GradSchoolForever?

Hi @manvikag - congrats on admission to two great programs. I did IDE a few years ago and a good friend of mine went to Columbia. I do not know much about you (and hence I am not 100% sure what is best for you and hence I did not vote) so I just want to say something about what I do know. I was surprised to see that you thought IDE is less mathematical. I think this is because you just looked at the title of the courses and not at the actual syllabus. For example – the course “Development Econometrics” does not sound very mathematical but you do a lot actually. It is the second half of Metrics and is quite focused on panel data. You do standard things such as Random and Fixed effects but also more advanced things such as estimators similar to Arellano-Bond. It is really a course that gets faster and faster during the year. What is nice about it (at least for me and I am not sure if this is something you like) is that you always have some reference back to applied devo work (which is I guess where the name comes from?!?!) and that you get to write a paper using all the maths you learn. In other words - yes you do learn about all the conditions and show when things are consistent and when not but you also use them. The second bit I think is just more unique than the first!? But my friend and I, when comparing notes, always thought IDE was the more mathematical course actually. Also - many of my friends took courses in the Stats and Maths department (e.g. real analysis) as their option course and that can be *VERY* mathematical. Regarding jobs – I have had people in my year go to econ consulting, the World Bank, UN agencies and other. I do not know about Columbia tbh. Hope that helps