Donn Tawanpitak Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hi all, I'm about to apply for PhD in Economics soon (for the class of 2015). I would like you all comments about which school that I'm likely to be able to get in. I'm looking at several top schools, but I'm not sure if it's too far for me. Here's my profile. Undergraduate : Computer Engineering GPA : 3.56 -> expected to be 3.60 by the end of this semester Tons of school and social activities (mostly on teaching) such as School for Blinds, School for Slum Children, etc. TOEFL : 94 -> expected to be 100+ by this Saturday. Reading 22 Listening 26 Speaking 23 Writing 23 GRE Quantitative : 170/170 Verbal : 146/170 Writing : still waiting I'm looking at some prestigious schools listed below Harvard Yale Princeton MIT NYU Duke UMich etc. I'm not sure if I'm aiming too high so I would like you all considerations. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SystemicRisk Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hi! A few things: 1) It would be easier to comment if you provided some more information about your background (see some of the other profile evaluation threads for the format/info). For instance: What courses have you taken in econ and math? Your grades in those courses? How do you feel about your letter writers? 2) A lot depends on your school. Looking at your GPA without any knowledge of your school, I would say it is too low for where you're aiming. Of course, your school might be known for low grades, and the schools would know that. Similarly, does your school have a track record of sending people to PhDs? 3) The outside activities, unless related to math or econ, don't count for much (it sucks I know) 4) Assuming you're non-American/English... That verbal score on the GRE would be safer if it was above 150. 5) Like I said, we need more info, but JUST LOOKING AT WHAT YOU WROTE: you're aiming very very very high. It could happen, but I would seriously put some thought into safeties. Lastly--- What's your research background? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donn Tawanpitak Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Thx Sys! I totally forgot that part. 1. I'm from Thailand from Chulalongkorn University. I guess you might not know it, but it's the best recognized school in my country. I took tons of maths and several econ classes : Engineering Calculus I, II, Statistics for Physical Science, Linear Algebra, Macro+Micro. I got all 'A' in these classes. 2. Yes, my school is a very hard grader. For this GPA, I get a 1st class honor (maybe equal to your Summa Cum Laude), but not with a gold medal (1st ranked student of major). Unfortunately, they don't have any track about sending students to PhD except for the faculties. Some of them graduated from prestigious engineering schools : UC Berkeley, Stanford, UIUC. 3. Yeah, too bad I don't have any of that. 4. I guess so. Thanks for your suggestion. 5. I have some research background as an undergrad RA, not rigorously as Master's or PhD RA. Again, sorry that I forgot to provide these. Thx again Sys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanket Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Undergrad GPA: Type of Grad: Grad GPA: GRE: Math Courses: Econ Courses (grad-level): Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Other Courses: Letters of Recommendation: Research Experience: Teaching Experience: Research Interests: SOP: Concerns: Other: Applying to: Fill the above out and you'll be helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 My few cents: 1. Are the courses that you listed (Engineering Calculus I, II, Statistics for Physical Science, Linear Algebra, Macro+Micro) the only maths and econs courses you have taken? Typically top 50 schools expect you to take several other math courses courses, such as Multivariable Calculus, Real Analysis, Probability and Differential Equations. And while an economics background is not strictly necessary, it does help to have taken some economics courses as well (the absence of Econometrics in particular could be an issue). 2. How is your GPA calculated? A 3.56 GPA usually means your average grade is between B+ and A-, which superficially looks too low for many schools. So if the grading standards in your school are tough, you might want to ask one of your recommenders to highlight this in their letter and state that you're in the top X% of your class. If your transcript mentions your class rank, that can really help too if you are among the top few students. 3. You haven't mentioned your letters of recommendation yet. Ideally you want to get strong letters from Economics professors who can attest to your academic pedigree and/or research abilities. That might be difficult without having taken advanced economics courses with them (you can get one letter from your RA supervisor, but you would still need two other letters). 4. Without knowing your full profile (in the format that Blanket provided), it's difficult to suggest where you should be applying. But from what info you have given, I reckon it'll be tough for you to get into the schools you are targeting. As an international applicant without a master's degree and a non-econs background, you really need to have all the other boxes ticking (strong letters of recommendation, strong background in math, great research experience, excellent grades/GRE) in order to get into top 20 schools. By the way, here's a thread that you might find useful: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/130724-advice-2011-tips-low-ranked-undergrads-soft-majors-internationals.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chateauheart Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 What percentile is first class honors at Chulalongkorn? 85th? 95th? The number of students I've seen from the entire southeast Asia is in the range of 3-5 per year across all the top 10 programs (and most of them seem to be from Singaporean undergrads), so you probably need to be at least 98th percentile in your university, and preferably have a master's degree, to stand a good chance in top US econ PhDs. They just don't admit as many students as people seem to think, and it's exponentially harder coming outside of an academic network in economics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donn Tawanpitak Posted August 17, 2014 Author Share Posted August 17, 2014 Thx a lot guys! You guy's advice really help me on my preparation. I guess at least I have another GRE to make up for my deficiency. @NBZ: Thx for your mentions. Actually, Engineering Calculus I and II has already included those topics (except Real Analysis). Unfortunately, most of those economics courses are restricted for only Econ undergrad so I can't take them T_T. For the GPA, it is true that this is not such a beautiful grade. Besides, my school doesn't provide any information about percentile. I guess I should looking for some lower ranked schools for a better chance. @chateauheart: Thx for an information :). I knew that there are very few SEA students on those prestigious schools, but I've never expected to be that few! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaysa Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Your TOEFL score needs work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chateauheart Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Your TOEFL score needs work. 94 is not a problem at most places. If it gets to 100+ it should pass the cutoff everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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