thewayup335

I am a 5th year undergraduate about to graduate from a non-flagship UC (still in top 50 for economics). Goal: math MA from state school as bridge to possible econ PhD from top-tier later. Heres my profile: +Summary figures Cumulative GPA: 3.31 Econ GPA: 3.65 Math GPA: 3.4 (3.73 for upper divisions) GRE: none taken +Courses/Grades Econ: intermediate micro (A-), intermediate macro [math-intensive] (A), intro econometrics (B+), plus 13 electives with lowest grade being one C+. (Note that econometrics B+ was due to what the prof called "a legitimate case of error propagation" on a midterm) Math: lower-division: pre-calc ©, calc series (C,A,B), intro stats (A-), linear algebra (A) upper-division: intro to abstract math/proofs (B), real analysis I (A-), systems of ODEs (A), probability theory (A+), statistical inference/bayesian methods (A-), applied/computational methods [and Matlab] (A) (note that B in proofs class was partially due to major event that happened where I was living at the time and the subsequent fallout from it, the professor I had for this class is writing me a LoR, all other grades I own entirely) +Misc Positives -independent research paper -senior thesis -business plan competition finalist -grant writer and fundraiser for UC-affiliated entity (non-fraternal) -teaching assistant for economics upper division elective -UC-approved tutor for economics and calculus (I went back and re-learned it after I took the classes) -two LoRs from top econ faculty, one LoR from mid-level math faculty (will be able to get LoR from top math faculty upon return from home country) -I'm a boss at Matlab -have a genuinely compelling admissions essay sob-story ;) +Misc Negatives -I almost failed out of college my freshman year, took a year off and went to community college to get my act together. -I have lived an intense double life outside of school (everyone thinks they had a crazy time in college, but trust me on this one) which has sometimes adversely affected my performance. -I have a well-documented learning disability +Other Relevant info I have done a good job turning things around, and my transcript will show major improvement. I went from "Subject to Disqualification" status to 3.31 cumulative GPA in three years, and considering all the crap thats happened to me during that time, I'd say thats pretty good, but not good enough for an admissions officer who doesn't know me and my situation personally. +Plan (so far) I am applying to one Cal State for an MA in math. I did not apply anywhere else or take the GRE because I just assumed without the perfect cookie-cutter applicant profile, I shouldn't even bother. My professors writing my LoRs were genuinely surprised when I told them I wasn't perfect-4.0-study-all-day-everyday student, and some still think I might be short-changing myself by applying to just one Cal State. Its too late in the admissions cycle to do anything about it this year, but their suggestions are: -apply to work at regional Fed or private sector math/econ-ish job, do concurrent enrollment somewhere, take GREs and apply somewhere better in a few years -stick with the cal state (assuming I get in) do my best and shoot for top tier econ PhD program. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Since previous replies such a did a good job of talking about both of the actual schools themselves, so I am just going to briefly mention location factors which you may want to consider. Also, I wouldn't use the job market stats as a major factor in your decision as you are ultimately in control of that. I couldn't think of more different places than San Diego and New York City. I am a native of the northern part of the state, and I have been to SD a few times + know a lot of people from there who moved north. SD is a surfer/beach city. Like LA, it doesn't have much of a downtown and the night-life there is limited, so don't expect to meet new people outside of the university as easily as you might in a big city setting like NY. The city is spread out into suburbs (again, like LA) each with its own idiosyncrasies. As for culture, think typical SoCal- bleach-blondes, surfers, flip-flops, longboards, great Mexican food/music etc. Weather is to die for if you love the sun. Temperatures in the mid-80s in January would not be shocking. As for New York, there isn't much to say; it's New York. Its a business and culture hub of the country and the world. Its the home of some of the largest and most important global companies and governance institutions, in addition being the home to multiple top-tier academic institutions, (where in contrast the only large institutions in SD which I can think of are UCSD and Naval base). The big city setting can be highly stimulating and the I can only imagine that the range of different activities and people you might encounter will be exponentially larger in NY than in San Diego. Academic considerations aside, I would definitely choose New York over San Diego, but that depends on what your goals are. Congratulations on your admissions and best of luck deciding.

I am in a rather bad situation. I am not a cookie-cutter, perfect GPA, perfect grades student. I have had to struggle for a my entire life against a learning disability (this is not a cop-out, I used to think it was, but now I have come to terms with it). I am a 4th year Economics/Math combined major, going on a 5th at UC and I have a 3.1 GPA, essentially because I had a crazy life freshman/early sophomore year (I know you all think you did too, but trust me on this one....) and because the way GPA is calculated, if you mess up early on, it is impossible to bring it back to something >3.4ish. When it comes to my economics and math classes, its As with an occasional B. While I may not have the best grades, but when it comes to independent research, writing papers (including math papers), and critical thinking, I can blow the cookie-cutters out of the water. Im getting a research gig next quarter and I am continuing the upper-div math and I have permission to take the graduate econometrics series next year. Assuming that I do well next year, what are my chances of getting into a decent Econ PhD program, or should I try and get a MA in math or stats as sort of a "2nd chance" bridge to a PhD program in the future? Advice would be appreciated, thanks.