Ucsc

[claphands]

thanks for your response, you two. Considering the prestige of UCSC, I didn't think it would be a limitation, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't off base.

[LarryEvans]

I know this has already been said, but... I lived in San Francisco for two years and made some really good friends in Santa Cruz. The entire area is amazing!

Its one of the most beautiful places in the world and I would HIGHLY recommend it. Santa Cruz is fun, laid back, has a young vibe, and of course if you like to surf you'll find some of the best beaches in the world.

If you like the outdoors you will not run out of things to do, or places to see.

UCSC is on my list for sure.

[LarryEvans]

oh by the way, housing in the area is expensive and difficult to find. A drawback of living in such a desirable location, but worth it when you find the right spot.

I'd recommend roommates to get the best bang for your buck. Or it may be wise to do a year in Grad housing if possible until you get settled and understand the area.

good luck and congrats to everyone who is going.

[sas55]

One more question for TBK or any other current students on the forum: Would you know the recommended reading list for courses other than Math for the Fall quarter? The reason I ask is that I know I can get text books etc. much cheaper in my home country than in the US and would like to buy them beforehand.
Thanks.

[constrainedoptimizer]

Originally Posted by sas55

One more question for TBK or any other current students on the forum: Would you know the recommended reading list for courses other than Math for the Fall quarter? The reason I ask is that I know I can get text books etc. much cheaper in my home country than in the US and would like to buy them beforehand.
Thanks.

I' starting there this fall; here's mine:

Micro:
Frank
Varian
MWG

Macro:
Froyen
Romer
Walsh

Econometrics:
Pitman's Probability

*I chose these books because I have used them before. My best advice is to use books you have used before. Don't buy a ton of new books. Just grab the ones you have "worn" before and learn them inside and out...it will get you much further.

[jlee7979]

At the econometrics 1 class in the fall quater, do we study probability theory, not econometrics?

[walt526]

Originally Posted by jlee7979

At the econometrics 1 class in the fall quater, do we study probability theory, not econometrics?

You'll want an advanced undergraduate textbook in probability theory to be a handy reference for topics that you'll need to acquire background on and might not be covered in detail in lecture.

Although my choice wouldn't be Pitman, but rather Casella/Berger's Statistical Inference. The other poster said he chose the text's based on what he felt comfortable with, but if you don't already have one, Casella/Berger is the gold standard, IMHO.

Whatever you do, don't rely on Hogg, Craig, and McKean. Easily the worst text that I ever used.

[constrainedoptimizer]

Originally Posted by walt526

You'll want an advanced undergraduate textbook in probability theory to be a handy reference for topics that you'll need to acquire background on and might not be covered in detail in lecture.

Although my choice wouldn't be Pitman, but rather Casella/Berger's Statistical Inference. The other poster said he chose the text's based on what he felt comfortable with, but if you don't already have one, Casella/Berger is the gold standard, IMHO.

Whatever you do, don't rely on Hogg, Craig, and McKean. Easily the worst text that I ever used.

I completely agree with this post. I own Casella and Berger and it is an excellent text if you haven't familiarized yourself with a probability/inference text as of yet.

Pitman is the primary text used at Cal for probability and the one thing I have realized (quite an annoyance, really) is that unlike mathematics, probability authors take liberties in using a "standard normal" set of notation.

This is my primary reason for recommending using texts you are already familiar with, especially with regards to probability.

[TheBrothersKaramazov]

See, it's difficult to tell what you'll be learning in the fall quarter since you will not have Kletzer teaching macro. I don't know if Gorry will be teaching growth theory. Romer is a safe bet though. Also take a look at Blanchard and Fisher.

Econometrics - Meg likes to teach out of her own notes, but she follows Greene closely. The first years tell me to tell all of you NOT to worry about econometrics. She is a great professor... econometrics should be the least of your worries. She will be doing OLS, ML, ... asymptotics... the usual first semester/quarter material.

As for micro, McCalman will teach out of Varian and MWG. It'll be producer and consumer theory. Focus on Varian more.

[constrainedoptimizer]

Originally Posted by TheBrothersKaramazov

See, it's difficult to tell what you'll be learning in the fall quarter since you will not have Kletzer teaching macro. I don't know if Gorry will be teaching growth theory. Romer is a safe bet though. Also take a look at Blanchard and Fisher.

Econometrics - Meg likes to teach out of her own notes, but she follows Greene closely. The first years tell me to tell all of you NOT to worry about econometrics. She is a great professor... econometrics should be the least of your worries. She will be doing OLS, ML, ... asymptotics... the usual first semester/quarter material.

As for micro, McCalman will teach out of Varian and MWG. It'll be producer and consumer theory. Focus on Varian more.

Thanks for the heads up!