<p>Both schools offer undergrad programs in economics though I'm having difficulty researching the difference. I'm applying from Union College right outside of Albany next year to NYU with a solid application, except my SAT's are a bit of a sore point for me. I've been told NYU Cas is a match, but Stern would possibly be a reach. I'm very interested in majoring in economics and international relations.</p>
<p>Stern students can take CAS classes on a whim but this doesn't go both ways. Meaning if I did Stern economics I could do CAS IR, but if I'm just a CAS student I have to take CAS economics.</p>
<p>It seems a bit absurd to me that there are two seperate economics departments at one University. It seems like Stern being a business school is more applied business economics while CAS will be more aimed towards those more interested in theory and policy analysis. Am I about right in my interpretation? Given my circumstances should I aim for the safer option, cut my losses and transfer to CAS economics?</p>
<p>Will CAS students be significantly overshadowed by Stern students espically for economics majors when it comes to competing for internships and post graduate job oppertunities? I'm assuming the answer will be yes but I'm more curious as to the the severity.</p>
<p>I know I'll likely be going for an MBA or a masters of some sort during my life and I know real world work expierence weighs in heavily on the programs you get accepted to so it has been somewhat concerned.</p>
<p>Go with CAS Econ. The econ department is jointly run by both Stern and CAS. CAS kids can take Stern classes on a whim. Well up to 16 credits anyway. And CAS kids can do everything Sternies can do except for declare a major within Stern.</p>
<p>They are not "jointly" administered. Although CAS econ kids are allowed to take classes taught by Stern professors, such classes are usually specified as "Non-Stern student Only".</p>
<p>If you really want to study economics, I would definitely recommend CAS. At the undergraduate level, many of the econ classes are actually cross registered and taught by CAS professors, but as a CAS student you will have much more flexibility. Stern has a very large number of core business requirements that will take up a lot of your time and make it very difficult to double major or minor in a CAS subject such as international relations. CAS will have many fewer requirements and therefore provide more time to take electives or study another subject. If you are sure that business is for you, then Stern is a good option, but if you are unsure or if you want to explore other areas I would definitely recommend CAS.</p>
<p>In order to give you a little more perspective, I would like to tell you a little about my experience studying economics at NYU.</p>
<p>I started out at Stern as an econ major and despite doing extremely well in Stern classes I decided to transfer into CAS. At Stern, I was very frustrated by advisors who continually discouraged me from taking CAS courses even though I wanted to minor in history. In the end, I was very happy with my decision. At CAS, I managed to take more advanced economics electives, complete two minors (History and Urban Design) and find time to spend a semester in Florence. Overall, I found my CAS classes to be much more intellectually stimulating and challenging than those I took at Stern.</p>
<p>I understand your concerns about job prospects after graduation. I had similar concerns at the time that I transferred. However graduation, I have been working in the business world for a few years and I feel that my liberal arts background has never been viewed as anything but an asset.</p>
<p>"It seems a bit absurd to me that there are two seperate economics departments at one University."</p>
<p>Huh? Where did you hear this? At the undergrad level there is only one econ department (it's in CAS, and students from both CAS and Stern take classes there). For grad school, it's obvioulsy a different story, but undergrads from both schools take the same economics classes taught by the same profs.</p>
<p>Yup that's right, which means the education in economics is the same regardless of if you are at Stern or CAS. So you should really focus on what other interests you have. Do you want to use your electives for business classes or liberal arts classes? That is really the deciding factor.</p>
<p>But how about the competition for internships, etc.? Do CAS find it really different compared to Stren students?</p>
<p>And how about the overall reputation or prestige of the two economics courses?</p>
<p>I still stay it has to depend on your interests.</p>
<p>If you are sure that business is for you, then it is possible that you will have an easier time finding internships / jobs as a stern student, partly because Stern has a strong reputation in the business world (especially if you want to do finance in NYC). If you are thinking MBA, then Stern might help, but keep in mind job experience will be far more important than which school you went to for undergrad.</p>
<p>If you are not sure about a career path, then the situation changes. Outside of the business world, Stern's reputation isn't really going to mean much and most people will just consider it the same as the rest of NYU. So then it comes down to what other options you want. For example, graduate work in economics would require lots of Math courses and perhaps the Theory rather than the Policy track in CAS economics. For other fields such as International Relations, it is important to get some exposure to foreign languages which might also mean CAS since Stern students don't usually have time for languages.</p>
<p>One more thing to keep it mind, it is going to depend on how hard you work and how well you do. If you have a very strong GPA that is going to be more important that whether you were at Stern or CAS. I managed to get offered a job that many Stern students applied to - at least in my case, a high GPA in CAS and well rounded experience outweighed the Stern name.</p>