waxwings

Hi Yoyogibair, Thanks a lot for the excellent information! I'll pass it on to my friend.

Thanks for the tip! Would you happen to have the names of specific schools?

Hi everyone, thanks for the responses! I agree that my friend should probably narrow his focus with regard to the types of programs he's applying to. However, the reason why I'm focusing on programs that are familiar with Ghanaian students is because I know how skittish they can be with regard to unknown quantities. My friend is also a bit worried about the quality of his grades, which makes it harder to determine the appropriate range of programs he should apply to.

Hi all, I'm writing on behalf of a friend who earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Ghana. He's currently studying for the GRE, and is looking to apply to masters programs in Economics, Actuarial Science, Public Policy and Statistics. I know that's a broad range, but I was wondering if any of you might have advice on which programs have a good track record of accepting students from UoG, or universities in Africa in general. It's hard to know exactly where to start, so any thoughts would be appreciated. I think he's primarily interested in the U.S. and Canada, but maybe the UK or other European countries would also have good programs? Thanks in advance!

I see...that is interesting in and of itself. Here are the basic descriptions for each of the MPA/ID classes: API 120: Focuses on the international dimension of macroeconomic policy, particularly monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate policy, and on the determination of the current account balance, national income, and inflation. Special attention is given to developing countries and other small open economies, defined as those for whom prices are determined on world markets. Models of devaluation include those that focus on the price of internationally traded goods in terms of non-traded goods. A major overall theme is the implication of increased integration of global financial markets. Another is countries’ choice of monetary regime, especially the degree of exchange rate flexibility and alternative ways that central banks can credibly commit to noninflationary monetary policy. Financial crises in emerging markets will be covered. Syllabus: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/syllabus/API-120.pdf API 119: This is an advanced course in macroeconomics at the graduate level. It begins with a presentation of the main two macroeconomic models, the “representative agent model” and the “overlapping generations model,” which serve as the basic tools in the field. Next the course applies these two models to study several key macroeconomic issues, such as economic growth, consumption, investment, and output fluctuations, as well as fiscal and monetary policy. Prerequisites: Multivariate calculus and constrained static and dynamic optimization; differential equations; and intermediate macroeconomics. Syllabus: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/syllabus/API-119.pdf. The second half of the course is very growth-focused (appropriate for the MPA/ID). I am not sure at what point they cover dynamic programming in the course, but the syllabus states that the course "freely uses the techniques of dynamic optimization." I guess another relevant question might be whether these classes would adequately prepare me to take an advanced class in macroeconomics, should I end up going in that direction.

Okay, that is good to know...In that case maybe it would be more helpful for me to get the opinion of the instructors, and see how much of "common elements" might be covered by the MPA/ID sequence. What would you say the most important common elements are? Thanks for the replies!

I've roughly compared the syllabi for the MPA/ID macro sequence and what I'm guessing is a typical econ PhD macro sequence, and here's what I can tell: 1) The first semester of the MPA/ID sequence (API 120) seems to be open-economy stuff that doesn't correspond directly to any portion of the PhD sequence (not that this wouldn't be valuable). 2) The second semester of the MPA/ID sequence (API 119...confusingly) seems to cover the same topics as the PhD macro sequence, but compressed into one semester. If this characterization is off base in any way, please let me know. I'm asking because I'm contemplating taking MPA/ID sequence (my PhD program doesn't have a set macro requirement), but I would like to know what I'm getting into vis-a-vis the actual course content, particularly if I also have the option of taking the actual PhD sequence (this could be at MIT). My main reasons for not wanting to take the PhD sequence are the difficulty level and maybe the lack of applicability of some parts of it. The MPA/ID sequence seems less theoretical, more applied, and more related to a major interest of mine (development). But I'm afraid it might not give me the tools or credibility later on in case I want to go in a more macro-oriented direction with my research. It would be great to hear from current or former MPA/ID students, or current econ students familiar with the MPA/ID curriculum. Thanks in advance!

They told us at the Michigan flyout that Jing Cai (Berkeley ARE, Job Market Candidates - Jing Cai) has apparently been hired as a development/China person at Michigan. I meant to post this earlier but forgot...in case it affects anyone's decision at this point. I've met her before and she's quite nice. And I saw her give an impressive presentation of her JMP.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I do have an MA offer right now (SAIS IDEV, with 1/3rd funding) which I have technically turned down already....but wondering if that was a good idea. I have seen Chris Blattman's advice many times, actually. The problem is that I'm not sure if I really see myself as a researcher. Harvard just seems like a good opportunity, but based just on CB's advice, I should get a masters and be done with it. On the other hand, I think I could direct my research towards practical ends...

Review 1 Intellectual merit: Very Good Broader impacts: Excellent Review 2 Intellectual merit: Very Good Broader impacts: Excellent Review 3 Intellectual merit: Excellent Broader impacts: Very Good Result: honorable mention. Comment: The first reviewer thought my proposal was detailed and specific, but would be difficult to carry out--I didn't specify an exact source of funding for the planned intervention (I guess you might have to be pretty specific!), and the intervention itself might be hard to implement. Another reviewer seemed to think the research question itself could be refined, which I can agree with. Overall they seemed to think I was academically well-prepared, had good research experience and good recommendations, and did well on broader impacts (I spent a lot of time and space here, as others have advised). I assume there might be stuff that's not on the rating sheet that's relevant for who gets the award, but I would guess I mainly came up a bit short in the proposal. I had shopped it around a number of people so it definitely improved from the first draft, at least. (Meta-comment: I'm mostly pleased, but it feels weird to be rated like this! The last time I was reviewed by a panel was when I was playing a musical instrument.)

The problem with this PhD is that you don't actually get a degree along the way! (I mentioned this above, but it may have gotten lost in the blocks of text.) HKS has its own masters programs (MPP, MPA/ID, etc.) that are administered separately, so they don't actually have anything to give to PhD students who want to drop out. (Unless you did one of those programs first and then were accepted into the PhD, which is quite common--but that obviously doesn't apply to those of us without previous masters degrees.) I originally misread their website to read that they would award you an MPP along the way, but that is incorrect. That said, attrition is apparently quite low...which could be self-selection, a reflection on the program, or combination of both. I don't want to self-select incorrectly...hah. Thanks for the advice though. It would suck to change my mind.

Hi all, I'm wondering if any of you out there are in a similar boat. Now that I'm on the cusp of deciding between graduate schools, I'm not entirely sure if the PhD would be the right path for me. I was unsure when I applied, and figured I would have more time to think about it. Since I've heard back from schools, the process of gathering more information about each program, going to visiting days, speaking to students and faculty, etc. has somewhat accelerated my doubts. In the past, I was more worried about not being able to do well enough in the courses. I figured research would be the easier and more interesting part. Now I'm wondering if I really want to do the dissertation. It seems like a long and lonely road, and given that I don't want to become an academic, I'm not sure how much sense it makes. I would like to be involved in policy formation (in international development, potentially with leeway to move into related areas), which was pretty much why I thought getting a PhD would be a good thing to do. However, I'm experiencing a great deal of cognitive dissonance in hearing from faculty/students that it doesn't make sense to do a PhD if 1) you don't really want to do the dissertation, i.e., aren't seriously interested in doing deep research on one particular topic, or 2) aren't seriously interested in a career involving research--and thinking that it would still be an advantage to have one. One person has told me it's just an advantage to have one and I should just do it. Other people have said I should do it only if I really want to. I have a general direction in which I might like to head with my research (private sector development in developing countries), but it just seems like a big commitment. Research is interesting, but maybe not a passion for me. The idea of diving into a dissertation for three years might seem more attractive a few years from now, but I wonder about what else I could be doing. Given all of the RA work I've done since college, part of me just wants to try something else out. The "problem" is that I have a fully funded offer at a really good PhD program that would be a good match for my interests (HKS public policy). Unfortunately, they don't award any kind of masters degree if you decide to drop out, which is unfortunate (not that hedging on being able to drop out is a great strategy, I suppose). I'm trying to see if I can defer, maybe try something else out, or reapply to masters programs (like the MPA/ID--I got waitlisted this year). I am afraid that part of this is just restlessness--I want to go abroad or into the field (really missed out on that during and after college--big reget of mine), and I'm not sure whether a one-and-a-half month break this summer will cure this, or not. There are actually other aspects of this that complicate my decision, but I'll leave it at that for now. Sorry if that was rambly, but if any of this resonates with you, it would be great to hear from you. I feel very annoyed with myself for getting this far in the process and being so indecisive still. I'm afraid I'm being swayed by the attractive aspects of the program I did get into, and not thinking hard enough about whether it's the right kind of program for me. People say it's good I'm thinking about this now rather than later, but I just feel like it will be hard to make a good decision.

I'll be there too, though going out on Thursday night probably won't be in the cards (I'm getting in closer to 10pm). What fields are you guys interested in?

Bump...I see this thread hasn't been updated in a while. (Sorry if there's a duplicate thread floating around somewhere.) Has there been any news relating to Harvard econ or Harvard Kennedy School?

Does anyone know about LSE? Do they have an official flyout?

Bump... I just received some information from a current student who says that math camp typically lasts for one week, and takes place at the end of August.

Does anyone know if math camp is required for the public policy PhD at Harvard? Might it depend on which track you intend to concentrate in (e.g. a more econ-heavy track, like international development)? Thanks in advance!

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Top 5-10 US, political economy major (a not-very-quanty mix of poli sci and econ) Undergrad GPA: 3.82 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: 800Q 800V 6.0AWA Math Courses: Calc II (A+), Calc III (B+), Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis (A) (taken at GWU, after undergrad), Probability Theory (B) (also at GWU) Econ Courses (grad-level): n/a Econ Courses (undergrad-level): micro (A-), macro (A), econometrics (A-), economic development (A), economic history (A-) Other Courses: everything else was blend of poli sci, English, and other humanities classes. Letters of Recommendation: 1 from assistant professor whom I did some research with and who was also my thesis advisor (he said it was really strong!), 1 from an economist I worked with at the Fed (not very much substantive research to commont on, but should have been relatively strong), and 1 from one of my supervising economists at my current research job (potentially more substantive research to comment on, probably also fine). Nobody particularly famous, and only one rec from academia proper. Research Experience: wrote an undergraduate thesis which my advisor liked a lot. I submitted this as a writing sample to HKS, but nowhere else. I had also done some more qualitatively-oriented work for my advisor previously. I was an RA at the Fed for about two years. I would say I gained a lot of RA skills while there and saw a lot of interesting work, but at the same time didn't engage in a lot of substantive research. I'm currently an RA in the well-respected research department of a different institution, and have been doing more research here. I've also done a bit of fieldwork as well, which I mentioned I was going to be doing on my app. Teaching Experience: n/a Research Interests: development, specifically private sector development in low-income countries, industrial policy, export diversification SOP: talked about my research experiences and research interests. Tried to spin my "interdisciplinary" background as a positive. Concerns: I didn't seriously consider getting a PhD in economics until my senior year of undergrad, so my concerns stem mainly from my late start. I had a strong relationship with my advisor but didn't really know anyone else in my department, so I had to get my other two LORs after undergrad. I didn't properly major in econ, and only started taking the necessary math classes my senior year (and after undergrad). (I only took a handful of econ classes at all!) Other: I'm writing this only after having received some of my results, which I think is definitely coloring this post (in a positive way). I assume the place to go into greater detail is in another thread. Applying to: Harvard, MIT, HKS public policy, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Berkeley ARE, Michigan (econ/public policy), Brown, UCSD, LSE, Oxford, Maryland, Maryland AREC. Also HKS MPA/ID, Princeton WWS MPA, and JHU SAIS MA.

I got some good news yesterday. Also, it looks like someone on GC has already accepted as of today...

Hmm, that's interesting. I don't work for JPAL or IPA but from what I can gather, it probably wasn't language unless you were targeting jobs with specific language requirements (Spanish in Latin American, French in Africa, etc.), since a lot of JPAL/IPA jobs are in Anglophone countries. But competition is still pretty fierce nowadays aside from that, as I'm sure others can testify as well.

So is the suggested 1,500 word limit on this page misleading?: Completing your application - Completing your application - How to apply - enquirer - Graduate - Study - Home I rather hope so...I didn't notice at first that they were the general instructions, not specific instructions for the econ PhD program. There are no guidelines as to length that I can see in either application form, or on the econ admissions page itself: MRes/PhD Admissions Information -- How to Apply

Thanks to everyone for the additional thoughts on funding. I had a separate but related question, which I ended posting in a different thread: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/138127-fieldwork-intersection-development-io-trade.html

Hi all, I hope this isn't too much of a long shot, but I was wondering if anyone was aware of opportunities to do fieldwork involving firms in developing countries. As the post title indicates, my interests lie somewhere at the intersection of development, IO, and trade. I'm specifically interested in studying constraints to firm growth in a given sector (e.g. agroprocessing in Ghana, leather exports in Ethiopia), or the growth of the sector as a whole. JPAL/IPA offers a lot of micro/household-level opportunities, but given the difficulty of experimenting with firms, there aren't too many projects in the latter area. Basically, my motivation for inquiring is that (right now, as well as in grad school) I would like to travel, observe firms, and perhaps collect original data (or assist in a larger survey effort?), or at least not be constrained solely to running regressions on previously collected data sets. I'm also having some difficulty identifying researchers who do this type of research at all. Nick Bloom (Stanford) and David McKenzie (World Bank) have done field experiments with larger firms in India. I think Amit Khandewal (Columbia) and David Atkin (Yale) are working with smaller firms elsewhere. A cluster of people at LSE and Oxford also seem to be doing interesting stuff. I've also been checking out job candidates at various schools, and relatively few grad students seem to be doing anything at the intersection of these topics. If you're in the know, it would be greatly appreciated if you could chime in with your thoughts/information. Thanks!

Belated thanks for the reply! I plan to circumvent some of these problems by winning the NSF (...half-kidding). I'm glad to hear that I could potentially have the flexibility to do such things, and hope to receive more clarification in the future.

This is a great thread I'd like to revive with a specific question. Short of taking a leave of absence, what are the opportunities for doing field work in developing countries after second year? I imagine this would depend on residency requirements, TA/RA responsibilties that require you to be on campus, the need to take a course or two in the third year, etc. and would thus vary across programs and personal situations. I would personally like to do as much field work as possible, but it would be great to get a realistic perspective on how flexible departments tend to be in this regard. Ideally, I would also like to do something in the summer between the first and second, in the case that prelims are out of the way earlier in the summer. My impression is that many programs require three years of residency at least. I've heard of students basically spending the second half of grad school abroad. Can any current students chime in with their thoughts? Edit: Here's are some relevant threads: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/123207-phd-question-regarding-location.html http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/120471-phd-program-3rd-5th-year-how-it-exactly.html