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econ_wanna_be · 06-23-2008, 09:06 AM

Hi,

I have some concerns regarding whether it is possible for me to ever count on being admitted to a good MA in economics (e.g., LSE).
Here's the story: I have a BA in English and German (humanities) from a big state university in South-eastern Europe. I have been working as a university administrator for a few years now and during that time I realised I had a strong interest in economics. Last fall I started taking undergrad courses in econ in order to prepare for grad school - so far I passed Math, Principles of Economics, Micro, Macro, Statistics and Econometrics - I got all A's in them.
So my biggest concern is whether this is enough of a signal to adcoms that I'm serious about economics?

asianeconomist · 06-23-2008, 11:47 AM

Well, courses are only one part of the puzzle, the others being GRE, LORs, and Statement of purpose among others.

In your case, LORs will play a big role IMHO. Especially if your recommenders can explain your level of interest towards economics along side the academic quality, then you'll stand a much better chance of getting in.

Also, some research experience also usually goes a long way towards indicating interest and ability (however I am not entirely sure how useful that would be for Masters).

TruDog · 06-23-2008, 12:16 PM

What did your math course cover?

econ_wanna_be · 06-23-2008, 12:41 PM

My math course covered the following:
LINEAR ALGEBRA
DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS AND APPLICATIONS
INTEGRAL CALCULUS AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS
MATHEMATICS OF FINANCE: Discrete and continuous compounding

Yes, there are many things to consider but I'm currently trying to figure out the course part of the whole deal. My professors are willing to give me good LoR's and are strongly supporting me to get an advanced degree in economics. Thank you for replying - I appreciate every hint I can get!

Karina 07 · 06-23-2008, 02:03 PM

That's pretty good. Are you planning on applying this fall? If so, keep doing something else to signal your interest in economics and to improve on your references during the rest of summer/fall to add more to your profile (also, you undoubtedly know this, but your references would have to entirely be from your econ and math professors, not from your former program). But I think you've got a chance. It depends a bit on what your school is like (what it's known to be like and how many people it gives As), but you've no reason not to apply. Be sure to make it clear how much your math covers, because that's quite a lot of math to be covered in one course. Good luck!

econ_wanna_be · 06-23-2008, 02:51 PM

Yes, Karina, it was a lot of work in one course. Probably because it used to be a 2-semester course - before Bologna process (Europeans will know what I'm talking about). So this course actually covers what used to be a whole year of math. I'm going to take some more quant courses in 2008/09 and then apply for 2009/10.

And I'll have to write an excellent statement of purpose to show that I'm serious about this. I also plan to go to LSE summer school - to check out what the place is like. That should look good on my transcripts too.

Does anyone have any info on Tufts MA program? To me it sounds like a great deal (from what I've seen on their website.)

06-23-2008, 09:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
econ_wanna_be Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3	Worth a try? Hi, I have some concerns regarding whether it is possible for me to ever count on being admitted to a good MA in economics (e.g., LSE). Here's the story: I have a BA in English and German (humanities) from a big state university in South-eastern Europe. I have been working as a university administrator for a few years now and during that time I realised I had a strong interest in economics. Last fall I started taking undergrad courses in econ in order to prepare for grad school - so far I passed Math, Principles of Economics, Micro, Macro, Statistics and Econometrics - I got all A's in them. So my biggest concern is whether this is enough of a signal to adcoms that I'm serious about economics?

06-23-2008, 12:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
TruDog TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest US Posts: 588	What did your math course cover? _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ University of Wisconsin-Madison--2nd Year

06-23-2008, 12:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
econ_wanna_be Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3	My math course covered the following: LINEAR ALGEBRA DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS AND APPLICATIONS INTEGRAL CALCULUS AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS MATHEMATICS OF FINANCE: Discrete and continuous compounding Yes, there are many things to consider but I'm currently trying to figure out the course part of the whole deal. My professors are willing to give me good LoR's and are strongly supporting me to get an advanced degree in economics. Thank you for replying - I appreciate every hint I can get! Last edited by econ_wanna_be : 06-23-2008 at 01:27 PM.

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06-23-2008, 11:47 AM	#2 (permalink)
asianeconomist Loving the game Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 1,017	Well, courses are only one part of the puzzle, the others being GRE, LORs, and Statement of purpose among others. In your case, LORs will play a big role IMHO. Especially if your recommenders can explain your level of interest towards economics along side the academic quality, then you'll stand a much better chance of getting in. Also, some research experience also usually goes a long way towards indicating interest and ability (however I am not entirely sure how useful that would be for Masters).

06-23-2008, 02:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
Karina 07 TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 727	That's pretty good. Are you planning on applying this fall? If so, keep doing something else to signal your interest in economics and to improve on your references during the rest of summer/fall to add more to your profile (also, you undoubtedly know this, but your references would have to entirely be from your econ and math professors, not from your former program). But I think you've got a chance. It depends a bit on what your school is like (what it's known to be like and how many people it gives As), but you've no reason not to apply. Be sure to make it clear how much your math covers, because that's quite a lot of math to be covered in one course. Good luck!

06-23-2008, 02:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
econ_wanna_be Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3	Yes, Karina, it was a lot of work in one course. Probably because it used to be a 2-semester course - before Bologna process (Europeans will know what I'm talking about). So this course actually covers what used to be a whole year of math. I'm going to take some more quant courses in 2008/09 and then apply for 2009/10. And I'll have to write an excellent statement of purpose to show that I'm serious about this. I also plan to go to LSE summer school - to check out what the place is like. That should look good on my transcripts too. Does anyone have any info on Tufts MA program? To me it sounds like a great deal (from what I've seen on their website.)

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