Berkeley Economics over the summer

[ariely]

1) I plan to enroll in some Economics and Math classes at UC Berkeley over the summer.

What's a good and inexpensive place to stay in Berkeley over the summer? The key word is inexpensive. My girlfriend will also be with me, so I am averse to sharing with other students. How much can I be expected to pay in rent per month?

2) I am told getting an entire degree from a tribal college is not a very good idea, even though our standards are very high, because professors and adcoms don't know much about tribal colleges. So I plan to take Econ classes every summer at Berkeley Extension to show PhD committees that I can do well in classes at schools like Berkeley too. Berkeley Extension is relatively inexpensive. Can you suggest any alternatives better than Berkeley Extension - and not too expensive? (UCLA Extension is one but they're on a quarter system and their summer quarter does not end by the time our Fall semester starts, so UCLA is a no-go for this reason. They're not too expensive either). Can anyone suggest better and more prestigious alternatives to Berkeley Extension where I can take Econ classes?

[OneArmedEcon]

The Bay Area is one of the most expensive areas in the country for housing. The cheapest places in the immediate vicinity will be either Richmond or Oakland, although the cheapest neighborhoods in either place are not very safe. I would suggest using bestplaces.net and look up the crime rate by zip code (this isn't precise, as something like neighborhoodscout.com, but that is kinda expensive).

You're best shot at finding a really great deal for the summer will probably be as a subletter; that is, a student who has an 12 month lease who will be gone for the summer. The best resource for that is probably Craig's List. At least where I'm currently attending school, you can sublet Jun-Aug for about the cost of what the unit would cost for a single month (sometimes they're even furnished). But it's something that can be difficult to arrange from a distance. Do you know anyone in the area who might be able to vet prospective places for you?

Also, one piece of advice about sublets: don't pay in cash. Pay with a check or money order and note in the "memo field" something like "Sublet <Address> for Jun, Jul, Aug of 2011" or whatever. I do know a few people who have paid in cash and then have gotten burned, particularly when there's not a formal rental agreement.

In terms of Berkeley Extension, they offer two types of classes:
1) "Extension Courses" that are taught exclusively by Extension faculty exclusively to Extension students;
2) Take real UCB courses as a visiting student (or sometimes called "continuing education"), be graded on the same scale as Berkeley undergrads, etc.

The latter is worth your time; the former will not provide a lot of signal value for admissions because adcoms know that its not a true Berkeley course (it's a cash cow and is akin to a community college course). When I took some time off as an undergrad to work full-time, I took a few Extension courses and was very disappointed in the instructional value and I don't think the school that I transferred to (another UC) awarded transfer units for those courses. IMHO, they're not worth your time or money.

[ariely]

The Bay Area is one of the most expensive areas in the country for housing. The cheapest places in the immediate vicinity will be either Richmond or Oakland, although the cheapest neighborhoods in either place are not very safe. I would suggest using bestplaces.net and look up the crime rate by zip code (this isn't precise, as something like neighborhoodscout.com, but that is kinda expensive).

You're best shot at finding a really great deal for the summer will probably be as a subletter; that is, a student who has an 12 month lease who will be gone for the summer. The best resource for that is probably Craig's List. At least where I'm currently attending school, you can sublet Jun-Aug for about the cost of what the unit would cost for a single month (sometimes they're even furnished). But it's something that can be difficult to arrange from a distance. Do you know anyone in the area who might be able to vet prospective places for you?

Also, one piece of advice about sublets: don't pay in cash. Pay with a check or money order and note in the "memo field" something like "Sublet <Address> for Jun, Jul, Aug of 2011" or whatever. I do know a few people who have paid in cash and then have gotten burned, particularly when there's not a formal rental agreement.

In terms of Berkeley Extension, they offer two types of classes:
1) "Extension Courses" that are taught exclusively by Extension faculty exclusively to Extension students;
2) Take real UCB courses as a visiting student (or sometimes called "continuing education"), be graded on the same scale as Berkeley undergrads, etc.

The latter is worth your time; the former will not provide a lot of signal value for admissions because adcoms know that its not a true Berkeley course (it's a cash cow and is akin to a community college course). When I took some time off as an undergrad to work full-time, I took a few Extension courses and was very disappointed in the instructional value and I don't think the school that I transferred to (another UC) awarded transfer units for those courses. IMHO, they're not worth your time or money.

Thanks for sharing those views!
- What about Harvard Extension? I know a bit about it but I don't want to prime anyone by saying anything without hearing their views first.
- Do you know any inexpensive, good schools like Berkeley where I can take summer classes in Economics to send a signal to the PhD committee?

[santacanyon]

For cheap housing, google berkeley coop. I am not sure if taking econ courses at Cal during the summer will help your profile since it only offers basic courses taught by grad students and outside lecturers (not full faculty). But it does offer upper division math courses (not so much of stats though). If you want to take courses at Cal during the summer, look into math more than stats or econ.

[ariely]

For cheap housing, google berkeley coop. I am not sure if taking econ courses at Cal during the summer will help your profile since it only offers basic courses taught by grad students and outside lecturers (not full faculty). But it does offer upper division math courses (not so much of stats though). If you want to take courses at Cal during the summer, look into math more than stats or econ.

Good suggestion - I'll look into it. Do you know if someone can stay at the Coop with their girlfriend or wife?

[santacanyon]

I believe not.

[ariely]

Thanks. It looks like I will be at Berkeley over the summer of next year (unless a better option comes up!)

[EconBeach]

Since you're planning for the bay area, check out Stanford!

[ariely]

Since you're planning for the bay area, check out Stanford!

Stanford is expensive, so it is out. I could go anywhere in the US, if anyone has any better suggestions that Berkeley (in terms of reputation and low tuition).

[mathemagician]

Stanford is expensive, so it is out. I could go anywhere in the US, if anyone has any better suggestions that Berkeley (in terms of reputation and low tuition).

Almost all the other top ranked public schools have lower tuition and are in lower living costs than Berkeley. For instance: Minnesota (ranked 10 for econ, ranked 18 for math), Wisconsin (14, 16), Michigan (12, 8), Maryland (22, 20), Texas (25, 14).

You would probably spend half as much in these other schools and there is really very little difference between undergraduate courses at these universities.