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YoungEconomist · 07-10-2008, 08:51 PM

I was planning on applying to Rice, but I'm not completely sure how solid they are at my areas of interest (IO and Metrics). I thought they were pretty solid at Metrics, but recently lost a couple big people to TAMU. Any information on the strength of the program from fellow TMers would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I'm torn between applying to Rice and UNC. Thus, any advice on which school would be a better fit for me (and why) would also be greatly appreciated.

unitroot · 07-10-2008, 09:25 PM

Rice has 2-3 people working in or close to each of the fields you're interested in, including senior faculty, which makes it a competent program. At the same time, I know it's a flawed measure and all but according to econphd.net, it seems like neither Rice nor UNC are particularly strong in I/O. It seems to make sense to consider the University of Virginia, OSU, Penn State, University of Arizona, or maybe some others before Rice or UNC.

YoungEconomist · 07-11-2008, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unitroot

It seems to make sense to consider the University of Virginia, OSU, Penn State, University of Arizona, or maybe some others before Rice or UNC.

I actually plan on applying to 3 out of those 4 schools you mentioned. Basically, Rice or UNC will be more of a safety.

unitroot · 07-11-2008, 02:06 AM

UNC is a fairly large department of economics compared to Rice University in terms of both class and faculty size. Therefore, other things being equal, I think UNC should be a better pick from the two. It's a much safer place if your interests start changing down the road. In addition, UNC has a PhD-granting business school, unlike Rice, which potentially could benefit students with interests in I/O. Econometrics at UNC is also better than at Rice, and they're hiring more econometricians. UNC is known for offering a very unique field in financial econometrics, but they also have a fair number of people who work in microeconometrics, applied and theoretical. Some people mentioned on this board that UNC was on a decline during the last few years, but I think they're working on fixing that. I think UNC is bringing something like 4-5 new professors, including at least two new assistant professors who work in econometrics and some senior faculty members as well. The faculty roster at Rice lists only two professors who work in I/O. Again, UNC has an upper hand here. So, overall, UNC is a much better place than Rice, IMHO. There is no question. The only issue is whether UNC is "safe" enough for you.

07-10-2008, 08:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
YoungEconomist TestMagic Guru Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,277	How Good Is Rice Currently (at IO and Metrics)? I was planning on applying to Rice, but I'm not completely sure how solid they are at my areas of interest (IO and Metrics). I thought they were pretty solid at Metrics, but recently lost a couple big people to TAMU. Any information on the strength of the program from fellow TMers would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I'm torn between applying to Rice and UNC. Thus, any advice on which school would be a better fit for me (and why) would also be greatly appreciated.

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07-10-2008, 09:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
unitroot Eager! Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 98	Rice has 2-3 people working in or close to each of the fields you're interested in, including senior faculty, which makes it a competent program. At the same time, I know it's a flawed measure and all but according to econphd.net, it seems like neither Rice nor UNC are particularly strong in I/O. It seems to make sense to consider the University of Virginia, OSU, Penn State, University of Arizona, or maybe some others before Rice or UNC.

07-11-2008, 02:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
unitroot Eager! Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 98	UNC is a fairly large department of economics compared to Rice University in terms of both class and faculty size. Therefore, other things being equal, I think UNC should be a better pick from the two. It's a much safer place if your interests start changing down the road. In addition, UNC has a PhD-granting business school, unlike Rice, which potentially could benefit students with interests in I/O. Econometrics at UNC is also better than at Rice, and they're hiring more econometricians. UNC is known for offering a very unique field in financial econometrics, but they also have a fair number of people who work in microeconometrics, applied and theoretical. Some people mentioned on this board that UNC was on a decline during the last few years, but I think they're working on fixing that. I think UNC is bringing something like 4-5 new professors, including at least two new assistant professors who work in econometrics and some senior faculty members as well. The faculty roster at Rice lists only two professors who work in I/O. Again, UNC has an upper hand here. So, overall, UNC is a much better place than Rice, IMHO. There is no question. The only issue is whether UNC is "safe" enough for you.

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