Failing Comps, Then Transferring to Lower Ranked Program

[YoungEconomist]

How viable is this as an option? Let's say you don't pass prelims at one school, how easy is it to get admitted into a lower ranked PhD program? For example, let's say that someone started off at a top 30 program, do you think they could get accepted at some programs towards the bottom of the top 50? Or what about getting accepted the second time around to some decent schools outside the top 50 (such as, Florida State, George Mason, Virginia Tech, or other similarly ranked programs)?

[JEL.L63]

Well, to tell you the truth I don't think anyone who have failed the prelims would attemp to keep on with the PhD enterprise. If you failed the prelims, unless it was for major reason like serious deseas or other reasons like that, it clearly mens that the PhD is not for you. If I were in those shoes I might consider other field where to specialize.

[jeeves0923]

I'm not sure if this is common at all. Since one of your examples is Virginia Tech, I must say that the econ department is very deliberate in whom they want to get here. They don't want people who see it as a "consolation prize" after failing comps at a higher ranked school. I would be willing to bet they'd reject a person that failed comps at, say Chicago or Minnesota, and wanted to transfer to VT.

There might be some exception if it was a VT undergrad who had tight connections with the profs and they had 100% information on the ability of the student. Otherwise, I'd say the chances are less than epsilon.

[crutchboy3]

I'm not sure how common it is, but it is certainly possible. When I visited UIUC, I was told that they do occasionally accept people that fail prelims at higher ranked school. The impression I got was that is was not the most common thing, but its certainly a possibility.

[bscout]

Originally Posted by JEL.L63

If you failed the prelims, unless it was for major reason like serious deseas or other reasons like that, it clearly mens that the PhD is not for you.

I disagree. What it means (and I am even not completely sure about it) is that the PhD at that particular institution is not for you. Comps are not a perfect mechanism to screen whether someone could be or not a good economist.

[TruDog]

A few people have failed prelims at Wisconsin (which I'll try not to do this week) and gotten into schools ranked around 50th.

[Nalfien]

About 5 or 6 years ago a guy failed out of Yale due to the Macro comp (which I have to retake in 5 weeks... gulp!) and reapplied and got into Berkeley. He's now an assistant prof at UMich.

It's possible.

[asianeconomist]

I think what will decide an individual's case is largely contingent upon the quality of the LORs of the 'failing' institution. If they write that you're a good, hard-working student but somehow could not succeed in passing the comps, then it shouldn't be too bad. But anything else like "He does not possess the necessary technical skills to succeed in graduate school.." entails doom. In the latter case, I think it would be advisable to apply with the previous credentials i.e. without any LORs from current institution.

Good luck to both of you (Nalfien & TruDog) !

[Andronicus]

Originally Posted by TruDog

A few people have failed prelims at Wisconsin (which I'll try not to do this week) and gotten into schools ranked around 50th.

I met one case in particular who failed out of Wisconsin and is now at Pitt.

At OSU, some people who fail prelims stay at OSU, transfering into the Ag. Econ PhD program.

[TruDog]

Quite a few people used to transfer to the ag econ PhD program here, until the department required that students pass the micro prelim (the harder one to pass) in order to do so.

Currently, however, ag econ students don't have to take prelims unless they get a rather poor grade in the micro sequence (they also have the option of a year of preparatory courses in micro before taking the econ PhD micro sequence).