<p>Hi, </p>
<p>I mostly like want to do an econ major and then do grad study, maybe a Ph.D in Econ or Finance. Which program from Columbia / Berkeley / Pomona would provide me a best opportunity to get there? </p>
<p>It's all phenomenal schools I have to say, thus it's difficult to pick one...</p>
<p>Columbia for sure. Your intended path is to study economics, a social science, and pursue opportunities in academia. Going to an ivy looks very good in academia, and Columbia definitely has the edge in economics and overall rank among these schools.</p>
<p>This thread really does not even belong on the business major forum.</p>
<p>If you plan to be in academics after getting a PhD, Pomona offers a good and well round liberal arts education, with a strong econ department. Pomona students place very well in all graduate programs.</p>
<p>Berkeley, Pomona, Columbia are all excellent schools, it depends on what type of collegiate experience and environment you want.</p>
<p>I may not make it clear in the first post. Academia is definitely one choice, but I’m also interested in pursuing positions in industry like Fed / Thinktank or Wall st… Probably unlike most business students, I’m more to research-type positions, and thus want to consider to do a PhD…</p>
<p>Columbia is in NY and close to Wall St. Guess it’s a big advantage for a business/economics major? Berkeley is awesome school and highly ranked in all fields. Honestly, I applied for Pomona just because I heard it’s a great school, but not really familiar with this type of schools and its pro / con. A bit frustrating thing is many friends and their parents never heard of it. Wouldn’t that seriouslly limit my chances in future careers if its reputation is limited in a small circle??</p>
<p>If you are so name conscious then go for Columbia.</p>
<p>My personal choice would come down to Pomona and Columbia. Yes Columbia might have the upper hand because of location and close proximity to internship experience, etc on wall street or nyc.
However the people in the know about Pomona, are not “average joe’s”. Employers who specifically would come to recruit CMC/Pomona Econ grads are probably comparable to any top business/econ program accross the country. </p>
<p>The problem I see with Berkeley, is that you’ll be competing with resources among the hundreds or maybe even thousands of students majoring in econ or business econ. When you’re competing against that many peers, there won’t be space at top companies to accomodate all those students. Usually only the top, or those that can stand out from the rest will have a chance.
The same things can be said about Columbia or Pomona, but the difference I think is the less competition in numbers that you’ll have to deal with.
This comes from Pomona’s website</p>
<p>[Pomona</a> College : Career Development Office : Employers](<a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/cdo/employers/aboutpomona.shtml]Pomona”>http://www.pomona.edu/cdo/employers/aboutpomona.shtml)
Who Recruits Pomona Students?
These organizations are among the hundreds who recruit Pomona students:</p>
<pre><code>* ABC / Buena Vista / Disney
<p>Berkeley. Berkeley’s econ is the best amongst the 3 choices.</p>