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Discount some of my observations (GRE/GMAT range, brand name college preference), as I assumed you would be interested in Quant Marketing, given your Engineering background. My impression is that most CB folks have a Psychology background, though I'm not very knowledgeable about it. Agree with the others that research in marketing (both quant and CB) is very different to what MBA courses teach. So reading papers is a good starting point. Good luck!

Lots of guesses and opinions on this thread from non-IS researchers. I thought I should weigh in as an IS researcher with admits from fairly good schools this year. What is referred to as IS by most top schools that have this specialization, is largely economics based research that seeks to answer questions that the increasing access to information has thrown up for businesses. This could be questions about how existing business models can adapt to new sources of information or new ways to analyze existing information, or it could be studying the potential of entirely new business models that technology has enabled. In terms of methodologies, typically, it is either analytical research that uses game-theoretic modeling techniques or, more commonly, empirical work that leverages the new types of information that businesses and consumers have access to. There is a smaller 'Technical IS' track in some schools where there is greater intersection with computer science (topics like machine learning, algorithms for recommendation systems etc.) Typical areas of IS research are social networks (what are the business implications of the widespread adoption of social networks by consumers? For example, how is an individual's behavior influenced by that of his/her friends on a social network?), e-commerce (competition with brick-and-mortar stores, pricing, effect of online reviews etc.), user generated content (online communities (like this one!), blogs, twitter etc.), online advertising, analytics etc. A lot of these topics have an overlap with marketing. Except the difference is that within marketing, technology/information driven phenomena are a relatively minor field, whereas they are the core of IS. Marketing, in my view, has a lot of legacy issues - senior (and influential - as in, editors of top journals) researchers not exactly being in touch with rapid changes that technology has caused in the marketing function. There was an editorial in Journal of Management detailing how marketing research lags the practitioners of marketing and other such issues. The best thing about research in IS is that interesting technological developments happen every few years, so you're never short of research questions to explore. I and most IS researchers I know could easily list about half a dozen interesting topics that could form someone's dissertation. This is not the case in any other business field, as far as I know. As a drawback, probably the fact that many top schools do not have a separate IS department is the biggest one. But if you're motivated by the types of problems that IS tackles and wish to apply an economics based approach to answering them, then IS maybe for you. Easiest way to figure out more is to go through the PhD websites of a few schools with good IS programs (NYU, Heinz, Tepper, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Boston University, Minnesota, Michigan). The best way, of course, is to look at a few papers (at least abstracts) in IS journals (ISR/ MISQ/ relevant papers in Management Science).

Hi, I'm from India (IIT, IIM) and applied to a few b-schools this year and got in some good ones, so I could give some advice. Your profile lacks a few key ingredients that most schools look for - (i) brand name colleges, (ii) relevant and high quality work experience in marketing, (iii) research experience and (iv) strong grades. For a top 10 school, you need to be very strong on all four parameters (or at least strong on 3). For 10 - 20 ranked school, you might be considered if you're strong on 2 parameters and strong GMAT/GRE + great LORs. For 20 - 30 ranked schools, you might have a chance if you've one out of (i), (ii) or (ii) plus good GRE/GMAT + great LORs. Since you can't change (i) & (iv) (unfortunately, MDI has negligible brand recognition in the US. See if you can find any alumni who're faculty at any school), you need to figure out ways to improve (ii) or/& (iii) drastically. If you're unsure about a PhD, pick (ii) so that you can get work ex but still have the option of staying on in industry if you think PhD is not for you at a later date. If you're certain that you really want a PhD, get a full-time research associate role at a good business school (ISB, IIMB) to give you some much needed marketing research exposure. This is useful, because marketing is quite a vast field, and schools value applicants who have some knowledge of the research landscape, important research themes and have clear interests. Also, a great GRE/GMAT score is needed to be considered anywhere. To have a chance at top 30, target 720 at the very least. Preferable would be to get 740+ so that your application makes it through the first cut at a few top 20 schools. Hope this helps!

Thanks Bloomsbury for the encouragement! The 1-year RA position that I'm looking at could start immediately, so that I could still apply this Dec and not lose any time. I wouldn't get any publications of course, but I'm expecting this would demonstrate a strong commitment of research as well as get strong recos. The downside is that there will be a substantial decrease in earnings during this period. But it'll be a small price to pay if it improves chances of a T10 admit. Also, my current job wouldn't allow me to spend much time on applications, and especially finding a 'research fit'. Any suggestions on what should be my safety schools? Also, any thoughts on the Fellow Program in Management at the Indian School of Business? Coursework is taken from INSEAD and you can spend a semester or two at INSEAD as well. It's a new program but seems to have a lot of faculty publishing in international journals. Would that make up for lack of track record and being non-US? How would the job-market look at it?

Would really appreciate any help with the evaluation of my profile (for Fall 2013): Undergrad: Electrical Engineering from IIT (India), CGPA: 7.7/10 (with poor grades in Math courses :blue:) GRE: Got 1500+ in first attempt, but that score has expired; Expect a good score in the retake GMAT: Yet to take, but expect a good score MBA: Indian Institute of Management, CGPA: 3.1/4.33 (intermediate micro, macro, econometrics and game theory) Work Ex: 2 years (1 as a consultant in the development sector and 1 as a research lead in public policy, both in start-ups) Age: 27 Research experience: Nil academic research (except for a B.Tech thesis, which I doubt would be relevant). Some co-authored reports as part of work (not comparable to academic stuff) Recos: Medium Research Interests: Strategy, Decision Sciences or Public Policy I'm wondering what sort of schools should I target? Would a top 10 be feasible? How does INSEAD compare with the Ivies for a Business PhD. (all the rankings seem to be for MBAs) What could I consider safety schools? Should I take up a full-time research assistant role with a professor for a year or two to get a publication and stronger recommendations? Any other advice to improve my profile and make up for deficiencies?

@Jodi: Thanks for those links! I have mailed Prof Voth with my queries. I am also hoping for some former student's opinions here! @icebear: 1. is exactly my line of thinking. My additional major concern are the job prospects for non-Spanish speaking/non-EU citizen. I don't think the degree will particularly help me in getting into governmental organizations in my home country. Just want to make sure there are enough opportunities open for international students from developing countries. 2. Ideally, I would like to work at World Bank/WTO/UNDP etc. after a PhD in Economics. But since most PhD programs are geared towards an academic career, and if a Masters such as this is sufficient to get me into a role of my choice, I would be happy with just a Masters. 3. These expenses are definitely steep for me. I applied really really late (only recently, in fact) and am wondering if I missed out on a possible full scholarship because of the timing.

Hi people, Have just received an admission offer from Barcelona GSE for the M.Sc in International Trade, Finance and Development program. The offer is partially funded so I will have to spend 6000 euros plus living expenses. This is very hard for me, as an international student, so I need to get a clear idea of the realistic return on such an investment for me. As for my background, I have an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and then an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Both the universities are the top in my country and have a lot of international recognition, especially in the US. As is obvious, I realized quite late that I am extremely interested in Economics, especially in the area of development. My goal is now to work as an Economist at international development institutions like the World Bank/Asian development bank etc. I'm looking for opinions on the following points: 1. Placements: Their website doesn't give a program-wise list of placements. What kind of placements does this program result in? Would performing very well in such a program have a realistic chance of getting into the World Bank and the like? How are the opportunities for non-EU students to find a job within EU after this program? At the end of it, if I have to return back to my home country, then I don't think I will be able to get a job that offers any significant raise from what I am currently earning, which basically means I will get no return on the investment. 2. PhD prospects?: I know this is a long shot, but would there be any chance to progress to a PhD program, say, in the UPF itself by performing well in this program? I missed the MSc Economics application deadline which would have been my first preference. 3. Cost of Living: I couldn't find a mention of the cost of living in Barcelona for the duration of the program, so any estimate regarding that would be very helpful. If I do take this up, I need to send a token deposit and apply for visa almost immediately, so I would greatly appreciate quick responses. Thanks!

@all: Thanks a lot for that feedback!! Seems like I do need a reality check :eek: . I've got a few more points I would appreciate advice on. Will be highly obliged to hear your thoughts. 1. There were two career paths I had envisioned for myself post an Econ PhD :grad: : One is, of course, to get a tenure track position at a good university and actively do research. The second, and the more important one for me, is to work in international institutions that focus on development (World Bank/IMF/ Asian Development Bank etc.). I would like to know if the PhD in Econ is actually an overkill for working in these institutions. Will doing well in a good terminal Masters in Economics/Development/Economic Policy be good enough? 2. I expect the terminal Masters programs have lesser stringent profile requirements. Can someone with my profile expect to get into a place that has a good record of placing people in World Bank/IMF? If yes, what are the top programs in terms of such placements? Where can I find the placement statistics and ranks of the placements for terminal Masters programs? Why this is so important is that I can't afford the fee and hardly any such program provides funding. So, if I take on a significant student loan to fund this degree, I would like to have a realistic chance of securing a well-paying job to repay the loan and settle down in a reasonable length of time. Considering people with a terminal Masters have no options in academia, and limited in research, I assume this is compensated by good job prospects elsewhere. Any detailed info on this would be highly appreciated. 3. Would a career at IMF/World Bank be hampered by a lack of a PhD? :crazy: 4. Finally, in practical terms, I am willing to spend considerable time and effort to improve my profile to better reflect (what I believe to be) my ability. (I scored in the 99.8, 99.97, 99.5 percentiles out of several hundred thousand test takers, in three independent tests to get admission into the places I've done my undergrad and postgrad from) a. Will the Math Subject GRE test, with say, a 95 percentile, help improve my profile? I know almost none of the schools and programs require it, but will they completely ignore it, even if it is good? If yes, then I will not bother with it, but if a very good score can have an impact, I will prepare and give it my best shot. b. Another way to potentially erase the bad Math undergrad grades is to do another B.Sc through the external study program at LSE Structure and Syllabus - Mathematics and Economics - LSE - External System - University of London The graduate entry route would enable me to gain a B.Sc in Mathematics and Economics in two years (by correspondence). Plus the fact that the grades are solely dependent on a proctored written exam and graded identically to those of internal study students might have a role in their credibility and acceptability. LSE does provide examples in their brochures of students who have done well in such programs being offered a full scholarship to study M.Sc full-time at LSE. Any thoughts if this is worth the effort (waiting two years to do a Masters). Thanks for reading, and as my case is complex :rolleyes: , my questions are bound to be unfocused and wide-ranging. Looking forward to replies. :)

Hi, Would be great if people can answer my queries after looking at my profile PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Electrical Engineering Undergrad GPA: 7.7/10 Type of Grad: MBA (Finance Major) Grad GPA: 3.1/4.33 GRE: 800Q, 710V, 4.5AW Math Courses: (Undergrad level) Calculus ©, Vector Calculus & Matrices (D), Complex Analysis (D), Probability and Stochastic Processes © Econ Courses: (Undergrad level in MBA) : Microeconomics (A+), Macroeconomics (B+), (Grad Level in MBA) : Econometrics (B), Game Theory(B+), another topical course (B+) . Other Courses: About 7-8 as Finance major in MBA Letters of Recommendation: Three economics professors who taught me in MBA. I don't expect them to be known, but they would have a good word to say. Research Experience: Undergrad thesis Teaching Experience: None Research Interests: Development, IO, Game Theory, Macro Policy Queries: Terrible grades in Undergrad Math: I know I could've done much much better but I simply made no effort. Is there anything I can do now to make up for it and show I can deal with advanced math? Would a Diploma for Graduates in Mathematics offered by LSE through the external study program help? Would it be enough? Is there any other similar distance learning program for post graduate level maths from a reputed university? Diploma for Graduates in Mathematics - University of London - LSE - External System - Structure and Syllabus Weak CGPA in MBA: But this was in courses irrelevant to Economics (Strat, Marketing, HR etc.) Will it be held against me? Another full-time Masters?: I'm desperate for top 25 econ phd program. For that, I'm willing to give up to two years of full-time preparation if needed. Do you think I should go and get a full-time degree in Economics (Math?) (M.Phil from a top school in India?) There would be huge opportunity cost in monetary terms and I will do it only if it is necessary for a realistic chance at a top 25 econ phd. I'm currently working as an Analyst for a major US Bank. I use statistical tools and econometric techniques to analyze large customer databases and make business recommendations. Is this experience going to be helpful in my application? Will spending a year or two as an RA at some Economics research institution in India help? How does it compare with a full-time degree in Economics? Overall, I think my profile vastly under represents my ability as I think I was doing the wrong things (MBA) with no clear direction or motivation. Now I'm willing to do whatever is required to get where I think I should end up. Any help & advice would be greatly appreciated!