Which is better for economics?

colberTreporT
Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:38:04 +0000

Warning: these are drastically different schools!

I am deciding between Hamilton College and George Washington University. I need to know where I will get the best education and opportunities for economics. I plan on going to a graduate school (hopefully a prestigious one, too). These two schools both have strong economics programs, but extremely different environments. I am going to list some basic stats and personal opinions for both, and I would like to know your own opinions.

Hamilton College
–I got $33,100 from them.
–When I visited, I liked the nice comfy feel that is very similar to my own isolated home town.
–It is a much smaller school, so you get more 1-1 time with the professors.
–The weather is horrible, with many feets of snow very possible.
–Not very diverse. A lot of rich kids, too.
–Drinking is really big, something I’m not really into.
–The area surrounding the school is completely rural, which means more boringness but also cheaper areas to spend money.
–Good alumni network which helps students get internships and connections.

George Washington University
–I got $35,800 from them.
–When I visited, I loved the city feel. I often go to NYC, so I’m sort of used to it.
–The dorms were like hotel rooms. Really the best.
–A little more diverse than Hamilton, which I like.
–Very highly ranked economics faculty, with many professors who got PhD’s from Ivy League schools.
–Not much 1-1 time with professors unless you really distinguish yourself, which is something I plan on doing.
–Very expensive city, but I don’t plan on dining at the most expensive restaurants anyway.
–Mild weather, very acceptable.
–Lots of internships, the most of any school.

I am very foused on my studies, and I don’t socialize much. I want a relatively small group of friends so that I can fall back on them on times when I have nothing to do and thus am extremely bored, but I don’t want to go to that many parties to drink and have intercourse and such. As you can see, the financial aid is relatively even, considering GWU is slightly more expensive than Hamilton, and I got slightly more money from GWU as well. I just want to do very well in economics and go on to a prestigious graduate school. That’s basically my only major goal.