Oxbridge Economics

[Economics4Life]

Hi you all people!

First of all, Merry Christmas!

Second, I am EU Undergrad currently doing a Bachelor in Economics. I want to do a Master, a PhD and then go on and work in Academia. Moreover, I am a huge fan of the UK so I definitely want to go there for the second part of my education.

I am interested in Macro, Monetary Economics and Economic History and I am basically a Keynesian (even if, you know, I take from Keynes the big staples, apart from that I've always been very flexible towards Smith, Friedman so on and so forth).

Considering that LSE is too expensive and funding is close to 0 (and that I like much more small cities than some 15-million people metropolis), I've narrowed down my choice to Oxbridge.
Now, for what I've learned so far, it seems like the majority of people here love Oxford much more than what they love Cambridge because of this "decline" in Cam Econ Dept.
1) Is this general trend applicable to the three areas I mentioned?
2) If you were to choose between the Ox MPhil and Cam Adv Dipl+MPhil in Econ Research, which one would you choose? Either case, try to put down the reasons for the choice as good as possible :encouragement:
3) I am good at Maths (I got the highest score available in my Maths course covering Functions & Limits, Derivatives & Integrals, Linear Algebra & Multivariable Calculus) even if I fancy it only when it's useful. How difficult is the Maths in these programs?
4) Which department is more on the Keynes side (considering I don't want to get taught for years that an Invisible Hand will solve all problems, if you know what I mean ;))
5) How hard is getting into these programs but, most of all, SUCCEED?

Thanks a bunch for your time and I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Bye!

[sidus87]

As an outside observer, I'd say that Cambridge is better than Oxford in Macro and Econometrics. Nevertheless, do you also want to do a Ph.D. in Oxbridge?
1) If that's not the case (i.e. you just want to get an Master's degree), I think that either place can give you a decent training and good references to get in good places. I must say that there are better places in Europe and the UK in terms of Ph.D. placement (aside from LSE): Bocconi, UCL, Pompeu Fabra to mention a few.
2) If that's the case, then I'd say that Cambs might suit better your interests.

3) I would like to warn you that in most cases, interests change. You may realise that: a) u like more micro, b) u don't like Business Cycles and like more Growth, etc. etc. Before the M.Sc. and even before the Ph.D. this does not matter so much. What you should look for is Master programs that give you rigorous training.

[MR14]

We could talk if you send me your profile via pm..

[publicaffairsny]

What is the real deal on admissions at these oxbridge mphil programs? What tier of american phd programs is it comparable to or is that not an apt comparison?

[Economics4Life]

We could talk if you send me your profile via pm..

Sorry, what is "pm"?

[fakeo]

What is the real deal on admissions at these oxbridge mphil programs? What tier of american phd programs is it comparable to or is that not an apt comparison?

That's an interesting question, I'd like to know the answer too. I guess it can be quite hard to get in, because in Europe you generally need a (research) masters before the PhD (even if you intend to do your PhD in the US). So this means that probably the best undergrads go to Oxbridge, and hence getting in should be quite hard.

@Economics4Life: a pm is a "private message".