mosfro

its also very important to ask the current (3rd year +) graduate students what they think about univ Y and Z compared to X.

GWU is worth going to if they offer you funding - cuz chances of getting funding AFTER you get there is highly unlikely as far as the rankings go - true they show up low in econphd rankings, and around 50 in other rankings, but there are a lot of active faculty here I believe the reason for the low rankings is because not many people get positions at major research universities. Academic placement is rare - now we dont know if that is because job candidates prefer the other options, or that its hard to get academic appointments. It could also be that people want the academic jobs, but thre is no reputation for GWU phds out there. Many graduates end up at the WB and IMF. I counted at least 4 every year from 2002 onward. If those job placements were weighted as heavy as a top 50 academic placement, then GW would be ranked higher. disclaimer: current GW doctoral student who has a WB research appointment

keep in mind that riverside has heteredox faculty also keep in mind that irvine, at least in my opinion, is trying to develop some niche research areas (urban, transportation) , in addition to having atleast some faculty several fields (everything else +econ history) also be advised of the unwritten verbal requirement of most UCs (560-580)

is this a joke?? this guy can't be for real....SHEESH!

you may want to consider adding a couple of pennsylvania schools, as they would be able to judge your undergrad a little better than say california schools... it is something that i have indeed noticed in the past, that local schools recognize the talent and skill needed to get a 4.0 at a particular institution. so maybe throw in upitt, psu, or upenn(which would be a good sub for mit or stanford)

sounds like a really interesting case... the RA position might give you some real experience and open your eyes to something you could really see yourself doing, or what you really never ever want to do again...learning experience... having said that, i don't think you should delay the grad school any longer, you got that masters in math for a reason, and you dont wanna be in grad school throughout ALL of your 20s and since i think i know who you are, I think you should apply to all the top programs you want...because that one good LOR will help...a LOT as much as I would like to kick it with you for another 2 years, you need to get outta here and go to cambridge

i must add that there were losers like me who could not hold down the gpa requirement and were asked to leave before being able to attempt the prelims ... i must add, that I think I am the only one I've ever heard of this happening to...mainly because normally, if a student was strugglin in the first few weeks of the first semester because he was lacking multiv. calculus, he would probably have realized that he was underprepared and would have voluntarily left the program before wasting his time I also think that many phd students who leave before the Phd degree, or defense of a dissertation may be in programs that are lower on the rankings, mainly because if they were to land some corporate gig after the degree, the corps / private companies dont care too much about the dissertation. They sometimes only care that you have the tools necessary to do so.

if i may offer my 2 cents.... as mentioned by others....get only As from here on out, but more importantly, you must be sure that you are getting STELLAR letters, (looks like that shouldnt be a problem if you have been and currently are involved in research with them). Something else that I would like to point out: 1. Top 10 LACs are very well regarded...of course some more than others, but more than likely adcoms have heard of these schools, sent new phds to these schools, or would like their kids to go to one of these schools...I personally think that your school will only add to your application - especially if your school is located near the ones you are planning on applying to. 2. what schools do your faculty recommenders suggest you apply to? 3. I am surprised that nobody mentioned that fact that you are an American (i'm assuming by the LAC) and a female...a very underrepresented demographic among econ phd programs....by no means am i saying play it up in your SOP or in the app somewhere, but again, this can only help you so to answer your question - - - no, you're not crazy

i would rule out michigan state .... the macro faculty is really young and small (2 professors really) and unless there were some recent hires, the policy faculty is non existent, also several losing football seasons in a row I also second Michigan ... sounds like a good choice.... also, if you really wanted to go the policy route in an econ program....i would suggest maryland...strong academic program with proximity to DC and i also wouldn't rule out chicago - - you never know until you apply

I think your chances will be great coming out of georgetown - - reason being Georgetown is an incredibly difficult university to get in to right after high school, and it is well known by faculty members that as an undergraduate institution, it is top notch. Granted, their graduate economics program isn't a top 25, but new college freshman wouldn't know that if they decided to enroll in georgetown instead of uva or maryland for their undergraduate education....same goes for top LACs like say...willam and mary. Also, for the record, NOVA is no stony brook - true, but it's a community college, so i'm not sure why anyone was making a comparison....from what i understand, NOVA has a strong track record of placing people into find 4 year universities...its kind of like Santa Monica College, for those of you from the LA area. I echo the others' advice: georgetown would be a fine institution, but you have to make sure to get great letters of rec from professors who graduated from top places and still actively research, and take all of the necessary math, stat, and econ courses. I understand that you are 26, and really want to get started, but if meeting all graduation requirements and recommended math courses means taking a semester or 2 longer than you anticipated, it might be worth it. For the record, not sure if this matters, but if you haven't applied yet...and you can afford to and have nice SAT or ACT scores...apply to trasfer to some top schools....couldnt hurt anythign except your pocket and ego (an economists two prized posessions)

check your PM

Sorry to tell you, but it will be nearly impossible for you to find a 1br apt for 900-1000... Although, some of the graduate housing on campus is fairly new and nice, so really not that bad for the price....Just stock up on top ramen and mac 'n cheese

i want a phd so I can do info-mercials selling random products that are endorsed by expert "Dr. mosfro"...i need a doctorate in something and since I like econ, i might as well pursue that.... I'll be the economist wearing a lab-coat convincing you to take so-and-so weight loss drug.... *these claims have not been validated by the fda

how interesting that maryland, ohio state, michigan state, and berkeley are missing from the top 20, but hey, its rankings im applying to rhode island right away!

what do you consider a well paying job right out of undergrad? and why wouldnt you be able to get one coming from UCSD as a math/econ double major? Great combo for consulting work, actuarial work, and what industry calls "business intelligence" assuming you can program a little bit... i mean, ya probably not 6 figs, but decent i would think none the less...

I would go to FIU given the funding situation - - I agree ranking does not matter at this point, however, i read earlier on the forum that FIU has some interesting macro research? For the records, what country / geographic area are you from? cuz miami gets FREAKIN hot, might not suitable for you if you were say, from greenland

Just a quick note regarding community colleges and cal state system: Some cal states, as you could imagine, are very popular (csun, sdsu), and even some larger ones (lb state, fullerton) have some phds from top places (stanford, berkely). I see this being because of the amazing weather in southern california, and folks who do their phds at stanford, berkeley, ucla, etc, like to stick around, cuz c'mon, lets be real, its cali. So what school you go to matters, and research matters to a certain degree, but teaching is big, particulary because in some cal states, the econ department is housed in the business school. As for community colleges, i contacted IVC and OCC, and they always have openings for lecturers but getting a tenure track job at a "good" comm coll is very tough, particulary any in the coastline community college group, as well as some other popular ones (SMC, etc.). I don't know about moving from a CC to a cal state, not to say it can't be done, but I would imagine it can be done. Also some salary data that i know first hand for new tenure track assistant professors (freshly minted phds) from 2004-05 school year: UCI - 80K acad year (+2/9ths for summer research) Cal Poly Pomona - ~~60K acad year (not sure about summer, many take visiting professor posts at several UCs offering summer sessions)

i agree that the type of finance might make a difference...I would say that Syracuse's econ department is better over all, but SMU allows you to take courses in the Cox school of business and UT-Dallas for field requirements... plus the weather in syracuse might make you want to shoot yourself good luck

If there was a simpsons reference in there, i got it oh and im always up for some more chuck-norris influenced antichron jokes!

I would also like to know what the "strengths" of JHU are, being a small department, are they spread out all over the place, or specialize in a particular area, say like caltech? and wow, nyu is a great placement

this is a hilarious thread everyone - - very touchy subject, so much so that antichron came out to add his 2 cents, i wonder where Cassin is..... anyways, i think people forget that economics is a social science, and i think many of us in this thread are arguing very moot points (aside from the fact that we are way off topic from the OP question) this debate reminds me of the whole economists are failed mathematcians, and mathematicians are failed physicists, etc. econ takes/builds on math, math takes/builds from physics, and ideas from physics come from inexplicable natural occurences, or in many old school physics ideas, from philosophy and religion, which many times arose from societal issues (sociology), its a cycle, nay, more of a web of ideas and experiments, needs and wants, that mesh together, and psychology and politcal science have their place in it too I am reminded of a wise quote, "Why cant we all just get along?" - Rodney King

stanford gsb says on their website that although they do not give credit for courses completed elsewhere, you can skip the first year courses if you pass the first year comps.......then there is still the matter of your second year courses (assuming you get into their department). you also have to take into account the university residency requirements, of having some specific number of units (non-dissertation) completed at the degree granting institution. So if you have already completed all the coursework, and want to transfer during the research portion of the phd program, you would still have to take some courses to fulfill university requirements....of course this is again assuming all other details of the transfer are taken care of, i.e. admission, exams, etc

lucky kid must be a basketball fan.......

i would go with purdue i spoke to some people at michigan state when i was there, and while they had only great things to say about the program and its climbing in the ranks, the recruitment is mostly from michigan companies, where purdue does have a more recognizable brand name..........unless you want to do organizational behavior, in which case MSU is the place to be

i agree with fp3690, CEMFI seems like it would be great for you, plus its funded!? plus you would have 2-3 semesters of grades and time to get a letter or 2, assuming you do very well. I would also weigh this against UPF if you get in there as well...