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[2008EconHope]

Hi,

I just joined the forum and it is my first post. I am applying to econ Phd program for fall 2008. I am graduating in May with a BA in Physics and minor in econ but my GPA is just horrible only 3.21. The other problem is I took grad game theory but got a C even though my final average was 74%. given that grade should I even apply to any econ Phd program? I did ok in my math courses, took topology and analysis but got B, by the way I am impressed with the profiles on this forum almost everyone got A in Analysis and topology either you guys are just smart or maybe there is some grade inflation somewhere cause I found those courses quite hard much harder than my statistical physics course.

[2008EconHope]

the game theory course was from the math department not econ, it was hard, the course was entirely proof-based. Maybe I just suck in maths lol

[werther]

I am impressed with the profiles on this forum almost everyone got A in Analysis and topology either you guys are just smart or maybe there is some grade inflation somewhere cause I found those courses quite hard much harder than my statistical physics course.

i have wondered this too. i am taking real analysis right now and i told my prof i am hoping for an A in the course and he just looked at me like "how dare you, non-math major, even think of such a thing". it was implied that unless i am some brilliant math whiz i probably won't get an A, and that even the brightest math majors have trouble pulling an A- in this course. and then i come to this forum and like many have As in Real analysis.. how do you do it?

i have read my notes, have done the exercises, the proofs in the text, read the assignments, i have put a lot of time into this. nevertheless, i just wrote my midterm yesterday and i think i did rather horribly. i just don't think studying is enough for this course. there were proofs ive never seen before in my life. i realized then that i am definitely not getting an A in this course. i think i just hurt my chance more by taking this course. but it is too late to drop. hence i am a bit depressed. but anyway. end of my story. i hate real analysis.

[2008EconHope]

werther, I talk to some graduate sctudents in maths and I was asking them how people get A in anlysis, they all look at me and said "its hard dude"...I referred to this forum to some of them about how some econ majors are guetting A in analysis and topology and they were impressed and surprised...hey I am sure most folks on this forum are smart but boy almost everyone has A in analysis which I find very surprising and to be honest I have doubt about my skills now I am physics major a connot get A in analysis but some econ guy is able to do so easily...maybe they should help us out...when I took analysis, we used the textbook mathematical analysis by Rudin and even the teacher told us not to worry if we get lower grades than we usually do.

[Nalfien]

Taking real analysis was a very sad time in my life but looking back I'm glad I worked my butt off... I think my A had a lot to do with luck but while I was taking it I was convinced I was going to get a B

[Nalfien]

And EconHope you might want to consider getting a masters in Econ or in Math. What kind of school are you at? A few good letters can turn your application right around. People realize that Physics is a killer major and so are more lenient.

[2008EconHope]

thanks for the info nalfien. I go to georgia tech, and I am interested in Econometrics.

[kartelite]

Well, grade inflation could be part of the reason...but also most of the people on this forum are very bright and motivated; and judging by where people are applying, I daresay most will be at top 30 schools next fall. Some committee members may not care about a few C's here and there, whereas others could be absolute gradewhores, so if you apply to enough schools you should get in somewhere.

By the way, you'll probably find nearly as many math majors as econ majors among econ grad students, so their math background should come as little surprise.

But plain and simple, some professors just grade easier. I had the highest average going into Analysis II final, did fairly well (85) and got an A-, while many people who took the sequence the year before (different prof) got an A. When I took the Algebra sequence that same year, almost all of us got A's both terms, while the guy who taught it the next year hardly gave out any.

Oh and the fall before that I took Algebra in Hungary and got a B-, and 6 out of 11 got a C+ or worse. The average home institution GPA of students attending that program was well over a 3.8, so you can imagine how we all felt.

Oh BTW: Title: (Please do not post only Help! or Urgent! Instead, use a descriptive title.)

Just thought that was kind of funny...

[shootermcgavin7]

thanks for the info nalfien. I go to georgia tech, and I am interested in Econometrics.

This is a reason why GPA is a somewhat difficult indicator.

Tech, at least in the southeast region of the US, is known for very difficult grading. Actually, this is true of most universities in Georgia due to the HOPE scholarship.

That said; you have another year to pull your GPA up -- try to get some decent recommendations along the way and give it a shot.


PS - Unless you have your heart set on metrics; you may want to look at some PhD programs in Finance, especially due to your physics background. For example; the Black-Scholes model is derived from the same partial differential equation as the famous Heat equation.
You can definitely get your fill of Econometrics in such a program, unless your heart is set on contributions to statistical theory.

[shootermcgavin7]

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