RA profile eval

[econoraptor]

I decided to skip this cycle of grad admissions with the intent of getting an RA position or internship so that I can get some formal research experience and have time to take grad classes. So over the winter break I have been spending a lot of time looking for positions, writing cover letters etc. I probably should have made this post earlier, but I'm beginning to wonder whether I will even be competitive for these positions. If I'm applying to places like J-PAL and the Fed and DC think tanks, what's my competition like? I have a pretty atypical profile...

 

Type of Undergrad: AA from a community college; BA from a top 100 west coast private liberal arts school; diff eq, linear algebra, and intermediate micro from a state school with a top 30 econ grad program and strong applied math and engineering programs.

Undergrad GPA: 3.98 from community college, 3.45 from liberal arts school (I wonder if the fact that I was taking almost all upper level courses will matter?)

Math/Stat Courses: Single-variable calculus (self taught), Multivariable calculus (CR, personal problems at the time and all other classes were in major), Diff eq (B), Linear Algebra (B+), Real Analysis (next semester), Business Statistics (A, self-taught math stats later), Econometrics (A)

Econ Courses: A- in all of the standard courses except A in Principles of Macro and B+ in Intermediate Micro, A- in development economics, A- in international economics

Programming: No formal education, but I have been learning off and on for about 6 years. I learned C++ at an intermediate level in my sophomore year of high school and since then I've done projects for fun, online courses, and made mods for video games. I know R and Minitab, I'm playing around with Matlab so I'll at least sort of know it, and I'll probably learn Stata while doing my thesis.

Research Experience: None, but lots of short research papers written for poli sci classes. I'm doing my thesis next semester which will incorporate empirical methods.

Research Interests: Strong interest in development, also interested in labor, macro, international econ, and public policy more generally

Other: Lots of poli sci classes--I only needed to write a thesis for poli sci double major--mostly focusing on development and international. Lots of independent reading, learning, etc.

Concerns: Grades, not coming from an institution known outside the region, lack of research experience, and no math beyond what's expected. Unsure of what they'll think of programming experience.

Edited January 10, 2013 by econoraptor

[yepeconphditis]

Your grades won't help you, but your experiences with C++ and R might help you stand out. Make sure you highlight your programming experiences in your cover letter I would find out where people from your college took RA positions (if any) and contact them to see if they can forward your resumes to their current or former bosses. Your should also ask your professors to see if they know people who need RAs.

 

Your chances of getting a job at JPAL are slim since JPAL is extremely competitive (from what I heard). I would apply to as many places as time allows.

[alwaysthinking]

Didn't the J-PAL recruitment cycle end on January 7th?

[econoraptor]

Your grades won't help you, but your experiences with C++ and R might help you stand out. Make sure you highlight your programming experiences in your cover letter I would find out where people from your college took RA positions (if any) and contact them to see if they can forward your resumes to their current or former bosses. Your should also ask your professors to see if they know people who need RAs.

 

Your chances of getting a job at JPAL are slim since JPAL is extremely competitive (from what I heard). I would apply to as many places as time allows.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've asked a few profs if they knew anyone looking for an RA, but they didn't. One did mention that someone from last year's class or maybe the year before got an RA position. Contacting him would probably be a good idea.

 

I figured as much about JPAL, which is unfortunate since its my first choice. But it sounds like you think I have at least some chance of getting something, which I guess is really what I wanted to know--that I'm not completely wasting my time.

 

Didn't the J-PAL recruitment cycle end on January 7th?

Yea, submission deadline was the 7th.

 

 

Does anyone know if BLS hires full time RAs? All I've been seeing are part-time $20 an hour positions with pretty low requirements.

[yepeconphditis]

I figured as much about JPAL, which is unfortunate since its my first choice. But it sounds like you think I have at least some chance of getting something, which I guess is really what I wanted to know--that I'm not completely wasting my time

 

I don't think anyone can tell you if you are wasting your time without having complete knowledge of the RA labor market supply and demand as well as your expectation, which may very likely change in the next 5 months. Though in my opinion the cost of sending in a couple applications is negligible compared to the benefits of a desirable job, no matter how slim the chances of getting the job are. :-)

 

 

[Roark3]

Hello. I am joining as an RA in India in May this year and I have absolutely no prior knowledge of STATA (I guess my position requires more of field work than data analysis). I'm expected to hire a team of 20 surveyors who will typically be helping me with my research and data collection/analysis. But I will, obviously, need to learn STATA asap. I wanted to know how hard it is to learn STATA and begin applying it immediately. Does the team at JPAL train you or are you expected to pick it up along the way?