resource Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Similar to years previous, I thought I would start up a thread specific to Agricultural and Resource Economics programs. Generally, this is an "anything goes" thread where you should feel free to ask questions, post admissions results, express anxiety, and relax among the company of other applied micro folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 And to kick things off, I recently contacted the Ph.D. program coordinator at Wisconsin AAE about when we might expect decisions to come out. She said that the committee meets tomorrow to make admissions decisions and results should come out sometime next week (no earlier than Tuesday). This seems to accord to previous years, so the value-added is weak, but it might help to settle some nerves in the short-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lily714 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Thanks for the update, resource. Although I think Wisconsin is a bit of a reach for me, I'm anxious to hear either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coughka Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hey resource which program are you hoping for the most? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hey resource which program are you hoping for the most? That's a good question. I think I would enroll in Duke Econ or Berkeley ARE immediately, if I was offered admission at either of them. The chance of that happening? Small. I'm not too optimistic after this whole interview ordeal at Duke, but my LOR writers have very good connections there (which keeps the flame of hope alive). Berkeley is far and away the best fit for my interests, but they are *really* competitive, and I am hopeful but not expecting an admit. Davis and Maryland are likely next -- Maryland's a better fit for my interests, though I'd rather live in CA. Davis has fewer people doing research up my alley, but Maryland has better connections with the policy world in DC. Those two are a toss up, but I get less optimistic about Davis with each day. I don't think they have offered that many admits this late in Feb. I am actually expecting them to admit me to their MS program (which is what I received in 2009 when I first applied), which would mean that they value my MS at exactly nothing. Which brings me to Wisconsin and Cornell -- these two I think I am most excited about because I think I have the best shot at getting in and I am very excited about the research they are doing. Both seem to be investing into their environmental faculty and students, which makes them exciting places to be. I am optimistic because my LOR writers have coauthored papers with faculty at both places, and I think they are programs on the rise. Oregon and Georgia State were last minute safety applications, I think I have a decent shot at getting in, and they have 1-2 great faculty in environmental econ each. Oh, and Duke's Environmental Policy program is tough -- they haven't graduated their first class yet, so job market prospects are uncertain. They have very, very good faculty feeding into that program, as well as access to the Duke Econ faculty. It's an attractive niche-program, but tough to compare directly to ARE or Econ programs. I'm also feeling less optimistic there, as I haven't heard anything and there have been a couple admits on GC for a very small entering class (~5 students). What about y'all? What are your dream programs? (It is quite therapeutic to get it all out there in words, I have to say...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well if we're talking about dream programs mine would have to be MIT.  If I were to go purely by interests the next best would have to be Berkeley ARE, but their stipend is below average, and even worse considering cost of living doesn't get much higher than there. I think if I could get in at Cornell w/ the Sage Fellowship I'd be about indifferent between that and a Berkeley ARE offer. Realistically, though, I'll probably go somewhere a bit lower down like Maryland Econ. P.S. Resource you really think Wisconsin and Cornell are on the rise? I could understand Wisconsin, but my impression for Cornell is that their ranking has been pretty stagnant and their placements are still like a top 30 school from what I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Well if we're talking about dream programs mine would have to be MIT.  If I were to go purely by interests the next best would have to be Berkeley ARE, but their stipend is below average, and even worse considering cost of living doesn't get much higher than there. I think if I could get in at Cornell w/ the Sage Fellowship I'd be about indifferent between that and a Berkeley ARE offer. Realistically, though, I'll probably go somewhere a bit lower down like Maryland Econ. P.S. Resource you really think Wisconsin and Cornell are on the rise? I could understand Wisconsin, but my impression for Cornell is that their ranking has been pretty stagnant and their placements are still like a top 30 school from what I've seen. I know what you mean about the stipend to cost-of-living ratio at Berkeley, add in a pretty abysmal state budget and things don't look to positive. As for Cornell, I was talking about the Applied Econ program (and I think you were mentioning pure Econ since Cornell AAE  Maryland econ is definitely better than Cornell or Wisc (applied), though. Probably marginally better than Davis ARE/Maryland AREc. It's be a good place to be for environmental (is that what you're focusing on?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lily714 Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I just want to make the right decision. My biggest fear is choosing the wrong program for my skills/interests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 I just want to make the right decision. My biggest fear is choosing the wrong program for my skills/interests. Well, you're on track to have a good set of options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coughka Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yea it definitely seems like Wisconsin is on the rise as far as environmental goes. Is Davis a good school for environmental? Are they worth going to if the research interests don't align? Berkeley would be a dream...wish there wasn't so much competition but they put out some really good students so I guess everyone benefits. I've always wondered what makes Maryland's program so good...anyone have insight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Davis is better for resource econ and development (and ag, obviously). As far as strict environmental econ, it's not as good as Maryland AREc (or Wisconsin AAE, IMO). Davis has some young environmental faculty (Jessoe and Lin), who have potential but are probably too young to place students well. Sanchirico, in the Env Policy school, is as good as anyone in resource econ (primarily fisheries stuff). Others such as Wilen are good, but getting older and less productive. Â I know what you mean about Maryland AREc. It seems like its in decline, but still getting by on its name and history. One benefit is its proximity and relationship to think-tanks/govt agencies in DC (RFF, ERS, EPA, etc.). Alberini and Williams are top notch faculty (as well as Cropper on the Econ side) and the students there receive very good training, but something doesn't add up about that program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nat_resource Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Yea it definitely seems like Wisconsin is on the rise as far as environmental goes. Is Davis a good school for environmental? Are they worth going to if the research interests don't align? Berkeley would be a dream...wish there wasn't so much competition but they put out some really good students so I guess everyone benefits. I've always wondered what makes Maryland's program so good...anyone have insight? What are your interests likely to be? I'll give you a straight-forward answer as best as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nat_resource Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Davis is better for resource econ and development (and ag, obviously). As far as strict environmental econ, it's not as good as Maryland AREc (or Wisconsin AAE, IMO). Davis has some young environmental faculty (Jessoe and Lin), who have potential but are probably too young to place students well. Sanchirico, in the Env Policy school, is as good as anyone in resource econ (primarily fisheries stuff). Others such as Wilen are good, but getting older and less productive.  Sanchirico is great. Wilen is obviously getting older. Less productive? Maybe. He apparently does not have money to support RAs at the moment. But he is still an excellent adviser with great connections. In my opinion both Maryland and Davis are suffering from their stars approaching retirement with nobody able to pick up the slack in the short term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nat_resource Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I know what you mean about Maryland AREc. It seems like its in decline, but still getting by on its name and history. One benefit is its proximity and relationship to think-tanks/govt agencies in DC (RFF, ERS, EPA, etc.). Alberini and Williams are top notch faculty (as well as Cropper on the Econ side) and the students there receive very good training, but something doesn't add up about that program. Some of my impressions from last year researching the program and talking to different people: Rumor was the median time to completion was something like 6 years (can't remember why). On top of that the department was rarely willing to provide funding after the fourth year. As a result, students had the incentive to seek out part-time consulting gigs or research positions with DC based institutions. This may have been why time to completion was on the longer side and why so many students place in NGOs and bureaucracies. I think they are now trying to remedy these problems.  Again, this was just my perception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resource Posted February 17, 2012 Author Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for the insight, nat_resource. Always informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 What do you think of UC Berkeley's ARE in terms of development? My observation is that it's probably headed down hill since Alain De Janvry seems like the anchor, and he's nearing retirement age (or in any other profession would be considered past it). Hopefully he stays on another 5-6 years, but I have serious doubts about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martanio Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Does anyone know if there are any ARE programs that are still accepting applications with full considaration for funding? I know about University of New Mexico, but I am not sure about any others. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 @ Martanio I looked around a little but its really late. The only other one I saw that might still give you funding is Kansas State, but even they "strongly recommend" you have applied by Feb. 1. Of course, they also have spring admissions whose admission with funding is "strongly recommended" to come in by Aug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coughka Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Nat I'm interested primarily in the intersection of resources and development just as a wide research platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nat_resource Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Nat I'm interested primarily in the intersection of resources and development just as a wide research platform. That sounds like a good fit at the surface. There are a few students here working across development and natural resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdeconomist Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Is there anyone who applied Minnesota Applied Economics but hasn't heard yet like me? I have seen two acceptance in Gradcafe and I am getting worried......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lily714 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Is there anyone who applied Minnesota Applied Economics but hasn't heard yet like me? I have seen two acceptance in Gradcafe and I am getting worried......... I haven't heard either. It was always a reach for me though, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martanio Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I've been pondering the future of ARE programs. I mean the whole reason they started was because of US Fed funding more than a century ago. Now the reason they still exist has nothing to do with that since I think the depts. have reached critical mass and made substantial contributions. However, govt. funding for Universities is shrinking and when universities want to trim budgets they look to trim redundant majors, and ARE programs usually provide hybrid environmental science and economics majors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainine Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 I've been pondering the future of ARE programs. I mean the whole reason they started was because of US Fed funding more than a century ago. Now the reason they still exist has nothing to do with that since I think the depts. have reached critical mass and made substantial contributions. However, govt. funding for Universities is shrinking and when universities want to trim budgets they look to trim redundant majors, and ARE programs usually provide hybrid environmental science and economics majors. I occassionally think about what you mention above, but more recently (just because I like to worry about everything), I wonder about the prospects of getting a job afterwards. I have a feeling that I can get a research job, but as for academia -- it seems very difficult, not only because of the job market in general, but because we would also be competing with Econ PhDs. Does anyone else have dreams of going into a research university? How do you intend on preparing yourself to be competitive in the job market? I'm glad this thread was started! I have more 'worries' in my mind to air but I'll start with this one :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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