Rochester, BC, and UT-Austin

[yougotaparabola]

Hi Everyone,

I have been fortunate to be accepted to three programs this year. However, at this point, I have no idea which school might be best for a student with diverse interests across all facets of economics. Historically, it would seem that Rochester is the strongest program though the department seems to now have a young faculty primarily focused on macro. Texas has been bashed on this board pretty consistently over the past few weeks though has been consistently in the 20-35 range for a while. BC is a wildcard which has been on the rise and seems like a relatively diverse department in terms of research. In terms of attrition it seems like Texas > Rochester > BC though I am not entirely sure about how strong the inequalities hold or how large the difference is.

While I still have a few schools to hear from, I am thinking that my choice will come down to these schools. I am planning to visit each school to see if that changes my choice at all. Does anyone have any thoughts on my school options or descriptions above?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[2pm]

How is your funding situation? I remember you are waitlisted at Texas for funding, but how about BC and Rochester? I think it is an important factor to consider...

[dsdoodle]

I would say that BC has an edge because you have great schools like Harvard, MIT, BU around where you can attend seminars and such. This was why my professor, who went to Harvard, told me to apply to a school in Boston.

[yougotaparabola]

How is your funding situation? I remember you are waitlisted at Texas for funding, but how about BC and Rochester? I think it is an important factor to consider...

I am waitlisted for fellowship (the only type of funding?) at Rochester. Though in discussions with Rochester students it seems that most students get funding by the time they actually start courses.

[yougotaparabola]

I would say that BC has an edge because you have great schools like Harvard, MIT, BU around where you can attend seminars and such. This was why my professor, who went to Harvard, told me to apply to a school in Boston.

Thanks for your response. This is definitely something I had considered and was trying to figure out how much interaction there is among the departments. I would imagine there is a lot between Harvard and MIT but I am a little concerned that BC, being slightly less prestigious, might lose out on that.

[dsdoodle]

Thanks for your response. This is definitely something I had considered and was trying to figure out how much interaction there is among the departments. I would imagine there is a lot between Harvard and MIT but I am a little concerned that BC, being slightly less prestigious, might lose out on that.

Here's part of the email my professor typed me, for your reference:

Lastly, you should apply to some boston schools; it has huge
geographical advantage over same/better schools due to the
concentration of schools in the area. You will be able to attend top
quality seminars/conferences...etc. even if you are not at Harvard or
MIT. for that reason, BU, BC, or even Brown are very good options
(certainly over schools like UVa, which at least a few years ago, were
having serious problems keeping faculty. I don't know how it is now.)

[yougotaparabola]

Here's part of the email my professor typed me, for your reference:

Lastly, you should apply to some boston schools; it has huge
geographical advantage over same/better schools due to the
concentration of schools in the area. You will be able to attend top
quality seminars/conferences...etc. even if you are not at Harvard or
MIT. for that reason, BU, BC, or even Brown are very good options
(certainly over schools like UVa, which at least a few years ago, were
having serious problems keeping faculty. I don't know how it is now.)

Thanks doodle, this is very interesting and certainly good to know. I guess this is something I might want to bring up when I go visit. By the way, are you going to visit Texas?

[2pm]

Ok, for what it's worth, this is my opinion:

Location: BC dominates. Austin is a fun city, but there is an enormous advantage in studying close to MIT, Harvard, BU and the NBER as dsdoodle has said. Advantage: BC

Attrition rate: I have no idea about Rochester and BC, but I can't imagine they are any worse than UT. Disadvantage: UT

Interest: I think Rochester and UT are somewhat inferior if you are not sure about your interests (UT: no macro, Rochester: only macro <- gross generalization, I know). Advantage: BC

Funding: this is where it gets tricky. If you are funded at BC, and if I remember correctly it was 16k a year, you will have a hard time living in Boston. Provided you get off the waitlist at UT, then it's Rochester > UT > BC.

Conclusion: if you can afford living in Boston, I think it would be the place that best suit your needs.

But screw this, let's all meet in Austin and get drunk

[dsdoodle]

I do plan on visiting UT-Austin sometime in April. Sad thing that they don't reimburse for your travels.

[yougotaparabola]

But screw this, let's all meet in Austin and get drunk

I like your thoughts! (though not only what I quoted ). I guess a lot will likely depend on my visits to the campuses and such. Thanks for your thoughts though, I appreciate it!