PhDhopefull

Here is a quick uncompleted profile: Background: Undergrad at a nationally accredited university ranked in the top 50 in the U.S. GPA: 3.7/4.0/4.0 (Overall/Poli Sci/Econ) Econ Courses: Introduction Courses in Micro and Marco (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International Trade (IP), International Macro (IP) Poli Sci Courses: American Gov't (A), International Relations (A), Comparative Politics (A), Political Economy (A), Marxist Theory and Practice (IP), International Institutions (A), Politics of Developing Nations (A) Math Course: Pre-Calc (A), Trig (A), Calc I (IP), Calc II (IP), Stats I (A) LORs: Still in the process I am only a junior SOP: I expect it to be good GRE: scored a 740Q/660V on a practice test Research Experience: plan to have a year of RA experience and a semester of individual work Teaching Experience: None Research Interest: Political Economy, International Relations, Political Theory Concerns: I am not sure if my background in statistics will be enough. Also, I am not sure if getting a PhD in Poli Sci would be wise since I feel as if the market for Poli Sci professors is rather competitive with very little openings.

I am having a difficult time finding the top PhD in Political Economy programs. Could someone provide me with a list of perhaps the top 50 or so? Thanks.

Strangely enough my school being as large as it is does not offer either Matrix Algebra or multivariate calculus. Like I said in my earlier post, I will not be applying to graduate programs whether they be master's or PhD until I graduate. So perhaps while I am taking a year off and hopefully working I can take both Matrix Algebra and multivariate calculus at another school or my current school.

How about I rephrase the question. What math classes must an applicant have completed and done well in to be accepted and competitive during the admission process for a top 30-50 school.

So let me just understand what you are saying. You are saying that you do not believe I need to take ODE? Or that I should take ODE separately from LA and Calc III? Perhaps I should ask this question. At a minimum what math classes must an applicant have on their transcripts in order to be not only accepted but not have it hurt them during the admission process? I am sure this question has already been asked on this forum, but I am new so please excuse me for asking a repetitive question.

Do you think it will be difficult to take Calc III, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations in the same semester?

I have been reading some of the previous posts, and I am pretty much in the same boat as one of the previous OPs. I am going to be a Junior this year and I just recently transferred to a "Public Ivy" school with a notable graduate economics program. Anyway, I am an economics major who has not taken any math classes but plans to take a number of classes within the next two or three years. My biggest concern is the fact that I have waited so long to start my math classes and I feel that adcoms may frown upon that. I also believe that myself and one of the OPs on a recent post may go to the same school because I need to take both precalculus and trigonometry in order to be eligible to take the recommended calculus classes for economics. However, let me post below my anticipated profile eval. It should be noted that this is hypothetical and should be approached as if I have actually completed the course so that I can get the most out of whomever's feedback and for the sake of this let us assume that I received either and A or B in every class unless otherwise noted. Also, I should mention I plan on applying to a PhD program for the fall 2014 semester. Therefore, even though I will be graduating in the summer of 2013 is there anything I can do to improve my profile in between the summer of 2013 and the fall of 2014? GPA: 3.7/3.92 (Cumulative/Econ) Econ: Introduction courses in Micro and Macro (A in both), Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A), International Macro (Spring 2012), Labor Economics (Spring 2012), Game Theory (Fall 2012), International Trade (Spring 2013) Math: Precalculus (IP), Trignonmetry (Spring 2012), Calc I (Summer 2012), Calc II (Fall 2012), Calc II (Spring 2013), Differential Equations (Spring 2013), Linear Algebra (Spring 2013), Stats I (A), Probability (Summer 2013) GRE: Took a practice GRE and scored a 740Q/680V. I plan on taking the actual GRE in the summer of 2012. Other Courses: Political Economy (A) LORs: still in progress Research: None, but I plan on becoming an RA in the summer of 2012 and perhaps doing individual work in the fall of 2012 Teaching Experience: None Research Interest: Macroeconomics, International Macroeconomics, Political Economy Concerns: My concerns should be fairly evident, most of the vital classes on my profile eval are still IP so it may be difficult or impossible to assess my chances. The GRE is not a concern even though my practice score is a bit low. I plan on taking a GRE course for both the general exam and the quantitative part. I feel fairly confident that I will be able to score at least a 760-800 on the quantitative portion. My biggest concern is that I just recently transferred and have yet to forge a relationship with any professor who could write me a fabulous LOR. Interested in applying to: Not sure yet, which I am sorry about I am just starting the process, but most likely schools with the top 30-50 range. I am fairly certain I have no chance of being accepted to a program ranked higher than that.