<p>I'm interested in taking an economics program in LACs but i can't find any ranking of the econs department in LACs online. So i am really clueless about which LACs i should apply to. I wonder if anyone could tell me which LACs have better econs program, and preferably with good international studies/relations and social science programs as well? Actually i've already shortlisted some LACs that i may apply to.</p>
<p>Middlebury
Bowdoin
Carleton
Davidson
Vassar
Smith
Oberlin
Bates
Macalester
Mount Holyoke
Colorado
Kenyon</p>
<p>I know my list is long but i really have no clues which are better. I'm an international student. Please tell me which LACs admit more international students and are more generous in giving out FA if you know. </p>
<p>Depending on your stats, definitely Williams and you might also add Swarthmore which also has excellent IR. (Both a VERY competitive, that's why I mentioned stats.)</p>
<p>"better econs program, and preferably with good international studies/relations" = CLAREMONT MCKENNA.</p>
<p>I have no idea why its not on your list. By the way you should really look into some of the top LAC's programs, because not all are created equal. Some schools offer a more theory based approach to econ, which usually produces people with PhDs in Econ, and some are more practical which leads people to work in business/government. Ie the difference between Pomona College vs Claremont McKenna.</p>
<p>i did not include the top LACs because i think they are too hard to get in. I don't really like Claremont McKenna initially. But i'll consider again since it has strong IR</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me which LACs offer a more practical approach for their econ program? I don't really like theory based stuff. Thanks!</p>
<p>For International Relations, Mount Holyoke definitely has one of the best of all LACs. A lot of students in it double-major or minor in Economics. We're also very well known for our international student body and are ranked (I believe) 3rd among all colleges for the percentage of our student body that's from abroad. About 15% of our student body is international, and this year we had the largest percentage of international students in any incoming class we've had. Also, about a 1/3 of our students are women of color, so that's another selling point.</p>
<p>Not to make your list any longer, but have you considered Trinity? When you're talking about LACs and Economics, it's generally one of the first that comes up, though I'm not sure how they are with international students.</p>
<p>i'm actually struggling whether to apply to a women college or not and cannot make up my mind. but i know MHC is definitely one that admits more international students and more generous with FA. i did read about Trinity and didn't really like it so i guess i won't be applying there</p>
<p>Imcrystalising, your question has shown up many, many times in the past. I would highly suggest to spend a couple of hours using the search function of CC or the Google search applied to this site. </p>
<p>Regarding rankings of LAC departments in Economics or International Relations ... they DO exist but are incredibly poorly designed. For instance, a couple of rankings that are often posted here are very misleading and this despite the name of the entity that "ordered" the ranking. One horrendous ranking was published in the March/April 2007 Issue of Foreign Policy Magazine. The best you can do is ignoring it entirely. The same can be said for the ramking presented a few years ago by Howard Bodenhorn from Lafayette College.</p>
<p>In general terms, ALL the best ranked LAC will offer good to very good programs. However, very important considerations are the RESOURCES given to the students and the faculty. No matter how we look at it, a program that comprises 3 to 6 faculty members cannot be considered to be competitive with the best programs. Unfortunately, at many LACs, the programs in Econ/IR are glorified afterthoughts and offered because the programs are very popular among students. </p>
<p>Accordingly, after reading older posts here, I think it is imperative to check the size and recognition of the faculty at every LAC you're interested in. </p>
<p>At the end, it's pretty easy to segregate the good from the very good, and it's impossible to miss the truly excellent programs that CLEARLY supported by the college administration. Fwiw, the excellent programs will easily cover the practical side of economics.</p>
<p>PS Regarding the financial aid, also note that yesterday's news might no longer be current. Many schools that were know for aggressive financial aid policies for international students might have become less competitive as other have eliminated loans altogether. Schools that used the FA as marketing tools but used large amounts of loans have become more exposed.</p>
<p>Wesleyan has 15 tenure-track faculty positions in its Economics Dept of whom ~10 are normally actively teaching in any given year: Wesleyan</a> University</p>
<p>oh ok. so i guess it's the same for every college? my senior told me personally that it is almost impossible to get FA from Wesleyan (he's in Wesleyan now)</p>
<p>i'm still considering whether to apply for ED or not. maybe ED II i guess</p>
<p>Well, yea. You have about a 3% chance, assuming everyone who applies has exactly the same qualifications. Obviously, the more you can distinguish yourself from the pack, the higher your chances increase. I would say, the odds are no better with any of the colleges on your list which is why it might be better not to apply ED anywhere.</p>
<p>omg,i want to learn economics too.i chose wesleyan at once, because i really love it after visiting its website.however,as an international student,i am quite disappointed now because of its FA policy and i am so sure i am not those excellent 3% students.why the universities i'm truly into are always limited with FA to international students.USC,NORTHWESTERN,LEHIGH,and one more WESLEYAN
UNLUCKY！。。。。</p>
<p>omg,i want to learn economics too.i chose wesleyan at once, because i really love it after visiting its website.however,as an international student,i am quite disappointed now because of its FA policy and i am so sure i am not those excellent 3% students.why the universities i'm truly into are always limited with FA to international students.USC,NORTHWESTERN,LEHIGH,and one more WESLEYAN
UNLUCKY！。。。。</p>
<p>re #16, maybe because in most other countries a university education is heavily subsidized by the government, so that it is free or close to it? Not surprising that US schools do not feel compelled to offer FA to people who have other alternatives, while even instate costs for US students are $20K per year and up. What surprises me is that any US schools DO offer FA to internationals. It doesn't happen the other way round.</p>