Rice or Cal Berkeley or UCLA?

College Search & Selection
1

I am lucky to get in Rice, UCB and UCLA, but none of them are my dream schools. So, I’m wondering which school should I pick. Any thoughts? Thanks! (I will be majoring in Econ/Math.)

2

Have you visited? Academically all will be strong, but they are very different schools, very different sizes, very different cultures.

Where do you want to live after you graduate? Have you looked into grad school placement and internship and job opportunities (recruiting and such).

I wrote a comment in the current Rice vs Stanford thread that has more detail on my thoughts about Rice.

3

Berkeley. Who wants to go to university in Texas?

4

Rice is a great school, and also a beautiful one. If you think you would feel more at home in a smaller, private university setting than a large public it is definitely worth considering. You have three excellent options to choose among.

5

Rice. Who wants to go to university at stanfordrejects.com ?

6

If you want math in your economics courses, Berkeley offers high-math versions of intermediate microeconomics and econometrics, with multivariable calculus as a prerequisite (101A, 141). It also offers mathematical economics electives (C103, 104). There is no separate mathematical economics major, but students taking the high-math courses or intending to go on to PhD study are expected to take additional math. Rice offers elective high-math microeconomics and econometrics (305, 308, 310, 419), though the less-math intermediate courses are supposed to be taken first (305, 308, and 310 are required for the mathematical economics major). UCLA appears to have less of a math emphasis in its economics courses (though single variable calculus is used). The mathematics/economics major there adds extra advanced math courses.

https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/current/major-requirements
https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/current/preparing-for-grad-school
http://guide.berkeley.edu/courses/econ/

http://economics.rice.edu/node/16
http://economics.rice.edu/node/18
https://courses.rice.edu/admweb/!SWKSCAT.cat?p_action=CATALIST&p_acyr_code=2016&p_subj=ECON

http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/uclacatalog14-15-288.htm
http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/uclacatalog14-15-515.htm
http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/catalog/uclacatalog14-15-290.htm

7

I have seen all three and my vote will be Rice - very nice and friendly - if money is not a problem.