Hi everyone! I find it very difficult to choose between UCLA and Minnesota (ECON PhD); I wonder if you have any suggestions!
Though Minnesota out-ranked UCLA in Macro, I am not sure about the situation in other fields (Metrics, IO, Trade, Micro Theory...). As people may change directions, I hope to get a more comprehensive overview.
On the other hand, UCLA has a great FINA department. If I focus on macro-finance and asset pricing, will I be able to co-author with some FINA professors in UCLA? (In this sense I guess UCLA is superior). Also, UCLA has a larger department.
So I am wondering if you would know something about the two departments, such as placement, research strength, performance in 5 years (any trend of declining or arising?), whether faculty members care about their students and etc.
I really appreciate your advice!
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some info about my research interest
Currently I like asset pricing/markets, macro-finance, growth, and some metrics (but I may change my minds...)
So UCLA has professors like Andrew Atkeson, Roger Farmer, and Pierre-Olivier Weill, and Ariel Burstein in international econ
Minnesota has professors like José Víctor Ríos Rull, Fatih Guvenen and etc...
Do you have more information/comments about the faulty in the two departments?