<p>I have been accepted to both Carnegie Mellon and Chicago. After visiting both campuses in Pittsburgh and Chicago , I am still unsure which school to choose. I want to pursue a career in business, perhaps along the track of finance, marketing, management, etc... With that in mind, at CMU I would attend the Tepper School of Business, while at UChicago I would major in economics (which is highly rated among LACs).</p>
<p>My indecision comes from not knowing which school would give me an edge in finding jobs/internships (recruitment out of graduation). I know UChicago is well known for their economics major, but Tepper is an actual business school that allows you to specialize in certain tracks of business and might cover a wider array of business aspects.</p>
<p>I need to make my decision as soon as possible to move on and be happy with my choice. Anyone who reads this, please feel free to give me your insight/opinion--especially if you have first-hand experience with either school!</p>
<p>Though I don’t have first hand experience with either school, I think you might find it helpful to read about the school environments… they seem to me to be very different places, though they could certainly attract the same student. From my understanding, Chicago is extraordinarily intellectual and cerebral, while CMU tends to be more career/technically focused and expressively creative. UChicago aims to develop very strong holistic students, with their strong core requirements, while CMU is more interested in developing highly focused students, as evidenced by their seperate admissions tracks. One might seem like a better fit to you.</p>
<p>What kind of finance? If you’re interesting in S&T, go CMU. If IBD is your thing, neither is that great but CMU is abysmal. Email me if you need more specific questions, I’m in the business school.</p>
<p>Econ at Chicago will be a world away from business and finance anywhere. As an economist, I would advise an uncertain undergraduate like yourself to look more closely at a program like CMU Tepper where you could try out various interests before becoming completely brain washed with Econ theory, particularly at Chicago which treats econ like religion and burns heretics at the stake. You will be no good to anyone, least of all a business, with an undergraduate econ degree from Chicago. You will have survived a marathon of theory but you still may have no idea what to do with that stuff. If you are pretty sure you want to pursue an Econ graduate degree, make sure you go somewhere that gives you a good broad-based and FUN undergraduate experience because grad school in econ is really tough. I am interviewing lots of new PhDs right now and the best (and more interesting ones) are ones who studied something OTHER than econ as undergrads or at least minored in something else.</p>
<p>^ A fantastic parody of delusional, popularist anti-Chicago ideology. Your imitation of an ideological lunatic with no connection to Chicago, completely ignorant of its curriculum and the University in general, was truly superb.</p>
<p>Chicago is the more prestigious choice, and will likely net you the best salary. Many econ majors at Chicago go into finance and business immediately after graduation, and most are recipients of very high-paying jobs. (You do occasionally meet some Marxist, anti-Chicago nuts out there though, although they tend to stay away from business and respectable occupations in general.)</p>
<p>You are asking an economic decision question that no one can possibly give you a decisive answer, unless that person can attended both schools (undergrad) or interviews a bunch of graduates. Never mind any personal bias.</p>
<p>MCS at CMU has a major in computational finance that looks pretty appealing. It’s fairly rare for a school to offer a program like that for undergrads. I’m not are Chicago has that. Maybe that tips the scale?</p>
<p>You shouldn’t count on computational finance as a sure thing. You will have to apply to the major later on. Ten slots a year so it’s a fair chance that you won’t make it.</p>
<p>Well…I guess the delusional me is basing this on the tiny sample of the 2 PhDs from Chicago who work with me and the PhD graduates (about 20-25 from a variety of programs) that just went through our interviews…we generally interview one or more Chicago grads each year.</p>
<p>The 2 Chicago PhDs that work with me are top notch and creative people but they also were teaching assistants at Chicago so the both have told me that the sterotype of chicago has a lot of merit, at least at the undergrad level (where fun and free thinking go to die). One does have an undergrad kid at Chicago and has pushed him to keep a well balanced undergrad education…very pleased that he is trying to minor or double in philosopy. The other strongly supported kid turning down UC to study econ/finance at Tepper…graduated a few years ago and is working at non profit before returning to grad school. </p>
<p>All opinions on CC are based on small experiential evidence (and are therefore biased). Go where you will feel most motivated to succeed and that you and your family can afford. The cc opinions should point you to questions to ask, things to double check, etc.</p>
<p>Yes of course. CC is useful in giving people like me different points of view, intended to be taken as a grain of salt–not as a finalizing decision making tool.</p>