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phdecon2013

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  1. It's good to know there are others in my situation! It's the same with me- although I took the GRE earlier- it shall expire next year so I'll need to re-take it. Of whatever I've gathered from this forum, I think it's a good for you to establish a relationship with your profs (try to do the same with graduate prof). About where you should apply- I am honestly just as clueless. In fact I'm hoping someone could please suggest what range of schools I should target- are places like Maryland/UBC/Wisconsin, etc completely out of my reach? Let's hope for more help. Good luck!
  2. Thank you for the help, EnvEcon. Unfortunately, I am not working out of DC, but a country office- so I doubt Maryland adcomm would know my supervisor. But, I guess I ll stick to your advice of getting at least one letter from here. Thanks again. One last question, if I'm not entirely sure about an academic career- would it make sense to apply for a PhD to European schools like BGSE - which have good academic placements, but not elsewhere?
  3. Thanks, EnvEcon! Given my profile, what range of schools do you think I should be targeting?
  4. Sorry, my bad :). Ends in 2014- so shall apply in 2013
  5. Thanks, Walras. My school occasionally places in top 15-20 range (there have been a few top 10s as well- but its pretty rare), but the majority lands up in the 20-30 range. Students with grades similar to mine usually fit into 20-25 (but have much stronger letters). But as you said, I am worried about my letters from profs not being strong and I not sure who to approach for a letter in WB- since there are almost no economists in my team publishing papers in serious journals. Do you think there are ways in which I can improve my application, given these constraints?
  6. Thanks for the reply. My LORs I think would be the biggest problem. So far I was planning on taking all three from professors- one of which would be strong. The other two- I didn't interact with much outside of class and haven't really spoken to since I graduated. From WB- would it be beneficial to take letters from unknown economists who haven't published many papers in good journals? In my team here, there aren't any famous researchers, so I am confused whether letters from them would help or hurt my chances. Also if I don't take any letters from WB would it seem like i wasted the three years between my MA and PhD? Given the weak LORs and the gap years, but relatively good grades and the rigorous math courses- what range of schools do you think I should be looking at? Sorry for the multiple questions, but I could really use some help! Thanks in advance.
  7. Hi, I have a masters degree from a highly rated university in my (developing) country- however its not globally well recognized. After graduating from there in 2011, I worked as a financial journalist for ten months and then later got a job with World Bank as a research analyst. The latter is a two year contract and will end in 2014. So I shall apply for the PhD next year for the fall of 2014 and it would have been three years since I completed my masters. Do you feel this three year gap could seriously hurt my application (as I wouldn't gain much research expertise during this period)? Also, I plan on taking the LORs from my professors- Could the three year gap affect my letters? Would it beneficial to take letters from my employer, as well? Could someone please suggest ways in which I can improve my application, whilst working with world bank to undo any damage caused by the gap? I have tried to fit in most of the other information in the roll call format below. Please help. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Economics Undergrad GPA: first division, top 5% of the class Type of Grad: MA Economics Grad GPA: first division, top 10 % of class GRE:Q 790, V 720, AW 4.5 (took in 2008 and need to re-take) Math Courses: Introductory mathematics (grad level- including dynamic optimization/linear algebra- decent grades), math econ (real analysis/topology, text used- munkres. decent grades), advanced course in dynamic stochastic programming. Econ Courses (grad-level): dynamic macroeconomics, open economy macroeconomics, advanced macroeconomics(heijdra and van der ploeg), microeconomics (mwg + gibbons and osborne for some game theory), econometrics (discrete choice models- text used- Kenneth train), introductory econometrics (text used- basic econometrics-gujrati). Good grades in all. Letters of Recommendation: not too sure right now- nothing too outstanding but should be okay. Research Experience: Working as a research analyst with world bank- but it mostly involves data management and some forecasting using their pre-set models. Teaching Experience: none Research Interests: macroeconomics, international trade, international economics Concerns: How would the three year gap affect my application? Applying to: I understand that top 10/20 would probably be out of my league, could someone please suggest the range of schools I should be considering?
  8. Thanks for the tip, walrus. I'll make sure to include these details in my sop. You mentioned BGSE as one of the options- so are you referring to their masters program or the Phd? (of what i have heard, they rarely accept applications directly into the Phd prog..so i was just wondering)
  9. Hey, thanks for replying- that's really quite comforting. The reason I'm concerned about my LORs is that I didn't personally know any of my professors very well- and since I'm applying a year after graduating they might not be too keen on writing very good letters. As of now, I'm considering taking one from LSE Phd and other from Maryland PhD. Do you think it would help my application if I get some RA experience before applying? Also, i mentioned this earlier as well- do you think my stint with journalism could work against my application in any way?
  10. Hi, I’m planning to apply for a PhD this year to enroll in 2013- and am very confused about where I stand a chance. I completed a masters in economics from a highly rated South Asian university in 2011, although its not globally well recognised. I have tried to fit in most other details in the roll call format- PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Economics Undergrad GPA: first division, top 5% of the class Type of Grad: MA Economics Grad GPA: first division, top 10 % of class GRE:Q 790, V 720, AW 4.5 Math Courses: Introductory mathematics (grad level- including dynamic optimization/linear algebra- decent grades), math econ (real analysis/topology, text used- munkres. decent grades), advanced course in dynamic stochastic programming. Econ Courses (grad-level): dynamic macroeconomics, open economy macroeconomics, advanced macroeconomics(heijdra and van der ploeg), microeconomics (mwg + gibbons and osborne for some game theory), econometrics (discrete choice models- text used- Kenneth train), introductory econometrics (text used- basic econometrics-gujrati). Good grades in all. Letters of Recommendation: not too sure right now- nothing too outstanding but should be okay Research Experience: none Teaching Experience: none Research Interests: macroeconomics, international trade, international economics Concerns: been working for a financial daily after graduating in 2011. Although I understand it won’t help my application- will it hurt it? Applying to: I know top 10/20 would probably be out of my league. So could someone please suggest good European/ Canadian/ American schools within my reach- with easy access to funding? Please help.
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