Which of the unis would provide the best location?

[partygirluk]

I'm probably looking to apply to 2 or 3 of these. Please post opinions if you get time. Also, please feel free to post which would be the worst options available (I probably should have done a poll for this).

Important things

Weather
Closer to home is better
Beautiful area
Stuff to do, e.g concerts
Low Crime
Cheap Housing
School has good rep, would like to be around smart ppl
Don't mind living in big city or small town, but would like latter to be within 90 min. commute of city.

[samjjones]

Please define "best".

[jakethebake]

Best location for what? What will you be studying? I'm ssaying Austin bewcause it's an amazing party town with awesome live music, but I admit to being biased.

[partygirluk]

[ QUOTE ]
Please define "best".

[/ QUOTE ]

Edited in some stuff.

[samjjones]

San Diego is far and away the best weather listed here.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

There are very few people with legitimate living experience in all these places, so this is bound to be more of a "what school did you go to" or "where are you from" poll than what you really want it to be. Maybe you'd be better off asking for people's opinions of any of the places in question.

Also, what are you studying? Do you want a large city or a smaller town?

[nyc999]

I voted Columbia, SD and Boston U.

SD for weather, Columbia for smart people and things to do.

But I think Boston is the best "college town". One of the larger cities in the U.S. and during the school year 1 out of every 5 Boston residents is a college student.

[partygirluk]

Here is my worry about Austin. I don't know much about it, but Texas doesn't appeal to me. I don't want to live in an area like Big Steve describes where being Gay is seen like some kind of disease and you are persecuted because of it. Being around religious people is fine but I don't want to be around Bible Bashers.

[lucas9000]

i voted for cornell, here's why...

[ QUOTE ]
I'm probably looking to apply to 2 or 3 of these.

Important things

Weather

[/ QUOTE ]

ok yeah upstate new york weather isn't good, but the snow can be nice, and it's really not that bad. this is probably cornell's biggest downside.

[ QUOTE ]
Closer to home is better

[/ QUOTE ]

isn't your home the uk? ithaca > nyc > england

[ QUOTE ]
Beautiful area

[/ QUOTE ]

the finger lakes are amazing...ithaca in particular is beautiful. right on a lake, all the gorges, close to wine country, etc.

[ QUOTE ]
Stuff to do, e.g concerts

[/ QUOTE ]

decent music scene in ithaca. also you're not far from syracuse, rochester, and even nyc.

[ QUOTE ]
Low Crime

[/ QUOTE ]

definitely.

[ QUOTE ]
Cheap Housing

[/ QUOTE ]

compared to the other places you're considering, ithaca is very cheap.

[ QUOTE ]
School has good rep, would like to be around smart ppl

[/ QUOTE ]

definitely.

[lucas9000]

[ QUOTE ]
Here is my worry about Austin. I don't know much about it, but Texas doesn't appeal to me. I don't want to live in an area like Big Steve describes where being Gay is seen like some kind of disease and you are persecuted because of it. Being around religious people is fine but I don't want to be around Bible Bashers.

[/ QUOTE ]

from what i hear, austin is not like the rest of texas. i think it's like a pocket of liberalism.

[Paluka]

Cornell has terrible weather, a beautiful campus,
low crime, cheap housing, and a diverse group of smart students. Ithaca has amazing food for being a small town, but it is 3 hours from New York and there isn't that much to do.

[samjjones]

Come on...there is NOTHING to do in Ithaca/Rochester outside of school. To compare the social scenes there to someplace like NYC, Boston, or even San Diego is utterly ridiculous.

[beta1607]

I believe Austin was rated as one of the liberalist cities in the US.

[daryn]

stay in boston area

best city in US + best universities

can't help you on weather, but i like having seasons

[Paluka]

Partygirl we need to know how you feel about living in a real city vs living in a college town. Cornell and Brown are both really cool, but Columbia has New York City.

[samjjones]

Boston U. grads are generally looked down upon here in NYC where I work. Not a great rep. Guess it depends on industry.

[Paluka]

I think the absolute terrible choices here would be Illinois, Maryland, Rochester, and Ohio State.

[peterchi]

Austin for beautiful area, stuff to do, cheap housing (i think)
San Diego for weather, beautiful area, stuff to do
Ann Arbor for stuff to do, good rep

Granted I have only lived in Ann Arbor so I don't really know what I'm talking about.

Michigan summers are amazing, FWIW.

[daryn]

[ QUOTE ]
Boston U. grads are generally looked down upon here in NYC where I work. Not a great rep. Guess it depends on industry.

[/ QUOTE ]

oops i didn't look at the choices in the poll. when i was talking about best universities i was talking about harvard, MIT not BU

[samjjones]

I would concur.

[partygirluk]

[ QUOTE ]
Partygirl we need to know how you feel about living in a real city vs living in a college town. Cornell and Brown are both really cool, but Columbia has New York City.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have only evered like a city with min 4,000,000 popn throughout my life, but I live right on the outskirts of London and very rarely venture into the city.

I don't think I would have a huge problem with a town. I would just like it so that if my favourite band were doing a tour of U.S.A they were likely to play somewhere I can get to by public transport in as short time as possible (and def. less than 90 minutes).

[lucas9000]

[ QUOTE ]
Come on...there is NOTHING to do in Ithaca/Rochester outside of school.

[/ QUOTE ]

that is utterly ridiculous. there are a myriad of outdoor activities, concerts, etc.

[ QUOTE ]
To compare the social scenes there to someplace like NYC, Boston, or even San Diego is utterly ridiculous.

[/ QUOTE ]

did i say they were comparable?

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the absolute terrible choices here would be Illinois, Maryland, Rochester, and Ohio State.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I personally can talk about UM, UW, and UCSD, at least the towns they're in.

UM
I went to grad school here. I personally think the whole of southern Michigan and Ohio is one huge hole. There are small exceptions, however. Ann Arbor is a tpical Big Ten college town and is probably the only decent place in all of southern Michigan and the school is a very well-respected school, if not a bit pricey. They have a top-tier law school and are very good in engineering. It's also solid in just about anything else. Pretty much any Big Ten school is going to be solid in engineering. It's about a 45-minute drive from Detroit, which is the poorest big city in America and an absolute hole. I haven't played poker in the casinos there, but I hear there's plenty of it.

UW
I grew up in Wisconsin and know several people who went to UW-Madison. It's a solid Big Ten school, strong in engineering and I'm sure other things. I don't know a whole lot more about the school itself, other than it's respectable in a wide range of studies. Madison is, like Ann Arbor, a typical college town with a good Big Ten feel. When you talk about great college towns, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Austin are the first three that come to mind (and you can probably put Boulder, CO in there, too). The area around Madison has a bit of a nicer feel to it than Detroit, but it's also not a hugely populated area. Milwaukee and Chicago are relatively nearby.

UCSD
San Diego is a great place if you've got the money. I didn't live there as a student, so I'm not sure about what it's like to live on campus. If you like 70 and sunny, you'll be in heaven 363 days out of the year. There's good poker in the area and there's plenty of fun to be had around town, as well.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Here is my worry about Austin. I don't know much about it, but Texas doesn't appeal to me. I don't want to live in an area like Big Steve describes where being Gay is seen like some kind of disease and you are persecuted because of it. Being around religious people is fine but I don't want to be around Bible Bashers.

[/ QUOTE ]

from what i hear, austin is not like the rest of texas. i think it's like a pocket of liberalism.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is correct. My dad in Houston refers to it as "that hotbed of liberalism to the North." It's a very liberal town.

[samjjones]

I do not count "snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse as legit activities. Cornell is a good school and a beautiful campus, but just the weather alone (which was listed as OP's first preference) and isolation disqualifies them from consideration.

[mason55]

U of Rochester is alright. The weather in Rochester is even worse than the weather in Ithaca (I saw that everyone was already bitching about Cornell weather). The city is kind of Rochester is kind of meh. It's got a ton of college students but it's not a "college town." It still has its big city attitude but not much big city stuff to do. The parties at U of R are nothing special.

OSU is a fantastic school and Columbus is a great place to live. The only problem might be that OSU is TOO big of a school. It's a sweet college town, especially if you're big into sports. There's tons to do and the crime isn't too bad for a school the size of OSU. Columbus is also a "real" city though, it's not just a college town, so you have real city things to do. There's good shopping out in the suburbs and you can find great, safe places to live about 5 minutes from campus. Like I said though, the school is HUGE (>50,000 enrolled). If that's a problem, stay far far away.

[BoogerFace]

What are you going to major in?

Does snow = good weather?

Do you want a big city or a smaller college town in the middle of nowhere?

How old are you? Do you need to hang with people over the age of 25?

[daryn]

[ QUOTE ]
"snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse

[/ QUOTE ]

what a solid retort!

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]
I would just like it so that if my favourite band were doing a tour of U.S.A they were likely to play somewhere I can get to by public transport in as short time as possible (and def. less than 90 minutes).

[/ QUOTE ]
Ah, this actually puts College Park back in the running. Absolutely terrible campus, but the one thing it does have going for it is the easy Metro ride to D.C. I don't think you're getting this anywhere else on your list other than Boston U and Columbia.

[lucas9000]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not count "snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse as legit activities.

[/ QUOTE ]

i will not miss reading stupid posts like this.

[partygirluk]

[ QUOTE ]

What are you going to major in? PhD Econ

Does snow = good weather? Sun > Snow > Rain

Do you want a big city or a smaller college town in the middle of nowhere? Don't mind small town, want it to be within 50 miles of a big city preferably

How old are you? Do you need to hang with people over the age of 25?

[/ QUOTE ] I am 22. Most of my friends are 25+

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
I do not count "snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse as legit activities. Cornell is a good school and a beautiful campus, but just the weather alone (which was listed as OP's first preference) and isolation disqualifies them from consideration.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Based on the considerations of OP, I would stay far away from Cornell and U of R.

People only go to Cornell because they either don't know any better, they're a dirty hippie, or it's far and away the best school they got into.

[nyc999]

[ QUOTE ]

What are you going to major in? PhD Econ


[/ QUOTE ]

I would also consider NYU in New York. And a MUCH, MUCH cooler neighborhood than Columbia. Of course, I'm not 100% positive they offer what you're looking for, but their b-school is highly regarded.

[BottlesOf]

Can we get rid of the word "uni" ?

[xorbie]

I'm at Illinois right now, and I love it. The campus is beautiful, there are a ton of concerts (well, enough, and of all varieties). Ton of people, and the school is really strong in a lot of fields (not sure what you are planning on studying). Weather is pretty nice, can get cold in the winter, but you're gonna get that everywhere but California basically.

Columbia is ok, but I don't really like having a campus in the middle of the city. I've visited, had fun, but can't imagine actually being a student there for 4 years.

BU is waay too expensive, but I live right by it. Boston is pretty cool. Cheap housing absolutely not gonna happen.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Can we get rid of the word "uni" ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. This really should be lesson #1 to fitting in, regardless of which of these locales you end up in.

[beta1607]

A factor you may want to consider is your ability to get real experiance while getting your PHD. I think NYC and Boston are clearly the best for that.

Also have you looked into UCLA?

[samjjones]

How about Princeton/Harvard/MIT? Any of these doable?

[beta1607]

Lesson #2 on fitting in: Don't call soccer football - especially at a Big 10 school.

[BottlesOf]

I voted Brown b/c I went there. Columbia b/c it is convenient for you to get home, a great school and the best city in the world. I voted U Texas- Austin, b/c of Melinda.

[partygirluk]

[ QUOTE ]
How about Princeton/Harvard/MIT? Any of these doable?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am definitely applying to them along with Chicago, Berkeley, Yale, Stanford.

[BottlesOf]

[ QUOTE ]
ithaca > nyc > england

[/ QUOTE ]


If you think ">" stands for "far away," then I can see why you thought this equation is correct.

[samjjones]

OK, post back after you've received your acceptances.

[daryn]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ithaca > nyc > england

[/ QUOTE ]


If you think ">" stands for far away, than this equation is correct.

[/ QUOTE ]

man, another solid one. maybe lucas should leave out of sheer embarrassment at this point

[Paluka]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I do not count "snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse as legit activities. Cornell is a good school and a beautiful campus, but just the weather alone (which was listed as OP's first preference) and isolation disqualifies them from consideration.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Based on the considerations of OP, I would stay far away from Cornell and U of R.

People only go to Cornell because they either don't know any better, they're a dirty hippie, or it's far and away the best school they got into.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is retarded. I went to Cornell and loved it.

[lucas9000]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ithaca > nyc > england

[/ QUOTE ]


If you think ">" stands for far away, than this equation is correct.

[/ QUOTE ]

i just meant you could travel from ithaca to england with only one stop in between, ie, nyc. definitely not meant to imply length of trip or any kind of value judgment.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Lesson #2 on fitting in: Don't call soccer football - especially at a Big 12 school.

[/ QUOTE ]

[daryn]

also fags are not cigarettes

[BoogerFace]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

What are you going to major in? PhD Econ

Does snow = good weather? Sun > Snow > Rain

Do you want a big city or a smaller college town in the middle of nowhere? Don't mind small town, want it to be within 50 miles of a big city preferably

How old are you? Do you need to hang with people over the age of 25?

[/ QUOTE ] I am 22. Most of my friends are 25+

[/ QUOTE ]

I think the problem with most of your choices is that they are in the middle of nowhere (relatively speaking) - and would fail the 90 minutes to somewhere interesting requirement. True there are busses, but these schedules are very limited and aren't entirely safe.

I'm originally from Wisconsin and can honestly say that you freeze your arse off in Chicago/Ann Arbor/Madison.

Why not MIT or Harvard? You'll probably be happier in Boston or NYC and you'll have the added bonus of finding other Brits to hang with.

My 2 cents.

-Matt

[ QUOTE ]
Here is my worry about Austin. I don't know much about it, but Texas doesn't appeal to me. I don't want to live in an area like Big Steve describes where being Gay is seen like some kind of disease and you are persecuted because of it. Being around religious people is fine but I don't want to be around Bible Bashers.

[/ QUOTE ]
Austin is the most open minded city in Texas, so there shouldn't be any problem with the bible thumpers. However, the weather in the summer is hotter than hell and the cost of living isn't cheap.

I voted for San Diego but I'm guessing the cost of living there is expensive too. I bet there's alot of hot, gay marine action though.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Austin...the cost of living isn't cheap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Everything is relative.

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]

UW
I grew up in Wisconsin and know several people who went to UW-Madison. It's a solid Big Ten school, strong in engineering and I'm sure other things. I don't know a whole lot more about the school itself, other than it's respectable in a wide range of studies. Madison is, like Ann Arbor, a typical college town with a good Big Ten feel. When you talk about great college towns, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Austin are the first three that come to mind (and you can probably put Boulder, CO in there, too). The area around Madison has a bit of a nicer feel to it than Detroit, but it's also not a hugely populated area. Milwaukee and Chicago are relatively nearby.


[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry for the partial hijack but I want to hear more things about Madison. I'm currently applying to PhD programs in Biostats/Stats, and Wisconsin has somehow landed itself near the top of my list, despite my loathing of the thought of going to a Big Ten school other than Michigan, and despite the fact that I know nothing about the area. All I know is that it's a strong program and they have a lot of people doing things that I am interested in.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

UW
I grew up in Wisconsin and know several people who went to UW-Madison. It's a solid Big Ten school, strong in engineering and I'm sure other things. I don't know a whole lot more about the school itself, other than it's respectable in a wide range of studies. Madison is, like Ann Arbor, a typical college town with a good Big Ten feel. When you talk about great college towns, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Austin are the first three that come to mind (and you can probably put Boulder, CO in there, too). The area around Madison has a bit of a nicer feel to it than Detroit, but it's also not a hugely populated area. Milwaukee and Chicago are relatively nearby.


[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry for the partial hijack but I want to hear more things about Madison. I'm currently applying to PhD programs in Biostats/Stats, and Wisconsin has somehow landed itself near the top of my list, despite my loathing of the thought of going to a Big Ten school other than Michigan, and despite the fact that I know nothing about the area. All I know is that it's a strong program and they have a lot of people doing things that I am interested in.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd say just hop on I-94 and go visit (you're in Ann Arbor right now, right?).

[peterchi]

[ QUOTE ]

I'd say just hop on I-94 and go visit (you're in Ann Arbor right now, right?).

[/ QUOTE ]
I wish. I'm actually in Baltimore now; I did my Masters at Hopkins and I stayed here to work full-time in my lab for this year.

[imported_anacardo]

This is pretty much between Texas, UCSD and Wisconsin in my mind.

I am not at all enamored with the East Coast. It's cold and rainy all the damn time, the people are rude, and the women are sub-par. You can do better.

Of those three, Wisconsin will be very cold in the winter, but otherwise rule. Texas will have blazing summers and be somewhat expensive. USCD will have by far the best weather but probably be the worst COLLEGE town of the three, despite otherwise ruling as a city.

[mmbt0ne]

You should come to Atlanta and go to Emory. We can hang out, plus you can fly straight home!

[partygirluk]

MIT/Harvard are amongst my first choices but their PhD programmes are VERY competitive (1~45 get in) so I am making contigencies.

[BoogerFace]

[ QUOTE ]

I am not at all enamored with the UK. It's cold and rainy all the damn time, the people are bizarre, and the women are interesting. You can do better.


[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

[BoogerFace]

Good plan. I don't think you'd be happy in the smaller college towns. Their populations tend to be under 25 or over 40.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I think the best advice would be for you to look over and pre-screen some of these down based on their academic credentials first. Then, actually talk with some professors and find out who you'd like to have as an advisor. Find out who's strong in the exact area you want to go into. Then, once you're down to a handful of schools, bust out on a tour of the United States and physically visit each one of them. I think your answer will be pretty clear at this point.

[partygirluk]

The list I have is based on rankings for economics PhDs and for the specific area(s) I am interested in. Basically, I am applying to the top 10, and put down the next 10 for your consideration so I can choose a couple of back ups. AFAIK if they offer you a place they will fly you out for some wooeing, so that will help me get a feel for the place.

[fnord_too]

I'm probably going to get a PhD in Econ (that or CS) probalby starting 2007 (maybe 2006, but doubtful) at UVA. UVA is in a beutiful area, and close to Richmond, VA and Washington DC. I haven't livend in any of the places in your poll, but voted Cornell because I've heard a lot of great stuff about it.

[fnord_too]

[ QUOTE ]
The list I have is based on rankings for economics PhDs and for the specific area(s) I am interested in.

[/ QUOTE ]

What areas? I'm looking at economic M&S, or, as UVA's econ department files it, experimental econonomics. I honestly don't know where UVA ranks right now, but it is a mighty fine school.

[IndieMatty]

austin, boston, new york, san diego. just pick one of these that offers you the best chance with the whole education thing.

[drewjustdrew]

You will have trouble finding cheap housing near any university in the US.

I went to Michigan. Great campus. Close to detroit /images/graemlins/confused.gif.

Not a very big party school if that is of interest.

[Aloysius]

If you're focusing on Econometrics, I think Yale has one of the best graduate programs in this field, with a burgeoning emphasis on Game Theory (I think...)

New Haven itself is a great city, not as dangerous as its reputation, with lots of bars, clubs, underrated museums, cultural events and good proximity to Manhattan (1.5 hour train ride). Cheap rent. Bad weather (but better than Boston - less snow). The campus (which is fairly large, very walkable) is beautiful (lots of gothic archit.)

Grad students (not profressional graduate programs) complained that overall university emphasis was on undergrads (they get everything) but I don't think that's totally fair.

[partygirluk]

I would likely specialise in Industrial Organaisation.

I am also cossidering U of British Columbia.....

Vancouver is insane expensive too, but not as bad as SF/Boston. If you don't mind living 30 minutes to an hour off campus there's tons of new condos available in the $200-400k range that would meet your criteria.

[Cancuk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

UW
I grew up in Wisconsin and know several people who went to UW-Madison. It's a solid Big Ten school, strong in engineering and I'm sure other things. I don't know a whole lot more about the school itself, other than it's respectable in a wide range of studies. Madison is, like Ann Arbor, a typical college town with a good Big Ten feel. When you talk about great college towns, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Austin are the first three that come to mind (and you can probably put Boulder, CO in there, too). The area around Madison has a bit of a nicer feel to it than Detroit, but it's also not a hugely populated area. Milwaukee and Chicago are relatively nearby.


[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry for the partial hijack but I want to hear more things about Madison. I'm currently applying to PhD programs in Biostats/Stats, and Wisconsin has somehow landed itself near the top of my list, despite my loathing of the thought of going to a Big Ten school other than Michigan, and despite the fact that I know nothing about the area. All I know is that it's a strong program and they have a lot of people doing things that I am interested in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I went to a small school an hour south of UWM. Madison's a lot of fun...but the weather/area blows ass.

[Cancuk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How about Princeton/Harvard/MIT? Any of these doable?

[/ QUOTE ]

I am definitely applying to them along with Chicago, Berkeley, Yale, Stanford.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stanford/Berkely is where it's at. Have you ever thought about McGill in Montreal, Quebec?

Montreal is unreal. UNREAL. Also a very distinguished school.

[LittleOldLady]

If you are interested in economics, have you considered the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania?
Winter in Chicago is pretty rough (but not as bad as the northwest coast of Scotland). Philadelphia has a milder winter than NY or Boston and lower housing costs. It has the benefits of a major city (bigtime sports, concerts, museums, etc., etc.), but is easier to get around in and manage than NY. It's only a short distance by train from NY. There is beautiful countryside outside of Philadelphia, and the city itself has excellent parks. West Philadelphia is filled with students and businesses that cater to students. It's a big city, and there are slums and crime and traffic and other big city problems, but it is nonetheless a very livable city. I myself earned three degrees at Penn, although that was quite a while ago. It's a first rate school, and its reputation in the "business" disciplines is superlative.

[Notorious G.O.B.]

San Diego is beautiful, not sure you could afford living expenses, though. Madison is very nice for a cold place.

[partygirluk]

Thanks. I was just asking going to ask for thoughts on U Penn as it does seem attractive.

[PhatTBoll]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I do not count "snowshoeing" and listening to your favorite local granola grunge band at the local coffeehouse as legit activities. Cornell is a good school and a beautiful campus, but just the weather alone (which was listed as OP's first preference) and isolation disqualifies them from consideration.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. Based on the considerations of OP, I would stay far away from Cornell and U of R.

People only go to Cornell because they either don't know any better, they're a dirty hippie, or it's far and away the best school they got into.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is retarded. I went to Cornell and loved it.

[/ QUOTE ]