How good is the undergraduate economics department at Brown? PLEASE HELP!

<p>I think the question is implicit from the title. I am looking to transfer into Brown University from NYU in one or two years since it has been a long term goal of mine. I was accepted as a Finance major in NYU, but decided to do Economics instead in CAS, and study for the Actuarial Science tests by myself to eventually become an Actuarial Scientist. I just wanted to know if it is better for me to stay at NYU which has one of the best economic departments in the nation, or go to a more prestigious university like Brown which isn’t ranked at all in undergraduate economics according to US News. I feel really confused right now because I need to know:</p>

<p>1) Which university is more worldly renown? ( Brown or NYU, especially in the middle east, like Dubai, Qatar, or Kuwait)
2) What name will look better on a transcript an employer is looking at?
3) After graduating as an undergraduate, which school will look better when i am applying for various graduate schools?</p>

<p>Thank you guys so much, ever since I went to the Spark program at Brown in 7th grade, I always knew what the perfect university for me was, however my grades in high school were not high enough to go to Brown, so I applied and was accepted this year into NYU ED.</p>

<p>OK. This has been discussed MANY times on CC, especially on the Brown board. </p>

<p>Both universities will get you far in life, though NYU is particularly known for business/finance/economics. </p>

<p>Brown is an Ivy, so it does offer strong academics. However, economics – while a strong field at Brown – is not the best, especially when you compare it with the likes of Chicago and MIT. (Even my Brown Summer prof said that) But still it’s a great school for economics. </p>

<p>Just go where you feel you will succeed and fit the most. Prestige is just under that, at least sometimes. :)</p>

<p>Congrats on getting into NYU!</p>

<p>To answer your questions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I don’t know. But I do know that Alexandre, a supermoderator here in CC knows a lot about how American colleges are perceived in the Middle East, so you might want to seek his advices.</p></li>
<li><p>In terms of name recognition, I think both schools are known to be excellent places to study Economics. What matters more will be what you have taken through your undergraduate years, and what grades you obtained in them.</p></li>
<li><p>In all honesty, I don’t know. But what I do know is that Math majors absolutely place better into Economics PhD programs versus Econ majors. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Finance at Stern is very, very strong. They don’t offer Finance in NYU CAS, do they?</p>

<p>The ability to study applied math or applied-math econ at Brown probably makes it as well suited as anywhere else in the country to prepare for graduate work. As icebox said, in economics, math concentrators are far more sought after than undergraduate economics concentrators at most graduate programs. We undoubtedly have one of the best applied math departments in the country, and that, alongside a strong economics program makes us a great destination for prospective econ PhDs.</p>

<p>That being said, socially life and school composition alone make these two drastically different places and I’d imagine your choice may rely more on those areas than in academic preparation.</p>

<p>^That’s my path I want to take! Econ + applied math (or building spaceships that will take me far far away from this planet full of cold cold people)</p>

<p>Yeah, I was looking to transfer into Brown because I thought that I would get into a better graduate school out of Brown than NYU. So, if you guys had to choose ONE school to go to for applied mathematics and Economics, which one would it be, NYU or Brown? Thanks</p>

<p>Prestige-wise, NYU.</p>

<p>IMO, Brown.</p>

<p>Yeah thanks, this is a pretty difficult topic, I mean right when I thought the world was going to be my oyster because I was so decisive on what i wanted for my future, it all turned around. I am having mixed feelings about NYU without even finishing my first year let alone my first semester, and my conscience is telling me to go to Brown, I don’t know. Like tell me more about each program, I have been on each of the official sites everytime, but what makes each program special. ( NYU Econ vs. Brown econ)</p>

<p>Hmm. I am very fond of NYU, and almost went there for graduate school next year. Truth be told, NYU arguably has one of the strongest Applied Mathematics department in the nation. The Courant Institute is an amazing center of research, and my friends there really loved the faculty. </p>

<p>That being said, if your goal is to obtain a PhD in Economics, I think switching from NYU to Brown will only bring marginal benefits. What each school has to offer in terms of preparation for this career track is quite similar. I don’t know how much research have you done on PhD programs, but I think people would agree if i say your coursework difficulty and grades matter more than the name of the school. I don’t think there’s anything that special from either Economics Departments worth mentioning, as is often the case on undergraduate level at any college.</p>

<p>So, if you really like Brown’s environment, and it has been your dream or whatnot to be here – do try to transfer. One of the worst things in life is wondering “What if I had done XYZ…”; regret is painful. At the very least, if you do get admitted to transfer, having the optionality is nice. </p>

<p>N.B. Applied Mathematics - Economics concentration at Brown does not completely prepare you for Econ PhD program. Some important pieces (such as Mathematical Analysis sequence) are not even taught in the AM Dept. for undergraduate level. I know several of my friends who are going for an Econ PhD next year from Brown (think Chicago, MIT) – they all are (pure) Math majors. It’s not a secret that Econ PhD programs love to see their applicants successfully taking graduate level mathematics courses, if it’s only for the sake of demonstrating ability to think in abstract terms. I feel that AM-Econ actually attracts mostly people who wants to go to the industry.</p>