rvalchev Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 According to econphd.net (the only international rankings I am aware of) Oxford is ranked 31st in the world, on par with MSU. How relevant is this ranking really though? Is Oxford a university/department on the way down that rests on old fame, or is it generally comparable to US TOP10? If it's PhD program is not as highly regarded, could it be at least used as a springboard to a TOP10 program? What's quick and generably reliable way of comparing international universities to the US programs? That is, I mean, short of being intimately aware of the details of each program. So I guess I am looking for some sort of a reliable international ranking that can give me a rough idea of which tier an international university really belongs to. Disclaimer: unexpectedly I got acceptd to Oxford's MPhil and to be honest, I originally sent an application their way to guard against not getting funding in the US. Being an EU citizen, even without funding Oxford's a pretty good deal. Now that I got funding in the US, I have a dilemma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epanechnikov Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 According to econphd.net (the only international rankings I am aware of) Oxford is ranked 31st in the world, on par with MSU. How relevant is this ranking really though? Is Oxford a university/department on the way down that rests on old fame, or is it generally comparable to US TOP10? If it's PhD program is not as highly regarded, could it be at least used as a springboard to a TOP10 program? What's quick and generably reliable way of comparing international universities to the US programs? That is, I mean, short of being intimately aware of the details of each program. So I guess I am looking for some sort of a reliable international ranking that can give me a rough idea of which tier an international university really belongs to. Disclaimer: unexpectedly I got acceptd to Oxford's MPhil and to be honest, I originally sent an application their way to guard against not getting funding in the US. Being an EU citizen, even without funding Oxford's a pretty good deal. Now that I got funding in the US, I have a dilemma. Oxford is great for econometrics. You should go to Cornell.... Econometric Ranking Links Econometrics Journal Worldwide Econometrics Rankings: 1989-2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karina 07 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 According to econphd.net (the only international rankings I am aware of) Oxford is ranked 31st in the world, on par with MSU. How relevant is this ranking really though? Is Oxford a university/department on the way down that rests on old fame, or is it generally comparable to US TOP10? If it's PhD program is not as highly regarded, could it be at least used as a springboard to a TOP10 program? What's quick and generably reliable way of comparing international universities to the US programs? That is, I mean, short of being intimately aware of the details of each program. So I guess I am looking for some sort of a reliable international ranking that can give me a rough idea of which tier an international university really belongs to. Disclaimer: unexpectedly I got acceptd to Oxford's MPhil and to be honest, I originally sent an application their way to guard against not getting funding in the US. Being an EU citizen, even without funding Oxford's a pretty good deal. Now that I got funding in the US, I have a dilemma. By the time you're out of the program, you're going to be sick of being a student and taking classes. Or, at least, by the time you're out of the program and halfway through your Ph.D. 2 years is a lot of time to suck out of your life. Oxford is *lovely* and amazing and great and all that, but... 2 years is still a lot of time. If I could do it all over again, I would have figured out that econ was what I wanted to do while I was in undergrad and then go straight from undergrad to a Ph.D. program without doing a master's in between (though supposedly there are benefits to maturity...). I would recommend going to Oxford *if* you either have a particular reason to avoid Wisc or just want some more time before a Ph.D. program to get to enjoy Oxford and figure out what you want better. But honestly I'd take Wisc and run if I were you. It's hard to distinguish yourself at Oxford because 1/3rd or so of your class will have won some big scholarship and the rest will have still cleared out a lot of awards from their respective undergraduate universities.... God, Oxford's beautiful, though. I feel kind of bad giving this advice because if you actually went there you'd love it. I don't know what weight you'd assign to a great and memorable two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks for pointing out this article Epanechnikov, it's very informative! Cornell must have lost a great deal of its past econometricians. They only have Hong, Keifer and Molinari left so I don't see them ranking anywhere near 7 anymore. But it's an interesting article nonetheless. Thanks for the input Karina. Are you in the Dphil program now, or finishing up the MPhil? As to your question, I do not have any particular reason to avoid Wisc, nor any reason to avoid Oxford. I am just trying to figure out what differentiates the different places. On the US side of the things, it's a three way tie Wisc-Duke-Cornell. Wisconsin has the track record and reputation, but only a few key professors in most disciplines. If one leaves/retires it might be a problem. Duke is in the midsts of some sort of wonderous program upgrade and I am really impressed by their hirings and upwards direction of placements. Cornell's got a questionable placement record, but that doesn't correlate with the quality of their faculty, which I find very high. It's a pure toss up there, and I am hoping visits will help produce a clear cut winner. So I am really not trying to avoid any of those universities, but I don't want to discard options out of hand. Oxford has a very nice ring to it :D Also the MPhil program is independent, so if it turns out academia is not for me I have a nice way out. And if academia is no go, I'd prefer to live in Europe and Masters from Oxford will beat out a US Masters I thought. But anyway, Karina, I have a couple more questions because I am completely ignorant of the educational structure in UK universities :blush: How are distinctions awarded? Is there an absolute grade level you need to achieve or is everybody graded relative to his classmates (e.g. they only give out say 5 distinctions a year, and there's no absolute grade cut off) ? Are you only invited to continue on to the DPhil if you get the distinction ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeeves0923 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks for the input Karina. Are you in the Dphil program now, or finishing up the MPhil? shes in the econ dept at Berkeley now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 23, 2009 Author Share Posted March 23, 2009 shes in the econ dept at Berkeley now... After 2 years of MPhil? I see, so that explains the tired of classes comment :) It is a big negative to having to take the same classes twice :yuck: Why did you look for a transfer away from Oxford's DPhil program (I kind of assume the DPhil is the natural progression of the MPhil)? Did you have bad experience advising-wise at Oxford? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epanechnikov Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks for pointing out this article Epanechnikov, it's very informative! Cornell must have lost a great deal of its past econometricians. They only have Hong, Keifer and Molinari left so I don't see them ranking anywhere near 7 anymore. But it's an interesting article nonetheless. Neil Shephard, Andrew Patton, David Hendry ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 The people you are referring to are at Oxford. I was talking about Cornell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGkhan23 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Take my advice with a grain of salt because I don't know what I'm talking about, but you should consider that doing well in the MPhil could be the difference between your waitlist in Princeton and an admittance a couple of years down the road. Check out some of Karina07's past posts, I know she's talked some about admissions coming out of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asianeconomist Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Oxford have been hiring pretty aggressively this year, with 2 senior hires (UBC, UCSD) and junior hire (Dartmouth...). The department has been consistently hiring over last 2-3 years and is on a upward trajectory. I would probably place it somewhere near a top 20 in terms of publications-based rankings. Placement based rankings place Oxford ridiculously high because they also consider their post-doc placments. And karina07 did get a degree fom Oxford, but it was not the MPhil in Econ. (just goes to show how long I have been lurking here....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karina 07 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Heh, it's a little scary how well everyone knows me. :) Lombardo's currently in the Econ MPhil there. Both of us have posted in the past about the differences between the US and UK system and also about their grading/continuing on to the DPhil. I'm a little hesitant to post more because I'm trying to stay out of the spotlight, but search around some more for the Oxford MPhil/DPhil and if you don't find the discussions or if you have more questions feel free to PM! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epanechnikov Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 The people you are referring to are at Oxford. I was talking about Cornell. Cornell is a great school overall anyway (+it is Ivy League). Duke is good for econometrics (Bollerslev etc) What is your specialization? I wouldn't drop either offer for oxford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 Thanks for all your comments Epanechnikov, very helpful! I get the feeling Oxford might not be a good idea too ... I am not sure about specialization ... my interests seem to diverge and grow everyday. I would losely put them in the following order: econometric theory, micro theory, decision theory/behavioral, open-economy macro, finance, applied micro stuffs, international trade. So I guess I am looking for a school that has a reasonable focus on metrics/micro, but is also strong in many other fields so that I can safely switch , which might very well happen. I agree Cornell is great overall, but so seem to be Duke and Wisconsin :) And Duke and Wisc have the placements to show, while Cornell might be lacking ... but I can't tell for sure because their alumni page is not very detailed. Talking more about their placements in #1 on my agenda when I visit but if you have info on that I'd love to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epanechnikov Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Wisconsin is very good for econometrics too (Hansen!). That is your tough decision Wisconsin, Cornell or Duke:) BTW congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 i thought i read somewhere that Oxford is hiring Crawford, that will be good for people interested in econometrics :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarlynoon Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I'll step in and defend my future alma mater, if I may! True, there is a year of course work and another year where you start to focus, taking two courses relevant to years 3/4. But I think that's a natural progression from courses to pure research, and it should be pointed out that producing a 30,000-word thesis based on original research in year 2 hardly makes it just another year of coursework. I've already an M.Sc. under my belt and am looking forward to the MPhil and hopefully then the DPhil, including the coursework. That said, though, I appreciate it's not for everyone. Anyone else joining Oxford in September? Should this be our thread? P.S. As a non-econometrician, I'm looking forward to learning from the Oxford-based experts! P.P.S. Thanks Karina for the descriptions of Oxford - nice to know that there's a positive externality to the research! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 What are your interests Snarlynoon? Oxford's a huge place with lots of professors in pretty much everything, but I hear their development is extra good. I also heard Macro might be a bit out-dated there. Is there any truth to such a statement? Let's definitely make it the Oxford MPhil thread, it'll be good to get to know people who are for sure going there in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jho4 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 rvalchev, it looks like you have funding at Cornell and Wisconsin. Go to one of those. Oxford isn't worth it if you have offers of full funding from Cornell and Wisconsin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarlynoon Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 What are your interests Snarlynoon? Oxford's a huge place with lots of professors in pretty much everything, but I hear their development is extra good. I also heard Macro might be a bit out-dated there. Is there any truth to such a statement? My interests are in growth and development - not sure about overall Macro standard, tbh. I'm interested in the economics of climate change and role of ICT in enabling sustainable development, so the new Smith School for Business & the Environment should be good news also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I've got an offer for the MPhil too, i'm currently waiting to hear from LSE aswell, then I'll make a final decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrykravis Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 According to econphd.net (the only international rankings I am aware of) Oxford is ranked 31st in the world, on par with MSU. How relevant is this ranking really though? Is Oxford a university/department on the way down that rests on old fame, or is it generally comparable to US TOP10? If it's PhD program is not as highly regarded, could it be at least used as a springboard to a TOP10 program? What's quick and generably reliable way of comparing international universities to the US programs? That is, I mean, short of being intimately aware of the details of each program. So I guess I am looking for some sort of a reliable international ranking that can give me a rough idea of which tier an international university really belongs to. Disclaimer: unexpectedly I got acceptd to Oxford's MPhil and to be honest, I originally sent an application their way to guard against not getting funding in the US. Being an EU citizen, even without funding Oxford's a pretty good deal. Now that I got funding in the US, I have a dilemma. RePEC rankings are now being recognized as the credible ones, they even have detailed statistics for the authors outside top 5% (1000), just google Repec economics faculty rankings ( they update their rankings on a monthly basis using '31' different measures!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvalchev Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 RePEC rankings are now being recognized as the credible ones, they even have detailed statistics for the authors outside top 5% (1000), just google Repec economics faculty rankings ( they update their rankings on a monthly basis using '31' different measures!) That page looks pretty cool! They have Oxford at 8 but Oxford also has 120 affiliated faculty :eek: US Departments in the rankigns have 30-50 ... how do we compare that? :hmm:Oxford's department must be gigantic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrykravis Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 That page looks pretty cool! They have Oxford at 8 but Oxford also has 120 affiliated faculty :eek: US Departments in the rankigns have 30-50 ... how do we compare that? :hmm:Oxford's department must be gigantic... quantity is just one of the 31 measures, other criteria such as research imapct, h-index are more important - they have oxford at #4 I guess -plus some affiliated members' research does not count under Oxford's name (visiting scholars, joint appointments etc)-much better from econphd which is static - Repec is updated every month biased towards Oxford because I am planning to attend :P - was one of the two schools I applied for Economics (the other being Cambridge) P.S : Have NO plans of doing a Phd (ever) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 This one is a summary of just econ departments, whereas in the main ranking departments and corresponding b-schools etc are separated. Rankings at IDEAS: Economics Departments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anony85 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I just got into the Oxford Mphil as well. I'm not very familiar with masters programmes in Europe (except for the LSE), so I was wondering if any students currently in (or previously in) the Oxford Mphil could give some feedback on what the programme is like. For instance, what does the placement of say, the top 10-15 students in the class look like (whether it be in a graduate programme or industry job)? And also, how much interaction do you get with faculty/advisors? I would like to pursue a PhD in Economics later (probably back in the US), so I was wondering if this programme is a good preparation for that. I'm not entirely sure about this plan yet either, so it would be good if the programme itself is rigorous enough to prepare for some good industry jobs, say in economic consulting. Oh, and any idea how UCL's MSc programme compares to this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.