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Hello, I am quite torn between these two programs, both of which I feel are strong choices with a lot to offer. I figured I'd list out my pros and cons for each school, and see whether or not others had any insights! For context, I am mainly interested in political economics and public economics (although that can always change down the line). I am coming in without a ton of Math, so I would definitely be doing a bit of catching up during the first year (especially since I've been working for a few years since graduating undergrad). I would eventually like to work either in some government or public policy-oriented research position, and if I do go into academia I would see myself working at a small, liberal arts college with a strong emphasis on teaching. VANDERBILT Pros: - Small department, really take a personal interest in their students - Strong Law School/Political Science program (given my interest in political economics/law and economics) - Lots of female faculty members, which is really unique - Hamilton Scholar Award (extra 5000 dollars in addition to the standard stipend) - Nashville is a much more affordable city than Boston University Cons: - Far away from my friends, family and boyfriend (I'd have to fly home, which is less than ideal for me) - Few public transit options in Nashville (which I sorry about since I don't have a car) - Political economics professors do more theoretical work, while I'm interested in more applied/empirical work) - Smaller program means less course offerings, which could be an issue down the line BOSTON UNIVERSITY Pros: - Great location for me, close to friends and family members (also I just love Boston) - Seems as though the faculty and students are all pretty happy with BU and living in Boston, which is important to me - Strong job placement, particularly into positions that I see myself pursuing in the future - Political Economy masters option, which is something that I find very compelling - More course offerings that Vanderbilt (also proximity to Harvard, BC means potentially being able to audit/take courses there as well) Cons: - With a bigger program, I may get less personal attention - Much smaller stipend amount compared to Vanderbilt (especially relative to the cost of living) - Law School/Political Science Department is not as strong as Vanderbilt's - Not many professors who focus specifically in Political Economy (although others who do PE in addition to their main field) If anyone has any advice/insights about these two programs, that would be super helpful in the decision-making process. I am sure I would be happy and successful at either program, which makes the decision even more challenging. Thanks in advance!

I am currently considering about either go to BU or BC. I am interested in international economics and game theory. I notice that both programs are pretty good at game theory. They offer me the same amount of funding (BU offers 5k more for summer research.) I am interested in finding a job in the private sector after graduating from Ph.D program. I talked to professors and students from both programs, they are all pretty supportive and enthusiastic. I notice that there are a lot of commons between these two programs. Are there any suggestions or advice about these two programs? Thank you so much!

Hi internet, I'm a first-year Marketing Ph.D. student at BU, and we are recruiting new Ph.D. students this year. My department recommended that we share information about our program in places on the internet we used to check when applying, so... here we are :) I just went through the application madness last year, and I would be happy to share my experiences and answer the questions I can, both about BU and the general process. This is a general overview: www.bu.edu/questrom/files/2015/11/Questrom_Factsheets_Marketing_Final.pdf Best of luck to everyone!

Hi all, BU's website states that they only accept GRE scores less than 2 years old. I took my GRE at the end of November in 2011. Do you think they would accept these scores for a January 2015 application deadline (i.e. scores ~3 years old at time of application)? Does anyone have experience dealing with BU in this regard? This is the only program I'm applying to where this is an issue and my original scores were good so I'm not going to retake. Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone who is busy submitting applications!

Hi everyone, I have received four PhD offers so far and would like to hear your opinions about it. I got accepted to LSE MRes/PhD Track 1, Oxford MPhil, UBC and Boston University. In terms of reputation and ranking, i feel like LSE and Boston are the best options I have. I am considering UBC because I have family there and feel a sort of connection to Vancouver (I'm European). Are the other universities so much better than UBC that i shouldn't even be thinking about this? Here's some pros and cons that I've considered so far: -LSE is the best in Europe, has good placement, it's in London - BU is located close to top ranked universities (maybe able to follow classes or seminars there?), but it's in the 20-30 rank in the US if I'm correct - Oxford has a long long standing reputation but i consider it a bit old fashioned, plus the MPhil is actually separated from PhD, and the idea of starting another 2 year Master's kind of annoys me - UBC is one of the best ranked in Canada, not bad positioned internationally but dominated by BU and LSE probably. Lots of macro professors, which is the field that I'm interested in. Concerning funding, I'm fully covered by an external scholarship for the first 2 years and all of the unis have offered me funding for the following years - except oxford that still has to let me know. I know that the choice is probably between LSE and BU, but still cannot figure out if it's preferable to be in a top European university or in a lower ranked US. Plus moving to the US would be a big change in my life (family and boyfriend are in Europe), so it would have to be worth it. In terms of perspective, I think I would like to start an academic career but I may as well change my mind in the future. Any advice is more than welcome!

Hey! I've recently got my acceptance from LSE for Msc Economics and from BU for MA in Global Development Economics. I am really confused between these two. I know LSE is far superior to BU in terms of rankings but I found the course structure at LSE a bit rigid. On the other hand the course structure for GDE is pretty amazing. More options. What would be a better choice? Is BU really that brilliant for Dev Econ? Also the tuition fee at BU exceeds that at LSE:/ If you guys could give me so insight it will be of great help.

Who else will be attending BU this fall?

Hi guys, I really need some help to chose between PSE and BU Master's programs. I graduated from very top ranked engineering school in France in Mechanics. After personal readings and a one-year research experience (in mechanics) I realized I wanted to go for a PhD in Economics and work in the academic field in economics. I applied to PhDs in the US and got admitted in Boston University PhD program. But I felt I could get higher ranked PhD schools so I asked to transfer from Phd to BU MA. in Economics (which I've been authorized). BU MA is a one year program. Meanwhile I have been admitted to Paris School of Economics APE two-year Master Program. My goal is to get to top 10 US Phd schools. So I have basically two options: - attend APE Master to get decent LORs and good economic background (and mathematic background) - attend BU one-year MA and then spending one year as a RA with a professor in BU or ideally MIT or Harvard (I ok to do it whithout being paid) I just don't know if: it is commun in the US to do research with a professor whithout being enrolled anymore in an academic program of the university and if out of these two options, one would be more strategic. Besides, BU is expensive (40 000$ though I have 20 000 dollars Fulbright scholarship) and PSE is almost free. If anybody can help me I would be very thankful, I have only few days to make my decision! Thank you very much!!

Ok, so I submitted my application to BU and I have NO IDEA how to check the status of my application, if my GRE or TOEFL scores have already arrived or not. Does anyone know how??? i will be reaaaally thankful =D