The title says it all.
I've been admitted to the programs above, namely Bocconi's MSc in Economic and Social Sciences( pure economics, basically) and HEC's MSc in Managerial and Financial Economics. I've been trying to decide between the two as the deadlines of the deposit payments are due in a few days.
HEC Pros:
-A slightly more prestigious university
-Presumably better career service( According to the information on the website of the program, %100 of the graduates are employed within three months, making over 60k euros straight out of the program. But I don't count on that anyways, websites usually tell that kind of stuff to market the program.)
- Opportunity to learn French. I am quite enthusiastic about Romance languages.
- Really interesting curriculum that offers a combination of economics, finance and strategy. The coursework is made up of economics courses such as behavioral economics, game theory, monetary policy, econometrics; a bunch of management ones like economic consulting, strategic consulting, industrial organization, data analytics; coupled by finance modules including sovereign risk analysis, quantitative asset management, limits to market efficiency etc. I chose this program over MiF, actually; for this interesting blending of different fields and its quantitative focus.
- Higher international exposure as the class is predominantly composed of international students.( around 80%)
- Lower cost( 1-year program, tuition fees cost 24k euros. There are other external funding opportunities for HEC, which would make it almost free. Still, it's just a possibility.
HEC Cons:
- The campus is in the middle of nowhere, 1-hour away from downtown Paris
- Less prestigious than HEC's renowned Grande Ecole
- The fact that I don't speak French is actually a liability
Bocconi Pros:
- Academic rigor. Excellent preparation for a Phd. There are many students ending up in top 10 Phd programs in the US.
- Cuisine
- The campus is in the city center
- I speak Italian, spent an exchange semester at Bocconi, loved the teaching, I know the city etc.
- I am very passionate about economics.
Bocconi Cons:
-Little orientation towards the job market.
-Way too Italian.Italians make up the 70% of the class. Many of the brightest from the undergrad go on to do a MSc there, extremely difficult to stand out. Huge class size, around 85, I think.
- No scholarship, 2-year program, 28k euros in tuition fees only.
A little info on my background: near to zero work experience excluding teaching assistantships. Graduating in June, enrolled in the CFA Level 1 Exam in December. Non-EU citizen. I know that the decision comes down to what I want to do with my life, but still, I would be happy to hear some insights.
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