AdvisePHdEcon

I am an international student applying for PhD in Development Economics. I am interested in researching social policy issues in the developing world. Eventually, I want to use my skills and knowledge to pursue policy advocacy in my own country (a developing country). By policy advocacy I mean being part of or setting up a think tank. (I know there is a hint of naivety in that statement, please bear with me). I do not see myself being part of academia in the U.S. Even though I haven't ruled out joining an academic institution in my own country, like I said before, I am more interested in being part of a advocacy/research group rather than academia. Should I mention my long term goals in the SOP? Will the fact that I am not interested in academia affect my admission chances. Is it ok to just say I am interested in academia even though I am not? By stating my intent, I risk being not taken seriously by people with strong academic orientation, but I also feel like being genuine about my interests. :grad:

Thanks! That helps

Hi All, I am applying for PhD in Development Economics, starting Fall 2012 and have identified the schools I am interested in. I am thinking of visiting a couple of the schools to talk to students and professors. Is it a good idea to try and get in touch with the concerned professors? The process can be a bit nerve wracking, as you want to make a good first impression. Will talking with professors help me in the application/admission process?

Thanks a lot for the advise. I greatly appreciate the guidance. But, this brings me back to a more fundamental point. I have kept vacillating between economics,public policy and ARE programs. One of the main reasons behind this is that I do not have a concrete PHD research proposal in mind. I am from South Asia and I want to explore social policy variation within the region. During my Masters I have focused on the topic of health and nutrition, but I do not necessarily want to confine myself to that area right now. Moreover, my interest in micro + applied research stems from the notion that it is necessary to do field work in a developing country to gain an understanding of the underlying dynamics. At the same time, I have also been keenly interested in broader research areas dealing with the political economy of a certain problem. Is it essential to narrow down my focus? Can I take these decisions after getting into a Phd program? Or will the fact that I do not have a narrow area in mind, itself hamper my admission chances ?

Thanks for the advise Chevrox. Greatly appreciated. I am 27. Old as compared to the average student (24-25) starting a Econ Phd

I plan on applying for a Phd in Development Economics ( Micro + Development(Applied)), starting Fall 2012. I read though other posts and feel like my background in unique enough to justify an additional post. (You be the judge!) I pursued by undergraduate and graduate (1st Masters) education in engineering (Master of Science, from a top 10 U.S University), before joining a Fortune 500 engineering firm as a design engineer. (I am an international student, so my undergradute degree was not from the U.S) My interest in the international development led me to pursue a Masters in Policy Studies (2nd Masters, Top 10, U.S Univ). One year into the Policy program I realize that I am interested in research, specifically in applied economics research. I want to apply to Econ departments with a strong applied focus and emphasis on field experiments. I do not want to join academia at the end of my Phd and see myself working for an IFI or going to my home country to pursue policy research. 1. I would say I have a strong math and statistics background (Undergrad and Grad education in Engineering is math intensive + I have taken advanced stats classes in the policy school), but the econ courses in my policy school were not very rigorous L. I can say I have taken 2 grad level econ courses, but not sure if that is enough. How much will the fact that I am not an Econ Major hurt my application? 2. Research: I have done some research, but nothing that has been published. I would say I have been exposed to good research problems and that is one my motivations behind pursuing a Phd. Not having publications, how much will that work against me? 3. I considered pursuing a Phd in public policy, but felt the programs were not rigorous enough compared to Econ Phd programs. Am I right? 4. I will be an old guy (relatively speaking) applying for a Phd. Is age a factor that can work against you?(Coz a lot of econ Phd students are right out of undergrad) 5. Do you think working for a research institute (think tank, research lab) for some time will be a better option, before applying for a PHD? Thanks for the advise!

An engineer trying to become an economist!