<p>Don’t know if this matters to you, but CWRU’s economics department is in the business division, and appears to have less of a math emphasis than that of MSU.</p>
<p>MSU requires a semester of calculus for its intermediate microeconomics and econometrics courses. The corresponding CWRU courses are not calculus-based, except that students have the option of a calculus-based or non-calculus-based intermediate microeconomics course.</p>
<p>If you intend to go on to PhD study in economics, MSU is probably better from a curriculum standpoint (there are other schools with significantly greater math emphasis in undergraduate economics, but they are also much more selective, like MIT, Chicago, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley), but pre-PhD preparation also needs substantial advanced math courses in any case.</p>
<p>If your goals are more pre-professional, you may want to check the career center of each school to see what employers recruit economics majors and economics majors’ post-graduation outcomes. It appears that (if you dig around enough) you can find a list of employers for graduating economics majors for each school, though stats like percentage employed, pay levels, etc. by major may not be available in the publicly shown documents (and such stats may not be directly comparable between schools, due to differences in survey and reporting methodology).</p>
<p>In the grand scheme of things 27K isn’t a great deal of money, especially if you follow an education and career plan that leads to an in-demand lifetime career. The issue is not one of “prestige” but rather of education quality and depth, summer and on-campus intern opportunities, and strong college relationships. Congratulations on your acceptance! </p>
<p>First of all, I don’t think for an instant that MSU econ courses are a “joke”. People do very well coming from MSU. It’s a fine school, a whole other story from going a the local commuting route and then piecing together a degree which is an alternative a lot of folks have to do to afford college. </p>
<p>Having said that, yes, it’s preferable to go to some schools over others. I know a couple of kids who wanted to go to MSU over their own state flagships, same as UMich , despite the size. They loved the spirit and atmosphere there. Some kids wouldn’t go to Case if you paid them as they prefer the big school, spirit, etc of the flagships. So, there is something to be said about other factors in play. For those presitge oriented, Case has more lustre, yes, but MSU more name recognition overall. Frankly, I don’t think you will lose much in name allure going to Mich State, but it is a whole other atmosphere than Case and I can see why anyone would prefer one of the other, either way. </p>
<p>It’s a decision that you have to make whether it is worth the loans and extra cost to go there. Simple as that. At least it’s possible for you to do so. You will be financially on edge going there, be aware, and owe money. But the Direct Loan limits are typical for many students and are within what is considered a reasonable amount to owe. Up to you to decide.</p>
<p>Some students are very influenced by their fellow students…if their fellow students are slackers, they will take it easy too. Other students will work hard even if they are surrounded by slackers. Which type are you?</p>
<p>MSU has its share of slackers, but if u are the second type or can get in one of the honors programs , u should.be ok.</p>
<p>@moooop I’m unfortunately more of a follower than a leader, and because of this I tend to work at a pace similar to those around me. If everyone else is studying, I’ll study. If everyone else is goofing off, I’m not going to focus either. </p>
<p>I was accepted to Beloit College with a 20,000/year scholarship yesterday. My family considers the final costs to be affordable. All that means is that I now have another school to pick from, which is really stressing me out. I know I have a lot of time, but I just want to make sure I make the right decision. I can’t imagine that Beloit is the best place for economics. I’d think that Case and MSU Honors were a little better. But I’ll do some research.</p>
The requirements for an economics major may have changed since I was there, but when I went to Beloit the economics major was very math-focused and rigorous. It required calc I, calc II, differential equations, and statistics. The whole goal of the econ major at Beloit was to prepare students for graduate school. Frankly, that emphasis on math (and the fact that I got a D in my calc I class) is what convinced me to major in political science and history rather than economics. But the econ majors I recall who had the math chops to stick it out were admitted to top-flight graduate schools and had some very good internship (one in particular I remember was internship opportunities with the Federal Reserve) opportunities. If you have not already done so, I would visit Beloit, sit in on an upper level economics class, and talk to an economics professor. Find out for yourself what the level of expectation and rigor associated being an economics major at Beloit.
My situation was similar to your situation. I chose Beloit over other liberal arts colleges and my state flagship university (Indiana University) largely because with the financial and merit aid, it had the lowest out-of-pocket cost of any school. I have never regretted making that decision. Good luck.
Indeed. Dunno why you can’t imagine that Beloit would be the strongest option for economics. Econ doesn’t exactly need multi-million dollar labs for in-depth learning.
Seriously, visit all three schools after you have all your merit offers in hand and try to make a choice based on where you’re most likely to get a quality (ergo rigorous) education for the best price–something a future econ major should revel in deciding.
Debt is a very serious thing to take on. It can absolutely be worth it, if it’s a reasonable amount, but don’t do it solely for “prestige,” especially when we’re talking about the difference between Case and Michigan State. Beloit is a great school, too, and if you’re affected by your peers as much as you say, it may be an ideal environment for you.
I graduated from a SLAC and am now a faculty member/grad program director at a Big 10 university. My son was just accepted at Beloit. In my opinion, there is no contest between Beloit and MSU–Beloit all the way! There are several critical differences, but most important, from my perspective, are the emphasis on writing and critical thinking, small class sizes, level of peers in terms of their interest in learning vs. going through the motions, quality of teaching, and campus culture (just how into football are you?). Fundamentally, research universities prioritize and support faculty research (not teaching, and certainly not undergraduates), while small liberal arts colleges are designed to support undergraduates and provide excellent teaching; the two types of institutions have completely different foci.
I was recently accepted to Wooster with a $96,000 scholarship (24k a year.) I visited the campus and liked but, but am still in love with everything Case Western. We met with the FA people at Case but were unable to wiggle any more money out of them. The estimated 17.1k mentioned in my first post is now solidified. Also, it turns out that I was in fact not offered a spot in the Honors College, but instead was asked to apply. I’m still really confused because they sent a letter welcoming me, so I just assumed that I was automatically placed in it. Now that I can go to Wooster for as much as it would cost to go to State, though, State’s out of the running anyway.
I still have yet to hear from Rochester, but I highly doubt it’ll be more affordable than Case. I’ll likely end up choosing the cheaper option between Rochester and Case if I don’t choose Wooster. It’s looking more like Rochester/Case at this point, though.
Thanks for all of the thoughtful responses, and I’ll keep everyone updated on my decision!
Congrats @minohi , you have some great choices. Wooster’s mentored research program is stellar, and well known to grad schools and many employers. Combine that with the personal attention that you get at a SLAC, and there is the opportunity for a really valuable undergraduate experience at a competitive price, with your merit award.
Case and Rochester are a little different. Both are sort of like somewhat larger LACs with even larger research universities attached. They are great experiences as well, but different than that of Wooster or Beloit.
You’ll have amazing opportunities no matter which school you end up choosing.
