[UgSlayer]

I'm going to be applying to Toulouse School of Economics for my PhD in econ. If I don't get accepted to a top 30 US school, I'll probably be going there.

Anybody have information on Toulouse? I took French in HS and a semester at university, but I don't speak it that well. I speak spanish and portuguese, though, so I'd probably pick it up pretty quickly. The program is run in english, so that isn't a concern of mine. I'm Asian-American, if that makes any difference.

I'm interested in what the girls are like, the atmosphere, nightlife. So general information/vibe of the city more than specifics. I've heard that most people in the city speak english, since it's a university town.

Also, the stipend is 1000 euro a month for PhD students but the first year is unpaid. I'll probably do some consulting/work during my dissertation years also. But any information on rent/general cost of living would be great too.

Vacancier Perm. wrote about it briefly in another thread, so I'm hoping he could chime in. Thanks in advance.

[pitt]

Youngmobile may be the right person to advise you. Just wondering, how old are you?

[Vacancier Permanent]

Ugslayer,
Even if you were to get accepted in a top 30 school in the US, I'd argue that going to Toulouse would be far more beneficial to your career than staying in the US. Here's why: Toulouse is a major university town, with very high standards, one of the highest in the world and most prestigious schools in all of France/Europe. Also, Toulouse is one of the leading centres of space and aviation technology in the world as it's the headquarters of Airbus and it's where the space programme for France and the EU is run from. Plus going abroad, will have you get fluent in French, get connections, expand and broaden your horizons to the global scene in ways that no school in the US would allow you to. Now, having said that, which I'm sure you must already know yourself, Toulouse is an excellent city. Very clean, very livable and lots of good social events going on year round and it's easy to make friends/plug yourself into a nice social network there within 1-2 months. 1000 Euro/month will be not enough to live there, a good figure would be 1500 to 2k/euro to have a decent lifestyle to allow you to go out, eat out and enjoy Toulouse and its region and the FABULOUS food there. Can't comment on the nightlife scene as it's been way too long since last I was there (think early 90's when I was 10-12 and at the time, nightlife wasn't on my mind as you can imagine). Maybe others who have been recently there could chime in or do a google search. In the meantime, brush up on your French as much as you can to speed up your integration there and to make it as smooth as possible. Hope this helps man. When are you planning on going there?

[UgSlayer]

(07-29-2011 05:51 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Ugslayer,
Even if you were to get accepted in a top 30 school in the US, I'd argue that going to Toulouse would be far more beneficial to your career than staying in the US. Here's why: Toulouse is a major university town, with very high standards, one of the highest in the world and most prestigious schools in all of France/Europe. Also, Toulouse is one of the leading centres of space and aviation technology in the world as it's the headquarters of Airbus and it's where the space programme for France and the EU is run from. Plus going abroad, will have you get fluent in French, get connections, expand and broaden your horizons to the global scene in ways that no school in the US would allow you to. Now, having said that, which I'm sure you must already know yourself, Toulouse is an excellent city. Very clean, very livable and lots of good social events going on year round and it's easy to make friends/plug yourself into a nice social network there within 1-2 months. 1000 Euro/month will be not enough to live there, a good figure would be 1500 to 2k/euro to have a decent lifestyle to allow you to go out, eat out and enjoy Toulouse and its region and the FABULOUS food there. Can't comment on the nightlife scene as it's been way too long since last I was there (think early 90's when I was 10-12 and at the time, nightlife wasn't on my mind as you can imagine). Maybe others who have been recently there could chime in or do a google search. In the meantime, brush up on your French as much as you can to speed up your integration there and to make it as smooth as possible. Hope this helps man. When are you planning on going there?

It will be at least 2 years because I have a year left in my undergraduate and I hope to be doing a research fellowship in Eastern Europe after that.

I'm just weighing my options at this point. I eventually want to become a tenured professor, which is why I might pick a top 30 US school over Toulouse. It is just easier with the networking that goes on in the US and Top 30 US schools are generally more known. considering exchange rate, the stipend seems to be on par with the US programs.

Toulouse is a very good school, especially for Microeconomics/Financial Economics/Industrial Organization (Toulouse is ranked top 20 in the world in each of these sub branches of economics), which are my primary interests.

The most important question of all: What is the reputation of the girls in Toulouse? Are they supposed to be hot or normal for France? Thanks, VP.