pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 I'm currently a California community college student looking to transfer into a 4-year university. I'm starting to think about reach schools to apply to. Through the lens of phd admissions, which schools would be worth going to over UC Berkeley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tm_member Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 None in CA would be better than Berkeley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 Sorry if my phrasing was unclear. Which undergraduate institutions in the United States would be worth going to over UC Berkeley? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Berkeley is an excellent place to go, but very large. Lot's of private places will do as well or better than Berkeley, but they tend to be very expensive. (Although some will cover you if you are low income.) Also, UC schools accept lots of transfers and most private schools don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 Would there be a list of places that will do as well or better than Berkeley for phd admissions? Would a school like Northwestern be better? Does it not really matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Going to a school that feds into PhD programs does matter. That would be true of both Berkeley and Northwestern. The advantage of a private school is that you will have a better opportunity to get to know faculty. Really a more important question is "What are you doing while in community college to prepare for PhD admissions?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 What schools usually feed into PhD programs? Is it mostly just top econ phd-granting institutions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 That's a good start. But add in top liberal arts colleges and many flagship state universities. Don't misunderstand, you can get into a PhD program from any undergraduate program. But coming from a competitive undergraduate program helps, especially at the very, very top PhD programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 Sorry if my questions are unspecific but what undergraduate programs would be considered competitive for the very, very top PhD programs? Is it based on undergraduate prestige? Graduate school ranking? Or is it mostly case-by-case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikablox2 Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 My goal is to put together a list of schools that I might want to apply to before a meeting my transfer counselor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Sorry if my questions are unspecific but what undergraduate programs would be considered competitive for the very, very top PhD programs? Is it based on undergraduate prestige? Graduate school ranking? Or is it mostly case-by-case? Yeah, undergraduate prestige and econ-grad school ranking. But while it's good to think about this remember that your record is much, much more important than the school you attend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
startz Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 You may also find American Economic Association helpful. There are a set of links offering a variety of advice about getting into PhD programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbe Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Sorry if my questions are unspecific but what undergraduate programs would be considered competitive for the very, very top PhD programs? Is it based on undergraduate prestige? Graduate school ranking? Or is it mostly case-by-case? Case by case. Don't pick your college based on your perception of getting into a good PhD program. Pick your college based on how it fits for you. Will you do better in a larger school or smaller school? How important is cost? Which schools have good undergraduate economics programs (i.e. lots of classes, taught by faculty, opportunities for research. etc.). Don't assume the best graduate programs have the best undergraduate programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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