bostonfan05

I was accepted with the 50% tuition waiver and TA position and am considering the offer. I have not spoken to anyone at Tufts about the program but I know a fair bit just from general research online.

If you are referring to the TA position it says on their website that it is typically $4500 per semester.

Duke MA and Cornell AEM M.S. post industry placements on their websites.

I was admitted to U Delaware M.S. Econ and Applied Econometrics. I guess it has some applied aspects but I think most of the required courses are theoretical while some of the electives could be applied. In any case does anyone have thoughts on this program? Do you think it could it be used as a stepping stone to an ARE PhD?

Hey thanks, I am excited to have been accepted into the program. However, it is much too expensive and I will most likely not attend. When I applied I was not sure if they offered funding or not but I figured I would give it a shot.

If you are referring to my post in the results thread, I actually applied to the M.S. program and not the PhD.

Institution: Cornell Program: AEM M.S. Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification date: 2/28 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No. Comments: Is funding even possible for the M.S.?

Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, State flagship Undergrad GPA: 3.84 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE:550V 790Q 4.5 AW Math Courses: Calc I (AP), Statistics (AP), Calc II (A), Calc III (A-), ODE (A), Intro. Linear Algebra (A), Probability and Stochastic Processes (A-) Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro (A), Intro. Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (B+), International Economics (A), Managerial Economics (A), Public Economics (A) Other Courses: A handful of business courses Letters of Recommendation: Two will be average (one math, one econ), one will be good (econ) Research Experience: None Teaching Experience: TA for intro micro Research Interests: Eh, not too sure. Resource econ, micro SOP: Should be good. Concerns: B+ in econometrics Applying to: UBC, Queens, Toronto, Tufts, Duke, Cornell AEM (All masters)

Alright, thanks for the input.

eh?..

For U of T and Queen's do you need a statement of purpose? I see nothing about this on the application info page, nor did I see it going through the application. I realize this may have answered my own question but it seems odd not to require it. Thanks.

Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, State flagship, econ PhD ranked>100 Undergrad GPA: 3.82 (top amongst econ majors) Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE:550V 790Q 4.5 AW Math Courses: Calc I (AP), Statistics (AP), Calc II (A), Calc III (A-), ODE (A), Intro. Linear Algebra (A), Probability and Stochastic Processes (A-) Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro (A), Intro. Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (B+), International Economics (A), Managerial Economics (A), Public Economics (A) Other Courses: A handful of business courses Letters of Recommendation: Two will be average (one math, one econ), one will be good (econ) Research Experience: None Teaching Experience: TA for intro micro Research Interests: Eh, not too sure. Resource econ, monetary. SOP: Should be good. Concerns: B+ in econometrics Applying to: UBC, Queens, Toronto, Tufts, Duke, Cornell AEM

Alright, thanks guys. Yes, it seems pointless to have to put in any address at all.

Since this question seems to be sufficiently answered I'd like to ask a question here instead of making a thread about it. Plus, it is related to LOR submission. Question: Where the application asks for the mailing address of the LOR writer I'm assuming I put in their address at school, right?...not their home address? Sorry if this is a ridiculous question.

Hey guys, I have had several jobs, but nothing relevant to economics whatsoever. I am guessing I should leave all of the work experience fields blank? I just don't want adcoms to think I am super lazy, haha. Edit: I am currently a TA for principles of micro. Worth putting as professional background or irrelevant?

Update: Got my AW score: 4.5. Was hoping for a 5 but oh well. Also, if your wondering, the applied math course is mainly a course in PDEs with Calc III and LA as pre reqs. I am also thinking of applying to Duke (in spite of what I said above) instead of Cornell AEM.

Well "building" a computer is not as difficult as it sounds. You buy ten parts or so and put them together like an advanced lego set. However, their can be issues and troubleshooting can be annoying. It sounds like this would not be worth it for you. If you are only going to be using this for school and research, then I would recommend the following: First, I would strongly reconsider if you are thinking of spending $1500+. Even $1000 is too much imo. You simply do not need to spend that much for what you will be doing, and you never want to try and "future proof" your computer by buying all of the best components. Even the best components today will be inferior to mid range components in the near future. If I was buying a computer for research and school, I would probably spend around $700 max (including monitor and operating system (Windows 7 64 bit).) This will give you plenty of power to do what you want. I would get an AMD based system with a Phenom II x4 or Athlon II x4 processor (quad cores) with clock speeds around 3 GHz. 4 GB RAM (no need for more, unless you want to run the adobe suite, etc.) . 500 GB (you could go bigger if you think you will need it which it sounds like you might- plus don't forget to back up your files, lol) hard drive @ 7200 RPM. I would probably want at least a Radeon HD 5450 GPU to go with this. That should give you enough graphics power to run the packages you want. If this sounds good to you, then go to acer.com and customize a build or find something comprable on newegg.com. I will say, AMD does not have the latest technology in their current processors. I am biased, my computer has a (top end) AMD processor which works GREAT. Also, fyi, AMD (and Intel) has 6 core processors that you could look into as well. The extra cores can help with multitasking. If you want to push the budget a bit higher, then you could buy an intel based system with either their first or second gen i cores. You may see some improvement in some instances, but I'm not sure how much for what you are going to be doing. I'm not sure about the first gen icores, but the new ones are apus which combine graphics processing within the cpu (and the graphics are plenty powerful for everyday stuff.) So in this case you would not need a graphics card. The i5 2500k is a model that is notorious for its beastly performance. Everything else from the AMD build would be the same. If you like the sound of the intel build better you can pretty much go to any mainstream pc manufacturers website and customize one. I would probably go to Dell, but only because I have experience with them. Eh, sorry if this was confusing. Basicly, the point is it doesn't really matter what you buy. Something similar to the main components I suggested will do the job great. Also, things like high end graphics cards and SSDs are hardly necessary for STATA and matlab (these programs are run on computer lab computers (i.e. no graphics card at all). Sure, if you are going to be doing some intense 3D modeling you can get something like an HD 6870 or 6970 but I hardly think it is necessary. Just check the requirements for the software you want to use. Also, SSDs are WAY too expensive per GB. The only way I see one working for you is if you got a second mechanical drive to go with it, which doesn't make sense if you are not computer savvy. Oh ya, only get the i7 2600k of i5 2500k if you are willing to overclock them. They are meant to be overclocked and a waste of money if not. I have heard it is easy with them.

If you're willing to do some research on how to do it, building you're own computer is the best option. If you don't want to do that and decide to buy a pre built it does not really matter where you by from as all companies use essentially the same hardware. Brand rarely, if ever matters in when it comes to quality of desktops (laptops are a bit different in this regard). You could make your purchasing decision based on customer service, warranty options, and, to some extent price (though prices will vary little across companies given similar performance: Except Apple, Alienware and a few others who have created brand power through illusions of superiority). I am not sure it is necessary for statistical packages, but I would get at least a low end dedicated graphics card and quad core processor. I'm sure you could look up the specific system requirements for them. My guess is any new low end desktop would run them flawlessly. As far as performance is concerned, desktops outperform laptops at the same price point by miles. What is your budget? If I know this, I could offer some specific recommendations, if you like.

I do not think that AW will hurt you, especially as a non native speaker.

resource-Thanks for the input on my chances. The other programs you mention may be better in the field than Cornell AEM but my #1 priority is to have good job options after I graduate. As you say, a program's reputation is different inside and outside of academia. I think a more well known program will be viewed better on a resume as well as provide more networking opportunities. The program at Montana State looks nice and it is something I will consider but the employment stats just don't stack up at all with the Cornell program. darkyyy- Ya, I figured the chances are slim. I like the idea of the coop programs. The only one I am familiar with though is the one at U Toronto where a thesis and internship are required. If I had the opportunitey to go there I would strongly consider the coop with the Centre for Environment. Do you know if there is anything like this at UBC?

:hmm:

I don't have first hand knowledge of the program but the thing that jumps out at me is how transparent the website is in regards to admission statistics and employment. The admission requirements appear to be lower than the top Canadian departments but are still (relatively) high. Plus, UCSB has a good department in general, so I bet the program is fairly demanding. It looks less promising if your doing it for PhD prep as they don't require the standard micro and macro theory. Plus, they don't mention anything about MA recipients moving on to PhD programs. It does not seem like this is an issue for you though, as you are not looking to do a PhD.

Still hoping for some opinions. Thanks.

If you want to go into the private sector you are certainly better off just doing a masters in stats over a PhD (unless you have a substantial preference to doing research; but this does not seem to be the case for you?...).

Hey, Our profiles are pretty similar and we are applying to the same range of schools (for masters) so I thought I would chime in. First, I would avoid getting LORs from music professors. Though it's cool that you got a degree in musical theory, letters from your profs from this degree would not signal anything in terms of competing in a economics masters program. Potentially publishing some research is great. I am not sure how heavily the adcoms will weight this but it should it least help marginally (this greatly depends on where you publish). Perhaps talking about your work in your SOP and how it relates to your future interests will be of use (not too sure about this though). Overall, I feel I am competitive for the same range of programs you are applying to, though I am still awaiting opinions on my profile as well. Assuming you get a good GRE Q score, you will have a similar profile to mine (similar schools, similar courses, lower GPA but better "extras", and your LORs may be better) so I think you have a good shot at the schools you are applying to. This next semester will be important though as you have a couple of math courses and metrics where you can further demonstrate ability.