<p>I just want to make a correction to my prior posts. After looking back at the Philosophical Gourmet rankings (link in post #4) the best that I can tell is that these are graduate rankings not post graduate.</p>
<p>Of course a CMC fanboy will argue for CMC > Pomona, but that doesn’t make their department better. The two departments are different. CMC’s courses focuses more on businesses oriented courses while Pomona’s courses have a lot more theory and traditional economics. In addition, since most Pomona students completed calculus in high school, Pomona faculty can use calculus starting with Macro. A professor I had who taught previously at Johns Hopkins said that at Johns Hopkins he could not use calculus in his courses because (surprisingly to me), not many of the students had completed calc I in high school. As for CMC, I do not know their integration of mathematics in beginning courses.</p>
<p>Chicago end of story.</p>
<p>Too bad you specifically said you DIDn’t want a religious school. Georgetown would have been perfect. It’s not nearly as conservative as other Catholic universities (ND), but it’s there.</p>
<p>Okay guys, I am compelled to jump into my mom role. CMC and Pamona are both great schools, clearly with some history of rivalry, albeit as I understand a friendly one. The schools have a very different feel and many of the students at one had no desire to go to the other. Anon, if you are reporting about CMC econ classes I hope that this is based on your actual experience and not on rumor or expectation. I really don’t know the difference in the classes. I also have no stats on who entered CMC with calc, except I do know that all of the kids that I have met that I have had conversations with that would have alluded to it have come in with Calc in HS. and I would expect that this is true for most CMC students but that is purely a guess. In general it would be great to just stick to the facts. “Better” is a subjective judgement so there is no point in arguing which is better. Its great to have information about schools but please provide what you know is true. And Anon, maybe you have done that, it just was cloaked in what sounded to me like condescending jargon so I couldn’t tell for sure if you were stating facts. I suspect it was your retalliation for the “better” statement. As a CMC mom I’ve heard great things about econ there. OP, I suspect you have heard enough about CMC and Pamona at this point. As I said they are both great schools and the consortium provides a great experience. Clearly their are lots of great options for you out there, your stats are amazing!</p>
<p>Both CMC and Pomona have outstanding econ programs. The one differentiating factor in my opinion, is that CMC as a school will have a greater focus on economics/social sciences whereas Pomona will be more focused on the humanities. In the end, you can’t go wrong with either as they are both great. Go to the one you feel most comfortable with and the better fit as they both have different environments. </p>
<p>More specifically about CMC: The introductory econ course (ECON50) uses very little if any calculus, whereas, the intermediate theory courses (101 and 102) do (intermediate micro especially). Intermediate Macro depends on which professor teaches it. Some professors are more conceptual while others are more mathematical. </p>
<p>The elective econ courses may or may not use a lot of math dependent on the topic. There are enough courses available for those who want more quantitative classes, while there are others available for those who are not as comfortable with math. However, I believe all upper level classes will use at least some calculus. </p>
<p>For those interested in taking some PhD level econ courses as an undergrad, both schools will allow you to cross-register at CGU (I plan on taking Micro I and Mathematics for Economists at CGU next semester). </p>
<p>Additionally, Pomona students can take econ classes at CMC, and vice-versa. Again, accentuating the need to go to the better fit.</p>
<p>Hope that helped! As a CMC student, I will be glad to answer any more questions.</p>