KleanKanteen Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA in International Relations (Top 10 IR school, terrible for economics) Undergrad GPA: 3.55 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: 163 Q /165 V/4.5 AW -- Retaking and pretty confident of getting a Q166 or 167. Don't think I can get a perfect score, though. Math Courses: Stats I (A), Calc I (A), currently taking Calc II (at Harvard Extension) but I already know most of the material and I'm pretty sure I'll easily get an A. If I do get an A I'll be able to take a class that combines Linear Algebra and Real Analysis next semester, along with Calc III (multivariable). If not, I'll only be able to take Calc III and Linear Algebra next semester. Econ Courses: Macro I (A), Micro I (B), International Economics I (A-) Research Experience: Only political science research, 6 months at a DC think tank (internship) and 2.5 years in industry. Teaching Experience: n/a So clearly my profile is nowhere near enough to get into a decent PhD program (particularly because I haven't really even studied economics that much), so I'm going for a Master's as (hopefully) as a stepping stone to a PhD. Here's the list of masters I think I'd like to apply to, ranked in order of preference: Duke MA Economics PSE PPD UCL MSc Economics Bocconi MSc Economics and Social Sciences Barcelona GSE Masters in Economics and Finance Yale IDE SAIS MIEF Cornell MS Applied Economics and Management IHEID MA International Economics Columbia MA Economics BU MA Economics Tufts MA Sciences Po Master's in Economics Warwick Diploma + MSc in Economics Sciences Po Master's in International Economic Policy Simon Fraser MA w/ qualifying year Mcgill MA Economics w/ qualifying year Now, obviously this list is kinda long, I can't apply to 17 programs, but which ones do I cut? 14-17 I consider "safeties" that I think I should easily get into. 10-13 I'm fairly confident about these, 50-50 I guess? (Except for maybe Columbia, but I know nothing about how competitive this program is). 1-9 Are all dream programs but I'm kinda skeptical about getting into any of them. Maybe you guys can help me out here? Do I even have a chance with those? Thanks in advance for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phd2020 Posted February 5, 2020 Share Posted February 5, 2020 I would say get your Quant up to 169-170 would be better. Since you are looking at European programs as well, I would say add Bonn/Mannheim to the list, as well as TSE. These are not hard to get into, but you would have to study hard as they tend to use exams to weed people out. Be aware that some European schools would require a certain amount of Econ courses, and I'm not sure your current ones would be able to meet the requirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 I would say get your Quant up to 169-170 would be better. Since you are looking at European programs as well, I would say add Bonn/Mannheim to the list, as well as TSE. These are not hard to get into, but you would have to study hard as they tend to use exams to weed people out. Be aware that some European schools would require a certain amount of Econ courses, and I'm not sure your current ones would be able to meet the requirement. Thanks! Yeah that’s exactly why I’m not applying to the three you mentioned, they all require a background in economics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 Nobody? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evoi Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 (edited) I do not know enough about US Master's so I will only speak about the european ones I know. I think such a profile would have very decent chances of getting into Sciences Po Masters (either Economics or International Economic Policy) with GRE 167-168. Like the previous poster, I would say you should try TSE too. From what I know, your profile is not unreasonable for Bocconi. Also from what I know, Canadian universities have quotas of local students to admit so they usually give few spots to international students, so I'm not sure it's worth the shot. Edited February 13, 2020 by evoi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 I do not know enough about US Master's so I will only speak about the european ones I know. I think such a profile would have very decent chances of getting into Sciences Po Masters (either Economics or International Economic Policy) with GRE 167-168. Like the previous poster, I would say you should try TSE too. From what I know, your profile is not unreasonable for Bocconi. Also from what I know, Canadian universities have quotas of local students to admit so they usually give few spots to international students, so I'm not sure it's worth the shot. Thanks!! You're saying I should try TSE even though their website says "Students should hold a BSc in Economics, Applied Mathematics within a recognized curriculum considered as consistent with the program and approved by the TSE selection committee."? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evoi Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 I know people who got accepted to the Master's without a Bsc in economics/applied math (things like BBA with concentration in econ or BA in political science +econ : so basically had done 5 economics classes + real analysis). I think if you take Real Analysis + Calculus III it could be okay. Can't you take additionnal intermediate econ classes next semester too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 14, 2020 Author Share Posted February 14, 2020 I know people who got accepted to the Master's without a Bsc in economics/applied math (things like BBA with concentration in econ or BA in political science +econ : so basically had done 5 economics classes + real analysis). I think if you take Real Analysis + Calculus III it could be okay. Can't you take additionnal intermediate econ classes next semester too? I don't think I can take 4 classes along with my full time job. I could take them spring next year, but I definitely want to apply to schools this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tutonic Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I got into Bocconi and BGSE a couple years back with a BSc in Accounting and Finance, with about your level of math so you should be fine. These masters programme aren't too rigorous in their admissions requirement since they are a source of income for the school, and they recognise that students from other disciplines want to use them to move into Economics. As long as you have a decent GPA and good letters supporting your academic capabilities, it shouldn't be too hard to get in. Doing well in the courses, however, is another matter altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phd2020 Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I don't think I can take 4 classes along with my full time job. I could take them spring next year, but I definitely want to apply to schools this winter. If you are concerned about the lack of Econ background, try looking into the Dutch research masters programs as well (Tilburg, UvA, Rotterdam ERIM), these tend to be more relax in requirement, or a more general Quantitative Methods program and take extra Econ courses (Master economics QEM: Study programme. Central European University (Admission Requirements | Department of Economics and Business) or CERGE-EI in Czech also have good MA programs in term of placement that don't require an Econ background. (and would be much cheaper than US cash-cow programs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 17, 2020 Author Share Posted February 17, 2020 I got into Bocconi and BGSE a couple years back with a BSc in Accounting and Finance, with about your level of math so you should be fine. These masters programme aren't too rigorous in their admissions requirement since they are a source of income for the school, and they recognise that students from other disciplines want to use them to move into Economics. As long as you have a decent GPA and good letters supporting your academic capabilities, it shouldn't be too hard to get in. Doing well in the courses, however, is another matter altogether. Thanks! This is very reassuring. I will definitely be applying to both of those. If you are concerned about the lack of Econ background, try looking into the Dutch research masters programs as well (Tilburg, UvA, Rotterdam ERIM), these tend to be more relax in requirement, or a more general Quantitative Methods program and take extra Econ courses (Master economics QEM: Study programme. Central European University (Admission Requirements | Department of Economics and Business) or CERGE-EI in Czech also have good MA programs in term of placement that don't require an Econ background. (and would be much cheaper than US cash-cow programs). These are some very interesting recommendations. I'd seen the QEM program before and noticed they have a preparation year in Paris 1 called the Mathematical Methods in Economics and Finance, which looks like it could be right up my alley. (Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne: First Year of Graduate Studies: University Diploma in Mathematical Methods, Economics and Finance (MMEF)). My concern with the QEM is that its placements don't seem too great. I hadn't heard about CEU before but apparently it's well respected. And, like you said, they emphasize that you don't need a background in economics, which is great! Do you know about their placements? (And CERGE-EI's?) They don't list them on their website... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phd2020 Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 CEU has very small MA cohort size (~15-20/year), and out of those around 5-7 would be placed to top 20-30 programs in the US. That is actually a very good rate, considering people who wants to stay in Europe or international students who want to go back home. If you are an American, I think your chance would be really good for top 20 assuming you perform well in the CEU's MA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidschindler Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 I would recommend applying in Tilburg as well. The program is rigorous and we have placed students in prestigious PhD programs in the past. Feel free to reach out (I'm a faculty member there) if you want more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 Thank you all for the advice. One more question: I graduated 3 years ago and don't really feel comfortable asking any of my college professors for a recommendation letter. Will having letters from job supervisors affect my chances that much? One of them is a well-known PhD (in political science, not economics) so I'm fairly comfortable with him assessing my academic capabilities. But the other is just a standard industry person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahududu Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 In master's level you may get away with that but in PhD applications, there is no way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KleanKanteen Posted February 20, 2020 Author Share Posted February 20, 2020 In master's level you may get away with that but in PhD applications, there is no way... Yeah part of the benefit I see in doing the master's is getting those lettters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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