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Another profile evaluation (Applying Fall 2009)


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Hi guys,

I'm new aboard on TM and like all you guys want to to a top Econ PhD program. My profile in some ways is kinda up or down (or so I think:hmm:).

My profile: I attend UofT and I majored in Econ/Math joint major.

CGPA: 3.67

Courses Taken: Inter Macro (A), Micro (A-), Prob. and Stats (B+,A). Intro to Math Stats (A+), Advanced Macro (A), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (B+), Into to proofs (A+), Real Analysis (A), Nonlinear Optimization (A), Linear Algebra I and II (A,A), A couple of macro topics PhD courses International Macro and Macro Forecasting (A+,A) and a microecon topics course (A).

 

Research Experience: 2 summers and 1 full year working for a macro prof The work wasn't great but it's RA work none the less and she liked it!

 

I kinda feel that my profile has some good but also some weakspots and I think I'll have to get a masters @ UPF, LSE, UBC, Queens, UofT or an MPhil maybe at Oxbridge to have a shot at top 15. My research interest is Macro Theory without a doubt. Also at UPF, I'm curious if people who go there to know how hard it is good to get funding and what sort of GPA can even qualify to be in the reckoning for funding. I'd love all the feedback! Thanks!

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Yes, please post GPA from math courses and econ courses. Your GRE score will obviously affect things as well. If the former is good, definitely apply top-15 and maybe one MA as a locked-in safety.

 

I got in to Rochester and Minnesota coming from a much, much, much worse Canadian university (Memorial), without research experience or grad courses. Though my math/econ GPA was 4.0, and had slightly more math.

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I'm going to offer slightly different advice.

 

Congrats again to Thesus for his great admits. He is a model for Canadians attempting to get into good US programs straight out of UG. However, I and several others tried the same, from schools such as UBC, Queen's and U of T, and had little luck (mind you, I was only shooting at UPenn, NWU, UCSD and Cornell.) My GPA was like yours, but a little weaker on the math side (grades wise) with a few stellar Ph.D level marks.

 

Anyhow, I'm taking a master's this year, and to be honest, I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard a lot from people with excellent profiles, who took a master's anyway, and proceeded with a Ph.D afterwards, only to find it easier than others. Not to mention that the master's was one of the best years of their lives, academically and socially.

 

My suggestion is to indeed apply to some Ph.D schools, but I'd apply to two, maybe three, MA programs, just so you can have some choice when it comes to funding. If I had just applied to LSE or UBC, and not Queen's, I would have missed out on a pretty sweet funding package, and in the end, it ended up being the best offer. The additional $75-100 for each additional application isn't much when the funding offers can swing by the thousands.

 

Best of luck in applying!

 

Canuck.

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