Profile Evaluation - Hoping to get into top 25!

[Sabriel]

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply in Dec 2013 and hoping to get into the top 25 US grad schools. Please advise if you think I’ll be able to get there!

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BComm with Honours in Economics from a top Australian University
Undergrad GPA: 85/100
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Not taken yet (will take it this year)
Math Courses: Will be taking Calculus II and III, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis and possibly Probability
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Advanced Micro (92/100), Advanced Macro (86/100), Econometrics (84/100), International Trade (89/100), Monetary Economics (85/100), Game Theory (77/100), Economic Development (81/100)
Other Courses: Major in finance
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Honours research essay advisor, MIT PhD
Other two – N/A at the moment
Research Experience: Honours research thesis on behavioural economics
Teaching Experience: Tutored undergrad microeconomics
Research Interests: Microeconomics, behavioural economics
Concerns: Lack of LORs by academics who know me well, lack of research assistant work experience

On getting writers for LORs, I will try to get some research assistant work with academics from my economics department while taking up math units.

Any advice you have for me would be appreciated.

Thanks

[jrdonsimoni]

Hi,

If you browse through the "Profiles & Results 20XX" pages, you'll find lots of Australian applicant profiles. I linked the first page that had results from australian applicants.

Here you have P&R 2012 (Profiles and Results 2012), 2011 (Profiles and Results 2011), 2010 (Profiles and Results 2010), 2007 through 2009 have no resuls for Australian applicants, so no need to browse these aimlessly.

Good luck !

[anonecon]

How are you going to take all of those math courses before applying if you haven't taken them yet?

[yankeefan]

Most Australians who post their profiles here tend to do very well, especially those with Honors degree. From what I understand your economics classes tend to be very mathematical hence you do not need to have as much formal math classes as American students

[Sabriel]

jrdonsimoni – Thanks for the heads up! Will check the lists out

anonecon – I’m only planning to apply end of next year, so between then and now I’ll be bulking up on maths units and (hopefully) get some RA work. I’ve graduated already and have been working in the corporate sector for a bit, but I’ve just quit my job to focus on preparing for grad school.

yankeefan – Thanks for letting me know! I hope I’ll be one of them, but I’m kind of concerned about the LORs at the moment cause I’ve already graduated and during my undergrad I didn’t have too much interaction with the academics in my department other than my honours thesis advisor. On the maths classes: other than the maths I’ve done in my econs classes I have not done any other subjects from the maths department, so I figured it would be a good idea to still take up a number of pure maths classes.

Question: I’ve already done a year-long honours thesis, so would that be sufficient research experience? Or should I still try really hard to get some RA work with some academics?

[Griedman]

jrdonsimoni – Thanks for the heads up! Will check the lists out

anonecon – I’m only planning to apply end of next year, so between then and now I’ll be bulking up on maths units and (hopefully) get some RA work. I’ve graduated already and have been working in the corporate sector for a bit, but I’ve just quit my job to focus on preparing for grad school.

yankeefan – Thanks for letting me know! I hope I’ll be one of them, but I’m kind of concerned about the LORs at the moment cause I’ve already graduated and during my undergrad I didn’t have too much interaction with the academics in my department other than my honours thesis advisor. On the maths classes: other than the maths I’ve done in my econs classes I have not done any other subjects from the maths department, so I figured it would be a good idea to still take up a number of pure maths classes.

Question: I’ve already done a year-long honours thesis, so would that be sufficient research experience? Or should I still try really hard to get some RA work with some academics?

More research experience is always beneficial and RA would give you a change for the faculty interaction and thus a recommendation letter so I think you should go for it. Because you're applying for 2014 you have time to take those math classes too.