Segan

Thanks a lot for clearing this up for me slightlyconfused1! I was quite surprised to hear that rumor, and so I'm glad it's been debunked.

Here's a number of thoughts that could be helpful: 1) Are you planning on going to the Ph.D. straight out of your Master's degree? If so, it will be hard to get any letters of recommendation from your Master's school. This is particularly true if you are attending LSE because you'll have to send in your applications about a month after starting school, which is hardly long enough to get to know the professors. As a consequence, attending LSE's master's program only really gives you the benefit of the LSE name as a signal to adcoms, who will be making a decision on your file before most of your marks come in. 2) Based on my limited experience and knowledge, my impression is that Queen's has slightly better Master's placements than UBC, which has slightly better Master's placements than UToronto in academic programs (although there has been contention on this board on this point). If your goal is industry, rumor has it that Toronto does a bit better in the private sector. Still, I don't think the gap is that big. What's probably more important is the strength of the faculty in the specific area you are interested in. 3) Do you have your heart set on a Ph.D. in the US? Would you be interested to study at LSE or a Canadian school instead? Obviously, if you like the idea of doing a Ph.D. at LSE, you should go there. 4) LSE would definitely be more expensive, particularly given London's cost of living, and LSE's stingy scholarships. That's the main reason that staying in Canada is a more attractive option for me. The only school where this might not be the case is Toronto, but even then I think LSE is more expensive.

As a fellow applicant who needs to make the same decision, I'm not sure if my words will be really helpful. However, I do know that the U of T is the only Canadian school which differentiates between their "doctoral stream" and "regular stream." Have you been accepted to the "doctoral stream?" If so, I would go to the U of T because they offer more funding to the doctoral stream, and being in that program would add credibility to your application because it's harder. If you have only been accepted into the "regular stream," it might be hard to be taken seriously following graduation (although having never gone to the U of T, I'm not sure if this is completely true). Also, don't discount UBC just yet!

@alecia Sorry for the long time to response. I've posted up my profile for you to take a look. We definitely didn't go through differential equations in my Mathematical economics class... Good luck with your admissions, and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/130345-profiles-results-2011-a-2.html#post852758

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Large Canadian University, not very well known for economics Undergrad GPA: 4.0 Type of Grad: NA Grad GPA: NA GRE: 800 Q/570 V/5.0 AW Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability/Stats for Economists, Mathematical Economics I and II (all A+) Econ Courses: Econometrics I (grad); Intro to econometrics; Microeconomics I, II, and III; Macroeconomics I, II, and III; Environmental Economics, Economic Growth, Cost-Benefit Analysis (all A+). Other Courses: 2 geomatics courses (1 in geostatistics), a minor in political science Letters of Recommendation: 1 full professor, 1 assistant professor, and 1 associate professor. The full professor is a star in the department, but I doubt any will have major name recognition. Research Experience: At the time of my application, this was a concern. I have 2 interesting research experiences in the private and public sectors related to policy, but had not worked on a strictly economics related project. Since applying, I have taken a directed research job with a professor at our department. Teaching Experience: NA Research Interests: Environmental economics, developmental economics SOP: Elaborated on the contents of the mathematical economics courses I took, particularly because mathematical economics II covers the basics of real analysis and forces us to write some basic proofs. Other: RESULTS: Acceptances: Brown ($$), Maryland AREC ($$), UBC MA ($$), LSE MA, Cambridge MA Waitlists: MIT Rejections: Berkeley AREC, Columbia, Stanford Pending: Queen's MA What would you have done differently? Definitely more math, and would have chosen my undergraduate institution more carefully. I am currently unsure about whether I should spend a year to upgrade math courses and take an MA in Canada, or to take what are good options at Brown/Maryland.

MA Queen's still hasn't let me know...

For the debate about Maryland's math requirements: I managed to get in this year without real analysis or any upper year math courses from the math department. I also only really have 2 courses in calculus. However, I did take a particularly difficult fourth-year mathematical economics course where we covered essentially the same topics as a normal real analysis course, and mentioned that in my SOP.

I'm a Canadian who has interviewed for RA jobs at Harvard Business School and MIT, and my understanding is that both universities officially have a policy not to sponsor work visa applicants from other countries. As a Canadian, my life is a bit easier because of NAFTA, but even so both universities would not officially hire me without residency. However, professors always want to hire the best, and there are sometimes ways of getting around this issue. Some profs who are connected with outside funding organisations can hire you under the name of an organisation other than the school itself. While this increases paperwork, it can be a backdoor entry if your CV is good. I have no idea whether Prof. Fryer has a history of doing this. On a different note, any idea of whether or not hiring decisions are expected before April 15th?

Sorry folks, I have a bit of a backlog Ins: Institution: Brown Program: PhD Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: 20,000 stipend Notification date: 3/18/11 Notified through: Email to check Website Posted on GC: No Comments: Institution: UBC Program: MA Decision: Accepted Funding: TAship topped off with an RA (16,000) Notification date: 3/17/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments: Rejects: Institution: Berkeley Program: ARE Phd Decision: Reject Funding: NA Notification date: 3/14/11 Notified through: Email to check Website Posted on GC: No Comments: Institution: Stanford Program: Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 03/08/11 Notified through: Posted on GC: No Comments: Institution: Columbia Program: Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 03/09/11 Notified through: Email to check Website Posted on GC: No Comments:

I've interviewed for two positions in the US and have not heard anything for a couple of weeks now. While I'm not sure if this is bad news for me, at least you know you have company coffeemug!

Institution: MIT Program: Economics PhD Decision: Waitlist Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/7/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Institution: Maryland Program: Ph.D. Agricultural and Resource Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: TAship Notification date: 2/23/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Institution: Cambridge Program: MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Waiting to hear more Notification date: 2/01/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Notes: Still no word re: College choice/Funding Sorry for the delay!

Did you apply to Maryland Econ, or Maryland ARE? I know that Maryland ARE sends out its admissions on a rolling basis, so there is still a good chance of more admits before April 15th.

Thanks!

Before I begin this post, I want to acknowledge that I am a simple undergraduate student with only rumors to go by, and so the following statement should be taken with a huge grain of salt. I have heard rumors that MIT development grads were having a more difficult time in the job market compared to peers at LSE for example. Does this rumor have any basis in fact?

Here's a question from a fellow Canadian: Do you know how long it takes for SSHRC to get back to applicants about whether they have won? I have applied to a mix of Master's and Ph.D. programs, and so I only applied to the Master's SSHRC scholarship. My school informed me that I had passed to the final round of competition, and claims I should hear back in April whether or not I have won. Do you know whether in practice they inform students before or after April 15th?

Food and alcohol are probably not the best comparison items. Food is more expensive here because our agricultural subsidies are much lower, and alcohol is more expensive both because we have a higher rate of sin tax and because the Liquor Control Bureau of Ontario has a monopoly on sale in Ontario. If you take everything into consideration I'm sure Canada will be a bit more expensive on average, but not orders of magnitude more (I expect New York City, for example, to be more expensive than Toronto). Also, those prices are definitely on the high end of the scale. I can get a good burger and beer from a nice sit down restaurant for $14 and $6 respectively.

I just received a response from a J-Pal professor a few days ago, so they are coming. Good luck!

Institution: Maryland Program: AREc PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: TA/RA (not clear which one it will be) Notification date: 02/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: no