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EUR v Bocconi v UPF

Just got my EUR conditional offer for the IBEB and submitted my Bocconi (IEcon and Management)and will submit for UPF (Pompeu Fabra- International Business Econ) and was just wondering which of the three universities is best for International Economics and Business Economics because I've seen threads only really comparing their business schools not really economics.

Bocconi it seems to have the best reputation (?) and Milan is a great place to study in but at the same time I saw some comments about the actual quality of their education

UPF I can't really find much about but when I visited I really liked Barcelona and would like to study there, so it's more of finding out about the school's quality of teaching and reputation

Lastly, EUR for me seems to be both good location and education but out of the three seems to be best in neither of the two aspects.

So I guess as of now my order is 1.UPF 2.EUR 3.Bocconi

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

jkls92

Bocconi has the best reputation and placement. Milan is a financial and corporate centre and a great city, but you may prefer Barcellona, that's personal.
The economics department is the oldest and "core" one, management programmes have gained a strong position in rankings since some years ago, and finance is recently doing so too, but is mostly appreciated for placement in London IB and consultancy. If you give me the exact name of the course at Bocconi I can provide a more specific insight.

Reply 2

javi005

Original post by usualsuspects

For Bocconi I applied for International Economics and Management, for Rotterdam I applied for the IBEB (International Economics and Business Economics) and for Barcelona I applied for International Business Economics.

Reply 3

jkls92

Original post by javi005

Ok, it's the undergraduate programme known as BIEM (bachelor in international economics and management), right? Basically, BIEM is focused on management, while BIEF is more focused on finance and eventually economics, since you can choose a "pure" economics major (not sure if it's possible at BIEM too). In general, at BIEM you will find people more interested in management (practical subject of how to manage companies, not focused on math or traditional economics), while BIEF is more a mix, with many people there genuinely interested in economics (and the hard math that comes with it). Anyways, the first semesters are very very similar as course content, and then you can switch course.

I'm not sure what "business economics" means exactly, here at Bocconi we have these "international" areas: economics, finance, management, computer science (which to my knowledge includes tech management and quantitative economics), government (from an economic perspective).

BIEM/BIEF are the older international courses, so they are well known and organised, teaching quality in my opinion is good, but depends heavily on the subject and the professor (my management course was very well taught, mathematics well, microeconomics not, but attendance was useless anyways for the exam).

If you have any specific question feel free to ask!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 4

javi005

Original post by usualsuspects

BIEM/BIEF are the older international courses, so they are well known and organised, teaching quality in my opinion is good, but depends heavily on the subject and the professor (my management course was very well taught, mathematics well, microeconomics not, but attendance was useless anyways for the exam).

If you have any specific question feel free to ask!

Thanks so much for your replies! I was wondering how is the housing situation there, and the culture of students? And what are the usual job prospects of a graduate from Bocconi? Thank you again!

Reply 5

jkls92

Original post by javi005

Thanks so much for your replies! I was wondering how is the housing situation there, and the culture of students? And what are the usual job prospects of a graduate from Bocconi? Thank you again!

Housing:
There are "Bocconi residences". Price, location and number of roommates varies. The most expensive cost about €700-750 a month, but they are new, very modern and have designer furniture. Alternatively you can find an accommodation privately or through an agency, for every price (higher if you want to be really near/in front of Bocconi or in the centre, but you can get something near and comfortable for 500, much less if you compromise on distance).
Culture:
That's hard, because I don't want to generalise. If you have questions on a specific cultural aspect I'll try to answer at best. Culture is admittedly "work hard, play hard", lots of parties but during exam sessions people literally don't get out of their house. There is a bit of stress on grades (high grades are needed for top Msc programmes and for IB). Many very ambitious people that will think about internships/career since day 1 (although not everyone is like that at all). Environment is international, diverse and inclusive, more than 50% of my classmates are foreign. It's the most prestigious/expensive uni in Italy, considered (in the country's media/popular culture) a school for privileged brats that will become the Italian ruling class. For Italians it's like our Oxbridge, make what you want of this. Anyways, like in any large group, you can find any kind of people.
Job prospects:
Placement in investment banking, consulting and top companies/financial institutions is really great. You can do a LinkedIn research to get some concrete proof. Traditionally Bocconi places well in Europe, especially London and Milan, but they are starting to become more global/EMEA.

Reply 6

Kenstar

Hello everyone!

My name is Kenny and I have studied in the Netherlands for the past 3 years. Having completed my Bachelor's in International Business at Maastricht University, I am now finishing up my Masters in Finance and Investments at Erasmus Rotterdam.

I'm currently working on a project with Erasmus University to help prospective students connect with current university students who can answer your specific questions about university life. If you're considering Erasmus University as one of your options and are interested in getting all your questions answered about uni life in Rotterdam, then shoot me a message so we can connect you to a current student!

Reply 7

Sway Sinha

Can you provide a do/don'ts of life at EUR as well as life in Rotterdam/NE in general for an undergraduate student? Also, how entrepreneurial is the school on the undergraduate level?