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Bryster

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Everything posted by Bryster

  1. I also plan to take Functional Analysis and Topology and more econ classes in my graduate program. So even with stellar grades in these courses and perhaps another semester or two as an RA, I'm still pretty much out of luck? Also, the whole deal in Toronto was a combination of personal issues and slackeritis, with A leading to B. I should have dropped out before the semester ended, but instead I left at Christmas, bad grades and all. Is there any more profile boosting I can do at this point?
  2. Again, I just want to say that all my questions are hypothetical. I absolutely will not go down the Phd path again unless I'm 150% sure that's what I'm passionate about doing. It's just that after my having my entire focus be on getting a phd, then taking a complete 180 last year, and now working in an entirely different career path, I've started to consider if it's still something I want to do. It's as if I'm the guy in the cheesy romantic comedy. I'm also realistic and I realize that I sort of shot myself in the foot with everything that transpired in Toronto (that is, in my other foot after my poor early undergrad. performance). Trust me, I totally realize first hand the kind of committment and sacrifice that's required, and I'd be ready for it BEFORE I'd ever go back to that environment. And like everyone else, if a Phd is something I want to do, I want to go the best place possible. All that said, IF I decide to apply next year, I just want to hear your honest opinions on my "unique" situation (unique = crappy). What are your thoughts on research experience (or anything) to signal that Toronto was just a bad semester in my life but not indicative of future performance? (Again, this is assuming I realize in the next year I absolutely must return for a PhD and I truly understand the committment required). Thanks to everyone who has commented so far.
  3. Hopefully...lol. I wasn't sure if I could just skip that year of my life on applications. Also, even without the UofT info, what can be done to boost myself into a top 20? anything?
  4. My situation is a little different than most on this board. I graduated from a fairly well-respected LAC in 2005 (maj: Econ. min: Math). At the time I wanted nothing more than to pursue an Econ Phd. I didn't really get my act together until my 3rd/4th year so my cum. GPA was 3.1 (3.8 last 1.5 yrs.). Another issue I had was that all my math and econ courses were scattered throughout my 4 yrs. (as opposed to having the majority of them in the last 2 yrs.) This lead to strange occurrences such as getting a C in inter. micro and an A in adv. Needless to say, my major GPA pretty much mirrors the cum. Knowing all this, I opted to take some time to strengthen my profile. I started the first year of an MA in math at a local (VERY low ranked) univ. followed by getting accepted to the MA in econ. at Univ. of Toronto. This is where the plan started to fall apart. While in Toronto, I began to lose interest in economics (partly due to a lack of focus on my part but also as a result of a not-very-enjoyable program). I performed poorly and actually decided against the Phd altogether. After returning home early (without the master's and more bad grades) I passed an actuary exam and started a job as an actuary. The job isn't bad I definitely have a lucrative future ahead of me but while working this new job and finishing my MA in math (at the local, low-ranked univ.) I've started to miss economics. I'm not saying that I've absolutely decided to quit this job and head back into academia, but hypothetically.... What would need to be done at this point to get into a top 20 program (if it's even possible)? GRE 800Q 620V 4.5AWA UGPA 3.1 cum. (3.8 last 1.5 yrs.) MA (math) GPA 3.93 MA (univ. of Tor.) don't even know since I dropped out after first semester TA 3 semesters RA summer at low ranked univ. with int'l econ. prof. (primarily lit. reviews) undergrad. math classes: Calc I-III(all B's), lin. alg.(A), ode(A), math. stat. I and II(B/C), financial math(A), real analysis I and II (B/A) grad. math classes: lin. alg. (A), complex analysis (B), abstract algebra(A), pde(A), ode(A), prob. theory(A), real analysis (next semester), functional analysis (next semester), numerical analysis (next semester or later) Also, I have an A in the Phd Micro course here at my local univ. All that said, how negatively affected will I be by my Univ. of Toronto blunder? Thanks for reading such a long post.
  5. asquare... i am currently doing MA econ at u of toronto. I am taking phd sequences in micro and macro. Is it true that even at top 20 schools, I can pass prelims upon entry and be exempt from the first year theory courses. I know that if i do a phd here at toronto, then that's the case. I was just unsure about other top schools.
  6. Dr. List, thanks again for visiting this forum and lending advice. It's extremely helpful for all us PhD hopefuls. Now to my question: I was visiting a friend in Chicago a couple weeks ago and decided to see the UofC campus. Of course, I've heard from different sources that Hyde Park is a dangerous area. Well, I drove south on I94 and randomly exited (the map I was using was unclear). Basically, I got lost in Hyde Park for about 15 minutes, and let's just say I felt a bit "uneasy" even at 1:30 PM. My question is: being in Hyde Park, how safe is the actual campus? and What area do graduate students usually live in if not on campus? Thanks again.
  7. your comments aren't making me very excited to be attending U of T this fall. I, too, want to pursue a PhD in econ after finishing the MA at UofT. I'm currently half way done with a math MA at a local univ. Are you saying that academic placement at UofT isn't that great? Should I stay where I'm at, because it will be pretty expensive to attend UofT for a year? Of course, if it will help me in the future, I'm all for it. Any comments would be helpful.
  8. Ross The article that you're referring to in JPE was published while Levitt was in grad school at MIT.. His undergraduate thesis at Harvard for which he won the award for best undergraduate thesis was on thoroughbred breeding. Also, regarding Levitt's math background when he began at MIT, 'Levitt had taken exactly one math course as an undergraduate and had forgotten even that. During his first graduate class, he asked the student next to him about a formula on the board: Is there any difference between the derivative sign that's straight up-and-down and the curly one? "You are in so much trouble," he was told.' All of this information is taken directly from Stephen Dubner's 2003 New York Times Magazine article on Levitt, which burgeoned into Freakonomics.
  9. andyecon... just some "food" for thought I was in columbus last year for a conference and there are 3 restaurants that you ABSOLUTELY must try.. 1. Bucca de Beppo....... it's literally right next to nationwide arena... some of the best italian food there is... which is saying a lot especially since this is a franchise.. 2. Ted's Montana Grill... this is Ted Turner's restaurant... allegedly all the meat is sent directly from Ted's ranch in Montana.... the food is all extremely good.... this is also downtown.. 3. BD's Mongolian Barbeque... I've been to many mongolian bbq's in many different cities and this one is by far the best... also downtown.. so be sure to catch at least one , if not more of these eateries when you visit OSU...
  10. i have seen the placement record of the MA students at UBC on their site, but i haven't found any such feature on UofT's site... just curious, becuase you say they have about the same placement record into good ph.ds..... where can i see more about Toronto's placement?
  11. i know it's been discussed in times past here on TM, but I suppose I'm looking for fresh insight and more up to date opinions... Econ MA: UBC or Toronto? To bust out the Latin on everyone, ceteris paribus what's the better place to get an MA in econ? (assuming one will use it as a stepping stone to a top ph.d).... i've looked diligently (or for those of you still studying for your GRE,,, assiduously) at both websites, and both schools have impressive econ faculty. I know at Toronto you have the option to take the ph.d level core courses, whereas I'm unsure if you can do this at UBC (web site doesn't make it clear). And even though I know having a ph.d and being a professor means i'll be writing papers my whole life, a part of me still the cherishes the "non-thesis" option in life...specifically, Toronto doesn't require a paper, UBC does..... Ok, I'm all out of "separators"..... anyone else?
  12. "if you want in a certain top 10 you would probably be better off in a MS math or some other more technical MSc/MA in econ elsewhere or abroad." ...which is exactly my reason for being in a math MA right now and wanting to go to a more technical econ MA abroad...these are the same things i've heard also... i just hope it'll be enough to get me in a top 20 or higher (hopefully).
  13. To Airbakin... to be honest, finances would only be an issue if i went to Europe... and the reason I never considered and MA in econ in the U.S. is because everything I've heard on this forum for so long about how the only worthwhile terminal MAs in econ that will help your phd profile are "non-U.S.".... so i'm completely fine with going to Canada if it will help phd adcoms not to focus so much on my very forgettable first 3 years undergrad GPA.
  14. 1st, to werther.... yes i am from TX, (san antonio.... go spurs go!) and yes it is a great place to live, but i've been to canada a few times, and it's definitely no slouch... not to mention i've heard Vancouver might be the most beautiful city in all of north america... and i actually took a summer class at UT Austin this past summer, and i must say Austin is a pretty unique city in its own right (lots of culture, and some pretty great restaurants).. to notacolour... those are pretty much my options, except there's also 2c, namely, 1 year econ MA, apply 2 years from now after i've finished the whole thing, which means bide my spare time until applying for phd's... and yes i can take economics courses in my math MA (in fact, i'm taking a micro class in the spring), and i do believe i can get strong letters (esp. because i'm going to be an RA in the econ. dept. as well). To be honest, this would be the easiest thing to do financially,,, i just thought the overall value added of completing a "prestigious" Canadian MA in econ would help me more (this is after emailing different grad. advisors at some of the top 20 econ schools to seek their advice).. also, if someone believes otherwise, that is, that staying at my low ranked school and finsihing an MA in math, while taking econ classes too and getting to know econ faculty through being an RA and TA would be just as beneficial to my profile as leaving the MA in math to do an MA in econ in Canada, please let me know and give reasons (if possible).. to reactor...could i not somehow be able to print out an unofficial transcript to send in with app's after 1st semester?? Basically, could it really be the case that i would not be able to send in my 1st semester MA grades with phd app's?? again, this discussion is helping me more than you all know...thanks
  15. i would take Algebra, Numerical Analysis, Real Analysis (grad. of course), Functional Analysis, and whatever others they are offering that interest me... the main thing drawing me to one of the econ MAs is the fact that they are prominent phd application boosters from prominent universitites in the field. my math MA is from a very low ranked university....also, my phd letter writers will probably end up being math profs, with perhaps one econ. prof, but undoubtedly the faculty at both Canadian schools are more "known", etc... so are you still saying that even with one year of a math MA completed, i'd better wait and do a full year of an econ MA before applying for phds?? would my chances at admission be that much better over applying after only the first semester of the econ MA? again, thanks for everyone's helpful advice..
  16. i would apply to oxford and lse too, if they weren't so expensive and so far.... so you're saying i would need to be there the full year to have a year's worth of solid grades and LORs for phd applications?.... in this case, i could do the one year MA at school in Canada, and then I could foreseeably come back home and finish the other year of the MA in math..... would it better to just stay here and finish the degree in math and then go do the MA in Canada.... (probably not, because i would be faced with the same dilemma of only having completed one semester in MA econ when i started applying for phds) the one discouraging about all this is it puts me back starting the phd yet another year.... as it is i was planning to apply to begin fall 07, but in order to have the full year of the MA under my belt, i won't be able to begin until fall 08... oh well, i suppose "you have to do what you have to do" and all that.
  17. thanks for both responses.... 42 hours is approximately one full academic year plus the summer before it...i did take econometrics, but my school didn't offer an advanced macro class.... oddly enough, i got B's in the early math classes (when i didn't much care about school) and then i started getting A's in the later ones, following the overall upward trend. and no i'm not canadian,,, but like i said i have been reading this forum long enough to know that an MA in econ that will actually carry weight in the phd adm process must be from Canada or Europe,... and Canada's closer and cheaper (to TX)... and i hadn't really planned on applying elsewhere.... i figure if i can't get in to one of those two places, i'll just finish the masters in math that i'm currently in, and then evaluate my options at that point.
  18. I've been a silent observer on this site for a long time now but have posted very few times. I'm just curious to get the opinions of the "Econ gang" on my chances. small liberal arts college BA econ, minor math... i started out very poorly due to lack of motivation so even though the final 42 hours of my degree i had 3.8 gpa, my cumulative is only 3.0. Math classes: calc. I-III, math stat. I and II, financial math., linear algebra, differential equations, real analysis (Relevant) Econ classes: Advance Micro, econometrics, int'l trade, fin. institutions and markets, int'l monetary systems. i understand that i screwed myself over for my first 3 years, so i am currently finishing the first semester of a master's degree in math from a local state university (still continuing the upward grade trend).. classes: linear algebra and matrix theory, partial differential equations, and complex analysis. GRE Q 800, V 630, AWA ?? Next semester I will be an RA and TA for economics dep't, and in addition to math classes will take another adv. micro course.. ... my LOR's are from 2 current math profs, and an econ prof from undergrad... the plan is to eventually do a ph.d once i strengthen my profile more, and right now i am planning on not completing the MA in math but rather applying to the masters in econ programs at U British Columbia, and U of Toronto.... Finally........ what are your respective opinions on my chances of admission.
  19. when you square left side, you simply get rid of the square root leaving , a + b + 2sqrt(ab) on the right side, when you square sqrt(a) + sqrt(b) you get a + 2sqrt(ab) + b, which is equal to the left side squared, therefore they are equal
  20. Bryster

    ratio prob

    a/b = 2/5 we want (2a +3b) / (7a + 5b)..... Multiply through by 1/b on the top and bottom ===> [(2(a/b) + 3) / (7(a/b) +5] and a/b = 2/5, so (2a + 3b) / (7a + 5b) = (4/5 + 3) / (14/5 + 5) = (19/5) / (39/5) = 19/39 but since the GRE is all about the race against time..... i say go with Dimas' method, it's much quicker
  21. i read somewhere (i don't remember where, barrons i think) , that sq. rt of a number is always taken as positive (on GRE)..... However , if you have x^2 = 16 Compare 4 and x, then the answer would be D, because on GRE , x=+-4, So just remember for GRE, sq. rt. is always positive.
  22. you can get it on amazon, i believe it's going for around $90 right now
  23. Bryster

    equality

    that's not necessarily true... if y=1, then we get -1
  24. i think it's 63... because there are 2^6 different sequences of the 6 answers, with one of those being the correct sequence, so there could be 63 students each with a different sequence and none of them with the correct sequence.
  25. Bryster

    One from Dimas

    I'm curious if by "reasonably certain" you mean, simply greater than a 50% chance.... in this case (counting 365 days in a year), it seems like there would only need to be 22 people , not 23.... maybe i'm not seeing something...if someone could enlighten me
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