<p>Columbia’s econ department is right up there with Harvard and Chicago in terms of prestige and quality of instruction. Plus you get the benefit of a lot of great internationally known figures who drop by the campus because they’re intellectuals and they happen to be in New York doing something. Go ask our various econ Nobel prizewinners what they think - or Jeffrey Sachs, if you can actually find him on campus.</p>
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It means one thing - if you get in and attend, you’ll probably be surrounded by people much less attractive than you are :)</p>