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Decision: BC vs MSU vs WUSTL


Which school should I attend?  

49 members have voted

  1. 1. Which school should I attend?

    • BC
      9
    • MSU
      4
    • WUSTL
      37


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Sorry for creating another thread to compare schools (I suppose they are very popular in times like these! :)). I would say that I'm almost sure of my decision, but I think it would be completely foolish to make a decision without consulting this huge pool of knowledge here at TM!

 

So, basically those are my three options: BC, MSU, WUSTL (all funded). I still didn't hear from two schools (UT-Austin and BU), but if I get something from them, it will be unfunded, so I guess my cycle is pretty much over.

 

My interests are macro/monetary, but I also value overall quality. I added a poll to keep track of your opinions more easily, but comments are highly appreciated!

 

Thanks.

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If you have read some other threads about WUSTL and BC it seems that WUSTL is going up in terms of rankings, while the situation at BC is unknown.

From the point of view of your interests, BC seems to have (if you look at its job market candidates) more faculty in intl macro while WUSTL tends to have more macro/monetary oriented faculty.

I think from your interests WUSTL strictly dominates the other options but i do not know about the status of saltwater/freshwater in these schools.

Just my two cents.

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Thank you for your opinion, argmax. I read older threads about BC and WUSTL, but they suggested that both departments are very strong in the fiels I'm interested, so I needed a more direct comparison between them.

 

But yeah, I spoke with my profs and I got the clear impression that WUSTL dominates (and both your opinion and the poll confirm that, at least so far), and not only in my field of interest, but also by having a stronger overall department and being in an upward trend, without mentioning the proximity with the St. Louis Fed, which is also very interesting.

 

Hey Desperate,

 

Isn't WUSTL your lowest funded offer? How does that impact your decision?

 

My funding situation is basically that: WUSTL's offer covers tuition and health insurance (except for a small fee). The living expenses are estimated in 18k per year, and that is the usual amount of the fellowship. They offered me a "half-fellowship" of 9k, so I need to prove my financial capability in covering the remaining 9k. Given my personal savings and a little help from my family, it's doable.

 

I talked with a current grad student there and I was told that, if you have a good academic standing (passing prelims, etc.), you get full funding (18k) from year two onwards. Of course this is something I still want to confirm with the DGS or the Admissions Officer myself. Comparing with the 15.6k offered by BC, I would have a better funding living in a cheaper city.

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WUSTL is definitely the better program.

 

I'm sure Boston (the city) beats the hell out of St Louis though.

 

 

I have to agree, put I personally put much more weight in the former than the later. I'm from a really huge city, so what I really don't want is to live in a rural area. St Louis seems a mid-sized city to me, I think I would be completely fine living there, in spite of Boston's comparative advantage.

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Not to tilt you any further towards WUSTL (cuz I really want off the waitlist with funding), but I think the estimate of $18K is high for cost of living. I would bet you could squeek by on $12K-13 if needed. Things are pretty cheap down there around campus.
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Boy, the 1/2 funding is kind of unfortunate.

 

What about MSU? Are you less inclined to go there based on interest?

 

Yeah, well, I haven't discarded yet the possibility of asking them about my chances of getting full funding already in the first year, just in case someone who got a full funded offer decides to decline it.

 

About MSU, I think it is strictly dominated given my preferences. One of my recommenders openly advised me to go there, but he confessed a personal bias towards metrics. I know a grad student there, and he told me that WUSTL would be a better match for a macro person, even some profs told him that.

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BTW, i just looked at WUSTL web page and they have the placements of their job market candidates, so you could have another data point for your decision. The board implicit conclusion is that their placements in five years should be better. So i think is worth the 8-9k for the first year.
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Not to tilt you any further towards WUSTL (cuz I really want off the waitlist with funding), but I think the estimate of $18K is high for cost of living. I would bet you could squeek by on $12K-13 if needed. Things are pretty cheap down there around campus.

 

I see, but they require 18K to issue the I-20 form, so I have no choice. As I said, I'm confident that I can give financial proof of the additional 9K they require, but of course that saving some of this money would be a good thing!

 

I would say that, right now, I'm one step away from accepting WUSTL's offer, I just need a clearer idea about the funding thing, and I intend to email them this week. I hope you get off the waitlist too, and maybe we can meet there!

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That makes sense about your preferences.

 

I would totally ask about a bump in funding at WUSTL. I think it is a distinct possibility, even if they could jump you up by a couple of $K it would make living there without accumulating any debt doable.

 

Good luck with the decisions!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey guys,

 

Thank you all for the opinions. I accepted WUSTL's offer today. As soon as I get a reply acknowledging my decision, I'll decline my offers from BC and MSU. So, if you are waitlisted in those places, cross your fingers!

 

I think I was very lucky in this cycle. I only got funded offers and straight rejections, no waitlists or unfunded offers, which can be very stressful. I only needed some time to figure out what I really wanted and I think I ended up in a very good place, especially given my interests. :tup:

 

Good luck to you all, I'm sure the market will clear soon enough!

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