Cornell MS in Applied Economics and Management or Duke MA in Economics?

[MrNero]

Dear all,

 

I just received my admission letters from Duke and Cornell. Situation is the following:

 

0) I am an international student from Bocconi University (Milan, Italy) and I graduated with honors in Economics and Management in the fall of 2013.

 

I have to decide which school is the best fit considering that my medium term objective is to attend a Ph.D in Economics in a School like Stanford or Berkeley and eventually live and work in either San Francisco or L.A.

 

1) Cornell offers a MSc in Appllied Economics and Management while Duke an MA in Economics

2) For the first year there is no funding opportunity for either school so I might end up paying full tuition

3) Cornell appears to be more research oriented (the require also a final thesis) while Duke is stronger in the private sector and has great job connections.

4) The program at Cornell has 15-20 students while Duke has nearly 60.

5) I have been to Cornell as part of my exchange program so I already have a certain familiarity with the school and professors as well as friends there.

6) I would love to experience a completely new as I am an open minded person and I thrive in a stimulating environment (who does not?)

7) I would like to be a good candidate for the private sector in case I am not admitted to my dream schools.

 

I would be happy if you guys wanted to share your thoughts and suggestions about that. Feel free to private message me.

Best,

 

Nero

[MrNero]

Does anybody have any suggestion? It would be very appreciated if you left a comment. Best,

 

Nero

[Icydubloon]

Cornell. It is more research focused which will help with PhD admissions, plus you have friends there. Also Cornell is a good school overall; you should be able to find a job afterwards if necessary.

[MrNero]

Thank you very much Icydubloon

[Tsareva]

Cornell. Duke does not guarantee admission to  top schools for PhD at all.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Tsareva

[MrNero]

I have just received an offer of funding from Duke, right after I rejected their admission. The director of the admissions said they really want me to go there and asked how much would I need to accept their offer. Do you think this would have an impact on the situation?

[kcyc]

Ask for Full tuition plus stipend?