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2014 ARE Thread


bandersnatch

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I'd be curious to know what makes you pick Davis over Wisconsin (if you don't mind sharing your reasons).

 

Note: Bias because I am finishing my MS at UWAAE and I love the department. But I certainly don't think Davis dominates Wisconsin, I know people here chose Wisconsin over Davis, and many there make the opposite decision. I think it would depend on who you want to work with. I don't do development, but people are excited by the faculty here. It's a big focus of the department.

 

In terms of location, things are complicated too. The weather in Davis is certainly better, but Madison is actually a great small city with a lot of stuff going on, while I hear that Davis is a little lacking in culture. It really depends what is most important to you.

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Please explain.

 

I haven't been there, so this is just hearsay. I just meant that it is a small town and there isn't much in Davis besides the college in terms of urban public goods. I know Sacramento and the bay are pretty close though.

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Hello, everyone, I just received admission at Maryland today but without funding, I called Dr. Leonard and he said I need to wait until other people decline. Maryland is my top choice if they offer me funding I will take it immediately. I do really want to go to Maryland and if your guys have better options could you please do me a favor and decline Maryland offer as soon as possible? I cannot wait until April 15 because I got fellowship from another school. Thank you so much and God bless you ! (The gradcafe report is me)
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I haven't been there, so this is just hearsay. I just meant that it is a small town and there isn't much in Davis besides the college in terms of urban public goods. I know Sacramento and the bay are pretty close though.

 

I mean, Madison's not totally exceptional in this regard either. The terrace and lake are nice. They draw some good bands some of the time. There's Willie street, though that's not really my scene. There's also a whole lot of drinking to be done.

 

I mean, Davis is truly a small town, but it's a small town that's half PhD's, so that's worth taking into account. Not to mention that the surrounding area has Tahoe, redwoods, SF, Eastbay, Sacramento (which is okay -- I usually go west), Napa, Sonoma, etc. The hiking is nice around here too.

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It is actually true. I might give you more information since I graduated from UCB as my undergraduate and had chances to stay there for summer. "Extremely" hot and dry over whole summer. Over 55 degree. Mostly rainny during winter. Davis is northern Cali. Do not expect the weather at UCSD or UCLA. Basically nothing in the super small downtown. GAP is the only place to sell clothing stuffs.(Still?) It takes around 40 min to Sacramento but not actually close to enjoy Sac culture. Very flat farm land. However, low crime rate. Good for your child's education. Davis high school has an excellent record of ivy league entry performance. People are nice. Many retired men. If you are a city person then Davis must be boring. If you prefer safe and clean area, go for there.
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I'd be curious to know what makes you pick Davis over Wisconsin (if you don't mind sharing your reasons).

 

I'm in the same boat (in at Davis and in at Wisconsin w/o funding). For me the big difference is looking at past placements. Wisconsin only has 3 tenure-track placements at PhD-granting schools since 2007, where Davis had 4 last year. To be fair, Davis has more students and had a really good year last year, but I think it's still worth something. Just my two cents.

 

Totally agree about Madison being a great location. If you don't mind a little snow or cold, it's hard to imagine a better place to be a student.

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Is it true that the ARE programs require less math and econometrics?

 

That depends on what you mean, and on the program.

 

I think you can probably be accepted into an applied program with less math (i.e. there is basically less hoop jumping for ARE applications), but at the same time an ARE program may be as or more mathematical than an econ program. At Davis, for example, students take micro (including prelim) and econometrics with the econ students, and since econ doesn't take an econometrics prelim, the AREers are actually more focused on econometrics than the econ students. Additionally, a lot of students end up taking almost an additional year of econometrics after core. Likewise, a large portion of the enviro/resource track is based on dynamic modelling, first using analytic and numerical tools, and later with empirical tools.

 

I'm not really sure about the level of heterogeneity between programs in this respect. Any one else care to comment?

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I'm in at Wisconsin and Oregon State with full funding, and Colorado School of Mines with partial funding. Unlucky with Berkeley and Columbia Development. But I'm still waiting on Davis (has anyone else not heard from there yet?)

 

Also, anyone know much about Oregon State? I think Wisconsin makes way more sense for me, but I'm curious what others have to say.

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But I'm still waiting on Davis (has anyone else not heard from there yet?)

 

I was told there are about 30 applicants they're keeping on an unofficial waiting list who they haven't contacted yet.

 

Also, anyone know much about Oregon State? I think Wisconsin makes way more sense for me, but I'm curious what others have to say.

 

Wisconsin AAE has a better reputation, in general, than Oregon State's Applied Econ program. I applied to Oregon State (and not Wisconsin) due to geographical limitations and research interests, but I think it's been a little tumultuous for them recently - losing Plantinga, changing their program name, etc.

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Does anyone have any information on Mizzou's AgEcon? I'm interested in issues related development, in general. I've heard they have some people doing development stuff, but I was wondering if anyone has anything particular information about their department\recent placements\potential research and jobs after? Do you guys think it's worth the investment to go there? Thanks. Edited by EconBeach
can't type!
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I am! :D I don't know how much chance I have left, but I want to wait. It's my no.1

 

I know some people who got in late in the game last year (one on April 14th even), so all hope is not lost. As far as the visit day goes, I think the program stands to do better than it did last year in terms of converting visitors into students, so it's hard to make a direct comparison. Also, there is a lot of competition -- there's a much larger MS class this year (17ish of whom applied to transfer, compared to 8 last year).

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