tom_belgium

Hey. Just out of curiosity, did you apply to any other programs? I would say UCLA has more brand recognition outside of the U.S. if that matters to you. As far as I could tell, their placement is pretty good too. LA is probably also a better place in terms of recruiting, though it seems to me their primary focus isn't PhD prep.

Don't really know much about the USC program to be fair. That's actually what concerned me too (program in Chicago in my case is only 9 months versus a year and a half in Columbia). I've heard from someone in the MA Econ program at Columbia, however, that QMSS students typically do really well.

Hey I'm in a similar situation. Applied to MAPSS Econ and MA Econ at Chicago and Columbia respectively. Also got admitted to both, also with a 50% funding offer in Chicago. At least from what I can tell, Chicago is more academic. So if you plan on going for a PhD, I would say Chicago is the way to go (especially considering you got funding there). If not though, I think you could justify the extra cost of Columbia because, like you said, you'd be situated in one of the most attractive places for recruitment. From what I have seen, however, MACSS also has good job placement. The good news is that there's really no wrong option here and you'd likely do very well in either program. Maybe you should just let it come down to which one of these cities is more attractive to you overall. If you'd rather live in New York and Columbia is your dream school, go for it.

Thanks for your response. I asked Columbia for the march deadline to be pushed back a couple weeks. So I have about 2 more weeks to make up my mind. I'll shoot you a message.

Hi all, I know this topic has been brought up before, but I haven't been able to find anyone's perspective on MAPSS that was in the Economics concentration. I recently got admitted (50% funding) and am considering going. My main concern is that the program is very short and that it won't allow me much time to build relationships and find work afterwards. I have also read many reviews saying the overall experience as a MAPSS student is quite dreadful. Not sure if this also holds true for econ students? I am an international student, so my main objective is to use this degree as a gateway to either a job or a PhD in the US. (I also got admitted to the MA Econ program at Columbia)

Hi all, I'm an international student finishing up my undergrad in Mexico. I applied and got admitted to the MA Econ at Columbia as well as MAPSS Econ at UChicago. Kind of wondering which one is the way to go. I'm fairly interested in pursuing a PhD at some point, but don't want to commit to that right away. Feeling like the Columbia program (which is longer) might be more useful to find a job more easily (both programs are STEM certified). Anyone who has experience with any of these programs?