Economics Major

Applying to College
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Sorry if this topic has been raised a few times on the board, but I couldn't find any recent posts that were similar.</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior and I intend to double major in Economics and Healthcare (or Public Policy, haven't decided yet). I live in Wisconsin, and my grades, ACT/SAT scores, EC's, etc all give me a great chance of getting into University of Wisconsin-Madison. I've also considered University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, since out-of-state tuition is very cheap for prospective high school students in WI. Both schools have excellent economics programs; however, my question is, since Economics is a relatively small major, should I try to get into a "big name" school just for the name?</p>

<p>For example, Dartmouth has contacted me. Dartmouth isn't known for it's economics program at all, but in the field that I'm getting into, will a degree from a big name school like Dartmouth get me farther than a degree from great, but lesser known schools like UW-Madison/UM-Twin Cities? Or am I underestimating both of these schools reputations?</p>

<p>Thanks again, any help is appreciated!</p>

2

<p>You need to look into the undergrad rankings of the Econ departments of each of these schools. Employers won’t be wooed by your university if its ranked 15th in the country but 80th in Econ. </p>

<p>As far as I know, both UW-M and UM-Twin Cities have a higher ranked econ department than Dartmouth. </p>

<p>Also, if you’re considering going to a school “just for the name,” you really need to rethink how you’re going about picking a school!</p>

3

<p>What do you mean “economics is a relatively small major” and how did Dartmouth contact you?</p>

4

<p>I already did. If you read my post, you would see that I mentioned UM- Twin Cities/UW-Madison have higher ranked Economics programs than a school like Dartmouth. I asked around and received my answer. For post-grad admittance, consultant work, etc, the quality of the program is
more important. For fields like investment banking, overall prestige of school is
more important. I have no interest in i-banking, so Twin Cities/Madison are good enough for me.</p>

<p>Thanks anyways!</p>

5

<p>Oh, and relatively small compared to amount of people with MBA’s.</p>