Applying To Colleges

[RI]

I've started applying for grad school already, even though it's pretty early (they have it open, so I guess it isn't that early). Really, really hoping for UW and an assistantship, though.

[RI]

Yeah, US university applications seem a nightmare from Hell.

Not entirely sure, but I think they have to sometimes even pay for the privilege of having their application reviewed.

And then when you even do get into a university their degree requirements seem to also be rather absurd, having a round of basic courses in Math, literature, etc. (although some universities might be different) in the first couple of semesters. Either high schools aren't doing what they need to be doing or the universities, as dependent as they are on tuition fees, are just trying to make a buck.

The whole system is very odd.

Sometimes? Everything you said is almost universal in the US.

[RI]

I have a question that hopefully someone can give me some insight on.

My sister and one of her best friends applied to a couple of universities in-state and got into both of them, but they're not sure which one to pick. One university is a more expensive top-tier public university with a degree program that's fairly broad, while the other is a less expensive second-tier public university with a degree program that is very focused on exactly what they want to do. Also, the second-tier school allows them to get a BA and a BS in their field with only one extra quarter if everything goes according to plan. Both universities are not really in parts of the state that they want to live long term.

I'm not sure what to advise them in this situation. Both really like the latter program, but the former is a better school. Which would be the best for their long term career prospects?

[RI]

I should have mentioned that they are both transferring in with associate's degrees as juniors. They've bounced around a bit major-wise in community college, but I think they pretty much have settled on the major that I've thought should have been their first choice all along as it fits them so well.

[RI]

On the off chance anyone was wondering, my sister chose the smaller school with the more tailored program.

As for me, I just took the GRE and am looking to apply to econ PhD programs for next fall (my quantitative score on the GRE was a 790, which is pretty good for an econ doctorate program). It's my goal to get my apps done in August after summer quarter is over. I'm for sure applying to UW (probably the best school for me for non-academic reasons) and WSU as a last resort school.

Lately, I've been trying to come up with other schools to apply to beyond those in Washington state. UCLA and UCSD seem like fair targets, and I was thinking about applying to Stanford as a long shot school. Any suggestions from our resident economists?

[RI]

I'm trying to finalize my list of grad schools to apply to. I'm for sure applying to UW and WSU, plus two or three from a list of California schools: UCSD, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, UCSB, USC. I will almost certainly apply to UCSD.

[RI]

I've submitted four grad school applications so far: UCLA, Stanford, UCSD, and UW.

[RI]

I'm definitely going to be starting my PhD in Economics this fall, though the final location is yet to be determined. I didn't get into all the schools I would've liked, but it'll be alright; I still have funded offers. As I don't particularly want to be a professor, ranking doesn't matter as much.