KFE1998 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Is it really that bad to be a year behind the rest of the pack, or is being behind a year because of mismatches in past experience and university course offerings excusable or at least negligible by the end of undergraduate? That is, am I already too far behind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
econphd14 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Is it really that bad to be a year behind the rest of the pack, or is being behind a year because of mismatches in past experience and university course offerings excusable or at least negligible by the end of undergraduate? That is, am I already too far behind? Most people take real analysis sometime in their second or third year. As long as you complete the basic math requirements (multivariable calc, linear algebra, stats, possibly real analysis at the higher ranked school), you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
setsanto Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 oh come on this has to be a troll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
to2012 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Yawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I miss troll profile evals, too. Type of Undergrad: Princeton Undergrad GPA: 5.23/4.00 Type of Grad: PhD Math Grad GPA: 2139.04/4.00 GRE: 170Q 170V 6.0AWA Math Courses: Calc I-III (A,A,A), ODE (A), Measure Theory (A), Abstract Algebra (A), PhD Real Analysis (A), PhD Measure Theory (A), a few other PhD courses (all A's) Econ Courses (grad-level): all of the first year courses, plus qualifying exams (passed) Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Introductory Micro (A), Intermediate Micro (A) Other Courses: Intro to Botany (A) Letters of Recommendation: One from John Nash (should be good), another from Paul Krugman (he really really likes me. I helped him write his latest book.), and the last from Janet Yellen. Research Experience: Two papers in Econometrica Teaching Experience: TA PhD micro (4 semesters) Research Interests: not sure SOP: not written Concerns: weak profile, lack of good letters Other: Applying to: University of Hawaii, idk where else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insti Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I miss troll profile evals, too. Type of Undergrad: Princeton Undergrad GPA: 5.23/4.00 Type of Grad: PhD Math Grad GPA: 2139.04/4.00 GRE: 170Q 170V 6.0AWA Math Courses: Calc I-III (A,A,A), ODE (A), Measure Theory (A), Abstract Algebra (A), PhD Real Analysis (A), PhD Measure Theory (A), a few other PhD courses (all A's) Econ Courses (grad-level): all of the first year courses, plus qualifying exams (passed) Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Introductory Micro (A), Intermediate Micro (A) Other Courses: Intro to Botany (A) Letters of Recommendation: One from John Nash (should be good), another from Paul Krugman (he really really likes me. I helped him write his latest book.), and the last from Janet Yellen. Research Experience: Two papers in Econometrica Teaching Experience: TA PhD micro (4 semesters) Research Interests: not sure SOP: not written Concerns: weak profile, lack of good letters Other: Applying to: University of Hawaii, idk where else. Joke is on him. LoR from Krugman is not really a plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Joke is on him. LoR from Krugman is not really a plus :eager: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishacker Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Joke is on him. LoR from Krugman is not really a plus Why? (I seriously doubt that Nash has ever sent out a RL these years, lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicaffairsny Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Hey man, Krugman speaks the truth, don't you know we need more stimulus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
to2012 Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Probably best to save the politics for another forum, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sulebrahim Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 You should have taken real analysis as a sophomore in high school. It's Grad/PhD Analysis that you take as freshman. That way you can have the groundwork to be able to publish in econometrica as a junior. Without those things, your chances are dubious at best. In a case where this is not a troll, OP you can take RA as a junior or fall of senior year in some cases. Don't freak out or worry to much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Probably best to save the politics for another forum, I think. I do agree, but sometimes it is relevant for admissions. The big-wigs who write in the national newspapers are not really going to make the best letter writers for various ideological, academic, and professional reasons. Krugman is a polarizing figure and a letter from someone like him or Jeff Sachs is going to be viewed negatively by a lot of people (I believe the joke about a letter from Krugman is something about his assistant writing it...). It's a risk applicants should only take with great caution. Many students won't even have the chance to get close to someone like that but your letter writer's network and ideological leanings should be something you are aware of. It's a small academic community and with Twitter and Blogs and what-not, there are many professors who are closing certain doors for themselves and their students... perhaps in order to open other doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
to2012 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I do agree, but sometimes it is relevant for admissions. The big-wigs who write in the national newspapers are not really going to make the best letter writers for various ideological, academic, and professional reasons. Krugman is a polarizing figure and a letter from someone like him or Jeff Sachs is going to be viewed negatively by a lot of people (I believe the joke about a letter from Krugman is something about his assistant writing it...). It's a risk applicants should only take with great caution. Many students won't even have the chance to get close to someone like that but your letter writer's network and ideological leanings should be something you are aware of. It's a small academic community and with Twitter and Blogs and what-not, there are many professors who are closing certain doors for themselves and their students... perhaps in order to open other doors. Sure. I was actually referring to the post immediately preceding mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicaffairsny Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 Probably best to save the politics for another forum, I think. Sorry, just a joke about the simplicity of some of Krugman's arguments as they make it to the general audience. I refrained from saying debt is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Food4Thought Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I think Paul Krugman jokes can be made without descending into a political debate, mainly because he is so easily made into a caricature. One of my favorite Paul Krugman memes is of him as a weatherman pointing to a large storm, saying, "And as you can see here, we have some lovely stimulus coming in from the southeast." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBZ Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I do agree, but sometimes it is relevant for admissions. The big-wigs who write in the national newspapers are not really going to make the best letter writers for various ideological, academic, and professional reasons. Krugman is a polarizing figure and a letter from someone like him or Jeff Sachs is going to be viewed negatively by a lot of people (I believe the joke about a letter from Krugman is something about his assistant writing it...). It's a risk applicants should only take with great caution. Many students won't even have the chance to get close to someone like that but your letter writer's network and ideological leanings should be something you are aware of. It's a small academic community and with Twitter and Blogs and what-not, there are many professors who are closing certain doors for themselves and their students... perhaps in order to open other doors. I don't know about this. Do Krugman's ideological views really affect his ability to assess an RA? I should think professors, assuming their objective function is to optimize their class of incoming students, would be broad-minded enough to see beyond that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Econhead Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I don't know about this. Do Krugman's ideological views really affect his ability to assess an RA? I should think professors, assuming their objective function is to optimize their class of incoming students, would be broad-minded enough to see beyond that. I believe that professors can set aside their personal feelings about as well as I believe that everyone can just get along at family gatherings. I can think of a handful of professors that don't "do the right thing," hold vendettas (against students and colleagues), or otherwise act like a **** just because they can. Or, when their career is involved: I have heard many complaints (perhaps stories is a better word) from a wide range of professors across the "famous spectrum" whom have conplained that their work has been rejected by journals because the work in question is in direct conflict with those deciding whether to accept the work or not for publication. Professors are human too. I would only expect someone (whom we are speaking of as being influenced to act poorly) to put aside their personal differences (if they really despised a particular letter writer) if the applicant was either (1) truly outstanding or (2) came with a check from the NSF or other institution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I don't know about this. Do Krugman's ideological views really affect his ability to assess an RA? I should think professors, assuming their objective function is to optimize their class of incoming students, would be broad-minded enough to see beyond that. Yup, many people believe he is fundamentally misguided about the way the world does/should work and therefore distrust everything he says. He may assess an RA fairly on his terms but others will dismiss his thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrishacker Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 It seems that the more serious problem is...Is Krugman so busy writing in media that he doesn't spend enough time evaluating his RAs? And my guess is that macro guys care ideological issues more than others, lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicaffairsny Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I give Krugman some credit for making the unconventional move from Princeton to CUNY. That shows a real dedication to inequality issues, and I think it will give a whole different class of students exposure to world class ideas and produce some really interesting economists. With that in mind, I think we shouldn't discount applicants with recs from Krugman as it could take on a degree of classism because we wouldn't be discounting Princeton students, we would be discounting CUNY students, especially undergrads, who may have overcome some significant obstacles to get to their UG econ department and gain a rec from a world class economist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I give Krugman some credit for making the unconventional move from Princeton to CUNY. That shows a real dedication to inequality issues, and I think it will give a whole different class of students exposure to world class ideas and produce some really interesting economists. With that in mind, I think we shouldn't discount applicants with recs from Krugman as it could take on a degree of classism because we wouldn't be discounting Princeton students, we would be discounting CUNY students, especially undergrads, who may have overcome some significant obstacles to get to their UG econ department and gain a rec from a world class economist. If you want to see it that way, be my guest, but I'd suggest you be a little more skeptical of the reasons for the move; basically, as an economist you should always think "incentives matter" before assuming pure altruism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicaffairsny Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Very true. I made that post for the sake of conversation more so than because I actually believe what I wrote. Only took a week for someone to respond. Incidentally we were contrasting the market and the polis this week in my policy class. They both have merit. I cannot rule out either self interest or altruism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thuswindburn Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Don't get a B+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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