U Chicago MACSS vs Oxford Mphil Economics

[Raex]

So...it's been a couple of months but I'm still unable to choose between

     MA in Computational Social Sciences (MACSS) at U Chicago
     MPhil in Economics at Oxford

and I'd really appreciate if someone could help me a bit...

 

With partial tuition waiver at U Chicago and no funding from Oxford, the cost of attending is roughly the same so that's not a factor.

In terms of curriculum, I like MACSS better because I have double degree in IT and economics, so I believe that I have a unique edge in a computational social sciences program coz I can program and do math and at the same time know economics. Its structure is also quite flexible so I can explore other social sciences. But since this is a new program, no one can say for sure what the outcome will be yet.... Meanwhile the MPhil Econ at Oxford looks like a really traditional economics program and I wouldn't say I'm too excited about it, but it's less risky, I suppose? 

The problem is that I'm still not sure whether I'll go for a PHD or go back to work afterwards. I'm confident that I should be able to earn a decent salary anywhere, but I can't quite think of a job that I want to make a career out of. I'm relatively positive that I'll like teaching, but that requires a phd and I'm not looking forward to being poor and stressed in my early 30s by doing a phd.......so while I think Oxford will be better for landing a job and U Chicago will help me prepare for phd better, I still cant' decide which one to go because I'm not sure which path (academic or professional) I prefer. 

In terms of country, I'd say I'm slightly inclined to go to the US at the moment since there seem to be more opportunities in general and I personally want to experience the country, plus I have a few relatives and friends there. I would love to experience the UK as well but I think if I'm to choose a country to end up with eventually, US is probably a better fit, culturally. But then again, that's just from my impression of the two countries.... 

 

To sum it up, I like the program at U Chicago more but Oxford is kind of too famous to let go (all my family members just love the name....), and since I don't have a very strong preference for country or work/phd afterwards, those factors also can't quite help me decide. 

I know that ultimately this is about personal preference so I'll have to make the tough decision on my own, but I think some more information would be really helpful(since I've been to neither US nor UK), like:

What do you think of the two universities/programs or what are your experiences with them? (like, is all the fun really going to die at U Chicago? :p)
What's the life like at those two cities/universities? 
How feasible it is to graduate from Oxford and then work in the US?
How helpful is a degree from U Chicago in terms of finding a job in the US?
My personal impression is that U Chicago is as prestigious as, if not more than, Oxford, in the field of social sciences. Am I right about that?  
I'm just not quite sure how things are going in the two countries. Are people friendly to foreigners? Are graduates and companies feeling optimistic about the future? 

 

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who has any opinion or information to share!

Edited May 17, 2017 by Raex

[Phillis]

Facing exactly the same choices now, really interested in hearing advice or opinions about on this.