Seeking advice/suggestions on the universities to apply for...

[diesel]

Ok guys, October is just around the corner, which means it’s Application time!!

As mentioned before on TM, i’m interested in doing an MA/MSc Economics to use it as a springboard for my PhD.

I would really appreciate if you could edit the list of universities I’ll be applying to, keeping in mind my profile, and the funding associated with these universities. Duration of the program won’t be a problem, nor would be the location. After the suggestions/advice from all you TMers i'll be starting to seal envelopes to send in my application…

Canada:
Queen’s
SFU
York
McMaster (Economic Policy)
Waterloo
Carleton

USA:
Not applying there due to the lack of quality amongst the specialized MA programs, and also low funding prospects.

UK:
Cambridge (MPhil Economics or MPhil Development)
Oxford (MPhil Economics for Development)

France:
Toulouse

Netherlands:
Tilburg
Any addition/deletion to the list would be welcomed.

[diesel]

Here is my profile for a better evaluation:

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Type of Undergrad:[/font][FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] BSc (hons) Economics & Finance from an Asian country
Undergrad GPA: 3.44
Postgrad: Pursuing an MSc Economics & Finance. The Econ/Math courses I am/would be taking are Math for Economics, Adv Econometrics, Adv Micro/Macro I & II, Linear Algebra. Expecting a GPA>3.5 at least.
Research Experience: Wrote an honors thesis during my undergrad degree.
GRE: 770Q, 390V, AWA Awaited. I think i did fairly well.
IELTS: 7.5 out of 9
Math Courses: Math (I,II,III), Statistics (I,II)
Math Grades(undergrad):Math I - B+, Math II - B+, Math III - A
Econ Courses: Econometrics (I,II), Intro to Micro/Macro, Micro/Macro I & II, Environmental Economics, Monetary Economics, Economic & Financial Analysis, Development Economics, Public Finance, International Economics
Econ Grades(undergrad): Intro to Micro Econ - B+, Intro to Macro – A, Micro Econ I – B, Macro Econ I – A, Micro Econ II – B, Macro Econ II – B, Econometrics I – B, Econometrics II - B+, Development Economics – A, Monetary Economics B+, Environmental Economics - A-, Economic & Financial Analysis of projects - B
Other Courses: double majored in Finance
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Economics professors (one taught me Monetary Economics and supervised my research, the second taught me Environmental Economics, and the third taught Macro) – My LORs would be up-to-the-mark I’m sure, but none are well recognized internationally.
Teaching/Research Experience: None
Research Interests: Economic Development, International Trade, Applied

[/font]

[tangsiuje]

I find it quite interesting that you picked only first-tier schools in Europe but mainly second- and third-tier schools in Canada. If you are interested in Trade and Development, UBC is very, very good, so you may want to consider throwing in an application there. UofT isn't too bad either, but I guess I'm biased.

My point is that if you think you have a chance at those schools in Europe, then you're aiming too low in Canada. If you think that your realistic chance is with those schools in Canada, then it's not really worth applying to Oxbridge and the like.

FYI, Oxford states states that a first-class degree (which they consider equivalent to a 3.8 GPA) is usually required to make a competetive application. From what I've heard, they're quite stringent about grade requirements, and I can't imagine Cambridge would be any more lenient.

[amsicora]

I ignore how competitive their selection is (guess highly competitive, though), but if you're going for a career in economics and finance, probably you should consider tinbergen...

[diesel]

Thanks alot!

I find it quite interesting that you picked only first-tier schools in Europe but mainly second- and third-tier schools in Canada. If you are interested in Trade and Development, UBC is very, very good, so you may want to consider throwing in an application there.

You're right. But heres whats going on; I CAN apply to UBC with my updated MSc transcript (which i'll get around mid-December), and i expect to get a GPA>3.5 or even 3.7 in my first semester. But i've heard theyre stingy when it comes to funding. That is the only reason i haven't applied.

UofT isn't too bad either, but I guess I'm biased

Ok, i believe you're right. I should apply to UofT but WITH my Msc grades. What kind of a GPA do i need for admission to UofT? and is the GRE good enough for admission into the doctoral stream (coz thats the only stream that guarantees me funding). My dad is pushing me to apply to Uof T too, but then again hes biased too - did his Phd from OISE UofT.

My point is that if you think you have a chance at those schools in Europe, then you're aiming too low in Canada

According to you, am i aiming too low in Canada or too high in Europe?

[diesel]

Thanks amsicora

but if you're going for a career in economics and finance, probably you should consider tinbergen

I'm not going for a career in Finance. I flirted with some Finance subjects but didn't like them during my undergrad. My MSc anythign but flexible, which means i HAVE to take finance courses instead of more Economics or Math courses.

I'm mainly interested in Trade, Development and the Applied side.

[Lokayot]

Tinbergen is a good university nonetheless, you should apply there. However, Oxford and Cambridge don't have good funding either (living cost is high too), at least at the masters level from what I know.

[bheld]

I don't understand why people are so quick to dismiss US masters programs. There are plenty out there that are oriented toward producing PhD-ready graduates and many seem to place graduates well.