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PHD in Economics--need advice


lindseybuck95

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Hello,

 

My name is Lindsey and I am in the process of applying for a PhD in Economics. I'm panicking a little about not getting into any of the schools I am applying at, and hoping for some advice.

 

Stats:

GPA: 3.83 undergrad from University of Montana

GRE: 161Q, 160V, 6A

Activities and honors: Honors college, global leadership initiative at my school, "outstanding graduate in economics," two undergraduate mathematics scholarships, two honors scholarships, wrote two thesis papers for my undergraduate--one for the economics major, the other not

Courses: Calc 1,2, Multivariable, LA, Stat 216, Stat 351, Econometrics, Money and Banking, all intermediate macro and micro courses, Game Theory, Health Economics, Senior Thesis, Research Methods (All As in Econ classes--mix of As and Bs in math)

 

Schools I am applying to: UMass Amherst, UW Milwaukee, U Connecticut, U Oregon, U Illinois at Chicago, Boston U, Boston College, GWU, Georgetown, Washington U at St Louis

 

Thoughts: I am aware that my quant GRE score isn't extremely high (80th) percentile, but hoping I can be pulled up by some of my other stats. I also know that some of my schools are higher range than others; I attempted to spread them out to make myself more likely to get a couple of offers.

 

What do you think are my prospects of getting into some of the schools I have applied for? How can I come back from a lower GRE quant score?

 

Thanks in advance!

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Why are you applying to UMass Amherst? They are a heterodox school and the other schools you are applying to are all mainstream. Not sure about your odds there.

 

I think you have a chance at UIC, Milwaukee, Oregon, UConn. Your odds at the other schools are not very good. Your GRE Q will be an issue as well the overall reputation of your undergrad.

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Honestly, I would not bother attending these phd programs. Your employment options are going to be terrible.

 

You don't mean every school in OP's list, do you? BU, Boston College, WUSTL, and UIUC (hell maybe even Georgetown) may not get you tenure track jobs at a T50 with any regularity, but I wouldn't say the employment options coming from these programs are terrible. I may come closer to agreeing on the rest of the list.

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You don't mean every school in OP's list, do you? BU, Boston College, WUSTL, and UIUC (hell maybe even Georgetown) may not get you tenure track jobs at a T50 with any regularity, but I wouldn't say the employment options coming from these programs are terrible. I may come closer to agreeing on the rest of the list.

 

Hmm that is weird. It looks like my computer is not loading this thread properly because I am not seeing those. The schools you listed are okay

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Thanks for the information! What do you think job prospects are with a degree from one of those schools? I'm trying to be realistic; I know I won't end up teaching at Harvard, but is there a chance that I'd end up at an OK state school as a professor? Could you all weigh in? Thank you for any advice in advance. It is much appreciated!
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I think that I would be plenty happy in the middle of the pack. What are your thoughts on my prospects of doing well and enjoying a PhD program? I know I didn't study hard enough and didn't do incredibly well on the GRE and I have some Bs in math (all in the same semester--my mother was dying and I ended up taking care of her a lot that semester--not an excuse, but I do believe I am reasonably good at math and could have gotten As). I have a great love for economics and I love being in academic environments. My largest goal is to be a good professor and live somewhere enjoyable where I get inspiration and have talented people in my department. Thoughts? Thank you!
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I don't really have the time or money necessary to retake it, unfortunately. :( I have good LORs. All from teachers who have seen me do research as well--graduates of OSU, Oregon, and Cambridge.

 

Then you won't get into the good programs on your list. Most of those good programs on your list have an average GRE Quant score of above 167. I've heard that a score of 167 might not be good enough to get into some of those good ones and only a score of 170 MIGHT guarantee success.

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Then you won't get into the good programs on your list. Most of those good programs on your list have an average GRE Quant score of above 167. I've heard that a score of 167 might not be good enough to get into some of those good ones and only a score of 170 MIGHT guarantee success.

 

It won't be so extreme. Adcoms recognise that other aspects of the application package are important as well. However, that being said, they might set the GRE cut to 85th percentile, for example, which translates to a quant of 164-165 if they receive an inordinate amount of applications this year. Hence why the general advice is to get 165+ so you don't have to worry about whether your package survives the first cut. All other preparation will be for naught if adcoms don't even look at your profile, right?

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It won't be so extreme. Adcoms recognise that other aspects of the application package are important as well. However, that being said, they might set the GRE cut to 85th percentile, for example, which translates to a quant of 164-165 if they receive an inordinate amount of applications this year. Hence why the general advice is to get 165+ so you don't have to worry about whether your package survives the first cut. All other preparation will be for naught if adcoms don't even look at your profile, right?

 

I'm a current graduate student at a similar middle ranking institution and when I applied, my advisors told me exactly that as a prerequisite to admissions in a top 30 place, so either my advisors are wrong and I got a higher than average result. But that help the OP know that if you get your GRE score as high as possible, it doesn't hurt.

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I don't really have the time or money necessary to retake it, unfortunately. :( I have good LORs. All from teachers who have seen me do research as well--graduates of OSU, Oregon, and Cambridge.

 

You have to find the time. The GRE has an outsized role in the early decisions surrounding admissions and your score is simply too low. You'd be better off doing two less applications and using that money towards the GRE. To find time, drop a class, work less, or whatever.

 

The constraints on your time and money are temporary and unimportant relative to the benefit from getting a better score (even 2 or 3 points would be huge) on the GRE.

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You have to find the time. The GRE has an outsized role in the early decisions surrounding admissions and your score is simply too low. You'd be better off doing two less applications and using that money towards the GRE. To find time, drop a class, work less, or whatever.

 

The constraints on your time and money are temporary and unimportant relative to the benefit from getting a better score (even 2 or 3 points would be huge) on the GRE.

 

Definitely concur with what tm_member said. The rest of your application is irrelevant if you don't survive the first few rounds of cuts. You can have solid RA experience & 2 papers R&R at some Tier A journal, for example, but if adcoms don't even see your application because your package didn't make the first cut, it's all for naught. They need a simple metric to help them thin the pile of applicants they receive to a more manageable number before they give each package a look. That's what the GRE is for.

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Let me say some of this a little differently. You are choosing where to spend the next five or six years and strongly influencing what your life will be like for the next 40 years. It seems odd that retaking the GRE isn't worth it to you. That said, your GRE score is good enough for some of the programs on your list, although probably not most of them.
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If that semester stands out as an anomaly in your transcript, you might want to mention it in the Personal Statement or SOP. Also look at the timeline for your transcript. If after that semester of Bs, you consistently got As in math, you should be fine. For your letters, you might want someone who can reassure the admission committee about your math capability. Unfortunately, you might not survive the first cut with your GRE.
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  • 1 month later...
Honestly, I would not bother attending these phd programs. Your employment options are going to be terrible.

 

This is terrible advice. I am a professor at one of the (weaker) schools on her list. We place students at good academic jobs and excellent non-academic jobs.

 

If you love the prospect of doing academic-style research, go to a good school that has faculty that match your research interests. You'll do what you love. If you do well, you'll have a great job. Make sure you explain in your application why you are a good match for the school. Once you are accepted, have a talk with the Director of Graduate Studies to learn more about the program and whether it is the best match for you.

 

Regarding the GRE, retake it if you can. But it isn't too low to be considered by many of the schools on your list, esp if your math grades are mostly As and Bs. We, for example, select just as much on the analytical and verbal scores. The fact is that some schools in the 30-70 range select mainly on math and others are looking for sufficient math and skills in other areas. Some of this depends on the fields that departments specialize in. They end up with very different types of students.

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Thank you for this helpful advice, TBE! After taking some time to think and talk to my professors, I think I will end up perfectly happy and pleased with a school in the 30-70 range. My interests are largely in urban and public economics; if I can be at a school that has good faculty in these fields, is supportive of my education, and challenges me, I will be happy. I want to do research and to teach someday, and I think that these schools can reasonably put me there. Thanks for your encouragement. It is greatly appreciated!
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This is terrible advice. I am a professor at one of the (weaker) schools on her list. We place students at good academic jobs and excellent non-academic jobs.

 

 

Ohh really? Please, elaborate. How many students get a good academic job every year or an excellent non-academic job? Where are these good academic and non-academic jobs? Now, how do these jobs compare to those from, say, a top 30 school?

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tbe, the weaker schools listed are UIC, Milwaukee, Oregon, UConn.... it is dishonest to say that getting a tenure track job from those places is a likely outcome for the median student.

Out of curiosity, I took a look at Oregon's placements. Looks to me that the median placement is a tenure track job.

 

Of course stronger departments have better placements. But especially for teaching jobs, some "merely quite good" departments place quite well. If you want to end up at MIT, you'd probably better start at a place like Harvard. On the other hand, in the last three years Harvard has placed exactly zero students in top liberal arts schools (I did a very quick count, feel free to correct me if I missed something), while Oregon had placements.at Lewis & Clark, Macalester, Bentley, Oberlin, and Grinnell.

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