oleador

Another thing you could do, if you don't mind spending 2 extra years, is to do a master program in Europe that has a strong record of sending people to good PhDs in the US. For example: Barcelona GSE, LSE, UCL, Bocconi, Paris, Stockholm. If you do well in the master, your undergrad grades will be much less relevant.

Take a look at this link: The Graduate Program in Economics, Finance and Management - Courses 2013-2014 It seems you can still take Math as an optional course, though with a different professor. But you should ask them whether it's possible to take MRes courses if you are enrolled in the Master.

It's true that BGSE has good PhD placements, but to be placed well you must end up at the top of your class (say 10th-15th percentile) which is not that easy. Also it's a 1-year program, which means that if you want to apply to PhD programs in the US you'll have to wait another year since by the time you apply you won't have any grades and recommendation letters from BGSE. I know little details about the program at SSE but the school has a good reputation overall. Their economics PhD is quite good, but I don't know anything about the Masters in International/Applied Economics. Yet, the fact that it's a 2-year program will solve the problem I mentioned above.

BGSE can get you in a PhD at a top school if you excel in the classes. If you stay, the PhD at UPF is quite good too. LSE econ master would open a lot of doors too, but I have doubts about Econ & Philosophy. It could be something completely different, so make sure to find out before you go.

Do you have to spend it now? I would wait until starting the PhD (as I understand you are starting this fall). Then you'll have a better idea of which books you need.

I self-studied Velleman's "How to Prove It," and it considerably increased my proof abilities. I like his structural approach to proofs. Basically, what you learn is that proofs can be of several types and each of this type has a number of strategies that can be used. Finally, there are a lot of problems that help you start feeling how to approach each proof.

Besides Canada, there are a lot of good European masters that provide funding. There are many threads about masters in Europe -- use search.

Going back to the original question, I think most academic economists use R and Stata for data analysis. I don't know anybody who uses SAS in academia, but it is quite popular in private sector. Here is an article which compares popularity of statistical software: The Popularity of Data Analysis Software | r4stats.com

As for Barcelona GSE, even if you get full funding, it is only around EUR 1000 per month. This would be ok if you are alone, but if you are coming with family, it is nearly impossible. For instance, the cheapest one-bedroom apartment plus utilities will cost you around 600. It can be cheaper in the suburbs, but then you will pay more for transportation. With 400 left for food, transportation, etc, I don't really think you can make it. There are few schools around the world which will pay you enough to support your family. Some top schools in the US (e.g. Yale, Stanford) pay a lot, but you cannot count on getting there, unless you have a stellar profile and nice letters from relatively famous/connected professors. Another place that comes to my mind is NHH in Bergen. It is not a top school but they pay a lot -- something around EUR 45k gross, if I remember it right. It should be enough, even if you take into account that it is a before-tax amount and that Bergen is quite expensive. Good luck!

Sometimes, even if a school initially rejects you, but then you say that you have money to attend, they may change their decision.

Why don't you ask the professor directly? Some professors are willing to share their old exams with current students to give them more practice material.

As for UAB, you should ask them directly (write to idea[AT]uab.es), since it is very strange that they still haven't replied.

I don't know about any good online courses. In my case, I didn't do a lot of proofs in my undergrad, and what helped me the most is self-studying "How to Prove It" by Velleman. This is a book on the theory of proof based on mathematical logic with a lot of exercises. But definitely, the best way to learn to prove things is to practice.

This is not exactly what you asked, but this thread may contain some answers to your questions http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/147398-commuting-working-home-econ-ph-d-programs.html

If you need international data, IMF, World Bank and OECD are good sources. Also WTO, if you need trade data.

Yes. I think Zurich's placement should be very solid, though I am not very familiar with their MA program.

It's impossible for me to answer your questions. I have no information about your skills. There are non-econ students who do very well, and econ students who do poorly. BGSE is a good brand (at least in Europe), and it will be your advantage when you will look for a job. But your skills (and grades) will matter more.

I would also ask the department secretary for dates, since the actual break at the department may start earlier than the date indicated for the entire university.

Almost everyone who is well placed after BGSE is placed after completing the first year, i.e. they apply the fall after the 1st year. You will have a gap year which you can use to stay at UPF doing MRes or taking a job. I believe their professional placements are listed on the website. If not, ask them.

MSc at U Autonoma Barcelona, MSc at U Pompeu Fabra (both schools are parts of Barcelona GSE but have separate master and PhD programs), CEMFI, Carlos III, Toulouse, Tinbergen, Tilburg, etc. There are many more. British schools are known for providing funding to fewer students than the continental schools, but they still provide it -- LSE, UCL, Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick. In general, because master in Europe in most cases serves as the first two (in some cases one) years of PhD, the schools fund the students who are considered to be good enough to proceed to PhD. Some good schools (Stockholm, Bocconi) do not divide PhD into master and PhD itself, so if you apply you would be looked at as a potential PhD student. And if you want to consider Canada -- U Toronto, UBC, Queen's.

Are you asking about the US? Many Canadian and European programs do provide funding, but as far as I know most US programs don't.

Yes, I should have been more specific. I'd say top 10-20%. Also, some top students choose to stay at UPF for PhD, since it is a very good program itself. It is relatively easy to stay at UPF if you are about top 30%. UPF PhD is considerably better than McGill's, so you should take this into account if you don't crack US top-20. You shouldn't take the complete advanced sequence. I know some people who only took 2-3 advanced courses and got into top-10-20 schools. Also remember that when people talk about placement of BGSE they mean that people study one year at BGSE and then apply next year. If you apply this fall/winter, the adcoms will have almost no new information about you. Additionally it's hard to get 3 good letters in such a short period.

I agree with what Strings said. Regarding the job opportunities after master, I am not familiar with McGill's placement. BGSE graduates that don't want to continue to PhD usually go to consulting, banks, i-banks, private research firms, etc. I believe there is a placement list on their website. If not, you can ask them for the information.

No question: BGSE. You still need to do very well, but the probability of ending up at top-20 US PhD, given that you do well, is much higher for BGSE. Every year they place several people into top schools.

I find driving quite meditating and relaxing, and it may refresh your brain after a tough day, so you can do some more productive work at home (believe me, at least in the first two years you'll work A LOT and most likely won't have free evenings). Yes, spending 10 hours a week on commuting is a lot, but I think it's doable if you are efficient when you work (i.e. don't spend time on distractions like facebook or TM forum). Good luck!