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2015 ARE Thread


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Hello, I noticed that this application cycle there wasn't a thread for those of us interested in agricultural, resource, or applied /development etc economics programs.

I recognize most applications are due already, so best of luck to all of you! I think Cornell will be the first for us to hear back from!

 

How would you guys rank the different applied economics programs?

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I'd be interested in learning a bit more about these programs. I've looked into cornell's program and it seems like they have policy tracks in their ARE program. I just have this prejudice towards the field because I don't understand it and I'm not interested in agriculture. I realize today it deals more with issues of creating policy in the face of constrained optimization. Would you share some of your research interests and what drew you to this field?
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Sure! I am very interested in development, like working at the World Bank or in the IMF. I have many family friends who work there and they suggested to look into these programs specifically--they focus on field research and looking at forming optimizaiton, regression, etc using collected data. Many of my friends who are studying at schools in these fields are going to various countries these summers to conduct impact assessments on USAID funded projeccts or ones funded by IFPRI. However, if you are interested in let's say sustainability or maybe behavioral economics this would be also the field for you.

 

Here are some articles that are somewhat related that are from the NYTimes that show some examples of "applied" economics. Some schools are more agriculture than others--this is purely based on the fact that many of these programs are from "land grant schools" and are housed in the college of agriculture--Cornell is in the Ag school but has broadened itself a bit--in that the behavioral masters program for example has a tuition associated in the Ivy section of the university, not the contract (I can clarify if needed)

 

Lunch Lines http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/10/21/opinion/20101021_Oplunch.html?_r=0

Food Riots http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/science/earth/05harvest.html?pagewanted=all

 

I think the major difference here is that you use real world data and then try and see how it relates to economic theory--externalities fit and models aren't always right.

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Sure! I am very interested in development, like working at the World Bank or in the IMF. I have many family friends who work there and they suggested to look into these programs specifically--they focus on field research and looking at forming optimizaiton, regression, etc using collected data. Many of my friends who are studying at schools in these fields are going to various countries these summers to conduct impact assessments on USAID funded projeccts or ones funded by IFPRI. However, if you are interested in let's say sustainability or maybe behavioral economics this would be also the field for you.

 

Here are some articles that are somewhat related that are from the NYTimes that show some examples of "applied" economics. Some schools are more agriculture than others--this is purely based on the fact that many of these programs are from "land grant schools" and are housed in the college of agriculture--Cornell is in the Ag school but has broadened itself a bit--in that the behavioral masters program for example has a tuition associated in the Ivy section of the university, not the contract (I can clarify if needed)

 

Lunch Lines http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/10/21/opinion/20101021_Oplunch.html?_r=0

Food Riots http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/science/earth/05harvest.html?pagewanted=all

 

I think the major difference here is that you use real world data and then try and see how it relates to economic theory--externalities fit and models aren't always right.

 

This sounds great since I'm mostly interested in empirical research and regression analysis. How does admissions to Cornell AEM or UMD College Park ARE compare to Cornell Econ or UMD Econ?

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I thought I'd give this thread some life. I'm applying for mostly ARE programs (seven all together) and a few Geography programs. I'm an American student coming out of a European master's program and anxiously awaiting results (didn't apply to Ohio and I'm expecting first results not for another month or so).

 

Anyway, thought I'd at least give the thread a little bump and connect with other ARE-ers. I'm waiting on Berkeley, Virginia Tech, Penn, Purdue and Florida ARE and Davis and Illinois Geography. I went for Geography for a few because of professor matches and because I want to work in ABM and spatial modeling, so it seemed like a cool option.

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Awesome, I applied to VT, Maryland, and MSU. I think for ARE it may be more competitive in some programs because it's a much harder "fit." It's different then let's say applying to UChicago for economics. But compared to applying to Maryland for general Econ, Maryland ARE is one of the best applied economics programs and specializes in resource economics, so unless you have that background it would seem odd to apply?
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First responses came in. Admits to University of Florida FRED and to Virginia Tech arrived via email last night. No changes to their websites, yet, notifications through admissions coordinators. Both with funding, but not clear on amount/exact type yet. Good luck to everyone!
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Institution: Penn State

Program: Ag Econ

Decision: Admitted

Funding: TBD

Notification date: 1/29/2015

Notified through: department email

Posted on GC: no

Comments: Email from department, will get official acceptance notification in upcoming weeks along w/ funding info

 

Institution: Oregon State University

Program: Ag Econ PhD

Decision: Admitted

Funding: N/A

Notification date: 2/3/2015

Notified through: email

Posted on GC: no

Comments: no word in the email on funding, I imagine that means I did not get any, will follow up though

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Congrats on the admits hardball162! I had emailed Penn State to ask about decision timeline and heard back I was rejected, but got in today to UC Davis's Geography program. Still waiting on Berkeley and Illinois, and my girlfriend is waiting for Davis ARE as well.
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Congrats on the admit pylaios! are you going for geography at Berkeley and Illinois or ARE? Best of luck to you and your girlfriend

 

Thanks! I'm going for ARE at Berkeley and Geography at Illinois. I had been in touch with an ARE professor at Illinois that does what I do, but he advised that funding was tight, so I looked at the geography program and found some interesting opportunities.

 

We're looking forward to hearing from Davis and also getting the official info from Florida, but right now our debate is a back and forth over the pros and cons of Purdue and Virginia Tech. The program at Purdue is fantastic, but we're not so excited about the location. And while I think Purdue's bigger department is an asset, Virginia Tech could have some cool opportunities and offer a great degree, while also being in a better location for us. It's tough, nothing's clear enough to be a decisive choice! If she gets into Davis and Florida offers something really interesting, I don't know what we'll do!

 

Any thoughts among everyone here about balancing the department and the location?

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I have gotten conflicting answers on how big of a role location should play in your decision (and it ultimately should vary with personality) a couple things to consider

 

1) Cost of living. I think there is probably a wider range in the cost of living among locations than there is in funding (e.g. you can't really expect to get much more $ from NYU than UConn just because NYC is far more expensive than Storrs, CT)

 

2) Distractions. This can go either way. one of my advisers has told me that he thinks there are benefits to doing your program in a location that isn't necessarily overly appealing to you, as it provides motivation to focus on work and complete your degree expeditiously.

 

3) Mental health/enjoyment. For me, location is pretty important, and I might even be giving it too large of a role in my decision process. I much prefer rural areas to cities, which makes it difficult because premier institutions tend to be in more highly populated areas. We are going to spend at least 4 years where ever we choose, and that will be a lot more depressing if all we can think about is, "I can't wait to get out of here." I know I won't have all that much time for hiking, golfing, or snowboarding, but it is important for me to place myself somewhere that I can at least do these things on the rare weekend with free time.

 

I'm sure other people can add more, since I haven't actually experienced the outcomes at the PhD level (I allowed location to play a big role my decision of where to pursue a Master's degree, and I have mixed feelings about the outcome).

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Hey y'all - I recently found out that I got into University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and the Environment PhD program, specifically, I would pursue the "resource policy and behaviour" stream. I was wondering if anyone knows much about this program. I know it is a bit different than a traditional ARE program, but they have a lot of people using econometric techniques to study resource use and policies. Does anyone have any experience with this program? I'm thrilled, but I'm curious how limiting it would be to get a degree that does not have the word "economics" in it (I'm more interested in think-tank/NGO/government jobs than academia though).
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I know I won't have all that much time for hiking, golfing, or snowboarding, but it is important for me to place myself somewhere that I can at least do these things on the rare weekend with free time.

 

I think people overestimate how much punishment you must endure during the Ph.D. Certainly, it is a lot of work and you will be busy, but this makes it all the more important to have outlets and to make​ time for them.

 

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

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