Georgetown, anyone?

[2010app9357]

Due to some geographic preferences, I am pretty sure I will accept Georgetown over Rochester. Any chance someone on here goes to GT and can give us the scoop? Anyone else considering the program?

[ibanez]

I currently go to Georgetown as an unfunded PhD student.

 

I got my offer super late, but I was a rare case (it actually happened in July...lol, so never give up hope).

 

But I am happy to answer some questions you may have.

[wozz]

Hi ibanez, I am considering Georgetown as well, so it will be great to get some information.

I heard that attrition rates are (or used to be) quite high. what is your impression? Also, for funded students - how common is it that they lose their funding the first year because of the GPA requirement?

[Kelei2010]

I have a somewhat reverse question... for unfunded students, how likely is it to get funding at the end of the first year? I got an offer from Georgetown but unfunded...

[ibanez]

Ok, so attrition rate is rather high from what I understand.

 

The professor who I talked to before accepting the offer said about 66% (maybe be alil off) of first years will pass comps and get the GPA requirement (3.5 firm overall, and B+ average in the econometrics sequence). Then by the third year, there will only be about 50% of us who remain. This means some fail out because of comps GPA, then some decided to leave with masters after passing comps and satisfying GPA, then some dropped out because of the 3rd year requirement to find and advisor and pass the proposal process. So in the end, about 50% of first years will remain and get PhD's. That is what the professor told me. I have only heard stories from the current second years (this is the only historical data I have). It seems that about 8 of them are left from a class of around 15 or 16, so the numbers sound right).

 

You are always aware of your performance in relation to others. So it is fairly competitive, but I don't get the sense of sabotage. There is a lot of working together and helping each other out. But at the end of the day, you are competing for spots (just like the real world I guess). The magic cutoff is between a B+ and an A-. It seems that the the median grade in the classes is between an A- and a B+ which makes sense because of the 50% retention rate.

 

The way funding works (my understanding), is if you get the GPA and pass comps, and get the Metrics B+ average, you can be pretty certain you will be funded for the remaining 4 years (possibly a 5th but it definitely isn't guaranteed). From what I was told, this remains true for unfunded offers as well. The professor I talked to before I accepted the offer said that during his tenure there, he couldn't really remember anyone who had met the requirements who hadn't got funding (he then backed off and said he can't guarantee anything, but its almost 100% sure, nothing in life is guaranteed). I am an unfunded offer so if you decide to come here, I can verify in September (if I pass) that even unfunded offers can get funding (but of course then it will be to late to help your decision). Basically, I am not worried about passing and not getting funding. Basically I am just worried about passing the comps.

 

I think the best part of Georgetown is the connections you can make (if you are proactive) with people in DC. So even if you come here and fail comps, a Georgetown Master's degree is well respected here in DC. I haven't heard of anyone who failed comps having trouble getting jobs. So while the academic placements may not be as nice as higher ranked programs, I think the degree is versatile (just my two cents).

[ibanez]

I thought you might be interested in a PM I sent to someone else, here it is:

 

The program is very difficult and you are always aware of your competition. But that is fine since you are probably a competitive person given you are applying to PhD programs.

 

But the professors are for the most part readily available and don't mind if you ask questions. For example, I talk to my metrics professor at least once a week and he is always very willing to help. But as a counterexample, my first semester micro professor told us basically that we would have to bang out the semester ourselves; basically encouraging us not to ask him questions and not to ask the TA questions (which we ended up doing anyway). So it varies, but overall, I'd say the professors are very approachable.

 

In terms of attrition rate, see my post on the "Georgetown, anyone" page (which is where I will answer other questions you may have so everyone can read them).

 

DC was the perfect fit for me since my girlfriend and parents live here so if I could hit rewind, I probably would still end up here. But if this were not the case, I may have ended up at a higher ranked program like Boston University or somewhere else. Or I might have chosen a more nurturing environment (if such a place exists in academia). I don't think the department is necessarily nurturing. You get the feeling that you have to work yourself to the bone, and then that might not be enough. Whereas in other departments it may be understood that if you work hard, put in the effort, and are reasonably intelligent, you pass. So if nurturing is what you need, go somewhere else. But if fierce competition (all in good nature) is what can fuel you, then you may be choosing the right place.

 

Placements like Stanford are extreme outliers from what I understand. Don't expect the normal student to be placed at Stanford. I chose Georgetown because with a Gtown PhD you can expect to get good policy placements (in DC), good private sector placements, and maybe reasonable academic placements (but nothing in the top 10). When I say reasonable placements, I mean small LAC or places like Oregon state (see this years placements). For me, this mix of policy and academia is perfect since I plan to work in policy after the PhD, and then maybe teach somewhere small and unranked later in life (this may be a pipe dream for all you skeptics).

 

In terms of how many hours. I'd say I work 40-50 hours a week (spread out tho including late nights and saturdays and sundays). There are students who study more. Those who study more and have more ability probably score higher than I do, but I found my equilibrium to be about 45 hours on average (that jumps up to around 70 during midterms and finals). I also study during breaks (its spring break and I have been studying for dynamic programming, though unproductively). So you get a feel for the results that this method returns, last semester I got 3 A-'s and am consistently scoring above the median (sometimes in the top 25th percentile and sometimes in the top 40th percentile, rough estimates). Some people study less and of course score worse than I, obviously.

 

Instruction is very good. Our metrics prof taught at MIT for a while and most of our professors are very thorough in proofs. I feel the instruction is up to par. It is very good, but you might get better instruction at a higher ranked program. Although at this level, I feel there is always a tradeoff between very good instructors and very good researchers. Some do both well, but I feel this isn't the norm. I feel we are somewhere in between the best of both worlds if you get what I mean.

 

Let me know if you have more questions.

[wozz]

that was great info, thank you ibanez.

would you share how much math you had before you joined Georgetown? I just want to put your comments in perspective.

 

also, to your knowledge, what are Georgetown's strengths?

i am interested in macro and international finance. do you think the department is good at these fields?

and in general - are they hiring/losing people?

Edited March 12, 2010 by wozz
typo

[ibanez]

From my perspective, it seems that our program is somewhat strong in Macro or International Finance. Names like Martin Evans and Matthew Canzoneri stand out but I haven't taken any of their classes or even spoken to them, so that might just be a rumor. Behzad Diba is also super cool, he deals with monetary policy I believe. We also just hired Francesca Carapella out of Minnesota who is teaching our first year PhD Macro 2 course. She has a joint appointment at the Fed Board of Governors in DC, so that is pretty cool.

 

We also have some professors in Game Theory and Microeconomics. Names like Roger Lagunoff and Luca Anderlini stand out. I only say this because they taught/are teaching me Micro and Game Theory respectively.

 

In terms of Metrics, as I stated before Guido Kuersteiner got his PhD from Yale and taught at MIT for a while. He is a very strong researcher and a great instructor and is always willing to lend a hand. I don't know if he plans to stay at Georgetown, as he is officially a visiting professor. But I have heard that he might stay. If he does and you are interested in Metrics, he would be a GREAT advisor.

 

In terms of development, names like Billy Jack and Garance Genicot stand out.

 

Anyways, to give you perspective about my background. I was a Econ/Math undergrad. I had Calc 1-3, 2 sems of Linear algebra, differential equations, math modeling, real analysis, discrete mathematics, topology (1 credit), and Probability Theory and Statistics. I audited Applied Mathematics. I had a 760Q GRE (probably why I didnt get funding in year 1) 550 Verbal, 4.0GPA and I had two published papers. One in Mathematical Biology from a summer REU, and another with a professor in mathematical biology (I think that despite my low GRE, this was a primary factor in getting me accepted).

 

Let me know if you have more questions.

[Halking]

How about econometrics in your department, both theory and empirical analysis?

 

From my perspective, it seems that our program is somewhat strong in Macro or International Finance. Names like Martin Evans and Matthew Canzoneri stand out but I haven't taken any of their classes or even spoken to them, so that might just be a rumor. Behzad Diba is also super cool, he deals with monetary policy I believe. We also just hired Francesca Carapella out of Minnesota who is teaching our first year PhD Macro 2 course. She has a joint appointment at the Fed Board of Governors in DC, so that is pretty cool.

 

We also have some professors in Game Theory and Microeconomics. Names like Roger Lagunoff and Luca Anderlini stand out. I only say this because they taught/are teaching me Micro and Game Theory respectively.

 

In terms of Metrics, as I stated before Guido Kuersteiner got his PhD from Yale and taught at MIT for a while. He is a very strong researcher and a great instructor and is always willing to lend a hand. I don't know if he plans to stay at Georgetown, as he is officially a visiting professor. But I have heard that he might stay. If he does and you are interested in Metrics, he would be a GREAT advisor.

 

In terms of development, names like Billy Jack and Garance Genicot stand out.

 

Anyways, to give you perspective about my background. I was a Econ/Math undergrad. I had Calc 1-3, 2 sems of Linear algebra, differential equations, math modeling, real analysis, discrete mathematics, topology (1 credit), and Probability Theory and Statistics. I audited Applied Mathematics. I had a 760Q GRE (probably why I didnt get funding in year 1) 550 Verbal, 4.0GPA and I had two published papers. One in Mathematical Biology from a summer REU, and another with a professor in mathematical biology (I think that despite my low GRE, this was a primary factor in getting me accepted).

 

Let me know if you have more questions.

[ibanez]

Like I said, Guido Kuersteiner is an econometrician who does great theory work. The department chair, Vella (I cannot recall his first name) also does econometrics. I do believe the department is trying to recruit for metrics and thus are pursuing Kuersteiner.

 

Don't take my word for it, since Kuersteiner is only a visiting professor now, but I think he may stick around and become a regular prof. He mentioned in class one day that they made him an offer and I think he may be considering it pretty seriously (but this is just speculation).

 

Take a look at his CV, it is pretty impressive.

 

He also is a thorough lecturer and always willing to help. In my opinion, he is one of the strongest researchers in our department and the fact that he is always willing to help would make him the ideal advisor.

 

BTW Kuersteiner is teaching the entire Metrics sequence (Stats Prob, Metrics 1, 2) so I think the department is pretty serious about using his strong abilities in Metrics. Just my opinion tho.

[Halking]

Thanks for the great info, his profile is really impressive in metrics. But it seems he just moved to davis.

 

Like I said, Guido Kuersteiner is an econometrician who does great theory work. The department chair, Vella (I cannot recall his first name) also does econometrics. I do believe the department is trying to recruit for metrics and thus are pursuing Kuersteiner.

 

Don't take my word for it, since Kuersteiner is only a visiting professor now, but I think he may stick around and become a regular prof. He mentioned in class one day that they made him an offer and I think he may be considering it pretty seriously (but this is just speculation).

 

Take a look at his CV, it is pretty impressive.

 

He also is a thorough lecturer and always willing to help. In my opinion, he is one of the strongest researchers in our department and the fact that he is always willing to help would make him the ideal advisor.

 

BTW Kuersteiner is teaching the entire Metrics sequence (Stats Prob, Metrics 1, 2) so I think the department is pretty serious about using his strong abilities in Metrics. Just my opinion tho.

[walt526]

Thanks for the great info, his profile is really impressive in metrics. But it seems he just moved to davis.

 

Not exactly. He's been an Associate Professor at UC Davis since 2006. For 2009-10, he is a visiting professor at Georgetown. It's entirely possible that he'll be staying at Georgetown.

[Halking]

If he can join Georgetown, that will be really cool.

[2010app9357]

So... who else is going to the Open House on Friday?

[wozz]

So... who else is going to the Open House on Friday?

 

Did you go? what do you think about the program???