hankpaul

You need math if you're getting an Economics PhD.

Hi, What is everyone's opinion on the best subdiscipline while getting a PhD in Economics? Criteria of interest to me when evaluating what is "best": 1) Highest median/mean income. 2) Highest number of job openings. 3) Geographic variety of job openings. Thanks for your feedback!

Econbeliever, no problem. I see that you have accepted! I think you made a good choice.

Econbeliever, I believe UCSB has more students from the U.S. than the average econ PhD program. There are two international students in our entering cohort (of 17). The female to male ratio is about 1:2. We do not work with faculty this year. Everyone is busy learning the material and preparing for prelims, so we've primarily gotten to know faculty through classes. However, conferences and seminars have generally been open to first year students (if they can spare the time). Students who already have master's degrees generally have some research under their belts, but most people in the first year don't. From what I know, most people have taken the first Summer off or did some kind of internship. I've heard that you can technically specialize in as many fields as you want, but that two is the minimum. None of the econ grad students in my year are living in the same San Clemente apartment together, so I believe the assignment is random.

UCSB is a great place for behavioral economics. It seems like there's an experiment going on in our computer lab every other week. Gary Charness is a very famous economist in this field. From my impression, San Clemente is nicer if you are coming straight out of college or don't have a car as it's quite close to the university and shops in IV. It's not the cheapest option, and you can definitely find better deals if you come early. There is a decent bus system here, and Santa Barbara is a great place for biking around, so you don't have to live right next to campus. In our cohort most group studying takes place in our offices on campus, not in San Clemente, so you won't be missing out on much by living off campus. Most people don't stay in San Clemente past their first year, if that's worth anything.

Hi econbeliever, industrial organization and econometrics are not the main reasons people choose UCSB, although there are a couple of my cohort who are interested in IO, but it does have a presence. There are also several people in my cohort interested in econometrics. One thing to consider is the strong labor group in the department from whom many econometrics tools are learned (so I'm told). Finance isn't a very big field, but professor Mehra is quite a famous person in this field. Going in, I was a bit nervous about the quarter system since my undergraduate education was on the semester system. However, now I think the quarter system is inconsequential at worst. The nice thing is that we get taught from 9 different professors over the year as opposed to 6 or 7. Also, spring break is right after finals in the Winter quarter instead of being in the middle of the second semester. I know that in other semester programs they give two tests and a final for each semester, which adds up to the same number we take. But in comparison to programs that don't test as much, I'd say having more exams is more beneficial as preparation for prelims. Collaboration between students is quite wonderful here as long as you are willing to collaborate. For example, we setup a google group to share problem set solutions and other helpful files.

It's been like a year since the last time I've been on TM, and UCSB is on the front page of the ECON forum! Come to UCSB! It's great here! I'm a first year. Ask any questions, but I can't promise I'll reply...finals are next week! I've been impressed with the friendliness/approachability of the faculty and fellow grad students. The sunshine also helps keep stress levels in check ;-).

What about for lower ranked schools???

Hi TMers, How much does it negatively impact your resume if you go to the same university for your undergrad and PhD? How much does it matter for academic placements? How much does it matter for non-academic placements? Any opinions/advice?

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