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Does anyone know anything about the Warsaw School of Economics?`


kevin1297

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Hi,

I'm planning on studying abroad in the spring of 2016 at the Warsaw School of Economics. I have an RAship lined up there with an economist at a top 20 business school in Europe, and will be taking lots of math and econ courses.

 

Would anyone know anything about the institution? Specifically:

It's ranking compared to other European schools of Economics

Its academic difficulty

Where students who have studied abroad there have gone to grad school afterwards

Course offerings

 

I tried to do some research on my own, but couldn't find much,

 

All of your replies are a huge help.

 

Best,

kevin1297

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Hi,

I'm planning on studying abroad in the spring of 2016 at the Warsaw School of Economics. I have an RAship lined up there with an economist at a top 20 business school in Europe, and will be taking lots of math and econ courses.

 

Would anyone know anything about the institution? Specifically:

It's ranking compared to other European schools of Economics

Its academic difficulty

Where students who have studied abroad there have gone to grad school afterwards

Course offerings

 

I tried to do some research on my own, but couldn't find much,

 

All of your replies are a huge help.

 

Best,

kevin1297

 

 

On a side note, if you're having trouble finding information about a University and where it stands academically speaking, that most likely is not a good sign.

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Its reputation in Europe is generally decent, it's nothing fancy, but people will acknowledge it and often will have heard about it.

 

However I dont know if you re american or european, in Europe like I said it s acceptable, maybe even good(ish), but not extraordinary. But in the US I dont know, you ll have to ask around (if you re from around there).

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Its reputation in Europe is generally decent, it's nothing fancy, but people will acknowledge it and often will have heard about it.

 

However I dont know if you re american or european, in Europe like I said it s acceptable, maybe even good(ish), but not extraordinary. But in the US I dont know, you ll have to ask around (if you re from around there).

 

I'm Polish on both sides of my family, and I can speak the language pretty well. I'm interested in it because I can do research with a professor that I have a connection with there, and I can improve my Polish (unrelated to getting an Econ PhD, but still nice to have).

 

My other choice is the University of Sussex. Is that better ranked than WSE in terms of its economics and math departments?

 

kevin1297

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Sussex would be better especially if you plan on working in the UK later on, but even in general I'd definitely put Sussex ahead of Warsaw. Sussex has a decently good department, even by UK standard.

 

However, do you want to do economics or business? I ask because you specifically say that your RAship will be at a Business School. I dont know anything about Sussex or Warsaw s potential in that respect, although I have some knowledge of business school rankings (especially in the UK, France and Germany).

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Sussex would be better especially if you plan on working in the UK later on, but even in general I'd definitely put Sussex ahead of Warsaw. Sussex has a decently good department, even by UK standard.

 

However, do you want to do economics or business? I ask because you specifically say that your RAship will be at a Business School. I dont know anything about Sussex or Warsaw s potential in that respect, although I have some knowledge of business school rankings (especially in the UK, France and Germany).

 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I definitely want to do economics, focusing on dev and international (I really don't like business culture, and money has never really mattered to me. As long I have three meals a day, I'm fine, so business (which is about making a money whatever way you slice it) is definitely not something that I want to do.)

 

Does it matter than the economist that I am working for would be at a business school? I know that it probably does, but he's still an economist. (Actually the dean and founder of a top 40 business school in Europe.) If it's not a good idea to do it with him, I still have plenty of other options for RAships in the coming fall semester and summer.

 

What I have so far:

Research Intern for a policy organization (Spring 2015)

Research Intern for an economic think tank (Summer 2015)

Research Assistant for a think-tank on campus (not economics related, but still valuable I think) Fall 2015

Research Internship/Research Assistantship with a professor on campus/ Working at the Fed or Central Bank of Poland (Assuming that I get into any of those places) (Summer 2016)

Honors Thesis (Fall 2016)

 

Would this be enough? (excluding all other aspects of my profile)

 

Thanks,

kevin1297

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What's the point of asking these questions if you are not receptive to the answers given to you? The position from the experienced and knowledgeable users is that doing a year abroad during such an important year is not a good idea.
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I think in the US it can matter quite a bit, in Europe I admit Ive actually never seen anyone in that situation. Everyone I know/have heard of has been studying at a proper school of economics within their own university.

 

The question is, where does he publish? You can easily check out the rankings of the journals he publishes in, and this will quite easily inform you about his potential as a future recommender. The real question is: what do you want to do? In this post you only mention the studying abroad part, I guess as part of your bachelor? If all you want to do is gain some experience then Warsaw could be good enough for your purposes, but if your question also includes potential for PhD applications then we would need to see a complete profile in the standard format of this forum (it s easy to find a previous post somewhere).

 

Even then, there are hundreds of other variables that come into play and that you might want to consider before putting yourself on a purely academic path.

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You should also really decide if you're interested in a economics PhD, a public policy PhD, or a MPP. Some of your RA positions are useful for only one of these degrees, and some are useful only for one of the other.

 

I know you're sick of hearing this, but everything I've heard from you indicates that you're interested in development policy as a research topic and career option, or courses like development economics at an undergraduate level, which really corresponds to a public policy PhD or a MPP far more so than it does to an economics PhD.

 

An economics PhD should be thought of as an applied math and statistics degree. It's true there are plenty of economists working on policy issues, simply because there are many more economists than public policy doctorates, but if you want to work in the development world, you should really consider actual policy degrees. I can speak with pretty strong confidence that you're not going to enjoy what you're actually learning in a PhD econ degree. Ask yourself how much you enjoy Real Analysis I when you take it and then imagine doing it exclusively for years.

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Hi,

I'm planning on studying abroad in the spring of 2016 at the Warsaw School of Economics. I have an RAship lined up there with an economist at a top 20 business school in Europe, and will be taking lots of math and econ courses.

 

Would anyone know anything about the institution? Specifically:

It's ranking compared to other European schools of Economics

Its academic difficulty

Where students who have studied abroad there have gone to grad school afterwards

Course offerings

 

I tried to do some research on my own, but couldn't find much,

 

All of your replies are a huge help.

 

Best,

kevin1297

 

 

Kevin, while I don't know a lot about the school, I've had a number of friends who attended it. Some insights:

- There is quite a competitive atmosphere

- The school is not very international, especially in terms of faculty, which is why the faculty are not as well connected as at other schools

- The curriculum, level of students - it is comparable to top schools in Europe, but not the very top

- I don't know about exchange students, but the top students who are interested in PhD programs do place very well. Basically all the economists from Poland who went abroad graduated from that school or University of Warsaw - Faculty of Economics. The two have some cooperation but it seems very limited.

- If the professor you are taking about is AK, as it seems from your description, then I know he has a number of connections in the US and probably his letter would matter in those schools. However, a lot of his research is in the area of management and hence his LOR might be undervalued at other schools. If he would be willing to pull some strings, that seems like a good opportunity. However, make sure the other 2 LORs are solid

- I think U Sussex is a stronger school for development, I am not so sure about other fields, for instance for macro Warsaw is better imho

- Warsaw is a great city to live in as an exchange student. Great food, cheap, good nightlife

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You should also really decide if you're interested in a economics PhD, a public policy PhD, or a MPP. Some of your RA positions are useful for only one of these degrees, and some are useful only for one of the other.

 

I know you're sick of hearing this, but everything I've heard from you indicates that you're interested in development policy as a research topic and career option, or courses like development economics at an undergraduate level, which really corresponds to a public policy PhD or a MPP far more so than it does to an economics PhD.

 

An economics PhD should be thought of as an applied math and statistics degree. It's true there are plenty of economists working on policy issues, simply because there are many more economists than public policy doctorates, but if you want to work in the development world, you should really consider actual policy degrees. I can speak with pretty strong confidence that you're not going to enjoy what you're actually learning in a PhD econ degree. Ask yourself how much you enjoy Real Analysis I when you take it and then imagine doing it exclusively for years.

 

At this point, I would be fine with both an MPP/PhD in Public Policy or a PhD in Economics. The reason why I am pursuing a PhD in Economics, as mentioned before is that I love economics and research and am interested in math, and want to apply my knowledge of economics to solving real world problems. If that means doing an economics PhD and taking hard math classes, then I'll do it. However, if by the time I take real analysis, I decide the math is too much, I'll switch my focus to getting either an MPP or an MPP/Masters in Econ. I have options at this point, and I am just aiming for the highest one to see if I can do it, and achieve my goal of doing applied economic research. If I don't make it, that's ok, but I need to figure that out for myself. Your advice will plant the seed in my brain that maybe a PhD in Econ isn't for me, but until I get very clear and consistent signals down the road that I should do otherwise, I see know reason why I shouldn't try.

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Kevin, while I don't know a lot about the school, I've had a number of friends who attended it. Some insights:

- There is quite a competitive atmosphere

- The school is not very international, especially in terms of faculty, which is why the faculty are not as well connected as at other schools

- The curriculum, level of students - it is comparable to top schools in Europe, but not the very top

- I don't know about exchange students, but the top students who are interested in PhD programs do place very well. Basically all the economists from Poland who went abroad graduated from that school or University of Warsaw - Faculty of Economics. The two have some cooperation but it seems very limited.

- If the professor you are taking about is AK, as it seems from your description, then I know he has a number of connections in the US and probably his letter would matter in those schools. However, a lot of his research is in the area of management and hence his LOR might be undervalued at other schools. If he would be willing to pull some strings, that seems like a good opportunity. However, make sure the other 2 LORs are solid

- I think U Sussex is a stronger school for development, I am not so sure about other fields, for instance for macro Warsaw is better imho

- Warsaw is a great city to live in as an exchange student. Great food, cheap, good nightlife

 

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. I'm leaning towards Sussex just because of the stronger development program. I'll make sure to stay clear of the qual focused dev programs and take econ dev and math for sure.

 

The professor is in fact AK. I'm surprised that you figured that out, given that most people haven't heard of him. Would you know which universities he has connections with? I had a feeling that he would be doing management research. Is being an RA with him over the summer a waste of time then? How quant heavy is it compared to econ research (probably much less so)? I'm confident that my other two LORs are solid (one from the current economic think tank that I'm working at written by a top dev econ professor at Williams College, and another written by a macro prof I'm really close with at my university)

 

I don't really super comfortable with him pulling stings, or even working with him. I feel like I'm cheating compared to other students who don't have connections like AK, but had to work their butt off to get into a PhD program, whereas with my abysmal GPA (3.43), there is no way that I deserve to get in right now.

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I ... want to apply my knowledge of economics to solving real world problems. If that means doing an economics PhD and taking hard math classes, then I'll do it.

 

 

You've got it backwards and aren't reading what chateauheart is telling you. Applying knowledge to real world problems is the antithesis of a PhD in a traditional academic subject such as Economics. Bottom line, given your stated goals, the math and a PhD in Econ is overkill and a complete waste of 5+ years of your life.

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You've got it backwards and aren't reading what chateauheart is telling you. Applying knowledge to real world problems is the antithesis of a PhD in a traditional academic subject such as Economics. Bottom line, given your stated goals, the math and a PhD in Econ is overkill and a complete waste of 5+ years of your life.

 

Although getting a PhD in Economics is traditionally for academics, there are other career paths after you graduate. Econ PhDs can go work for the government, a central bank, a think tank, start their own think tank (like the boss at the think tank where I currently work did), and go into the private sector. Sure, most go to into academia, and I would be fine with being a professor (although I have a stutter I have to get rid of before I start teaching), but that's not my preferred route. As long as I am doing economic research in some form, I am happy.

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Although getting a PhD in Economics is traditionally for academics, there are other career paths after you graduate. Econ PhDs can go work for the government, a central bank, a think tank, start their own think tank (like the boss at the think tank where I currently work did), and go into the private sector. Sure, most go to into academia, and I would be fine with being a professor (although I have a stutter I have to get rid of before I start teaching), but that's not my preferred route. As long as I am doing economic research in some form, I am happy.

 

I'm a stone's throw from graduation at this point. I am well aware there are other paths after the PhD. The issue is that if you know those other paths are your preference, then a doctoral program will eat up a huge chunk of your life with little reward for that lost time. An MPP and 4 years work experience will leave you much better off than a PhD in Economics given your stated goals. Why are you swimming upstream when you could easily go with the flow and do what you want to do with less personal/financial cost and a lot sooner?

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As long as I am doing economic research in some form, I am happy.

 

It is not any "economic research in some form" you are interested in, it is, as you say, specifically applied economic policy-making and development topics. Believe us when we tell you - considering that we're familiar with both lines of work to a far greater extent than you are at this stage of our careers - that these interests are best served by either a PhD in Public Policy, or ARE, or a MPP + work experience, depending on the extent of your academic inclinations. It has little, if anything, to do with what the vast majority of PhD economics students work on.

 

That you repeatedly refuse to take into account simple, harmless, and unambiguously useful information provided to you through this forum is just mind-boggling.

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It is not any "economic research in some form" you are interested in, it is, as you say, specifically applied economic policy-making and development topics. Believe us when we tell you - considering that we're familiar with both lines of work to a far greater extent than you are at this stage of our careers - that these interests are best served by either a PhD in Public Policy, or ARE, or a MPP + work experience, depending on the extent of your academic inclinations. It has little, if anything, to do with what the vast majority of PhD economics students work on.

 

That you repeatedly refuse to take into account simple, harmless, and unambiguously useful information provided to you through this forum is just mind-boggling.

 

Look, I know that you're probably right. I'm just really, really stubborn and with stuff like this, I need to figure it out on my own. As mentioned in a previous post, if my math grades aren't up to par by the time I take Real Analysis, then I would have figured out for myself that an econ PhD isn't right for me.

 

I appreciate the advice that you and all the other people who have commented on my posts have given me. I realize that I have probably been a waste of your time, and pretty annoying (right up there with publicaffairsny). I'll stop posting on here, figure things out for myself, and if and when the time is right, come back here with some new insight and ready, if that it is the decision I make, to apply to econ PhD programs.

 

I'm sorry for all the time that I've wasted of yours, and I'll shut up now.

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If you're so stubborn, why ask questions where you know that the answers that we will give are contrary to what you think and want? Your stubbornness will not only be hurtful for your preparation for whatever degree you end up doing, but also when you start doing research. You realize that when you work for these central banks/think tanks/NGO's you will also receive criticism, feedback and instructions?
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If you're so stubborn, why ask questions where you know that the answers that we will give are contrary to what you think and want? Your stubbornness will not only be hurtful for your preparation for whatever degree you end up doing, but also when you start doing research. You realize that when you work for these central banks/think tanks/NGO's you will also receive criticism, feedback and instructions?

 

In his defense, OP has heeded the advice given here to some extent. He dropped IR to major in economics and minor in mathematics and he has conceded that he will drop the economics plans and pursue an MPP or something similar if he continues to flounder in upper-level mathematics courses. He is strangely resistant to the consensus advice that he himself initially sought, but he is somewhat amenable to new ideas presented here when reinforced enough. Whether individual posters believe it is worth their time to continue to repeat the same advice ad nauseum so that a stranger might take heed and alter their undergraduate academic trajectory is up to them.

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