MA Econ, UofT vs. McMaster?

[hovason]

So I've gotten good offers for MA in economics from UofT (15K), Queen's (14k), McMaster (24k) and I'm expecting UBC soon.

UofT is my first choice, mainly because of international reputation, however Im seriously considering McMaster. Funding aside, the program is very small and when I visited, seemed very encouraging . I am applying to both ph.d programs and law schools next fall (still undecided). For ph.d i want to place somewhere in the top 4 Canadian schools so I have to be near the top of my MA cohort regardless of where I go . My question/concern is, will attending McMaster (considered a tier 2 program in Canada) provide me with the same opportunity as UofT's MA program when it comes to placement at the top 4 ph.d programs, particularly at UofT and UBC? I've gotten conflicting views from professors and grad students  :/ 

[Forrest Yao]

Hello！ I also got offers from U of T, UBC, Queen's and UW, my first choice is also U of T, Feel free to contact me! I would like to meet new friends!

[sonsofeasterly]

On 21/03/2017 at 10:32 AM, hovason said:

So I've gotten good offers for MA in economics from UofT (15K), Queen's (14k), McMaster (24k) and I'm expecting UBC soon.

UofT is my first choice, mainly because of international reputation, however Im seriously considering McMaster. Funding aside, the program is very small and when I visited, seemed very encouraging . I am applying to both ph.d programs and law schools next fall (still undecided). For ph.d i want to place somewhere in the top 4 Canadian schools so I have to be near the top of my MA cohort regardless of where I go . My question/concern is, will attending McMaster (considered a tier 2 program in Canada) provide me with the same opportunity as UofT's MA program when it comes to placement at the top 4 ph.d programs, particularly at UofT and UBC? I've gotten conflicting views from professors and grad students  :/ 

Same boat, different program. 

Ultimately, I'm not going with UT because the prospect of more debt during a MA kills me a bit. If you're thinking about law, obviously they're not going to care about where you did your MA, or even if you have one. For a PhD, it probably matters less than you think it does, especially if you're staying in Canada. 

An upside of being in Hamilton, you can still keep an eye on what's going on at UT and make it in for some lectures, etc. that interest you and meet with some faculty. Ultimately, I think for a MA in Canada, if you want to stay in Canada, it had a lot to do with finding a good mentor and getting face time with profs. Might be a little different if you're intent on going to the US for a PhD after, but even then I think the prestige factor is balanced out a strong GRE, quality LORs, etc. 

I'm still struggling with this, but I've come across the CVs of more than a few profs with MAs from schools I've never heard of, and PhDs from top programs in Canada and the US who are now tenured profs at places like UT.