Evaluating the Evaluator: My chances for JPAL RA Position

[peppypundit]

Hey there amigos.
I'm an Indian graduate in Economics deep into development and political economy, a hence considering an RA position with J-PAL for next year (completing the application by Jan 2011).

I can't help but notice that no BA student of an Indian university has been selected so far, even if the evaluations are in India. At best there are Indian RAs accepted but only after they complete a Masters Degree in the US or UK. Strange, because the BA degrees from a lot of US/Uk institutions seems to suffice for RA positions- I know this from the J-PAL website. Nevertheless, I'll do whatever it takes to be deserving and ready in the next 5 months. I'd be really grateful if you could have a look at my background and evaluate my chances of being taken in:

Academics
Degree: BA Economics (3 years, not 4 like in the States)
Institution: St. Xavier's College, Mumbai University. The college is among the top 3 for arts in the country but the University itself doesn't have much to boast about in its current state.
GPA: About 3.8. Don't know how this corresponds exactly to the Indian system. Did about 16 projects, most of them As
GRE: Exam in December, aiming at 1580+, 6 in AWA
Undergrad Minors- Political Science and Eng Lit (and hence limited Quantitative content- a year-long paper each in Maths for Economics and Econometrics)
Graduate Coursework
2 Distance Diplomas, both concluding by June next year:
1) Mathematics & Statistics (LSE)
2) Population studies (IIPS- this institution conducts most of India's official demographic surveys)

Also, short courses on Design of Experiments and ANOVA; Survey Design and Analysis of Data of Complex Samples; upcoming courses on Generalized Linear Models, Bayesian Statistics and Multivariate Analysis (www.statistics.com)- all with the necessary computing skills.

Skills
Programming skills Currently studying Stata(not part of curriculum in India, Advanced Netcourse certificate by Mid Jan)
Research Experience:
a) 2 months with the Reserve Bank of India (India's Central bank) after clearing a national level exam where only 50 students were selected
b) Planning to evaluate BRAC's Targeting the Ultra-Poor programme in January
Other Strengths:
Linguistic: I speak 8 languages, including French and Spanish which feature in RA job requirements
Extensive experience in partnering NGOs- AIESEC, Rang De (Microfinance group in India)

I don't want to unload the entire La Vida Loca on you- so let's stop here. If anyone could appraise my chances or inform me on possible reasons why non-US/UK universities have not been preferred so far, I think I'd be indebted to you for life!
Looking forward to meeting some of you
Cheers
Abhishek

[treddi]

Hey, I worked for J-PAL this past summer and from what I found, they are really looking for people who have extensive experience with Stata and doing data manipulation and who have field work experience. If you've done any field research in India, I would really emphasize that on your application. It's true that most of the RAs are from the U.S. but I was told that they don't get a ton of international applicants.

I think your profile looks strong. Emphasize that you have research experience and try to become very comfortable with Stata because they ask questions about it during the interview.

Two alternative to J-PAL are IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action) and IFMR-CMF (ifmr.ac.in/cmf). They work very closely with J-PAL and I actually ended up working on an IPA project. A lot of professors are cross-affiliated.

Good luck!

p.s. being flexible with location helps - ie if you are willing to go anywhere, make sure you tell them!

[treddi]

Also emphasize your language skills! That is a great asset

[Pedxs]

Since this is a Phd Economics forum, I must ask this: are you planning to pursuing a Phd in Economics? and if so, are you using this JPAL position to help your application?

If so, I would have to caution you that field work for JPAL is not really useful. There is minimal interaction with Professors. Your job is basically collecting/cleaning data, and mostly likely you will not have significant impact on the survey design, as well as the publication that results from the collected data.

The JPAL RAs that have gone on to good PhD programs are those at the main office (at MIT). These are actually the guys who will be supervising your field work.

[treddi]

I'm sorry but I completely disagree with the previous comment. I think it's a great stepping stone to a PhD. You do make connections, but you shouldn't be applying for the job if that is all you're concerned with. You should look as it as an opportunity to get great research experience... if you just want a recommendation letter then I wouldn't bother because those hiring can usually tell who is interested in the job and who is interested in the connections. It doesn't seem like this is the case for you.

That being said, I was in constant contact with the professors I was working for and I learned a lot about a) whether I want to spend a life doing research and b) what type of research I'm interested in. I would definitely recommend the job if you are at all interested in development research or a PhD.

[riley]

Hi Peppypundit,

I am glad you are applying for a J-PAL job. My last five month-long-work at J-PAL has been a great learning experience so far. Yes, J-PAL receives tons of applications, but I strongly feel they look for your academic performance, and your desire to attend a doctorate program. I have had interaction with my professor almost every week - so it is not true that communication between the principal investigator (PI) and the research associate (RA) does not occur.

I agree with Treddi - all of my fellow J-PAL RAs, more than 90% of them, are interested in pursuing a phd in economics, and I believe this is a great transition for the phd program. I already feel that I have learned so much that I never did in my 4 year long undergraduate career.

Good luck with your application.

Cheers,
Riley

[Pedxs]

Riley, is your position at the head office or in the field?

I understand that the two positions are very different.

[riley]

In the field, but I do analysis 90% of the time - the field operations have been set up already.

[peppypundit]

Treddi and Riley, thanks for your tips.
It appears that most of these positions start in summer, after your exams. Do you apply for RA positions in January, before you take your final undergraduate examinations? That would mean that the GPA you report would be your score up till then. Like with other jobs, can the position be granted earlier (in February/March) conditional on a certain GPA on graduating? I've graduated but I have 2 diplomas whose exams are in June next year. So is it likely that the PI could say 'you're selected, provided that you score ___ % or a GPA of ___ in your exams'?
And what are the statistical models or techniques you used most often as an RA?
Cheers
Abhishek

[riley]

Well i applied in late december, got hired in february; plus, professors, to my knowledge, never give you an offer conditional on x gpa. Regarding statistical techniques, I guess it depends on what project one is involved with, but i will message you soon! Good luck!