AClockworkGreen

Wow, thanks for clarifying, Eigen. I had no idea my experience was atypical. I appreciate the extra information.

In my current program the summer emails from the assistant director were encouraging. Basically, you might piss someone off at the school, and you might lose whatever deposit they asked you to put down to hold your seat, but you can absolutely pull out. The exact phrasing was "We understand that plans change." Plus, if you're funded, that means they can get another marginal candidate who WANTS to be there.

Scores are relatively unimportant for this program. A decent GPA and a good statement of purpose will get you in. Just as a guess, I'll say that if you're 650 or above with a good GPA you'll be accepted rather easily. What are your numbers and background like? It's pretty easy to be admitted and the benefit of marginal improvement is low because you aren't competing with other students for scholarships. (MA/MS students are never funded in this department.) Keep in mind that with over 200 masters students in residence you'll be responsible for the direction of your program. You will not have the opportunity to do a lot of writing - you'll need to be a pit bull with the professors to get any research done. Don't succumb to the temptation to check out and coast through the program, because it's very easy to do. The vast majority of the courses are crosslisted 400/500 level so you'll be getting the same lectures as upper-division undergrads. Don't go to UB expecting a cutting-edge program, and don't go expecting to get PhD-level material. If your object is to get better at intermediate material and get a nice line on your resume, then it's a good, cheap place to do that.

I'd say you're a 95% admit. You probably won't find the program very challenging, at least in the core - seek out the better professors. Recognize that the program is mainly crosslisted courses and that means that you'll retake Intermediate Micro, Macro, and Metrics. Challenge yourself by asking who the better professors are and taking their courses rather than rehashing the same courses you took before. (The answer to that is almost always Peter Morgan, by the way. He's the bomb.) If you have any questions, let me know. - ACG, M.S. 2010 (Applied Micro-Econometrics), Buffalo