Bob Loblaw

A year abroad at LSE is perfect - it offers everything most LAC's lack including access to actively researching academics, graduate coursework, etc. I didn't mean to be a downer in my previous post. Most of what I said is just test magic boilerplate, and there are always exceptions.

Courses to take: Differential, integral, and multivariable calculus. Linear Algebra. Calculus based probability and statistics. Real Analysis. + More is better. Don't worry about your GPA wrt math courses. They'll provide a good signal to you and the schools you apply to regarding the level of graduate program you will be a good fit for. Yes it will hurt you. Honestly, transfer to a research university if possible. If not possible or you are not positive you want to pursue an econ Ph.D., then you will likely need to find relevant research experience with an actively researching academic during your summer breaks. That means taking statistics (esp. a course in metrics or linear models) in your first year if possible. Research is going to look good on your apps and be your source of credible letters of recommendation. Again, transfer if possible. If not, try to take some grad level classes during fall/spring semesters at a research university in your area that will transfer to your school. Taking these types of classes during the summer will be difficult, as I don't know how many schools will offer them. But this is a lesser concern IMO, as long as you can do well in your upper level math courses and get credible letters from your research experience. Get to know your professors, especially those who can write you credible letters of recommendation. I always felt like I didn't want to be a kiss-*** during undergrad, and only went to office hours when I had a relevant question pertaining to coursework. That hurt me when it came time to ask for letters. Remember, you are paying to attend the university. Don't be annoying, but you can and should make use of office hours to ask your professors about their research outside of coursework and generally pick their brains about economics in general. Most will be friendly enough. And be open about your grad school ambitions and listen to the advice they give you. Good luck.

Wat??

Someone on grad cafe posted that they are admitting less students but providing more funded offers this year. No idea of the veracity though - it still says on their website FAQ that they only give out ~ 8 funded offers each year, and admit about 30 unfunded. Anecdotally, it seems like there are more funded offers on Grad Cafe than in the past, and there is also the fact that they funded me (which I didn't expect to happen). But who knows if its true.

Not to my knowledge.

Wow thanks for the amazing reply integral! Very informative and helpful!

Thanks for clarification. I still need to get an updated list of PhD placements from BC - they only list "recent" placements on their website whereas BU gives placements year by year, so it was difficult to compare directly.

Out of curiosity, why? What makes BU obviously better? For the record, I'm still a neophyte in the rarefied world of economics departments and their relative strengths and weaknesses. But when I make my decision I'd like to have more information to go on than "because some guy with 1316 posts on test magic said so." :) And before people say "talk to your advisors, do some research, etc." I am planning on doing all those things. But sometimes it's nice to have the unfiltered, semi-anonymous and objective opinions a board like this can provide as well. Thanks again for the help!

Hi all, longtime lurker. As of today I've been admitted to two schools which I'm super excited about (BU and BC), and I'm just curious what people's opinions are around here about the quality of the programs (faculty, placements, workload, competitiveness, support on the job market, etc.). Most of the rankings have BU above BC (except, incidentally, for one of the fields I am most interested in - econometrics). Any insights from the board would be appreciated. Here are some more details: The Offers: BC has offered guaranteed funding for 5 years, 10 hours of work required per week as an RA for all 5 years. BU has offer slightly more money, (~2.5 K above what BC offered) and requires 20 hours of work per week as an RA/TA in the second year onward (so no work other than coursework in the first year). My Interests Generally, I'm interested in econometric theory, applied econometrics, development, labor, education, game theory (especially principle agent models). The Dil​ema Is this a no-brainer? BU seems to be more highly ranked in general, and a cursory look at PhD placements makes it seem like the better school (my dream post-phd job would be - like everyone else - a tenure track position at a research university), but it seems like my interests line up slightly better with the faculty at BC (metrics, micro, game theory etc.). Of course, I find most branches of econ super fascinating, and I went to undergrad intending to be a journalism major, so who knows what my interests will be after the first couple of years at grad school. Any thoughts from all of you would be much appreciated. Thanks!