Tinbergen vs Tilburg

**mho** · 04-19-2009, 06:25 AM

I get admission from Tinbergen first year of MPhill and Tilburg second year of MPhill, how do you compare them?

**asianeconomist** · 04-19-2009, 09:09 AM

If you want to apply to another PhD in US/UK after your MPhil then go to Tilburg. It has been frequently discussed that TI is not sympathetic towards students intending to move onto PhD outside TI.

If you just care about your training in the MPhil then TI is the better option.

**Wooky** · 04-19-2009, 11:33 AM

Use search option, a lot of posts have been publish on both unis.

Anyway, IMHO the most important case for you is whether you need rigorous training before research. At Tilburg you will have only 5 courses (which are said to be not that rigours, I am not sure, I did only one on master level at Tilburg) in winter semester, in summer you will write master thesis and then research beginns.At Tinbergen you have 3 semesters of proper, US-style training.
Tilburg is boring as a city, although it's quite cheap.

The rest you can really find using search tool. If you have any other questions just ask.

I have a bit different situation: 1st year fully fundend at TI vs 1st year partly funded at Tilburg and the choice for me was easy. But your is a bit different.

**mho** · 04-19-2009, 01:57 PM

thanks Wooky, I found very useful information.
just on point, in TI website is written:

Students in the programs' PhD phase are typically employed by one of the TI departments as PhD researchers ("promovendi"). These are full-time positions that come with all the benefits of employment, including a good salary.
how much is this good salary?!

**Wooky** · 04-19-2009, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by mho

thanks Wooky, I found very useful information.
just on point, in TI website is written:

Students in the programs' PhD phase are typically employed by one of the TI departments as PhD researchers ("promovendi"). These are full-time positions that come with all the benefits of employment, including a good salary.
how much is this good salary?!

1620 net in the first year of phd, thereafter a bit more. But you have to keep in mind that it's after 2 years of Mphil. At Tilburg you have 1500 net.
Both with some additional benefits (tickets, etc)

**LouisBD** · 04-19-2009, 04:54 PM

It is often said that the training in Tilburg is not rigorous enough. I have to admit that the core courses (I have only taken a few) are not that hard. Then again, a good and motivated student should be motivated an sich and should not depend on external motivating factors such as very hard prelims.
In Tilburg also Mass-Collel is used, if you have questions you can ask a teacher.
Research is the final goal and Tilburg seems to produce fairly good researchers.

My conclusion (take it with a grain since I am probably a bit biased):
*If you want to do your phd somewhere else Tilburg is the best choice.
*If you want to stay, Tilburg again is the best choice.

**economicus** · 04-20-2009, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by asianeconomist

It has been frequently discussed that TI is not sympathetic towards students intending to move onto PhD outside TI.

As a student at TI, I don't think this is really that problematic. In the past, some students certainly left after 2 years of Mphil (so it's possible)... and recently one of my friends also applied to other places and he said he didn't have any problems obtaining recommendations at all.

**mho** · 04-21-2009, 04:07 AM

Some one that is studying in TI told me in each year some of student don't go to PhD and after MPhill and empty places filled with new students from other universities. he also said that there is no problem in obtaining recommendation.