Wow, the company deal is pretty sweet! Full ride through undergrad, plus a much better stipend than the typical PhD student. I hope you like your PhD area. PhD is super tough even if you love your work; it becomes just about impossible if your heart isn’t in it. Good luck!
On the other hand, instead of thinking of your 6 years of commitment as indentured service, I’d think of it as a secure job, especially as they’re probably paying much more than what the average junior faculty make, not to mention the academic jobs are hellishly impossible to get.
Anyway, since I was one of the “lucky” people who did just land a tenure-track position at UCSD, I’m paying close attention to this thread to see what you house market junkies think about this area. I have similar financial circumstances as rEQ. We want a 2bd condo, or a modest house on a modest lot. BTW, there’s no subsidy for faculty housing, and my husband is not up to rooming with grad students/postdocs. We plan to have kids at some point but probably no school-age kids in the next 6-8 years. Oh, and I’m not in economics or finance, I study decision-making. 😉
What do you all think would be the best time to buy into the UTC condo market? The N. Clairemont area seems a little shady. How are the Scripps Ranch & Pansquitos neighborhoods? What about Ramona? What do you expect the PPSF to bottom out at for these respective areas?
