Rochester or Smith College or UCSD

College Search & Lists
1

<p>I have been debating on the university of Rochester and Smith College and UCSD. And after all that I have seen and heard, it still remains an extremely difficult decision. I cannot figure out which one I would prefer more.</p>

<p>Intended Major: Economics.</p>

<p>Rochester:merrit scholarship of $10k/yr.
Smith: No aid
UCSD: No aid, but won’t cost as much (although I am an international applicant)</p>

<p>Which college has more prestige? Which offers a better education fit for my intended major?(As I do plan to proceed to graduate study so money is a problem.)
Also for future perspective, which is better? What are the pros and cons? Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I cannot speak about the economics departments at either Smith or UCSD, however the economics dept at the University of Rochester is highly regarded and is one of the top programs in the United States. Plus, the three schools are so different in location, type of school-each would offer very different types of college experiences.</p>

3

<p>I’ve heard that the UCSD economics program is really good… If money is not a problem I’d pick UCSD, IMO you’ll have a much better experience there as an international student. My friend goes to rochester and she told me that there’s nothing to do off campus.
good luck</p>

4

<p>Smith is among the premier liberal arts colleges in the country, with small class sizes and a low student to teacher ratio, 9:1 vs. UCSD’s 19:1. The average class size at Smith is about 16 students compared to UCSD’s 23 students. Smith has 5% of its classes bigger than 49 students compared to UCSD’s 30%.</p>

<p>However, UCSD, based in beautiful La Jolla, is fast becoming one of the better research universities in the US, with several departments ranked in the top 5 and in my opinion will pass UCLA this decade in terms of quality UC schools.</p>

<p>Graduate Economics rankings of top research universities:</p>

<p>[Rankings</a> - Economics - Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-economics-schools/rankings]Rankings”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-economics-schools/rankings)</p>

<p>Rank College name Distance Score
1 Harvard University Cambridge, MA Enter your zip 5.0<br>
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA Enter your zip 5.0<br>
1 Princeton University Princeton , NJ Enter your zip 5.0<br>
1 University of Chicago Chicago, IL Enter your zip 5.0<br>
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA Enter your zip 4.9<br>
6 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA Enter your zip 4.8<br>
6 Yale University New Haven, CT Enter your zip 4.8<br>
8 Northwestern University Evanston, IL Enter your zip 4.7<br>
9 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA Enter your zip 4.4<br>
10 Columbia University New York, NY Enter your zip 4.3<br>
10 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Enter your zip 4.3<br>
12 New York University New York, NY Enter your zip 4.2<br>
12 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI Enter your zip 4.2<br>
14 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA Enter your zip 4.1<br>
14 University of California–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Enter your zip 4.1<br>
**14 University of California–San Diego La Jolla, CA Enter your zip 4.1 **
14 University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI Enter your zip 4.1<br>
18 Cornell University Ithaca, NY Enter your zip 3.9<br>
19 Brown University Providence, RI Enter your zip 3.8<br>
19 Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) Pittsburgh, PA Enter your zip 3.8<br>
19 Duke University Durham, NC Enter your zip 3.8<br>
22 University of Maryland–College Park College Park, MD Enter your zip 3.7<br>
**22 University of Rochester Rochester, NY Enter your zip 3.7 **
24 Boston University Boston, MA Enter your zip 3.6<br>
25 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD Enter your zip 3.5</p>

5

<p>THANK YOU ALL! </p>

<p>Also, amongst Rochester or Smith College or UCSD, which college has more prestige?
For future perspective, say if I want to proceed to other renowned universities for graduate study, which is the best?</p>

6

<p>bump! Thanks a million everyone!</p>

7

<p>If you’re going for prestige, Smith is DEFINITELY the way to go. It’s a Seven Sister college, seriously. The only thing better is an Ivy. And the campus is gorgeous. Even though you don’t have any aid, the tuition is worth it. Totally.</p>

8

<p>^ Agreed.</p>

<p>Smith commands a great deal of prestige if only on account of its identity as one of the nation’s Seven Sister colleges.</p>

<p>The Economics faculty at Smith is well-pedigreed, and Smith’s size and nature guarantee that you’ll have the undivided attention of your professors.</p>

<p>Berkeley 4
Harvard 2
Michigan 2
MIT 1
Stanford 1
Yale 1
Texas A&M 1
Ohio State 1
UMass Amherst 1
American 1</p>

9

<p>^^
Thank you!</p>

<p>For future perspective, say if I want to proceed to other renowned universities for graduate study, which is the best?</p>

10

<p>see post #4</p>

<p>

</p>

11

<p>@JohnAdams12: thank you!</p>

<p>What I meant was, which university or college degree would be make us more eligible applicants for graduate schools (IVY) or job offers?</p>

12

<p>Graduate schools tend to respect degrees from liberal arts colleges, and Smith is a very good one. Attending a liberal arts college like Smith will help you to get research opportunities that might otherwise be reserved for graduate students and will allow you to develop close relationships with your professors, who will be able to write good recommendations for grad school. Teaching tends to be better at liberal arts colleges as well, since professors are more concerned about teaching than about research. If you are sure that you want to go to grad school, Smith is the way to go. Employers tend to be less knowledgeable about liberal arts colleges, but Smith is easily as prestigious as UCSD and Rochester. However, you can get great research opportunities and develop great relationships with professors at any school that you attend. If you decide that Smith is too small for you, or that you don’t want to attend a women’s college, UCSD and Rochester are both good choices. But you’ll probably get the best education and have the best opportunities at Smith - this is subjective, though, and it may not be true for you. I still think Smith wins, even though I’m not usually a fan of women’s colleges. :slight_smile:
EDIT: It looks as though your family can pay for your education, since you are considering schools at which you have no aid. If you can’t really afford Smith, though, DO NOT take out ridiculously expensive loans. What is the total cost of attendance at each school, and how much will you, not your family, be responsible for paying?</p>