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Thanks to all the nice replies here especially to Lombardo! Why don't we try to compare job placements? I can't find any info on Oxford's site so it would be helpful if someone insider would comment on that. LSE has some info but most PhD students placed either at economic instituions or universities in their home countries. Seems like both PhD programs don't have very strong academic placements. Do we know of anyone distinguished who has attended either one of these at the PhD or Masters level?

In what sense is LSE better option for the US? Strength of program? Repuation? I have a feeling LSE has a better rep in the Us while Oxford has a better one in the rest of the world. Or do you mean that LSE has better profs and courses are stronger?

It depends how things turn out. I'm a US resident and EU citizen so I might apply to US but not Canadian schools for PhD. If I get into top 10-15, I would go but otherwise would continue in UK. Re: living. I would really prefer a big city but I have secured accommodation at Balliol which is more convenient. Can anyone evaluate quality of professors and research potential at both? I'm interested in DevEcon in case you need to consider it. I know that recently LSE is consindered the better one but Ox has a better global rep except maybe in the US. I don't know how big the differential is though. On EconPhD Ox ranks much lower than LSE.

It's tricky. I'm a EU citizen bu I've been in the US in the recent years so I got classifed as an Overseas student.

It's really late and the decision process is over but UK schools move slowly. I got accepted in March both by Oxford and LSE but Oxford awarded me the Weidenfield Scholarship which covers everything. I had decided on Oxford for this but today I just got a letter notifying me that LSE gives me a 25K scholarship annually. Now I really don't know what to do. It's for the Masters program but my ultimate goal is PhD. I may stay in the school I choose or apply to US schools for that part. Argh, the agonizing decision.

I just got my acceptance letter. It fooled me at first since it was a thin envelope. Info on college and financial aid would come later. Anyone knows if general scholarships are also given later or they have already been distributed?

I thought you are considered for Merit award when you apply. However, when I got my acceptance letter I am told i am eligible to apply for it together with some supporting scheme. Then I was directed to LSE for You for the online application. However besides this, there seems to be a separate financial scheme on the Financial office website that breaks down applications by various criteria of eligibily such as country of origin, etc. This has a paper application. Now all this really confuses me. The requirements are fairly similar and both applications go to the same place so I'm not sure if these are separate schemes or not. Please someone who has more experience battling this monster to clarify.

it's been more than two weeks an no word from Oxford. Does it mean it's over? I'm in the US for your reference.

Is it customary for LSE to admit to M.Sc. WITHOUT giving financial information? My notification directed me to a website where I should apply for aid. They ask for your financial situation and what is the minimum aid you need to take your place. How likely it is to get some aid after you file this form provided you have next to noting on your own?

Well, I'm probably an exception since I heard unofficially from LSE's Econ department but not from the grad school and no word on funding. It's been two weeks since I got the email and still nothing.

I saw the opportunity posted below but anyone knows any other opportunities to ramp up my research experience before going to grad school in the fall? I'm no longer in school so being an RA at my old alma mater doesn't count although I did this in my time.

Thanks, I'm trying to make a comprehensive decision. To clarify, once I finish my degree, be it masters or PhD I'm planning to return to the US be it to pursue a PhD if I'm lucky or to work. This may change but as a US resident I have more latitude than in the UK.

Compared to most people here my choices are modest so I feel a little embrassed to mention them. I know US programs are always preferrable but this is what I have. My ultimate goal is PhD and these are masters. I may try to apply to US PhD programs after the masters or stay and finish the PhD there so I need to weigh this in as well. How do you compare these places in terms of academics and futiure prospects? I don't have word on financial aid from both so although money is an issue for me, I can't weigh that in now. Lastly, I'm a European with a BA degree from top 10 US school. Not sure how a UK masters will seem next to it.

Miriam just let me know that I'm in. Apparently they've delayed mine for consideration for funding (I'm a EU citizen with a US degree).

I'm a little confused since LSE has one year MSc which ocudl be followed by a four year MPhil/PhD program. On the other hand, Oxford has two year MPhil followed by three year DPhil. So are they on the same level in the sense that someone with a Bachelor degree cna apply to Ox MPhil and LSE Msc? On a different note, I was told that in the British system, you apply and are accepted by only one professor who is your supervisor, i.e. there's no committee in the sense there is in the US. So part of the admissions process is to find someone to work with. Applying to Ox, I wrote a diss porposal tailored to someone specifi and contact him before applying. He was polite and expressed interest. We exchanged several emails about my topic. My friend who graduated from there told me the crucial thing is to win a prof and then you are done but I'm not so sure. Anyone has some wisdom to add?

Why do people prefer EME over regular Econ? I thought Econ (Research) was best if you want to go for a PhD.

I know they have a rolling deadline but surely after some time being accepted becomes very unlikely. Anyone knows when this time is? I feel like it's getting closer.

In the spirit of sharing, this is one of mine. Actually, the only one I have access to. I don't know how good it is though. Some of the stuff there is personal but I cannot take it out. Hope it won't come back to haunt me. Dear Admissions Committee: I write to recommend My name for the Ph.D. program in economics at School. From September 2003 to April 2004, My name worked as my Research Assistant at X University. I came to know her quite well during that period and during the past several years since then. By way of background, I am an Associate Professor at X, having obtained my Ph.D. from X. My research interests are predominantly in marketing, and include product line length as a marketing instrument, product positioning decisions, competition in distribution channels, and optimal advertising strategies. My research involves developing econometric models of consumer and firm behavior to help marketing managers make better decisions. I first met My name when she was recommended to me by Professor, who taught in the Economics Department at X. My name had worked as his summer research assistant, and he told me that she was one of the brightest students he had worked with in his years at X. Although My name was interested in development economics, she took the opportunity to work in marketing to broaden her horizons and for the potential applications that working with me might have toward her future research. My contacts with My name when she worked for me, and my observations of her personal and academic growth since, have shown her to be one of the most outstanding students I have encountered in my academic career. Since birth, My name has struggled with a number of severe physical disabilities. Despite possessing severely impaired vision, hearing, and mobility, however, she has managed to persevere and, due to her exceptional will power, to succeed academically. While still a high school student in her native country, My name’s stellar academic performance made national news. Although the Bulgarian state did not allow her to apply to university due to her disabilities, her academic achievements enabled her to obtain a full scholarship to attend X as an undergraduate. While at X, health problems in her freshman year at first had a negative impact on her studies and on her grades. Rather than give up, however, My name applied herself and managed to spectacularly improve her academic performance over the next three years. In her last two years as an undergraduate, she decided she wanted to be an economist and took a challenging course load in both economics and mathematics in order to gain the necessary background and qualifications to apply to the Ph.D. program. This course load included classes in advanced econometrics, in the economics of international financial markets, in development macroeconomics, and in monetary economics. In her final year at X, My name also authored an outstanding honors thesis on central bank privatization in Eastern Europe, which in scope and in the rigorousness of the models she attempted to employ may ultimately have been better suited for a doctoral dissertation. In this thesis, My name tried to demonstrate how banks that were privatized to foreign investors exhibited superior performance to those sold to domestic owners. Her underlying thesis was that foreign knowledge, coupled with tight credit control, would decrease overheads and the share of nonperforming loans, as well as attract more sound clients with novel approaches. Initially, My name had difficulties finding suitable data to carry out her study, since no comprehensive dataset existed. However, she persevered and went back to seek her data in primary sources. She requested balance sheets from the banks themselves as she researched the financial success of these financial institutions. In the course of doing her research, she contacted more than two hundred banks on her own to determine the history of their ownership structures, surely a mark of her persistence and dedication to research. For her efforts, My name was awarded the Departmental Award for Excellence in Economic Research at X. In addition, she was invited to present her findings at the X Conference. While employed by me, My name worked on a project that tried to demonstrate the effects of advertising on brand equity. It was while we worked together that I found My name to repeatedly reveal characteristics that would make her a successful graduate student. First, My name demonstrated that she had exceptional research skills, coupled with the ability to do creative research. While working for me, she showed a knack for generating original ideas that was unmatched by any other undergraduate student with whom I have worked. For instance, in order to better demonstrate the effects of advertising on brand equity, My name had to survey recent cases of new product to explain the market forecasting strategies companies used. In the course of her research, My name poured over hundreds of marketing reports in an effort to show how, in sectors where many brands for identical products exist and marketers target a specific segment of consumers for their product in order to differentiate it from the rest. In addition to her research skills, I believe My name would also be a successful graduate student because of her intelligence. While working for me, My name was able to process information more quickly and able to think more analytically about the tasks I gave her than most other students I have worked with at X, including even some of current my Ph.D. students at X. Equally importantly, My name possesses a phenomenal work ethic. Although she is by nature very shy, below the surface she has a hard-working personality and a thirst for perfection. For instance, she often took to finishing her at home, and she managed to incorporate several new cases of product launching strategies into our final research paper even after her assistantship with me was officially over. Most importantly, however, I believe My name will be a successful graduate student because she displays real passion for the research process and unmistakable persistence in achieving her goals. My close personal interactions with My name make me confident that she will be successful in X’s graduate program in economics. My name badly wants to be an economist and a researcher. She has worked hard to acquire the quantitative and analytical skills that it takes to succeed in graduate school and as a professional economist thereafter. I have not met a student at X whom I would recommend more highly, or with more enthusiasm, to you. If you should have any follow up questions, or if I can provide you with more information about My name , please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to speak with you by phone or to answer further inquiries by email.

It's over. Rejections are rolling out starting today via postal mail. Time to go postal...

Sorry to hear that too. Hugs can be provided although the marginal rate of substitution is iffy. On a different note, do we know how many acceptances they've sent so far? It seems like this year is unusually slow since I see very few mentions on Gradcafe. However I might be wrong, most accepted to LSE may not be posting there. Do we have any projection?

This confusing email seems to me like the nastiest reject. "A message is in the process of being sent to you regarding your application for admission. To retrieve your message, please go to the online admission web site and access your application after March 7, 2008. Please contact the Economics program if you have any questions regarding this decision."

Sorry if I have been wasting people's time. I didn't mean to sound like that. To veroniquaz: I eneded up not going to that program. Wasn't really excited about it and I would have been forcing myself. I could have gone to some better options I had but lacked the financial support. Now I have been applying to some good programs in UK and I have added financial incentives. Once again, I apologize for wasting people's time.

I am a EU citizen but applying for masters.

I applaud the idea. This thread is the only thing that has made me laugh in the past few days. BTW, I am a Milan fan and for the record, I'm not Italian. I'm from Eastern Europe and now live in California. The worst thing about living here is missing Champ League since they show it at noon. BTW, I'm a girl. It seems that the sex ratio is skewed towards guys but I don't object.

Congrats!! I'm starting to worry that I mentioned I hope to get some financial aid and that's the reason they are holding out on me. My story is that I was accepted to both my 1st and 2nd choices two years ago but didn't go for financial reasons. Now I'm reapplying but maybe the financial part makes them hold out. Although I wish they would make a decision now and if accepted, decide financial aid later.