takethemoneyandrun

AppliedEcon's posts have really been frustrating me, too. I also got into UMD AREC with full funding this year (with a low GRE score and no grad coursework) but was rejected from schools that are nowhere near the quality that many TM posters are targeting. I knew I had no shot at places like MIT and Harvard so I didn't even apply to them. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to AppliedEcon, too, and I'm not sure why he/she feels qualified to dispense so much advice based on personal experience. UMD AREC seems like a very nice program, but it's much, much easier to get in there than a top or mid-ranked econ program.

Best: Real Analysis Worst: ODE

Same here. It was a very boring class.

Unfortunately, I'm still waitlisted for funding at UT, so I'm waiting to hear back about that. Hopefully I'll be able to make my choice by Monday!

Congrats, guys! I may be joining you, also.

This one was easy :)

I fully agree with asquare. U. Michigan is probably the best place in the world to study public economics (Grijalva & Nowell, 2008) and I have never heard a negative word said about the program. Its placements are outstanding and, if you're set on public finance, I cannot imagine a more ideal fit for you.

Has Texas dropped out of the running for you because of its weakness in macro, or are you not confident in its strength in applied micro?

Nothing here.

My apologies -- I did not know this!

I'd also like to throw in a plug for UC-Davis. They have an exceptional economic history program (which is very hard to find) and are also quite strong in public, with at least one or two faculty working in health. There are not too many schools strong in both of those areas and I think Davis would be a neat place to spend 5 years

Hey everyone, I want to study labor economics as a grad student. I'd also like to attend a program that gives me a strong background in applied econometrics. I have narrowed my choice down to three schools and am hoping you can give me some thoughts on where to go. Although I've been waitlisted for funding at UVa and UT, I'm going to assume that neither offer comes through. I'm deciding between UVa (no funding), UT-Austin (no funding), and UW-Seattle ($$). I have posted my profile on the Results thread, so please check that out if it helps. The relative strengths of UT and UVa (along with their killer core exams) have been brought up a lot on these forums, but I am wondering what how you rank all three for someone who is very, very driven to study labor, health, and aging economics. I'm not as concerned with the schools' overall standing. Thanks very much!

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Mid-ranked LAC Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4.0 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: 770Q/700V/5.5AWA Math Courses: Calc I-III (A/B/A-), Linear Algebra (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Mathematical Statistics (B+), ODEs (A-), PDEs (A), Advanced Calculus (A), Real Analysis (A), Topology (IP), Complex Analysis (IP) Econ Courses : Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Intro to Econometrics (B), Labor Economics (A), Senior honors thesis (A) Other courses: Nothing of value Letters of Recommendation: Three econ professors (PhDs from top 30 programs) who advised me on research papers that turned out pretty well and one statistics professor with whom I did summer research. They are all very nice, helpful people and I get along well with them. Research Experience: Two econ term papers and a senior honors thesis that I am proud of; one co-authored statistics publication based on summer research. Teaching Experience: TA for 2 sections of introductory statistics and 2 sections of introductory economics. Research Interests: Economics of labor, health, aging, and education. Statement of purpose: I made it clear that I want to become an academic economist, discussing my math preparation and research interests. Concerns: Low GRE Q and limited undergrad econ background with very shaky grades. RESULTS: Acceptances: Virginia(wl-$), Texas(wl-$), Washington-Seattle($$), Indiana($$), UC-Davis($$), UC-Irvine($$), Rice($$), Colorado($0), Maryland AREC($$), Cornell AEM($0), Oregon($$) Rejections: Brown, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, WUSTL What would you have done differently? I would have applied to more schools in the 15-30 range. I didn't expect to be accepted to at least half of the programs that admitted me and was biased towards lower-ranked schools. I have heard this over and over, but it's worth repeating: The MC of sending out an additional application is extremely low; apply to any and every school that you think matches your research interests!

Institution: Washington U. in St. Louis Program: PhD Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 4/6 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comment: My last one :)

I absolutely think this is true. In my (non-personalized) email from UCI, Professor Poirier said that he would do his best to improve UCI's funding package if I had a competing offer on the table. I've heard that Irvine is extremely expensive, so I would definitely try to negotiate for a little more money if you decide to go. I voted for UCI, too, since I don't detect any huge differences in program strength for what you seem to be interested in. UCI also looks like a program on the rapid rise, though the funding situation does make it close. Do you expect your wife to find a job she enjoys near Irvine? It seems like her income from that might offset some of the financial loss you'd have to take by living in Irvine instead of East Lansing. Best of luck with your decision.

WUSTL's placements are roughly what I expected, but their website is truly outstanding! That might be the nicest one I've ever seen from a grad program.

The DGS said that they will try to cover this fee for funded students, but the award may not cover the full amount and it is not guaranteed to happen. This shocked me too, but I am pretty sure I didn't mishear her: This is the typical full-year package for a TA.

TomRod and mathemagician, would you two mind if I PMd you asking for some advice about UT? I may not be able to get down to Austin before the decision deadline and I have a bunch of questions that probably aren't relevant to anyone on the forum.

I believe the DGS said that she expects 20 students out of an entering class of 25-30 to receive funding. Most of these will be TAs. The funding for TAs seems quite small: The typical package is in-state tuition reimbursement + health insurance + $8,800. These carry a maximum of 10 hours per week of responsibilites, which I think is less than what most schools offer. It is not guaranteed that out-of-state tuition will be covered in the first year. I thought the open house was a let-down. I did not learn anything terrible about the school, but absolutely nothing blew me away. Coming in, UVa was my top choice and I really hoped that the department would make my decision for me, but that didn't happen. I am not at all sold on the program, though this is probably because I held very high expectations. Most of what I learned is available on the website, but there are two things you might like to know: 1. Only Micro I (producer and consumer choice) and Micro II (general equilbrium) are convered in the first-year micro sequence. Micro III (imperfect information and game theory) is taken in the Fall of your second year. As a result, no topics from Micro III are on the core exam, taken in June after the first year. 2. For the last three first-year classes, 56% of students pass both core exams on their first try, and 72% pass it by the end of the second year (the retake is in January).

Institution: UT-Austin Program: PhD Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None "at this time" Notification date: 3/24/10 Notified through: Email Comments: I'm very happy, but shocked; I thought they were all done with offers.

I really think you're only "too old" if you decide that you are. I'm the same age as MicroIOGuy and I am very excited by the possibility of securing my PhD by the time I'm 26. I would be extremely frightened of entering a PhD program around that age and not finishing until after I've turned 30, but I expect nearly everyone in that position would have been scared to death of starting at my age.

Will do. Feel free to send me a PM if you don't hear back from any of us.

I don't have any information about our funding chances, but I will be at the flyout and I look forward to meeting you :)

I also haven't heard anything yet, although a WUSTL admit probably wouldn't change my plans.

Does anyone know if UT-Austin is all done with its admits?