eager_applicant

I agree with IHateGRE....take all information into account and attempt to make the most informed decision possible. I think it's useful to speak with those faculty members who sit on the committee responsible for hiring new professors for your school (as well as more recent PhD's) because they are more aware of what kind of work is currently coming out of any given program or, perhaps, how a school is presently perceived. Also, it may be useful to email current grad students just to see how they like the program, how accessible professors are, and how prepared they are for the job market. Obviously they will be biased as well, but this is all part of the information gathering process. Good luck with your decision!

Don't turn down a school's offer based on what you hear on this board. Go and talk to some professors and try to figure out how the academic world perceives and values a degree from UNC. I think that info you get on this board can be very useful, but should certainly not be a basis for turning down an offer that seems very good. I don't know much about UNC. I would strongly advise you to ask your professors and to look into the recent placements out of UNC.

Did anyone apply for it? If so, have you heard back?

Ivy League refers to a sports league...in the case of NYU and Penn, both a really good. Go with whichever one feels better to you becasue if you're a good student, you'll do well on the job market out of either school. Dartmouth is Ivy League and they don't even have a PhD program in econ. If you were comparing some no-name institution vs. an Ivy League institution, my answer might be different, but NYU has a reputation for excellence, which is what Ivy League generally implies to many. Good luck with your decision! :)

I would relax as much as possible unless you really really need the money. Next year will be hell....try to have some fun now while you can :)

In terms of training, I've been advised by a number of people that Minnesota is best among these three. However, you have access to a large number of outstanding faculty at NYU. Likewise, Minnesota has a wealth of professors who work closely with students. I know that MN is thought of as a "high value added" program, but there are the winters to contend with ;)

Not true...the bottom guy out of MIT is discouraged from seeking academic employment. Period. The stars of any decent program (ie the guy out of Ohio State last year) place on par with top people out of really good programs. Not always, but they can. You don't know if you'll be a star. Bottom line is that all we can say is the bottom guy out of MIT or Harvard has much better options than the bottom guy out of a lesser ranked school. Probably he even has better options than the median guy out of a lesser ranked school.

Also, Williamson is at WUSL and he's supposed to be a great advisor. Of course, you'd have to be interested in monetary theory...

I think ultimately, the choice has to make sense for you. I agree that the Harvard/MIT love on the forum is a bit excessive. the worst person out of Harvard places at a liberal arts college. Period. But, he places, where the worst person out of a much lower ranked program might have to search for jobs for a while, maybe go on the market more than once and end up in industry. So, obviously going to a good school matters. In the end, what gets you noticed is the work that you do. You will have access to great professors anywhere in the top 10. You will similarly have access to great students. In the end, being as happy as possible in your program is important, so basing a decision between a few great programs should be based on preferences only, I think. Or, if you really really know what you want to do, the department with the most really good faculty studying whatever it is that you're passionate about. Just my :2cents:

bump ^^^^

Awards were announced March 30 last year

about 50% of the "score" that they give each applicant is based upon something like the ability to contribute to society or something like that, so they're most likely to award it to someone who sounds like they want to give back to the profession in a tangible way. If you could make it clear how you would do that through work in the theory side of things, I see no reason that your application wouldn't be as competitive as one in a more applied area.

?????????

doesn't every city have a cheesecake factory? I think that's not much of a way to make a decision ;)

Nope....this is the first I heard anything. I have a fellowship in years 1 & 5 and TA/RA in years 2-4

I guess they are not done with admissions....I got a packet in the mail today with a funded offer (5 years, it seems)

stuy, are you in school now? If so, where?

It took Northwestern a looooong time to get back to me. check your PM

hmmm...I emailed her like an hour ago and no answer...

did you email her first or was it unsolicited?

Congrats Cassin! Have you narrowed the field at all, in light of the recent admits?

Prometheus, You can't possibly visit all those programs! Where will you actually go to visit and what's at the top of the list right now...wow, congratulations!

what number did you call?

oh, ok...I know what you're talking about. Where did the "decision made" show up?

how do you check wolverine access?