azzobrother

Okay, you'll be fine. I know people in the program who have Math for Social Science as the only math course they've taken during their undergrad.

You can probably get in with just those statistic courses--assuming of course that you've taken other math courses, such as calculus and linear algebra. Having econometrics will help you as well.

Hi Tundra, I'm an MA student at UofT so I'll answer your question. I'm not sure how UofT is ranked compared to schools in the US, but recently we've had several people from the PhD program hired by Top 20 schools. The placement information is not hard to find on the website, it's something that the department is really proud of so they make sure that last year's placement results are easy to find. The admit rate depends on whether you are a domestic student or an international student. During our orientation (as an MA), Martin Osborne (present Chair of the department) emphasized that there will be very few spots allocated for international students. He said that the department does not get money (presumably from the government) for any of the international students they admit. But, if your a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, then its relatively easier. If you have an -A average in your economics courses, and a B to B+ average in your math courses, then I think you have a good chance of being admitted into their Regular MA program. I say MA and not PhD because the department does not admit applicants into their PhD program directly from undergrad. But, they do have a Doctoral Stream MA program, which is a bit harder to get into. Funding is only offered to the Doctoral Stream MA students and the PhD students. I'm in the Doctoral Stream and I think the funding is very generous, but, it's sufficient only for the 8-month period from September to April. There's guaranteed research assistantship for the following summer, but the compensation will not be enough to cover living expenses. I hope this information will be useful to you. Good luck! A

A few lines from Milton might be relevant: "...What though the field be lost? All is not lost—the unconquerable will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield. And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might Extort from me." I wish you the best on your next attempt. A

It certainly won't harm you to send one.

Why not apply to both (that is, both PhD and MA programs)? Figure out which PhD programs you'd be willing to attend and is most likely to consider a candidate with your background. Apply to those programs and, in addition, apply to several MA programs just in case you don't get accepted into any PhD programs.

I think a person with a double major in Pure Mathematics and English Literature (with 2 to 3 courses in economics and statistics) and extensive experience debating competitively would be a very well-rounded undergraduate. You'll get someone competent in both abstract and concrete reasoning, whose also good with writing, and comfortable with public speaking. I have this dogmatic belief that if you can learn Pure Mathematics, you can learn anything.

Hello! It doesn't seem like too many people considered Toronto this year, just based on my observation from the threads in the past couple of months. If you will be going there, give me a shout, maybe we can share the administrative details we need to know to make the registration process a little easier. A P.s. I'm an M.A. student

You don't. I don't think anyone knows a priori if a PhD in Economics is really for them. This is similar to asking, "How do I know I've married the right man/woman?" You can only answer these questions with certainty after you've done them. If we had the power of unerring foresight pre-nuptual agreements wouldn't exist. But since you say that you love economics, I think your on the right track by considering a PhD. For me I have a vague understanding of my interest and the best outward expression I can think of for that interest is to do a PhD in Economics. Paul Krugman, Steven Levitt, and Daron Acemogul are distinguished economist that, as far as I know, did not have heavy training in mathematics.

For those who want to read journal articles, here's a good place to start http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/6349

I think the more candid you are with your request the better. Visit them during their office hour and say "Hi Prof, my name is so-and-so, I took your -insert econ or math class- and got an -insert grade- in it. I'm applying to graduate school this Fall and I was wondering if you'd be comfortable writing a positive letter of reference for me." Try not to be too subservient, but at the same time don’t be pushy; you have to find that balance where the way in which your request was made has that quiet confidence of someone who deserves nothing but a good letter of reference. This of course assumes you performed well enough in their course to deserve it. It doesn't take a subtle mind to figure out if they are comfortable with your request. You'll either get an enthusiastic "Yes!", an equivocal "Sure...", or “No.” If their answer resembles the first, then your good, otherwise, try someone else. Good luck!

I call my MBP 'The Indefensible'. I agree that there are much cheaper laptops with much better performance than an MBP. I was considering buying a refurbished one from this website: http://www.laptopcloseout.ca/ They carry high performance IBM's for a fraction of the original price.

I'm a recent Mac convert: I used to have an IBM T43 14" and now I have a Macbook Pro 13". I was blown away by my Macbook's performance (I used to wait 20 minutes for my T43 to boot) and the transition from Windows XP to Mac OS X did not take long: it took me a little over a day to get used to the new interface. It's much lighter than my previous laptop and its sleek and elegant finish will add points to your cool factor. In my view, it would be unethical to spend money on any other computer.

Canuck: I shall heed your advice and consult Martin Osborne

Many thanks for your replies. I'm not too worried about getting into a school in the States; I'm content staying at U of T, so signalling is not too big of an issue for me. I want to take 2 PhD courses because I want to do research as soon as possible. Canuck, when you said "everything else was lower", are you implying that everybody passed? Ellie, will you PM me the details? Thank you, A