Wisconsin-Madision V.S. UC San Diego econ PhD

[Lurunjing]

I am interested in labor economics and I know that WM has higher ranking in this area. Plus, WM offers me 15K assistantship for the first year and following years with fellowship ( amount TBD), while UCSD offers me only 8k for the first year and 21k for the next three years.  

But the problem is that I am a southerner and I just cannot tolerate cold weather in the north. Also, Madison is kind of "remote" compared to San Diego (or maybe I am wrong??), and I really don't want to spend my next 5 years in a countryside. 

I really want to hear from you guys as which offer I should take. I would appreciate any information from you about these two programs. 

 

Thanks a lot!!    

[Kimberlayon]

Definitely don't go to Madison if the weather will bother you. San Diego has great weather year round and is located literally on the beach. It is a little odd you only get 8k the first year at UCSD, but its worth taking it for the overall amount of money - worst case you take a loan then immediately pay it back with year two's money. UCSD also has a great econ reputation.

[Veet Voojagig]

Madison is an extremely liveable city. It's not big, but it's also not the country. There are plenty of restaurants (lots of different ethnic foods), lots of lakes and trails and outdoor activities. For a city its size, it even has a decent amount of museums, theatres, music venues, etc.The winters are brutal, but the summers are hot and fall is absolutely beautiful. Most people really like it. There's a discussion thread here:

 

San Diego would for sure win in the weather category though. Cost of living is something else to factor in. San Diego is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, whereas Madison is pretty cheap. Even if the stipend at UCSD will be higher in subsequent years, it may not go as far as the same or a smaller amount would in Wisconsin.

 

Good luck with your decision!

[Lurunjing]

Definitely don't go to Madison if the weather will bother you. San Diego has great weather year round and is located literally on the beach. It is a little odd you only get 8k the first year at UCSD, but its worth taking it for the overall amount of money - worst case you take a loan then immediately pay it back with year two's money. UCSD also has a great econ reputation

 

 

Actually I checked the offer letter again. The precise stipend amount should be 4.5 k for the first year and 17k for the following 4 years (excluding the summer RA's 4k). Is this stipend amount really small compared to other programs? Will there be any chances that I can get more than the stated amount after I get admitted?? Hmmm...I guess I am just not that competitive as other admitted students...

[Lurunjing]

Madison is an extremely liveable city. It's not big, but it's also not the country. There are plenty of restaurants (lots of different ethnic foods), lots of lakes and trails and outdoor activities. For a city its size, it even has a decent amount of museums, theatres, music venues, etc.The winters are brutal, but the summers are hot and fall is absolutely beautiful. Most people really like it. There's a discussion thread here:

 

San Diego would for sure win in the weather category though. Cost of living is something else to factor in. San Diego is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, whereas Madison is pretty cheap. Even if the stipend at UCSD will be higher in subsequent years, it may not go as far as the same or a smaller amount would in Wisconsin.

 

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for your info!! You are absolutely right about the living cost. Compared to the small amount of stipend USCD offers (only 4.5k for the first year, and 1.7k for next 4, excluding the summer RA's 4k), my living expense might be a problem.  But I will visit Madison next week and to see how I feel about the city, weather, and grad life. If I feel good, I might go for Wisconsin. Hopefully I will make up my mind then...

[Veet Voojagig]

Thanks for your info!! You are absolutely right about the living cost. Compared to the small amount of stipend USCD offers (only 4.5k for the first year, and 1.7k for next 4, excluding the summer RA's 4k), my living expense might be a problem.  But I will visit Madison next week and to see how I feel about the city, weather, and grad life. If I feel good, I might go for Wisconsin. Hopefully I will make up my mind then...

 

One word of caution: don't judge the city too harshly based on this visit alone. February/March is probably the ugliest time of year; most of the snow melts and what is left is not at all scenic, and nothing has started to turn green yet. This winter has been particularly cold (I was lucky enough to be abroad though) It's a wonder to me that the school manages to recruit such good talent when all the interviews/visits are in February/March. I guess that might speak to the quality of the programs and reputation and so on.

 

I'm sure you'll be happy wherever you end up - cognitive dissonance, spreading of alternatives and all that.