straudos

I double majored in math and computer science, and then went to work as an RA at the Fed. I can definitely say that my computer skills have been indispensable and the main reason I was hired. In fact, the last hiring cycle (where I helped with the interviews) we were specifically looking to hire someone with a strong computer background, but were ultimately unable to find someone. That said, I'd go with the math minor. Why? Because almost every math class you take will be useful, but that's not true for computer science. In math, both theoretical and practical classes will be useful for you. However, Econ programs only care about practical programming skills, not theoretical computer science. So get the math minor, BUT make sure you take at least two or three computer science classes as well. Avoid anything theoretical or "proof" based in CS. These are inferior versions of what you'll learn in math classes anyway. Focus on learning how to program.

As I undergo the grad school application process, one thing I find particularly irritating is the amount of paperwork I need to go through. In particular, since I took classes at 2 schools since finishing undergrad, I need to send 3 official transcripts to each school I apply to. One school charges $5 per transcript, and the other charges $7. The other doesn't charge anything, and even allows official transcripts to be sent electronically, if the receiving schools accept it in that form. So why is it that in the electronic age we still need to send transcripts through the mail? If it were sent electronically it could be done instantaneously, with no processing costs on either school's end, and with proper validation methods it can be just as secure (if not moreso) than if it were sent through the mail. To me this seems like the obvious approach, and yet most schools seem to insist on a hard copy of a transcript being mailed to them. Why? To be honest, an extremely bureaucratic application process is a negative signal to me about the school. It tells me that this school isn't willing to put in a little effort toward making the lives of its students easier. I've found that some schools, especially Berkeley, make applying a very smooth process. Others seem to just not give a damn.

You're GRE is great but that only gets you passed the first bar. It's hard to say how good your chances are because I'm not familiar with Indian schools or Indian grading systems. Extra-curriculars are not really considered from what I understand. It really comes down to your research, LOR's, grades, and perhaps industry experience if you're going for a professional master's. My guess is CMU might be a bit out of reach for you, but it's probably worth applying. Definitely do not count on getting a scholarship though. I don't think any top school gives out scholarships for Master's.

MIT does not have a separate master's program and Berkeley's is very research-focused, so you might as well avoid those schools. Stanford is kind of 50/50. There's a research option for people interested, but you can also take classes. CMU has separate programs for research master's and software engineering master's, so you might want to avoid applying to the Robotics/NLP programs. CMU is probably your best bet, though I don't know what your odds are. From what I've heard, there's affirmative action against people applying from India (too many). Also, you say that you both have no work experience and you have 2 years experience in a startup. How do you reconcile those two?

Hey everyone. I've found a lot of information about PhD programs in computer science. In particular, this was very helpful: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~harchol/gradschooltalk.pdf However, I haven't come across much information about Master's programs. I'm planning to apply this fall, but I'm not sure what types of schools I should be applying to, what I should expect from the programs, and what sort of funding (if any) I might get. I'm concerned that a MS in CS might just be a money-sink, and that universities just view them as a source of funding for their PhD and undergrad programs. I admit I have no way of judging this, but it is something I'd like to clear up before I start applying to programs. My fear started after I recently signed up as a Non-Degree student through Stanford's Center for Professional Development, which lets you take some of their graduate courses online. The course I took was great. It was simultaneously taught online and in a classroom at Stanford to MS/PhD students. The professor and TA were very helpful, I learned a lot, and I got my first taste of research from it. That said, a lot of the other courses I saw listed through the program didn't seem to match that standard. Many were taught by instructors that lacked a PhD. Many also seemed like graduate-labeled versions of undergraduate courses, covering pretty basic material. I don't want to pass judgment on classes that I haven't taken, or a program that I haven't physically attended or even been admitted to, but I did raise an eyebrow at it. I know Stanford's Master's program is supposed to be one of the best in the world, on par with Berkeley and CMU, but can anyone give me an idea of just how competitive these programs are? Perhaps with a comparison to some PhD programs? Will they accept any half-decent student willing to fork over $40,000/year in tuition, or do they truly live up to the prestigious reputation they carry? I'm interested in a master's because: A) I don't want to be a code monkey. In fact, in an ideal world I wouldn't code at all. I like working on many of the complex problems in CS, particularly in artificial intelligence, and I'm hoping a master's will get me access to jobs at that level. B) I don't think I'm competitive enough for a top-tier PhD program. C) I may want to get into a PhD program, and a master's will get me research experience and LoR's for that purpose, which may get me into a top-tier program. D) There's a chance I may go into education, in which case a master's in CS will probably be helpful anyway. A little about me: Undergrad: Large public university Grad: The grad class I took through Stanford's SCPD program as a Non-Degree student. I'm planning to take a couple more this year. They count for credit if I'm admitted to the program, and it looks like Berkeley might accept them as transfer credit. Undergrad Major: Double major in math and CS, with a minor in econ. GPA: 3.95 GRE: 800Q 600V 5.5W Research: None during college (big mistake in retrospect). I'll have done 2 years as an RA in economics for a well known economic research organization by the time of admissions. However, I haven't gotten my name on any papers as of yet, and it's likely that I won't. (I've found that economics does not appeal to me as much as I thought it might). LOR's: NONE from undergrad. I doubt any of my professors remember my name. I can get a couple okay ones from my RA job, however. I may also be able to get some pretty good ones from the classes I'm taking online through Stanford.

Have you taken any economics classes? You will have to take a least intro to micro and macro, econometrics, and probably intermediate micro in order to be accepted to a graduate program in economics.

Some people go into this after being an RA at the Fed. It would help if you got a master's. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the Fed will only pay for your classes if you work at the Fed for another year afterward, or if you go straight into graduate school after leaving the Fed.

My application process was unusual. A friend of mine was working at the Fed already, and when his boss mentioned my name as a potential candidate, my friend put in a good word for me. Since they had an immediate opening that needed to be filled, I was interviewed pretty quickly. I was formally contacted about three weeks after my application was received. If they have a spot already open, they'll contact you after two or three weeks. Usually, though, I think they don't start the major hiring process until March. My interviews were also unusual, because there were three sections that really needed spots filled, and nobody else was applying at the same time. The HR rep told me flat out that I was already in, and the interviews would just be them trying to convince me to join their section. They did ask a few questions about my background, what I wanted to do at the Fed, and what I wanted to do at the Fed. There were very few specific questions or problems they wanted me to solve. The most important things to know going into the interview are A) What you'd like to get out of your time at the Fed (and this should be realistic), B) What you want to do after the Fed (best answer is to get a PhD in economics) and C) Ideally, what kind of area in economics you'd like to go into. In one interview, I gave a dodgy answer to C, and they really got on my case about it. Knowing what area you want to go into shows that you're serious about your goals and have a plan. It doesn't have to be a solid answer, and you can say you're open to something different, but don't just say "I'd like to try a little bit of everything." The deadlines are fluid. The Jan 31st deadline is more of a guideline than anything, at least at the Fed Board. I can't speak for the other Fed branches. The real RA hiring process won't start for another couple weeks. I think you're fine for now.

I don't know if they would pay for MBA classes, but they probably would. Salary goes up if you have an MA, but I don't know how much. The economists split their time about 50/50 between policy work and their own research interests, so you get to see both sides of things. I know they have internships for phd students. I'm not sure about undergrad, but I think they do.

That deadline is mainly for hiring over the summer. However, they hire RA's year round, so you can send in your application at any time and be considered. I was hired off-season, for example.

I'm not sure. I know a lot of the economists are foreign, but all the RA's I know are American. You might want to contact human resources about that one.

I think it's funny that that's the first question I'm asked. I'm not sure, but I suppose so. Though if it makes you feel better, the ones I know best are mostly applying to business schools.

Hey everyone, I'm a current Research Assistant at the Federal Reserve Board in DC. I wanted to let you all know that this year is a particularly good time to apply to the Fed. Apparently we're doing a bit of a hiring binge, and bringing in a lot of new economists. This means we need new RA's for them. On top of that, an unusually large fraction of the current RA's will leave this summer. The RA job is perfect for those planning to get a PhD in Economics later, but are concerned they might not have enough research experience or technical background to apply just yet. The Fed also offers over $12,000 a year in tuition reimbursement, so you can take plenty of high-level courses for free to improve your application. The Fed is also great for those who aren't sure they really want to do a PhD in Economics - you'll get to see first-hand what the life of an economist is like. I started about a year ago now and have been very happy with my decision. I'm currently working on co-authoring a paper with one of my economists. I've also learned SAS and STATA, taken a free class, and learned a lot about the Fed and the economy. On top of that, the job pays about $47,500 a year (plus $3,000 bonus at the start, transportation subsidy, matching 401K, etc., etc.,) and includes 4 weeks vacation, more sick days than you'll need, and a bunch of benefits. Living in DC is also a great experience. There's a lot of RA's at the Fed so it's pretty easy to have a social life, which isn't always the case after graduating. The work day is about 9:00 - 5:30, and includes 30-60 minutes for lunch. All in all, I highly recommend applying here. The deadline is the 31st, though I think they're flexible about letters of recommendation. If you feel like you're not quite ready for grad school, this is definitely something to consider. If you have any questions about life at the Fed I can answer them here. Also, I should mention that I'm not writing this as part of my job.

Hey all, I finished college recently but am currently preparing for grad school and thought it would be helpful to take some courses while working. I'm particularly interested in a graduate-level statistics class. Unfortunately, there are no good universities nearby, so I thought I'd try an online program. Can anyone recommend some good programs, or a website that might list some? I did a search, but all the websites were clearly commercial in nature, so I wasn't inclined to trust them. A friend of mine is using the Harvard Extension School, and I'm thinking of doing the same. Thanks!

I took two practice tests, then took the exam. Aside from a couple hours' overview on what to expect, I didn't study beyond that. The first one I scored 790 Q, 590 V. The second I got 800 Q, 620 V. When I took it for real I got 800 Q, 600 V, 5.5 AWA. Take a couple practice exams and see how you do. That's the best indication of how much you need to study.

Also, just to clarify, I'd like to take these courses for college credit.

Hi everyone, I'd like to take a few additional math courses to prepare for grad school but since I'm working a full-time job, it's difficult to do it in-person. I'd like to take them online, but I'm having trouble finding places that offer advanced math courses over the internet. In particular I'm looking at Real Analysis and especially Geometry. Does anyone know of a university that offers these courses online? Thanks!

I just started working at the Fed BoG about a month ago. I decided to go to the Fed for a few reasons. 1) While my GRE and GPA were very strong, I had no good source of LoR's. 2) I had no research experience. 3) I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do a phd in economics and, if so, what area of economics. 4) I had very little experience with statistical packages, even though I was very familiar with programming. So far I'm very happy with my decision. I can tell that my time at the Fed will fix all of these issues, and I think I will come out of it with a MUCH stronger application than I would have had otherwise. I told my economists that I'm planning on an econ PhD and they have been very supportive. One has already invited me to co-author a paper (on a subject that I have quite a bit of experience in). I find the research topics interesting and I'm learning a lot. The work-life balance is also very nice. The environment is very academic and laid-back. You almost never have to work overtime, and you have pretty good annual leave (3 weeks) and benefits. Also, the pay is decent ($47,500 at the BoG, more than you'd make at almost any other RA job). You have to ask yourself if it's worth 2 years of your life though. If you really want to get into a top 5 and you think the RA job will fill those holes in your application, then go for it. But be sure you know exactly what you're getting into. Ask the economists what research you might be working on, where their past RA's have gone, and ask the RA's in the section what they think. Look up the economists you'll be talking to and see what papers they've written, what journals they've published in, etc. Also, keep in mind that an RAship at the Fed, even an excellent one, won't guarantee you to get into any top school.

I already sent in my application and am in the interview process for some places. But I'm hoping to get some advice on which place to go with, and (just out of curiosity) any great places that I might have overlooked.

So I decided to get a job as an RA for a year or two before applying to grad school, and I'm wondering what are considered some of the best RA jobs out there. Specifically, I'm looking at the different Fed branches and wondering which ones are considered the most prestigious. Is it the institution that I would be working for that matters, or is it the specific economist(s) that I should be most concerned with? There's an economist at the Fed Board who does research on an area that I have some experience with (having spent some time after college in the "real world"), and it's something that interests me. I'm pretty sure I could co-author a paper on the subject if I was there. I think I'd really like to work there, but I'm wondering if there are other, "better" options that I should consider. Also, if anyone has worked at the Board or another RA job and wants to share their experiences, I'd really appreciate that!