finchleypark

anyone in a similar situation? it would be great to get some advice. thanks

I've applied for an ARE master's degree at UC Davis, Univ of Wisconsin Madison, Michigan State University, UIUC and University of Maryland. So far I have received offers from the first four programs and I am yet to hear back from the Univ of Maryland. I find it hard to choose a program and thought someone could help...here is what I've got. 1) UC Davis - I have received an offer with a tiny fellowship that is negligible when you calculate the costs of the entire program. Being an international student, the non-resident tuition at UC Davis is a killer and from my research, getting a relevant RA position at the master's level seems doubtful. UC Davis is actually my top choice but sadly it looks elusive to me. 2) Michigan State - This would be my second choice as they are strong in development and have interesting projects apart from teaching - the faculty seem quite interested in my profile and keen to have me join their master's program; however, there is nothing concrete on the funding yet; I received assurance on multiple occasions from the department that given my background and previous experience I would make a strong candidate for a research assistantship once I join the program. The question is whether I can rely on promises... what if nothing comes up ultimately? 3) Wisconsin-Madison - I've been told there is very little funding available and none for master's students at this time. The overall cost of the program is about 90k-95k for two years, really impossible for me to afford without getting a loan. Taking loans is not quite an option for me however. Hence I have written it off, WM is clearly out of my reach at this time. 4) UIUC - I have received full funding here that is nicely outlined in my offer letter - basically it contains details of the professor I will be supporting in research activities and it seems that this professor shares some of my research interests (to some extent) and has a PhD from ARE Berkeley (if that helps). My offer comes with a tuition waiver plus a generous monthly stipend. The offer does look amazing indeed and yeah, I feel tempted, really tempted... Now, my goals - I mentioned this in some of my previous posts anyway but will repeat here. I am looking to specialise in the economics of small farms and want to build a development-related career (financing of smallholder farmers, food security issues, etc). I am interested in development consulting or an IO- post graduation but if things go well during my master's, I will be looking to pursue an ARE PhD in the medium term. During my master's degree I will be looking to build a strong profile so that I get a good chance to apply for a PhD at places like UC Davis, Berkeley, Maryland and Michigan State among others. What I am looking for in a master's degree: RA opportunities related to my field, funding opportunities, rigorous coursework, good PhD placements (the above names in particular) and job prospects (keep in mind that I'm an international student and should I not get something in the US, I will need to return to Europe or go elsewhere, thus my master's degree has to be marketable enough outside the US). I do not really care about location... Which program should I go for? At the moment I am trying to decide between UC Davis, Michigan and UIUC but all I get is sleepless nights and have not reached any decision yet. Any thoughts?

Institution: Wisconsin AAE Program: Masters Decision: Accepted Funding: no funding Notification Date: 2/14/2014 Notified through: Email Posted on GradCafe: Yes Comments: I was hoping for at least partial funding, anyway, it's my first result and I've started feeling optimistic :)

Does the fellowship nomination apply to both master and phd students? Anyone who applied for the ARE masters has heard back?

What about the European masters of agricultural, food and environmental policy analysis? It seems that it's organised by 5 european countries and one gets to study in 2 or 3 countries... Not sure about its reputation though. Any thoughts?

I know that and hope to get in! but what if not? :) Has anyone heard of the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis? UCL - Programme structure

do you happen to know anything of the 2-year European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis? Erasmus Mundus - Action 1 - Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses (EMMCs) | EACEA I'm sure this degree would be great for someone planning to do a PhD in Europe but probably not so much US? any thoughts would be appreciated. @sulebrahim: you're definitely right, getting into one of the US ARE programs I have applied to would be ideal but it's just a handful and now I am not sure about my chances. So I have started looking around for more :)) ...

I have already applied to a handful of American M.S. programs in ag econ - UC Davis, MSU, Univ of Wisconsin-Madison, Univ of Maryland, UIUC and Purdue. These appear to be a good fit to my research interests - applied microeconomics/international development. Ultimately I would like to aim for an ARE PhD in top 15-20 universities (mostly US), so I wonder whether there is any ARE program in Europe that can help me achieve this. The only schools I have come across are University of Copenhagen and some swedish school of ag sciences but I have no information whatsoever about their placement record. anyone?

Hey, I'm applying to UC Davis this season and I've noticed that it offers two programs on their website that my research interests align to - ARE and IAD. The online application link specifies that one can apply to more than one program and I wonder whether it's "safe" to apply to both programs just to increase my odds of admission. On the other hand, I would not want this to work against my prospects. Any suggestions? Has anyone been in a similar situation before?

thanks for your help, pch! regarding Q3, if one is given a similar problem in the actual gre exam, then is it sufficient to just pick a number (in this case 13) and try to see which column is bigger? I always tend to pick at least 3 numbers/scenarios to double check if my first result stands. I know this is eating a lot from my exam time but the problem is I do not know exactly when it's necessary to double check and when not.

Hi I'm applying for several ARE MS programs and I'm looking to specialise in international development - currently applying to UWM, MSU, UM, UIUC and Purdue - getting into a good program just in case I I decide to pursue a PhD after that - any suggestions? As I mentioned in a different post, I would have liked to apply to UC Davis too but I dont think that their 1-year MS program will be a good fit for me.

Hi i'm currently applying to ARE MS programs for fall 2014 and looking to specialise in development economics/ international dev. programs currently considered: UWM, MSU, UM, UIUC and Purdue. Any other good programs? Would be great if you could share your thoughts. Thanks

I've come across these integer questions and while they do seem easy, I feel stuck...some help would be great, thanks! Q1 - If p is an integer, what is the smallest value that the following expression can have: 3^p + (3) x 3^-p a. 5 b. 4 c. 3 d. 2 e. 1 f. 0 Q2. 0 Column A m^n Column B m^-n Q.3 n is a prime number higher than 11. Column A Number of all prime numbers between n and 2n Column B (n-1)/2

Hi all please see attached; I tend to get stuck whenever I come across number line questions. please help!

Can anyone share their answers here. I've tried them myself but not sure if my solutions are correct. a. 0 A x^y B x^ (-y) My answer: B b. x is a prime number higher than 11. A. Number of prime numbers between x and 2x. B. (x-1)/2 My answer: B c. If p is an integer, what's the smallest value for the following expression? 3^p + (3) x 3^(-p) My answer: 4 (n could be 0 or 1) d. See the picture [ATTACH=CONFIG]6858[/ATTACH] Not sure about d. but it appears A is bigger. thanks!

Thanks. I'll have a look at both Minnesota and Ohio. Regarding UC Davis, I think they have an amazing PhD program but I dont share the same opinion about their MS degree. Perhaps someone with insider knowledge can comment further...

Hi all this is a question to those of you who are a little more familiar than myself with the good MS programs in agricultural economics. I'm keen to focus on international economic development (topics like agricultural finance for smallholder farmers appeal to me). After graduation I'll be looking for roles ideally in development consulting, possibly Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia or South America. Having said that, there is also a possibility to pursue a PhD in ag econ later on so I need an MS program with a strong research component (I would like to do some fieldwork as well during this degree) that can help me improve my PhD admission chances. So far my list contains: Cornell Univ- AEM Univ of Wisconsin-Madison Michigan State Univ University of Maryland University of Illinois @Urbana Purdue University After doing some more research though I am not at all sure that the program @ Cornell is the right fit for me. Lots of its research appears to be US-centric (please correct me if I am wrong here..). Any thoughts on Cornell? Also I am deliberately not including UC Davis even though I know they are top ARE school. They only offer 1-year masters that I doubt would serve my long-term goals. Are there any other sound programs I have missed out from this list? Any suggestions would be great! I will be applying strictly to MS programs for Fall 2014. thank u !

Hi all Not sure whether this is actually required for the actual exam but if you are given a graph that shows a parabola and you are asked to identify the right equation from 5 possible answers - ....what is the best way to go about it? Are there any good links that explain this concept well? Has any of you come across a similar question in your preparation?

Thanks. I think i'll double check though, just to confirm.

okay, I have finally discovered a Statement of Purpose section on the univ website, however, there is no indication of a word limitation. Does this mean one can freely decide on the length of the SOP? any ideas? What is the Statement of Purpose? Applicants must submit a statement of their goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study in a Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose should be submitted electronically by uploading it with the on-line application through the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). The statement is important and should not be completed routinely. The statement provides evidence by which the Department can make a judgment as to whether the applicant has chosen the department that best suits the student's objectives.

I'm applying for a master's degree in ag econ and I've just started filling in the Univ of Maryland online application form. May sound silly but I cannot figure out where the actual SOP prompt is. Can anyone shed light on this? All I can see is a section of Supplemental Forms that says "2. Statement of Goals, Research Interests, and Experiences. You can upload this required statement in Word, RTF, or PDF using the Application Supplemental Form." Is there anything else? Cant believe this is the actual prompt. thanks