Playing it like a game

[Iwanttostudy]

Today I was talking to one of my professors about PhD admissions & how difficult it has become in recent years to get a good admit when he remarked that this entire process should we "played like a game". He advised me to follow the following process:

 

Identify the big name schools -> Identify the programs that are related to economics but easier to get into (PP/ID/BE) -> Browse the faculty profiles of those programs -> Identify some key research areas that are common to most of these faculty members -> Undertake some research on those issues -> Contact the professors with the research for their comments -> Build relationships -> Either mention them in LOR/ write to them during admissions -> Get Admitted.

 

Now, I am writing from a third-world country & did my BS in Business. I have not taken a lot of Math courses but plan on taking Calculus III,IV, LA, Discrete, ODE, PDE, Real Analysis, Mathematical Economics over this year. I do have some published research in the university journal (empirical development)

 

What do you think of this? Is it a good idea ? Or is it an utter waste of time ?

[ekonomiks]

I emailed a couple of professors at top schools, all of whom replied and commented favorably on my profile. One of them even said he would tell the admission committee to look out for my file. In the end, however, I didn't get a single offer from those schools. Now I admit that they were out of my reach in the first place, but isn't that the point? Why else would I contact a professor at a school where I know my chances are good.

 

I'm not saying connections are of no use. Having "real" connections (via your professors) definitely helps. I guess the point I'm making is that just trading emails with a professor is not enough to establish a connection.

[argyecon]

Actually with your strategy what you are doing is creating a supply for their demand. I followed a strategy a bit alike and a bit different from the one that you suggest. I am also Latin American but I luckily got a Spanish scholarship to do my master there besides having some offers from local Msc, as at my actual uni there are great professors with so many contacts that it is just crazy (they are better and with more contacts than those from my country of origin unis that offer me a place in their master), so LoR was not an issue any more (of course, I worked hard for that). Then I just worked on what I liked. Then I toook the top 10 unis and I did research on what they where doing and I just matched my supply with their demand. That is you should work on what you like not on what you think it would get you in a top 10 uni. And it worked I was accepted in 5 out of 10 top 10 US unis and I am finally attending to MIT. So, my piece of advice is to do what you like and do it great then look who like your job and mention them in your SoP. I worked for me. Of course, that I have to recon that I had great LoR and that I did wonderful here, which is not a minor issue.