Advice for picking an offer

**mistakebytehlak** · 04-01-2010, 04:30 PM

I currently have offers from two schools, and I'm having some trouble picking one. I have an offer from ASU, and I have an offer from UNC. I am currently interested in macro, albeit I must preface this with the fact that I haven't had an engaging/good micro class... ever. I was dead set on ASU (loved the faculty, they are making a push to increase their program, 5 new hires, Dr. Prescott and Dr. Rogerson) until I read everyone's opinions that students often change their mind on specializations. I know ASU is primarily macro. I guess I am just looking for any and all opinions.

**Norsker** · 04-01-2010, 04:37 PM

Students may often change their mind on specializations, but if you don't have the option of a department excellent in a wide variety of areas, you're probably better off selecting the one best at what you're currently interested in-at least you know you have some interest in it.

**mistakebytehlak** · 04-01-2010, 04:44 PM

thank you for your quick response. i would still like to hear any and all opinions.

**EconDev137** · 04-01-2010, 04:51 PM

Assuming that you do not care about location. I would pick ASU. They are very good in macro and if you get there and find that you really want to do micro, they also have micro people. Right now two of their seven job candidates specialized in microreconomics. I think that ASU is a stronger department than UNC and would put you in a better position further down the road.

**Econ_PhD_hopeful** · 04-01-2010, 06:38 PM

I thought UNC-Chapel Hill is a better department overall than Arizona State. It is also ranked higher on US News. I really like UNC because it is very good in econometrics/time series, and its Statistics department is ranked #3 in the US after Stanford and Berkeley. I think that's pretty amazing, but I don't know if it would matter to you since you don't mention an interest in econometrics. Also, UNC is close to Duke and NCSU and there are a number of events and conferences going on between the 3 schools in the so called research triangle area.

**walt526** · 04-02-2010, 09:04 AM

Both are great schools, so you really can't make a bad choice. I didn't apply to either, so my knowledge of both is somewhat limited. But from what I know, if I had an interest and macro and were deciding between the two schools, I'd probably choose ASU based on my impressions of the culture of the department. Which isn't to say that UNC is a bad place to be, just that I suspect that I'd be happier in Tempe, AZ than Chapel Hill, NC (I have briefly visited both places).

If your interests do change, then UNC probably has greater breadth of fields other than macro and macroeconometrics than ASU. And as a previous poster mentioned, being in proximity to Duke and NCSU is also an advantage (there isn't a lot of overlap in relative department strengths between ASU and UA).