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hoper · 04-23-2003, 03:30 AM

Hi Erin,
I'm going to apply for Phd (Econ) of US in 2004/2005, ie I've to submit my app. in Jan 2004.
I got 1st hon. in Bachelor of Business Admin in Hong Kong (I guess I rank 3 or 4 out of 55 students, my accumulative grade is A-) in 2000. Since I didn't take enough math courses which is the min. requirement of most US universites, I will start my MS prog in Hong Kong to remedy my file, which last from Sept, 03 to Jun, 04. Because I have to submit app. in the middle of the MS prog. I am afraid that they will not take it into acct.

I've worked in one of the big international audit firm about 2 yrs since graduation. After that, I've changed jobs twice, both last for 3 months only and not economics, or academic related(teaching assistant, asst. executive). What should I do in order to enhance my chance to get admitted? Should I contact some prof. of my favourite universities?

What rank of universites am I eligible to apply? (I need full scholarship to support me)

May others success in applying the same prog. share your experience with me? Thanks!

**Erin** · 04-23-2003, 04:03 AM

hoper, it sounds like you're actually in pretty good shape, except for your somewhat/relatively low GRE Verbal and AWA score. If you have the time, you should try to bone up on the verbal GRE and raise that score, if you can. All your other stats look to be pretty good (except the lack of math), so getting your total GRE scores up should help.

I think that the adcoms will look upon you favorably for trying to make up the math you say you missed. It would be good if you could get some grades by the end of the first semester (if your university follows such a system) or some other sort of milestone, since the adcoms aren't too keen on subjective judgments of your performance.

To be honest, scholarships aren't my specialty, so I couldn't really say. If you're looking for a TA position, though, you might need to take the TSE, which some people find difficult.

With the right application and other stuff, you may be able to get into some of the top programs. I believe one TestMagician here, myun, got into a really good PhD program in something related to business, can't recall well.

Anyway, the good thing is that you're starting early, so you've got time to get everything together!

myun · 04-23-2003, 11:28 AM

Hi, as Erin mentioned, I was applying last year to business schools for an econ-related specialty. Since I was not applying to econ programs per se, I cannot help you much. In the end, I got into a couple of top-tier schools, but it so happened that the programs that accepted me were the ones that did not require economics background, and I got rejections mostly from the ones that explicitly wished students with extensive econ backgrounds.

My results are not very strange, considering my econ background: zero! I never took a single course in econ in my life. But I had thought that self-study was good enough, but it really didn't help me much in admission even though I stated in my essays that I DID learn economics by myself.

My advice is that (if you do not have enough math background to apply to econ programs now but if you are serious about getting into only top programs) you should consider applying to grad schools after the first-year cycle of the MS program so that you can show your transcripts which include your one year's worth of math courses that you will have taken. One year's delay is really nothing.

I also believe that you will automatically be able to get a financial aid if you are accepted at a top program, and that usually covers tuition and living expenses. For eg, ucla grants about 15k as stipends for the grad students in econ.

Unless you have some interesting research results to show, contacting professors in advance will not compensate for lack of backgrounds in specific subjects such as math. Also I believe that non-academic work experience does not count much in phd admissions. So I think it is a good option to do well in the MS program and apply to phd programs with better preparation + better gre results. I believe that high GPA is a long-term strength, whereas gre scores can be improved over time. Good luck!

hoper · 04-24-2003, 03:46 AM

Erin, Myun,

I'd better take GRE again in Nov. and strive to get a good result in both the GRE and my MS courses. But I dare not apply for the very top prog. coz I know that there're too many brilliant ppl. in this forum. Thanks for your advice, I hope I can bring a good news to Test Magic next year!

04-23-2003, 04:03 AM	#2 (permalink)
Erin So many things to do... Forum Admin Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: USA Posts: 8,235	hoper, it sounds like you're actually in pretty good shape, except for your somewhat/relatively low GRE Verbal and AWA score. If you have the time, you should try to bone up on the verbal GRE and raise that score, if you can. All your other stats look to be pretty good (except the lack of math), so getting your total GRE scores up should help. I think that the adcoms will look upon you favorably for trying to make up the math you say you missed. It would be good if you could get some grades by the end of the first semester (if your university follows such a system) or some other sort of milestone, since the adcoms aren't too keen on subjective judgments of your performance. To be honest, scholarships aren't my specialty, so I couldn't really say. If you're looking for a TA position, though, you might need to take the TSE, which some people find difficult. With the right application and other stuff, you may be able to get into some of the top programs. I believe one TestMagician here, myun, got into a really good PhD program in something related to business, can't recall well. Anyway, the good thing is that you're starting early, so you've got time to get everything together! _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ [Say 'hi'!] [Google Interviews Erin] [San Francisco Chronicle Interviews Erin]

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04-23-2003, 03:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
hoper Within my grasp! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 207	Hi Erin, I'm going to apply for Phd (Econ) of US in 2004/2005, ie I've to submit my app. in Jan 2004. I got 1st hon. in Bachelor of Business Admin in Hong Kong (I guess I rank 3 or 4 out of 55 students, my accumulative grade is A-) in 2000. Since I didn't take enough math courses which is the min. requirement of most US universites, I will start my MS prog in Hong Kong to remedy my file, which last from Sept, 03 to Jun, 04. Because I have to submit app. in the middle of the MS prog. I am afraid that they will not take it into acct. I've worked in one of the big international audit firm about 2 yrs since graduation. After that, I've changed jobs twice, both last for 3 months only and not economics, or academic related(teaching assistant, asst. executive). What should I do in order to enhance my chance to get admitted? Should I contact some prof. of my favourite universities? What rank of universites am I eligible to apply? (I need full scholarship to support me) May others success in applying the same prog. share your experience with me? Thanks!

04-23-2003, 11:28 AM	#3 (permalink)
myun Eager! Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: USA Posts: 71	Hi, as Erin mentioned, I was applying last year to business schools for an econ-related specialty. Since I was not applying to econ programs per se, I cannot help you much. In the end, I got into a couple of top-tier schools, but it so happened that the programs that accepted me were the ones that did not require economics background, and I got rejections mostly from the ones that explicitly wished students with extensive econ backgrounds. My results are not very strange, considering my econ background: zero! I never took a single course in econ in my life. But I had thought that self-study was good enough, but it really didn't help me much in admission even though I stated in my essays that I DID learn economics by myself. My advice is that (if you do not have enough math background to apply to econ programs now but if you are serious about getting into only top programs) you should consider applying to grad schools after the first-year cycle of the MS program so that you can show your transcripts which include your one year's worth of math courses that you will have taken. One year's delay is really nothing. I also believe that you will automatically be able to get a financial aid if you are accepted at a top program, and that usually covers tuition and living expenses. For eg, ucla grants about 15k as stipends for the grad students in econ. Unless you have some interesting research results to show, contacting professors in advance will not compensate for lack of backgrounds in specific subjects such as math. Also I believe that non-academic work experience does not count much in phd admissions. So I think it is a good option to do well in the MS program and apply to phd programs with better preparation + better gre results. I believe that high GPA is a long-term strength, whereas gre scores can be improved over time. Good luck!

04-24-2003, 03:46 AM	#4 (permalink)
hoper Within my grasp! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 207	Erin, Myun, I'd better take GRE again in Nov. and strive to get a good result in both the GRE and my MS courses. But I dare not apply for the very top prog. coz I know that there're too many brilliant ppl. in this forum. Thanks for your advice, I hope I can bring a good news to Test Magic next year!

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