21–29 of 29 posts
I never realized that UCSB had become a haven for physicists. I once conjectured that I thought UCSB and UCSD would soon become hotbeds for scientific research, in part because of their great physical weather and beauty. And I think it is playing out for both institutions.
I never realized that UCSB had become a haven for physicists. I once conjectured that I thought UCSB and UCSD would soon become hotbeds for scientific research, in part because of their great physical weather and beauty. And I think it is playing out for both institutions.
An interesting conjecture. As an academic, it's interesting to observe the relationship between geography and attractiveness to new faculty. As I heard from a UCSD professor, it is extremely rough to live in San Diego/La Jolla on a grad student salary, and prospective grad students are aware of this and (largely) avoid the place. So, the grad program is weaker than one might think, which the faculty find a little bit…
If we're talking about new faculty, who probably want to buy a house and may want to live near campus, I'd agree that UCSD's location is problematic financially. They seem to be able to attract solid faculty at least in engineering (the people I know), so they must be figuring this out somehow. Certainly some professors are living in small condos who would be living in big houses in the midwest…
However, most grad students while I was there managed well enough. If you don't have kids, and are OK with roommates, you can find places near campus or a short drive away (e.g. Pacific Beach) that are plenty affordable.
I don't really believe that any grad students avoid UCSD because of the cost of living - in a place where you'll only spend a few years and then probably leave.
Seems like UCSB is has come out nowhere in the past few years. When I was applying to college in California only about 10 years ago, I didn't even really consider UCSB because of its reputation as a party school and because it was ranked much lower than Irvine and Davis. I'm sure the recent Nobel prize win and this will affect it's reputation significantly.
I know they had some top-notch graduate programs 20 years ago (based on someone I know who was in one).
I have a great deal admiration for Munger. If you haven't read his essay, "A Lesson on Elementary, Worldly Wisdom As It Relates To Investment Management & Business," I highly recommend it. Y Combinator's old site has a copy: https://old.ycombinator.com/munger.html
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You don't want an e-book of this. Buy the physical copy and a highlighter. It's a bible for intelligent thought.
Not sure if I follow. I like to read everything on e-book - one reason being that I tend to highlight a lot, and it's nice getting a summary of the highlights.
I guess Charlie sold NGDP short.
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Amazingly enough, UCSB has a strong physics department. Shuji Nakamura there just won the Nobel Prize for inventing the blue LED. UCSB does look like the Hollywood version of college. It's right on the ocean, there's an on campus surfing beach, and the students are very fit.
Definitely one of the lesser Nobels though, given that it was awarded for an achievement in engineering , not physics.
A bit off topic, but Poor Charlie's Almanac by Munger is a great book.
I've heard a lot of good things about it. What did you like about it?
overall, Munger seems like a wise man who has lived a long fruitful life well beyond the vagaries of chance, so worth listening to.