lund Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Hi, I'm really interested in eventually studying economic development (not sure if this would be at a Masters or PHD level yet). I'm just wondering what the best "path" to getting into a good dev program would be. I have read enough to know that in general, getting into a top school requires good grades, lots of math, a good GRE score &/or good LoRs. However, I was wondering if there was anything in particular that I should also do (ie. volunteer abroad) if I want to get involved in development? This question is particularly pertinent because I'm trying to figure out if it would be better for me to volunteer/intern abroad (ie. in Africa, SE Asia- I'm really interested in microloans so I would love to intern with a related organization) or perform research at my university (may or may not be in a related field, but then I could have research experience)... or maybe do something entirely different. I'm also thinking that if I decide to pursue a PHD, it might be best for me to do research, whereas if I opt for a econ development masters program it would be better for me to volunteer/intern abroad? Any advice is appreciated. Please & thanks :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buzios Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I think stuff like that (studying or volunteering in developing countries) may help with perspective and give you a valuable experience. It may also help inform some of the areas of research you're looking at by giving you some real-world experience. But I don't think this will necessarily significantly help with applications ( at least not more than additional research experience will). This isn't medical school, where you need to justify your future study by demonstrating a genuine interest in volunteering activities. I'd vote for research regardless. Primarily because it'll give you an idea whether you want to pursue a PHD or not (which you don't appear to be sure of atm). In addition, I think it'll give you access to academic LORs that would be hard to come by through the other route, and which will help for both masters and PHD applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AREStudentHopeful Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'm no expert on development econ or anything, but here's some wise advise from Chris Blattman at Princeton: Aspiring PhD students: Should you become a field research assistant for an RCT? – Chris Blattman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.