to the Northeast, as well. If you're leaning towards UMd, certainly don't pick another because of fears of Baltimore, since the school isn't in Baltimore.

OneMoreEcon · 06-21-2006, 01:16 AM

I can't say much about the biotech/pharma aspects of your option or how your degree will be viewed by people in the industry, but I'll say some things about the econ aspect and location.

1) Choose between UMD and U of Toronto. UF econ is ranked much lower than either, and I suspect you'll get more rigorous courses at UMD and U of Toronto. Also, if you have any interest in living in/near a big city, UF is a bad choice. I've lived a few hours from Gainesville attending another school in a similar type of city (at least with respect to size and geographic location).

2) From what you've said, I'd choose UMD. It's more respected for econ that the other two options, and you've indicated the placements (or at least the opportunities for placements) are really good coming out of UMD.

As for crime and any relation to Baltimore, that's irrelevant. As notacolour said, College Park isn't part of Baltimore. When I visited UMD, it seemed like College Park is just like any other college town... not much around except things geared towards students. But you can easily take the Metro into DC, so you have big-city life nearby, and I would definitely associate UMD as being more a part of DC than Baltimore. You'll see the same petty crime in every college town (petty theft, breaking into cars, etc), and I doubt Gainesville is any safer than College Park (but I know nothing about Toronto).

Oh, and finally, UBC may be better than U of Toronto for econ, though that's a close call. At least, UBC seems to place it's masters into better PhD programs than Toronto. All I'm trying to say with this comment is, don't be swayed by "#1 institution in Canada". Make sure Toronto is offering the same opportunity as UMD. But I would drop UF from the list and decide between UMD and Toronto.

can_econ · 06-21-2006, 04:50 AM

to chime in - I'd ask about placement. OneMoreEcon's advice to go Toronto or Maryland is correct if you're looking to work in an econ department, but it seems to me that you aren't necessarily looking to go that path (I guess pharma-economics is in public health, pharmacy, and medicine depts?). The placement prospects will be different in your sub-field, which I imagine is as much a subfield of pharmacy and public health as it is a subfield of economics. From the token short article on pharma-economics I've read, I'm not sure how useful the more advanced parts of economics typically emphasized in econ phd programs are in your field, unless the school offers advanced health-econ courses. If 9 experts in your field can agree on that ranking of programs, I'd probably be leaning towards Florida or Maryland if I were in your shoes.

PS when I looked into U of T's MA program in econoimics, I didn't notice any grad-level health econ courses in the econ dept.

djgoldma · 06-21-2006, 05:50 PM

Hey,

You are correct. My goal is to work in industry after I graduate, no more academia for me. U of T takes a more holistic appraoch, where based on my research project, they suggest what classes to take. However, there are no required classes for the program, it's completely designed by me and my supervisor.

Maryland and Florida are the opposite. There are a few streams in the PhD program, with a few courses common to every stream. I agree that I will not need any advanced economics courses. Personally, I like that Maryland and florida have structure, and I feel I will get a more comprehensive education there. I am afraid that at U of T I will not get broad enough exposure since I will only be taking classes related to my project.

I am truthfully deciding between Maryland and Florida. Maryland is great, and there is a ton of biotech in the area. On the other hand living in Florida for 4 years is also tempting, although no biotech there.

06-16-2006, 12:45 AM	#1 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Help!!! Hi, I have received admission with full support and stipend to the following 1. University of Florida, Gainesville 2. University of Maryland 3. University of Toronto The stipend is a little higher at #1 and #2, but I dont know too much about the schools. I only know that florida and Maryland are ranked very high for pharmaceutical economics, and that Toronto is Canada's #1 institution. The program is PhD in pharmaceutical economics, through the faculty of pharmacy, so its not a hardcore econ program. I also do not know too much about the cities, except Toronto. I;d love advice on where you think I should accept and why. All have distinguished faculty, and Maryland has more pharma/biotech in the area. I'd love any advice. Thanks.

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06-18-2006, 05:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
douggator Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 27	Djgoldma, I am a senior econ major at UF, so that is really the only one I can confidently talk about. We are relatively strong and have some great faculty in your field, but our overall econ ranking is nothing amazing. So if your final goal is to do research at a large institution UF's ranking could be a bit of a roadblock. That said, almost all of the faculty are extremely devoted to the students. The city of Gainesville is perfect for some, but definitely isn't for anyone. It is the quintessential college town, but since there are nearly 50,000 students it is a very large college town. The campus is beautiful, and there are tons of interesting nonacademic things to do, but if you are looking for a big city like Toronto then this is not the place for you. I hope some of this helps, feel free to pm me if I can be of any more help.

06-18-2006, 11:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
notacolour TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 630	Two questions: 1) Where did you get a ranking for such obscure programs? Is this obtained from talking to your advisors, or faculty in the field, or what? 2) How have you not yet accepted or rejected funding offers at such a late date? April or May seem to be fairly universal deadlines for such things, so I'm kind of curious.

06-19-2006, 02:08 AM	#4 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Hey, I have been offered admission for January 2007, not the Fall, so I have some time to respond. I have spoken to 9 experts in my field, asking them to rank the schools, and all have almost unanimously given me the same list.

06-19-2006, 05:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
notacolour TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 630	Well, given that they all have good reputations in the field, I would encourage you to examine faculty's research interests to see if one school has more people doing specific work that really interests you. Beyond that, all three are pretty comprehensive universities. The econ departments are much stronger at Toronto and UMd, though Florida isn't bad, and you probably won't be taking any courses in those departments, anyway. UF has the disadvantage of being in Gainesville, which is not somewhere I would choose to spend four or so years when other options include Toronto and College Park. While College Park itself is not that great of a place, it's a lot closer to DC than I thought before visiting a while ago, on the Metro line and not much of a drive into downtown DC. So, if you'd prefer a busy city to a college town in the middle of nowhere, go with one of those two. Oh, is the department at U of T based in downtown Toronto, or on the Mississauga campus? I seem to recall biological sciences being on the Mississauga campus, but I don't know about this program.

06-20-2006, 02:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	The U of T program is on the downtown campus. Regarding faculty, all schools have at least 3 advisors that share my interests for a research project, and all are known in the field..making this decision even tougher. I have heard that Baltimore is a terrible city in regards to crime. Is it really that unsafe in college park? By the way, I will be taking classes in the econ department, so the strength of the respective econ departments is quite pertinent information. Maryland is huge for biotech/pharma, so I am leaning towards there, but I have just heard that it's exceptionally unsafe to live there...would love some comments on the validity of that... Thanks.

06-20-2006, 10:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
notacolour TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 630	Say what you will about Baltimore (though I do think it gets a bit of an unfairly bad rap), but <A HREF="http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=College+Park,+MD">note</A> that College Park is a close-in surbub of DC (inside the Beltway, no less), not of Baltimore, which is 30 or so miles away. Like I said, College Park isn't the greatest place, but you have easy access to DC and proximity to the Northeast, as well. If you're leaning towards UMd, certainly don't pick another because of fears of Baltimore, since the school isn't in Baltimore.

06-21-2006, 01:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
OneMoreEcon TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 538	I can't say much about the biotech/pharma aspects of your option or how your degree will be viewed by people in the industry, but I'll say some things about the econ aspect and location. 1) Choose between UMD and U of Toronto. UF econ is ranked much lower than either, and I suspect you'll get more rigorous courses at UMD and U of Toronto. Also, if you have any interest in living in/near a big city, UF is a bad choice. I've lived a few hours from Gainesville attending another school in a similar type of city (at least with respect to size and geographic location). 2) From what you've said, I'd choose UMD. It's more respected for econ that the other two options, and you've indicated the placements (or at least the opportunities for placements) are really good coming out of UMD. As for crime and any relation to Baltimore, that's irrelevant. As notacolour said, College Park isn't part of Baltimore. When I visited UMD, it seemed like College Park is just like any other college town... not much around except things geared towards students. But you can easily take the Metro into DC, so you have big-city life nearby, and I would definitely associate UMD as being more a part of DC than Baltimore. You'll see the same petty crime in every college town (petty theft, breaking into cars, etc), and I doubt Gainesville is any safer than College Park (but I know nothing about Toronto). Oh, and finally, UBC may be better than U of Toronto for econ, though that's a close call. At least, UBC seems to place it's masters into better PhD programs than Toronto. All I'm trying to say with this comment is, don't be swayed by "#1 institution in Canada". Make sure Toronto is offering the same opportunity as UMD. But I would drop UF from the list and decide between UMD and Toronto.

06-21-2006, 04:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
can_econ Within my grasp! Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 234	to chime in - I'd ask about placement. OneMoreEcon's advice to go Toronto or Maryland is correct if you're looking to work in an econ department, but it seems to me that you aren't necessarily looking to go that path (I guess pharma-economics is in public health, pharmacy, and medicine depts?). The placement prospects will be different in your sub-field, which I imagine is as much a subfield of pharmacy and public health as it is a subfield of economics. From the token short article on pharma-economics I've read, I'm not sure how useful the more advanced parts of economics typically emphasized in econ phd programs are in your field, unless the school offers advanced health-econ courses. If 9 experts in your field can agree on that ranking of programs, I'd probably be leaning towards Florida or Maryland if I were in your shoes. PS when I looked into U of T's MA program in econoimics, I didn't notice any grad-level health econ courses in the econ dept.

06-21-2006, 05:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
djgoldma Eager! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 45	Hey, You are correct. My goal is to work in industry after I graduate, no more academia for me. U of T takes a more holistic appraoch, where based on my research project, they suggest what classes to take. However, there are no required classes for the program, it's completely designed by me and my supervisor. Maryland and Florida are the opposite. There are a few streams in the PhD program, with a few courses common to every stream. I agree that I will not need any advanced economics courses. Personally, I like that Maryland and florida have structure, and I feel I will get a more comprehensive education there. I am afraid that at U of T I will not get broad enough exposure since I will only be taking classes related to my project. I am truthfully deciding between Maryland and Florida. Maryland is great, and there is a ton of biotech in the area. On the other hand living in Florida for 4 years is also tempting, although no biotech there.

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