UC Berkeley or UCLA Applied Math Undergrad?

[Style]

I'm a community college student who just got accepted to UC Berkeley and LA as an Applied Math major. Does anyone know which program is better for getting into an econ PhD program? It looks like it might be possible to switch to Math/Econ at UCLA while it looks like it might be tough to take any economics classes at Berkeley.

[kimbanator]

Both schools are very strong -- I'd personally go to UCLA if it meant that you could take economics courses.

[dsdoodle]

How hard is it to take econ courses at Berkeley? Is it a matter of not being able to get into higher level classes? I mean, if there's a way you can interact with the Berkeley faculty, that will be a lot better than if you went to UCLA. Coming out from Berkeley with recommendations from UCB professors will do you a lot better than if you got them from UCLA ones, I would think - on average, and depending whether they get to know you enough. When you say it might be "tough", if there's a chance you can take classes (I would talk to professors and tell them about your interest for a phd program, that may help you get into classes easier), as long as it doesn't mean almost impossible.. I'd go to Berkeley.

[heraclitus_junior]

My natural inclination is to say UCLA. If you are sure that you can't take any econ courses at Berkeley, then I think UCLA is a better choice.

 

UCLA is plenty good enough, as an undergraduate institution, for you to have a good shot at getting into any graduate program. The difference between Berkeley and UCLA for an undergrad, I think, is a lot less than as a grad student.

[piffle_dragon]

I have no idea what it's like at UCLA, but at Cal there are probably four or five undergrads each year (I should just say for the last two years) who go to top ten places including Harvard and MIT.

[Swingkid]

I was an Econ and Applied Math double-major at Berkeley. Speaking from my own experience, I highly recommend the undergrad program at Berkeley for (but not limited to) the follow reasons:

 

1. It's possible to get an RA position with certain faculty members in the Econ department even if you are an Applied Math major. For example, there is an excellent undergrad research program at Berkeley (URAP). The research projects vary from semester to semester, but Stefano DellaVigna and Ulrike Malmendier consistently have projects open, and they are two of the most prolific researchers in the department. I think almost all of the successful applicants that piffle referred to have worked for either Stefano or Ulrike.

 

2. Aside from the RA possibility, you can write a thesis in Applied Math that is related to Econ (which I highly recommend). Depending on your topic of interest, you can potentially be advised by faculty in the Econ department, some of whom have joint appointments in the Math department. I would say this is most likely if you are interested in micro or metrics theory.

 

3. The math program here is top-notch. With the training you will get from the Applied Math curriculum, you will be exactly where you need to be for grad school in Econ.

 

4. As far as classes are concerned, if you are an Applied Math major with a concentration in Econ, you are required to take at least 3 classes in Econ anyway just to fulfill your major requirement in Math. So you should have no problem enrolling in at least theory and metrics. As a heads up, although most Econ classes fill up pretty quickly, it's generally the case that many people drop out of the more challenging classes after a week or two. If you happen to be wait-listed for a class, I would just keep going to lecture, talk to the professor (who is likely to be sympathetic to you), and do the work. You can even get in to the class in the 4th or 5th week into a semester. Even Econ majors have to go through the same thing sometimes. I know this is not an ideal scenario, but that's how it is at a large public university, so I wouldn't expect UCLA to be any different.

 

I don't know the exact situation at UCLA, but it's important to keep in mind that UCLA is also a large public CA university. Moreover, I think the level of exposure to top Econ faculty at Berkeley is hard to beat. Feel free to PM me if you've got more specific questions about Berkeley and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Good luck with your decision!

[Swingkid]

I forgot to mention that you can try to enroll in graduate Econ classes once you've got enough math training (i.e. you've taken real analysis and linear algebra). You can be exposed to even more faculty this way, potentially getting letters of recommendation from them if you do well.

[Style]

Thank you swingkid. I'm definitely leaning toward Cal now.

[backtotheUS]

@Piffle_dragon: probably more like 2-3 each year.

[Swingkid]

It's true that the number varies from year to year. But I think piffle is right on average. I can think of 4 people from this year's applicants, and I don't even know all of them. Last year was a bit of an anomaly, with at least double that number.

 

Of course, not everyone applied in their last year. Some worked for year (e.g. at the Fed or as an RA) before applying. However, I would say that the Berkeley connection is a significant common contributor to their application success.