logit

Berkeley's Agr Econ and Econ department have some intersections. Some professors in the Agr Econ has joint appointment with the Econ department, i.e. Ann Harrison (teaches Intl trade). The dept also offer classes cross-listed with gen econ. Some TA from the Agr Econ department also teaches gen Econ class. I only have great things to say about the Agr Econ department. The professors and the grad students there are superb.

Thanks OneMoreEcon!

Hi, I also plan to attend this (tomorrow), but I never get an email on 3/10 about the time schedule of the thing. If somebody read this in time, can you tell me what's on the agenda and what time does it start? Thanks a bunch.

notacolour: Anderson is the business school. Right now I am primarily decided between UCLA and Chicago. Both have a lot of good things to offer, except that you know business programs are usually flushed with funds so I am completely funded, and can take econ classes along with the econ dept students while having access to more resources. Yet Chicago is so attractive with all the econometric and innovative ways to apply methods from labor economics (which is not my field), plus I've heard a lot about it's seminars (how it help you develop a "thick skin"), and my menotrs highly recommend me to go (they think I can survive there). So I am going to wait for the right vibe to hit me when I visit both campuses. Wisconsin also.

Time to put myself on the record on the 2006 Economics PhD Application signature book. American GRE 1st try: 760Q 650V 4.5A 2nd try: 780Q 670V 5.0A Undergrad: a good one in West Coast with no grade inflation GPA: 3.6 overall, 3.8-3.9 for Economics, 3.3-3.4 for Statistics Research: -have been doing research since freshman year, but the first two years are with the political science department, the 2rd year summer did a stint in Washington DC with an economist, 3rd year RA for Economics Department at school, 3rd year summer RA for someone at World Bank (long distance), 4th year began course work on Math (yes I took my first math class in college, Linear Algebra/Differential equations, after being dormant in math for 3 years) and complete major in Statistics, 4th year also finished a thesis (for which I was given some award outside of school, and also presented in conference), after graduation 2 years RA in Washington DC (not the Fed, but think tank). Math classes and grades: Linear Algebra & Differential Equations (B+), Multivariable Calculus (B+), Mathematical Statistics (A-), Metrics (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Time Series (B+), Stochastic Processes (B) post graduation -- Advanced Calculus/Analysis (A), Topology (A-) LOR: one well known professor in my field, 2 from DC based economist (officials) Extracurricular activities (probably don't matter): initiate petition against anti-democratic government activities in a foreign country; run an active student debate society. My profile is just to encourage those that don't have perfect profile--don't completely trust what you read about what it takes to get Top 20- PhD program. (i.e. 800 Gre Quant, A or A+ math grades, grad econ classes) Getting a B+ or B is not the end of the world.

James Heckman transferred out of Chicago, to Princeton. And he went on to win the Nobel price :)

I just got a call from them yesterday. I'm in. But sounds like they are taking their time making the decision.

Has anybody applied or heard from this program? I heard that this year they have 550 applicants, plan to admit 30-35, and only 2 would be in the Global Economics PhD program. Anybody any thoughts?

Disclaimer: the following is not a post by a sour grape (who was rejected by Stanford), but the facts that I have gathered. While Stanford is a top Econ PhD program, the things I have heard about that program has not been altogether pleasant. I work in a think tank in DC, and the deputy director of my institution graduated from Stanford PhD Economics in mid-1990s. I had an extensive talk with about about his experience at Stanford. In sum, it's a rat race, according to him. You don't get much attention if you don't appear to be a star early on. (The rank list began early on) It's also a cold place in the sense that people don't care about you if you don't know your own direction. (which seems to be true in a lot of places, i.e. Chicago haha) This testimony was then confirmed by another Stanford PhD Econ graduate I met in some social event. He graduated last year, works in the Treasury, and also said similar things. What struck me most is the lack of passion emanating from both of these Stanford PhD grad, who obviously suffered from neglect in the department. Maybe this is only a bias sample, but this is the the impression I have.

Guess my homework when I go on campus day is to find out: 1.) what's the chance that a person without funding sail through til the end (to judge whether the AD COM judgement about funding is an accurate signal of the student's suitability to Chicago Economics 2.) The morale of the current grad students 3.) whether Heckman is a jerk (as suggested above) 4.) whether Becker is sick (as suggested above) 5.) the placement of a student who is middle-of-the-pack among the graduating class Feel free to add to these questions.

lse-ug, it's a small envelope, and came through standard mail, postmarked 2/28.

My profile: American -BA in econ and stat from top public school (GPA 3.6 overall, 3.8-3.9 for econ, and embarrassingly not high for stat) -honor thesis and presented in conference and won an award -GRE Math 780 Verbal 670 Writing 5.0 -RA as undergraduate (not for professors though), and RA for 2 years in Washington DC -Didn't get stellar grades for mathematics, but did take: Math: Topology, Analysis, linear algebra and differential equations, multivariable calculus, stochastic processes, math stat, probability theory, time series. Really a common joe. But the faculty at Chicago is indeed irresistable: Fogel still teaches the Economics and population class; Steve Levitt typically teaches this 1st year empirical economics class, and so does Heckman; Becker still teaches the price theory class; and Lucas still teaches the international trade class! As for the 80%, I took it from the department website. They have a Q and A section on their website with the question "DO WE FAIL A LOT OF STUDENTS AFTER THE FIRST YEAR?" and here's their answer: Do a lot of students fail out of your program? Among the students who entered our PhD program in recent years, about 69% completed a thesis and earned a PhD. To earn a PhD degree, a student must produce independent thesis research at the frontier of economics. Thesis research can require many years of work and many specialized technical skills, so it is inevitable that some fraction of the people who enter a PhD program like ours will find that their talents are different from those required for a successful career in economics. To reduce risks of failure in the long process of writing a thesis, our PhD program offers a thorough evaluation of students' aptitude for research by a rigorous general examination that follows our first-year core courses. All students are given two attempts to pass the core. If after two attempts a student has still not demonstrated the skills necessary for research in economics, the student is required to withdraw from the program. In recent years, about 80% of the entering students passed the core requirement on the first or second try. Among those who passed the core, the great majority (about 86%) went on to successfully complete a thesis and earn a PhD degree. Those who withdrew after the core exams still got substantial value from their period of study at Chicago, because our core courses gave them a valuable opportunity to broaden their understanding of economics, and many earned a master's degree. So we find that a thorough evaluation of students early in the program substantially reduces the risk of being unable to complete a thesis after many years of graduate research, with little effect on the fraction of entering students who ultimately earn a PhD.

Hi I just got into U of Chicago, with no aid. (and with no sight of getting into other top 5) Saw on their website that the 80% of the 1st class pass the core exam after the first year. The teachers are irresistable. Yet the thought of the core exam sounds scary. Any thoughts about Chicago economics?