coffee314159265 Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 (edited) QUESTION - my significant other is also thinking of applying. they (for greater anonymity) have a very, very similar background and think that we have an existent though slim chance of getting into really high reach schools like Yale, Kellogg's MEDS, and Berkeley. I don't think it's worth applying. We don't have a ton of money to be throwing around for grad apps, and I don't think it's worth it. What are your thoughts?? THANKS Type of Undergrad: BA Econ from a Top 15 school (Top 30 Econ Ph.D. granting institution) Undergrad GPA: ~3.7 (~3.8 econ GPA) Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: 800Q; 560V; 5.0AWA Math Courses: Calc I (AP credit); Calc II (B); Calc III (A+); DiffEq (A); Intro Stats (B+??); Linear Algebra (B+); currently taking calc-based Prob/Stats; plan to take (and mention this in apps) Discrete Structures in Spring 2011, Real Analysis in Summer 2011 Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A-); Intro Macro (A); Interm. Micro (B- to be explained in SOP); Interm. Macro (A); Econometrics (Pass - didn't plan on going to grad school at the time); Industrial Org (A); Financial Modeling (A); Econ History (A-) Other Courses: N/A Letters of Recommendation: all econ - one endowed; one assistant; one associate; all have worked with me a lot Research Experience: prize-winning honors thesis; paper for class; RA for a semester Teaching Experience: TA for 3 classes Research Interests: IO, Game Theory, Applied Micro SOP: pretty standard, explaining bad grades and trying to show I'm smarter than I was when I took them; blab on about my passion for econ Concerns: lack of math, grad econ classes Other: no publications Applying to: UCLA, UCSD, CMU, Michigan, Maryland, USC, UC Irvine, UCLA Anderson. Possibly Duke, BU, Brown. Also applying for the NSF, I doubt I'll get it, mostly applying for signaling purposes. Edited November 2, 2010 by coffee314159265 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jofujino Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 I gotta agree with you. I'm not the most knowledgable but considering past cycles records on TM I don't think you have a shot at top 10 and only a very slim shot at 10-15. Still considering you went to a pretty good undergrad it seems reasonable to try for Duke Michigan and some UCs. I don't know much but it has been mentioned that for some schools you aren't allowed to apply to more than one graduate school program. Is UCLA cool with that? Also what are your spouse's areas of interest? It might help us make some suggestions. For example for IO, game theory and applied micro I think there are better safeties than UC Irvine, such as Iowa or ASU, which I think are strong in those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee314159265 Posted November 2, 2010 Author Share Posted November 2, 2010 (edited) Thanks so much for the reply!! UCLA doesn't explicitly state whether or not you're allowed to apply for both like Northwestern does. Still something good to look into. I appreciate it!! **edit** Didn't read the last paragraph, sorry... my spouse is interested in micro theory and decision making. it gets really tricky here - my spouse is currently in a phd program that is in the social sciences with less math than a Ph.D. pgm. if he doesn't get in somewhere worth switching, he'll stay with that. Edited November 2, 2010 by coffee314159265 Didn't read the whole reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehurricane Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 UCLA does not allow you to apply to two programs. If it's just those three schools that are an issue maybe it's worth the $300ish for both of you to apply if it keeps your S.O. happy. If there is no way you can afford all three, applying to two or one of them might be a good compromise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinp123 Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 UCLA does not allow you to apply to two programs. Could you post a link to where you read that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee314159265 Posted November 3, 2010 Author Share Posted November 3, 2010 Admissions - Graduate Admissions Information It's under "How to Apply:" University regulations do not permit an applicant to apply to more than one major, with the exception of already-established concurrent or articulated degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinp123 Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Admissions - Graduate Admissions Information It's under "How to Apply:" University regulations do not permit an applicant to apply to more than one major, with the exception of already-established concurrent or articulated degrees. Dang, I know at least NYU will let you apply to both GSAS and Stern (NYU GSAS General Application Policies). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedxs Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 I agree that this is not the best of profiles, so I would not apply to the likes of MIT and Harvard since you are short on money, but I think you have a shot at top 10 schools (just not the top 5). I would spare the money to apply to those three reaches if I were you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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