CMC vs Georgetown vs Rice for Econ

Hi all! I’m an international student looking to major in economics and considering a double major in statistics.

CMC, Georgetown, and Rice are my three top choices right now and I am completely torn between the three of them. Cost is similar for all three schools. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Claremont Mckenna
Pros:
Great economics department
Shared resources in the Claremont Consortium
Possibly a 3+2 econ/eng program at Harvey Mudd/Columbia
Great location (close to relatives)
Great food and facilities
Tight-knit community

Cons:
Almost unknown in my country
Dominant drinking culture?

Georgetown
Pros:
Great location
Opportunities for internships/jobs
More well-known
Great social sciences
Many clubs that I like

Cons:
More competitive environment?
Worse food and facilities
I’m not in McDonough

Rice
Pros:
Residential college system
Flexible curriculum
Strong in STEM
Great food and facilities
Tight-knit community

Cons:
Humid weather in Houston
Less known for Econ

I’ve noticed many international students are looking solely for name. In that regard, it’s likely Gtown but it’s also ranked least (I checked 3 rankings) for econ. In two CMC was higher and in one Rice was higher. Gtown was #3 in all.

Rice has the residential system - which sounds like you like. If you are interested in business, they are also establishing a major and have a minor.

CMC is close to your relatives - and coming into a new country - I’d think that’s a huge pull…in case you get home sick.

No bad choices here. Different sizes and environments.

Good luck.

These analyses will help you compare your choices’ economics departments within their general size categories:

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html

https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.usecondept.html

Thank you so much for your quick reply! That was really helpful.

Thanks, I’ll definitely look into them!

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How important is the con that CMC is “Almost unknown in my country”? If that really matters for your future job prospects, then I’d eliminate the school. However, if that con is more about prestige and bragging rights, then I think CMC would be/should be at the top of your list. It’s Economics Department has a tremendous reputation and the school has a terrific track record for getting students great internships and helping them find jobs – CMC pours resources into “real world” opportunities in a way that many other schools do not.

Plus, you can learn from on professors from Pomona and the other 5Cs as well.

I did notice that you listed “tight-knit community” as a pro for both Rice and CMC, so it’s obviously a factor that matters to you. I’m not sure you’ll find that at Georgetown, where the student culture seems a little more cutthroat.

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Congrats on three great choices!

It’s pretty rare for people who are considering a 3:2 program as a “maybe” to actually follow through with it. Even the majority of people who go in with that as their primary objective do not end up completing the transfer. However, you can take Mudd’s famous E1 Intro to Engineering Design class as a CMC student, regardless of your major… and if you complete that prerequisite, you can also take the rest of the Human-Centered Design sequence if that is of interest. Rice has similar classes, and great flexibility to access any coursework as long as you satisfy the rereqs; but the formal Engineering Design minor is open only to engineering majors. Gtown is obviously the worst of the three if you want to dabble in engineering.

Re: drinking culture, Rice has a “nerdier” reputation but it’s very much a “wet” campus with plenty of partying and alcohol available to those who want it. If you prefer to go to the other extreme, CMC does have a substance-free dorm. I don’t believe there’s a similar option within the residential college system at Rice.

I think a lot of this comes down to whether you’re likely to be looking for a job outside the US on the strength of just your undergrad degree from the school you choose. If you expect to go to grad school or do a 3:2 transfer, then it won’t matter much how well-known your first school is internationally. CMC has a stellar econ program, which even students from the other four Claremont Colleges can’t access. It would be a great stepping stone to top grad programs. It’s just smaller and less well known internationally, so you have to decide how much that will matter. If you go straight to grad school, then it really won’t.

Rice and CMC both have direct relationships with the London School of Economics for a full-year study abroad program (speaking of adding international reputation to your resume). Georgetown’s program with LSE appears to be inactive - perhaps just a pandemic pause, but it doesn’t look like as robust a relationship as the other two.

Rolling together everything you’ve said, I would rank your choices as 1) CMC 2) Rice 3) Georgetown, but it’s a close call and depends how you weight your priorities.

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Based on course offerings, CMC economics does have a more pre professional emphasis than economics at some other schools like the adjacent Pomona College, where the offerings suggest more of a liberal arts and pre-PhD emphasis. A pre-PhD economics major should take substantial advanced math and statistics beyond the basic economics major requirements.

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I would expect that there is strong major advising, and that pre-PhD students are steered toward the appropriate coursework. The availability of course offerings from across the whole consortium is a strength, while the more practical options (like the econ/accounting track) are available too.

Wow! Thank you all so much for your insights! Now I agree that CMC should be my first choice. I think I will fit best at CMC overall compared to the other two schools, and I came to love the Claremont Colleges more and more as I learn about the experience there. Since I am willing to go to grad school or first find jobs in the US before heading back home, I guess I shouldn’t be focusing too much on how well-known the school is internationally.

Yes, I talked to a current student in the 3+2 program. It definitely seems like a very heavy course load and students also end up not completing the program because they don’t want to leave CMC. But there seem to be many more opportunities if I also want to explore STEM. Thanks!

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