Winter 2017 Newsletter
Greetings economics students and faculty, welcome to the winter 2017 newsletter! The purpose of this newsletter is to inform everyone of events, activities and opportunities in the Economics Department. Get ready slugs because this economics newsletter is filled with all kinds of exciting news! If you have any questions regarding courses, forms, internships, or anything else, please visit us in the advising office in Engineering 2, room 401, on weekdays between 9am-12 noon and 1-3pm.
- Your Economics Peer Advisors
Peer Advisors: Upcoming Journeys
Upcoming Events
Field Studies Applications
Ph.D. and M.S. Program Information
Eileen Brooks Memorial Award
Teach For America
Career Center Events
New courses
Summer Courses
Three Year Graduation Pathway
T-Shirts--New Design Arriving Soon
Peer Advisors: Upcoming Journeys
Five of our current peer advisors plan to be off and exploring other opportunities next year! We will have final destinations in our spring newsletter but here is what we know so far:
Eddy Ascencio - UCDC program (TBD, fingers crossed!)
Weiyi Chen - Admitted to our M.S. program in applied economics and finance
Haotian Dai - Admitted to our M.S. program in applied economics and finance
Erika Diaz - UCDC program (TBD, fingers crossed!)
Tony Evans - Studying abroad, International Markets and Chinese History at The University of Hong Kong
Alison Schmidt - Teach for America 2017 Corps member (Richmond, CA)
Interested in economics peer advising?
Have you ever met with an economics peer advisor? Have you benefitted from meeting with an economics peer advisor and would you like to pay it forward by helping your fellow classmates? If your answer is yes, this is great news because we are looking for peer advisors for fall 2017! Peer advising is a great way to enhance your interpersonal skills and gain extra curricular experience in an office environment that looks fabulous on your resume. Please stop by the Economics Department to discuss this opportunity and ask questions of current peer advisors and/or Lisa Morgan.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Economics Department Events
Economics Alumni Reunion Breakout Session
Date: Saturday, April 29th
Time: 10:00-11:00am
Location: E2, room 499 (RSVP required at http://alumniweekend.ucsc.edu/sessions/econ-alumni-reception/)
Spring Faculty & Undergraduate Event
Date: Monday, May 1st
Time: 4:00-5:00pm
Location: E2, room 499 (RSVP required)
Speakers: TBA
Economics Undergraduate and M.S. Student Reception
Date: Friday, June 16th
Time: 1:30pm-3:30pm
Location: Stevenson Event Center
Important Information: If you wish to attend, you must RSVP. There will be limited seating available. The department will be sending out an RSVP e-mail to all eligible undergraduate and M.S. graduating students. If you do not receive this e-mail, please e-mail Lisa Morgan at lmorgan@ucsc.edu so that she can add you to the economics e-mail list.
M.S./Ph.D. Graduation Ceremony (hosted by the Graduate Division)
Date: Friday, June 16th
Time: 4:00pm
Location: East Field
Sandra Reebie, economics graduate programs coordinator, will be sending you an e-mail with additional information within the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Upcoming Career Center Events
Careers in Education
Date: Wednesday, March 22nd
Time: 4:00pm-6:00pm
Location: OPERS West Gym
The Careers in Teaching & Education fair is targeted toward organizations interested in students who are interested in a career in the field of education. Employers will be looking to meet qualified UC Santa Cruz students from a variety of majors with job skills and knowledge developed in a rigorous academic major(s).
Spring Job & Internship Fair
Date: Wednesday, April 19th
Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm
Location: OPERS West Gym
The Spring Fair is an opportunity for organizations to recruit for entry-level positions and internships. Employers are looking to meet qualified UC Santa Cruz students from a variety of majors with job skills and knowledge developed in a rigorous academic major(s). Please dress professionally, bring multiple copies of your resume, and have your student ID or Career Center Access Card (for alumni) ready to check in!
For a complete list of events, check out their web site at: http://careers.ucsc.edu/student/CareerEvents/calendar.html
Field Studies Applications Deadline
Summer and fall 2017 field studies application deadline is Tuesday, April 25th. For more information please see: http://economics.ucsc.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/field-study/index.html
Ph.D. and M.S. Program Information
The 2017-2018 incoming economics M.S. and Ph.D. programs received an impressive number of applications this year. Admissions process is underway. For more information on our graduate programs please see: http://economics.ucsc.edu/academics/graduate-program/index.html
Eileen Brooks Memorial Award
This year, there are two recipients of the 2016-2017 Eileen Brooks Memorial Award: DJ Jeong and Bryan Pratt. This award is for outstanding academic achievement for Ph.D. students transitioning to research, based primarily on revisions on their second year papers.
Picture of DJ Jeong
DJ Jeong's paper, "Estimating the Relationship between Farm Size and Productivity among Farmers in Malawi,” revisits a literary classic which studies the relationship between farm size and productivity. DJ researched on small farmers in Malawi, where mechanization of agriculture is limited. DJ shows that measurement error in measuring farm sizes creates a crucial error, which he is able to address by using the Malawi Integrated Household Survey that includes GPS measures of plot size as well as self reports. DJ discovered that small plots are farmed more intensively and that smaller farms have significantly higher output per acre -- suggesting possible labor market frictions that prevent larger farms from hiring workers from smaller farms.
Picture of Bryan Pratt
Bryan Pratt's paper, "The Impact of Temporary Drought Restrictions," is a study of the effect of the residential water restrictions put in place by the Santa Cruz water district in the years from 2014 to 2015. Bryan retrieved data from the Santa Cruz water district and its neighboring districts to estimate the effect of the program by comparing water usage trends between Santa Cruz residential water users and similar comparison groups including Soquel residents and Santa Cruz businesses. He estimates the program reduced water use by 9% in the first year and 2% during the duration of the second year.
The Ph.D. committee was impressed with both of these papers. Congratulations Bryan and DJ!
Teach for America
Alison Schmidt, peer advisor, was accepted into Teach For America's (TFA) 2017 Bay Area (Richmond) Corps.
Teach for America is a non-profit organization that fights for social justice and educational opportunity for all children. Its motto, “One day all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education,” is what inspired me, nearly a year ago today, to apply to this organization. I have been placed near my hometown in the Bay Area, and will be teaching secondary social studies (grades 6-12). As a double-major in economics and politics, I could not be more excited to apply my knowledge to this new challenge. I highly encourage anyone passionate about social justice issues, specifically relating to education, to learn more about what TFA has to offer and consider it as a possible career path. Click here to learn more about TFA as an organization.
The Teach for America application process has recently been streamlined and I found it to be very intuitive. There are recruitment managers that make themselves readily available throughout the process in case you have any questions. The process includes a short personal statement, transcripts and two letters of recommendation. The final step is a personal interview that takes place at one of their many offices throughout the country, or online if your schedule is too busy. While applying in 2017 has now closed, you can click here for more information about applying to one of their many deadlines in 2018 and beyond.
"My experience as a peer advisor in economics gave me the confidence and skills to apply and successfully interview for TFA."
New Courses
Spring 2017
For students who are interested in taking the CPA, two new courses are offered in spring to fulfill units towards the 225 required.
ECON 116 Advanced Topics in Accounting and Ethics (5 units)
ECON 194B - 01 Advanced Topics in Business and Professional Development (2 units)
For students who are interested in CFA, one new course is offered in spring.
ECON 194F - 01 Advanced Topics in Management and Finance (2 units), spaces still available!
2017-2018
Econ 111A/B, intermediate accounting series will be extended to a three-course sequence: Econ 111A (fall), Econ 111B (winter), Econ 111C (spring). Econ 111A is the prerequisite for the subsequent classes in the series.
Econ 114, Advanced Quantitative Methods, will include a mandatory lab component, Econ 114L, to provide programming support for the primary lecture.
Summer Economics Courses
Enrolling in summer courses gives you an opportunity to take much smaller classes than in normal quarters, it helps you get preequisities and major requirements out of the way, and gives you a great excuse to spend the summer in the woods! Enrollment begins May 1st at summer.ucsc.edu
Session 1 (June 26-July 28)
Econ 1 Introduction to Microeconomics {PE-H/IS}
Econ 10A Economics of Accounting I (online)
Econ 100A Intermediate Microeconomics
Econ 101 Managerial Economics
Econ 113 Introduction to Econometrics {SR/Q}
Econ 120 Economic Development {E}
Econ 125 Economic History of the U.S.
Econ 133 Security Markets & Financial Institutions (online)
Econ 197-01 Economic Rhetoric {DC}
Session 2 (July 31-Sept 1)
Econ 2 Introduction to Macroeconomics {PE-H,IS}
Econ 10B Economics of Accounting II (online)
Econ 11B Math Methods for Economists II {MF/IN/Q}
Econ 100B Intermediate Macroeconomics
Econ 135 Corporate Finance
Econ 136 Business Strategy
Econ 197-02 Economic Rhetoric {DC}
Three Year Graduation Pathway
Some of the most popular majors at UC Santa Cruz, including economics and business management economics, have developed pathways that allow a student to complete all the necessary requirements in three years. Although a three year pathway is not for everyone, some students find that it is a perfect fit for them.
A three year pathway is most appropriate if you:
- Plan a single major, and don’t change your major
- Satisfy the entry-level writing requirement by the end of your first term
- Are committed to enrolling in Summer Session after your first and second years
For information about what to expect from a three year pathway, as well as sample plans, contact your major/program adviser to develop an individualized plan. Peer advisors are also available to assist in planning, come to the Economics Department in E2, 401, on weekdays between 9am-12 noon and 1-3pm.
http://advising.ucsc.edu/success/3-year-pathways/index.html
Economics T-Shirts
In fall quarter, peer advisors participated in a friendly t-shirt design competition. Congratulations to Regine Wong for being selected as the winner! The t-shirts will be available for purchase in the department office beginning spring quarter. Don't miss out on the opportunity to buy yours while supplies last.
2017 Economics T-shirt
