Faj91 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hello Everyone, I have recently applied to some schools for this year but got rejected. I did, however receive an interview at LSE. Was wondering what I could do to enhance my profile. Test Scores (GRE): V: 160 (85th percentile) Q: 167 (92nd percentile) AWA: 5.0 (93rd percentile) Undegrad GPA: 3.83 (Bachelor of Science in Finance) at an average uni in the middle east Graduate GPA: 68% (Merit) at the LSE (Msc Finance), with a distinction in dissertation Research Experience: just masters' dissertation Teaching Experience: peer tutor, undergrad Work Experience: 1 year in sovereign wealth fund, 2 yrs managing own food distributions company Concentration Applying to: PhDFinance Number of programs planned to apply to: 5 Dream Schools: LSE, LBS Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? to do research and teach I am thinking of doing a graduate diploma in economics, and may be able to be a research assist a professor from Cambridge (he did his PhD at LBS). Not sure if its enough to get me through the door though. Also not sure how a graduate diploma would look after getting a masters degree, worried it may seem like a step down, maybe? Thank you for taking the time to read my profile :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqhai Posted March 8, 2018 Share Posted March 8, 2018 Hi Faj91. I will do my Ph.D. in finance this Fall. So I may have something that can help you in the applying process. - First, can you provide more detail about your math background? From my experience, the adcom will check what math courses you took carefully. Real analysis is recommended, Prob and stat (masters or Ph.D. level) is a very positive signal to the adcom that you will do good in the rigorous Ph.D. coursework. I was asked this question in the interviews. - Second, do you code? If you're interested in doing empirical research, programming is a must. - Third, you should improve your research experience. I see that you have not exposed to any academic research except your thesis. - Fourth, your reason to pursue a Ph.D. is not really strong. The adcom wants to see those who have a plan to do original research and stay in academia. - Fifth, who will write your letters? Are they active researchers in the finance field? - Last but not least, your GRE seems to pass the cut-off. But if you aim higher, says Top 20, top 10, you should get a higher quantitative score. My Prof, who used to work in the adcom, told me that for top 20 the cut-off quant is 95th percentile or above. Hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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