<p>How does Wellesley rank in terms of its econ program compared to other good business/econ programs like UMich Ross, Darthmouth, Duke, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, UChicago, NYU Stern?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you’re a prospective student, possibly just starting out on your college search? </p>
<p>First off, Wellesley has a very strong economics program, but it is a purely economics program, NOT a business program. If you want to come out of college with a degree in business administration (or something similar), I would go to UMich Ross, Cornell Johnson, or NYU Stern (and Berkeley Haas and a few others of course).</p>
<p>Comparing the economics program across these universities is more difficult though. All of these schools have strong economics program that will give you a good base for graduate school, and jobs in finance, marketing and other industries. Most of these schools all have more or less emphasis on the qualitative side of things (except perhaps UChi might be slightly more quantitatively focused). </p>
<p>Sorry, I think that’s all I can think of right now. It’s a pretty vague post, but I hope it gives you a broad sense of things.</p>
<p>Btw, up until this spring, Wellesley economics department has Professor Chip Case, of the Case-Schiller index! Chip is retiring this year, but he’s awesome 
AND Greg Mankiw lives in the town of Wellesley, which I always thought was an added bonus to the general environment of Wellesley, though that may just be the nerdy econ side of me coming out…</p>
<p>I think the economics department is excellent and it must be pretty well-regarded because I think that students get good results when they graduate in terms of jobs and further schooling. It is a very popular department at Wellesley, so classes will be a little bigger and it isn’t quite as easy to get personal attention as in a smaller department, but this is by Wellesley standards–all of my econ professors have held ample hours and have been cordial and free with their advice and help outside of class. </p>
<p>As welles10 says, some of the other schools you listed are business schools, which is another animal from economics. In my experience, people interested in studying undergraduate economics are quite distinct from people interested in studying undergraduate business, even if the former plans to go into business/finance as a career and eventually get an MBA. Not that there isn’t any crossover, but they are different things and generally cover people with different academic wants.</p>
<p>On that note, a lot of people at Wellesley do intend to study business later on in life. The choice to study business vs. economics was one of the considerations I grappled with when deciding on where to go. A lot of people told me that if I studied business in college, it would pigeonhole me to only doing that for the rest of my life. I’m not sure if that is entirely true, though I can see where that thought comes from (eg. the job search of a Wharton quant). You have to love it, or it might not entirely work out for you in the long run.</p>
<p>My economics degree and the broad areas of courses I’ve studied at Wellesley give me more leverage in the job market, to an extent. I can apply to a variety of various positions: in business/economics/finance, biology/medicine, computer science/physics, marketing, etc. Especially in this economy, flexibility like that is important. If you choose to become a Wharton quant (just an example, I love the Whartonites I know!), you generally apply to only finance positions, and in this market, that’s a more difficult area in which to find a job.</p>
<p>Yup, I’m a prospective student just starting my college search.</p>
<p>I do intend to do business/finance. However, I’m still deciding between a business program or an econ program.</p>
<p>I would agree with welles10 that a broad preparation in many areas will serve you much better in the long run…both in your personal development and in your career. Specialize in a business program in Grad school (MBA)…maybe even take a year or so off before doing so.</p>