TheBrothersKaramazov

Actually, an undergrad at UBC got an offer at Cornell this year. Take UBC and see if you can't defer the Oregon offer for 1 year. You're currently at Oregon, so your references (presumably Oregon faculty) can pull some strings.

Terra Firma, I would take 205 and see how it goes. One step at a time. If you can manage the coursework, then enroll in 206. In fact, you can't enroll in 206 until the end of the Fall quarter... I completed 206 in the 1st year. I had the benefit, however, of being pretty comfortable with game theory - - which was our most intensive course in the Winter quarter. In the spring quarter, i didn't take any extra courses (just Econ 205C, 204C, 211B -- now it'll be C for you. oh god... time series in the Spring is hell...). I lived in GSH first year and am now living in FSH. I have some classmates who live off campus. Commuting to campus for 8 am classes? It's not bad if you're able to get to a bus stop by 7:15-7:20 (if downtown). Once the bus gets onto campus, it goes SOO slow and is crammed with students going from one campus bus stop to the next. A handful of grad students had the tendancy not to show up on time for 8 am classes. It seems to turn off the faculty. The grad students have mailing lists among themselves... they advertise apartments, or sell furniture, etc. I don't know if Sandra has added you to the grad-econ mailing list. This might give you more "grad-friendly" sources of housing than Craigslist. Or if it's not possible to add you to the mailing list yet.. perhaps we can start a mailing list among ourselves and I can forward such emails to you. If you don't want to risk renting a dodgy place without seeing it for a year, sublet for a month, and go apt/house hunting when you arrive. That seems like a relatively good alternative. GSH is becoming outrageously expensive. $900/mo!! I haven't looked, but i bet you could find a nice 2 bedroom apartment in Santa Cruz for $1800 or less. In that case, you'd have to furnish and find a roommate (but given the abundant supply of fellow grad students, it might not be that challenging). [sorry, i think back to the last of my undergrad days ... say 2005-2006.. and it makes me angry!! I had a room in a 4 person house where rent ranged from $320 - $375 + utilities in a university town in Canada. My room there was double the size of the GSH bedrooms]. But, with GSH, you are definitely paying for convenience. You (a) have a furnished apartment (though, you won't have dishes or cookware or housewares), (b) are directly across the street from the department and next to bus stops going in either direction (it really is convenient when the two bus stops are NOT a 3 minute walk apart!)

Are you trying to complete the AMS parenthetical notation? Statistics and Applied Mathematics | Applied Mathematics and Statistics | UC Santa Cruz If you are, then you ought to get started in 1st year. But if you are taking the AMS coursework for your own benefit, then it really is up to you. If I were you, I would think about how many hours I would need to spend per week in each course. 4 hours are spent just in one extra class. You're definitely going to put in 10 hours for an extra class. 4 classes is alot of work, but its doable. Ok, 205 is the easiest, 206 harder, 207 even harder. AMS 205 = no programming; 206 = introduction to R for Bayesian stats; 207 = lots of programing in R or whatever language the prof likes to use. I'd say that 205 is useful for all economists because you learn statistical distributions well, notions of sufficient statistics, and you really get into the nitty gritty frequentist statistics. 206, 207... are useful if you are doing monetary economics. I took 206 because i wanted to take Decision Theory in my 2nd year. In the process, i learned some R which is now useful because my econometrics paper supervisor woships R. Otherwise, I don't see myself using much Bayesian techniques. There's one person in my class who is very focused on monetary economics, and is on leave from a research position at a central bank (former aerospace engineer). He and I took a number of AMS classes together. After taking 206 with me, he didn't take 207 either. He took stochastic differential equations, followed by decision theory and stochastic processes. (stochastic processes turned out to be a helluva course... all the AMS students dropped and he was the only one left). I think that he is going to take time series through the AMS dept in the fall. Skipping classes in the AMS sequence: well, if you want the notation on your degree, I don't think that'll work. As for just taking courses that interest you... hmm.. i don't know. If the class is not filled, then the professor will usually let you in if you are willing to enroll. Some professors don't mind if you audit. The faculty are very flexible. As i mentioned above, I took 206 so that I could take decision theory. Had i only taken 205, I would not have had a clue how to do Bayesian statistics and would not have been able to do the coursework for Decision Theory. So.. while 205 might be "skip-able", 206 is not. I recommend taking extra courses in first year simply because I found 2nd year to be much more intensive. you will also have plenty of econ courses that will interest you.. In second year, you will begin working on your field paper and getting down to research. You do not want to be playing catch-up with math. So in conclusion, if you're interested in the AMS courses, enroll in the fall quarter. When you get to a point where the course is taking up too much time, abandon ship (partially or completely) and focus on economics. See how 205 goes. If you feel that it is manageable, then consider 206. But remember that in the winter quarter, you may have a TAship... and since it's your first TAship, you will be rightfully scared and work hard at it. ;). TAing take up alot of time.

hmm... Are you thinking of doing the entire sequence of AMS (205, 206, 207) this year? Hmmm... 205 doesn't take up more than 10 hours of extra reading and problem sets. Don't focus too much on the 205 grade (just pass... or don't even... it doesn't matter). Just make sure to ace your first year classes so that you (a) can ace the prelims and (b) for funding purposes. Your funding is only dependent on your required econ coursework, prelims, and to a lesser extent, TA evaluations. I found that I spent too much time on the AMS coursework. But, if your intention is to take plenty of AMS courses, you better start soon. I think that 2nd year is much heavier in terms of coursework than 1st year. You can take either 205A or 205 B, though I think 205 B is the pre-req for later AMS courses. 205 B is supposedly more inference. Econometrics: I'm surprised to see it at 8 am. That is usually Phil's preferred time slot. Oh well. Ai-Ru is great though! Macro: Only macro professors available to teach are Ken, Aspen, and Carl. Carl always teaches 2nd quarter - RBC/NK. Ken usually teaches 1st quarter, but I hear that he isn't next year. (Plus the time of your macro class is inconsistent with his usual schedule). That leaves Aspen in the first quarter. Looks like the department is giving the incoming phd students TWO offices. Very nice...

La Croix, you could have great roommates or awful ones. Everyone is sufficiently busy with their own work so it's usually pretty quiet in GSH. I don't regret living in GSH because I (a) didn't have to look for accomodations, (b) it is located in the most convenient part of campus, © and i didn't have to take the time and money to furnish a place when I first arrived. I arrived on the first day of math camp, so it would have been such a hectic experience if I lived elsewhere. That said, if I had arrived a month earlier ... maybe I could have found something off campus that was cheaper. imho, i think sharing a bedroom with another person is riskier than living in GSH with your own bedroom but potentially annoying roommates. If you want the off campus feel, I'd recommend apartments or shared houses. In case you haven't been bored enough to look for your Fall 2009 schedule, you can find it here. Econ listings are on page 111. http://reg.ucsc.edu/soc/2098.pdf Econ 204A - McCalman - TR - 4-5:45pm Econ 205A - Staff - MW 2-3:45pm Econ 211A - Cheng - TR - 8-9:45am For those of you interested in AMS 205, both A and B are offered on TR 2-3:45.

jlee, Sir Ceterus is right. You can ask housing to give you pro-rated rent for the days before Sept 1 that are living at GSH. They are pretty flexible about that. Also, GSH rent works on a monthly schedule, whereas the rest of on-campus housing is paid quarterly. So, your September month would start Sept. 1. You could move into GSH August 1, and that would be ok too... (you would pay for the full month of August instead of pro-rated rent).

Ahh... the off-campus factor. That's fair. Well, i think that you are allowed to break most UCSC housing leases early for ~$200. So there isn't too much of a loss if you decide you can't take it anymore and want to move elsewhere. It si also a good way to meet people - - which can be difficult if you live on your own in a single apartment or similar.

LaCroix, The University Inn isn't right downtown. It's about a 10 minute walk to the bus station (and is over the bridge). I think that most people would consider "downtown Santa Cruz" the other side of the bridge. Can be a bit of a main in the *** if you're carrying groceries home (not on a convenient bus route). How much is the University Inn charging? I think that the best thing to do is sublet until the end of September. You're not locked into anything, and will find something for sure. Look, for certain, there will be empty rooms at Grad housing. Alot of people are moving out due to rent increases. (Rooms were empty for the entire 2008-9 year).

Encore: SF Fed? Hmm.. i don't know. Good question. Most graduates have not been from california, or the US. Perhaps this is why. We certainly have many internships at the Feds, IMF, WB, etc... which allows you to make contacts at these institutions. Actually, most people studying monetary in our department are being funded by their central banks and have to return to their home countries after the PhD. (That probably explains alot). jlee: You pay before each quarter. Example, for the fall quarter, you pay in the middle of September; for the winter quarter, you pay in December; Spring quarter paid in the middle of March.

Encore, no not really -- other than having alot of speakers coming from Stanford and Berkeley (and also the SF Fed). Because of recently tight budgets, we've been mostly hosting seminar speakers from California. You are able to do official exchanges with other UC schools. It has been proposed that we take some classes at Stanford, but the cost would be out of pocket and commuting is a pain. Berkeley is even further away.

I can only play the piano well (cello, clarinet, guitar are all lost causes). If you ever have any free time, you have free access to the piano rooms in the Music building. Usually they are pretty empty in the evenings. A few of us from the econ department like to go practice at night. For the math camp, we primarily worked through Simon and Blume. Another thing to note: it's easy to borrow books through the inter-library loan system. If you think you'll never use the book again, borrow it - make photocopies/scans if need be - and return it when you're done (or it gets recalled). As you can see, there are usually pdfs of every book floating around the internet.

hmm.... no, i think you just have to actively be looking. (And that can be hard when there is so much work to do). Online dating seems to be working for alot of people.... or at least, it exposes you to many more people in the Bay Area. No, i would not presume that if you arrive single, you'll likely leave single. If you are actively involved in different activities, you are likely to meet lots of people. If you are working every day - all day (or have a terrible personality), it'll be harder.

Gogol: Capitola by bus will probably take you closer to an hour to get to campus. The bus takes a long convoluted route. HAHAHAHAAA.... HA... HA. :( I haven't taken more than a single day off in ... months (excluding spring break). It's sad. There's plenty to do: Surfing, beach, biking, hiking, day trips to Monterrey, San fran, san jose.. I particularly like the symphony, and UCSC has an excellent one on campus. If not from California, you will be pleasantly surprised at the abundance of relatively cheap good wines. Going out for dinner to various restaurants. Catch up on the television that you've missed.... Parties from time to time at grad housing, GSA. Or just hanging out at some of the bars, lounged downtown - Red Room, 99 bottles, Poet & the Patriot are the big ones. Shopping - in general - is lousy in Santa Cruz. Unless you're looking for organic food. Dating scene is kind of hit or miss. Go to GSA events to meet people. Some of the guys in my class like to go to undergrad parties. I like to go down to Pacific St. and work at a coffee shop. btw, it is 33C/91F today in Santa Cruz. so damn hot. The campus is closed off because of 4-20 celebrations, which take place right outside of my FSH apartment.

jlee, I've heard that math camp begins August 31 (can someone verify?). It goes for almost 3 weeks. Then you have approx. 1 week off before classes start. It's a good time to unwind and enjoy santa cruz and the surrounding areas before the work piles on. See, my math camp began on September 4... I arrived on September 4th and was an hour late! (long story, i took a 2 day train ride from Vancouver, expecting to arrive with a couple of hours to spare. Then there was a fire on the train tracks, which diverted our trip.) It depends on your living accommodations. There is plenty to explore... but there is no need to arrive before the classes actually begin. If you are living in grad housing, you will be able to move in early at a pro-rated rate. (btw, good music choices! Do you play anything?) TerraFirma: yeah... a TA would be particularly useful! I don't know if the department has the budget for it.

Hey Jlee, not having a car myself, I can tell you the handful of things that are annoying. Assuming that you don't have access to a car, or a roommate/friend who can drive you to school: 1. depending on where you live, it can take awhile to get to school. Especially if you're going at the rush-times. Eg. If you lived right downtown near the bus station, it'll take 30 minutes minimum to get to class during rush hour. 2. Grocery shopping: Regardless of where you live, you will have to walk some distance with your groceries. I overcame this by taking my carrying a 50L backpack to the grocery store and trekking it home. Grocery shopping is the real pain. 3. If you want to get out of town, you are restricted to the Hwy 17 bus to San Jose (which leaves every hour) or the Greyhound bus to San Francisco (which leaves at awkward hours). What i use frequently is ZipCar. I got myself a membership, and rent when I have to go down to the airport, or go to the doctors outside of the main downtown core of Santa Cruz. If you book ahead of time, you can usually get the $8/hr car. Zip cars are located all over campus and in a few locations downtown. Gas and insurance are included in the cost. On the other hand, having a car in santa cruz can be expensive if you're bringing it to campus. In that case, i'd leave it at home and take the bus up to campus and consider the time spent getting there a sunk cost. I will likely not get a car unless I decide that I am going to roadtrip frequently. If you don't feel the need to go to San Francisco or San Jose multiple times per week, you can just rent and it'll be far more affordable.