trev44

Hi, I was wondering what schools I should aim for (ranking wise) based on what my resume will look like soon... Undergrad: double major at a UC, 3.1 GPA Work experience: 1.5 years at financial data startup. One small promotion, one larger promotion to lead a product. GMAT: 740 Additional Courses: I plan on taking several math courses to boost my GPA & prove I would/should have done better and not had so much fun in undergrad... Is this a good decision? I'm not sure if it would improve my chances very much. Input greatly appreciated here. What ranking of schools can I aim for? I'm hoping I would be able to land a top 20. Thanks in advance!

Hi All, I was wondering what the best PhD would be for consulting? Would it just be a Finance PhD, or would it be better to do more pure economics, or marketing, management, orrrrr ??? Thanks in advance!

Well said, thank you. I'll begin planning my next year for math courses, and look more in depth at schools like Tufts, Stony Brook and ones with strong ARE programs.

OP here. All very good points. The GPA I can't do much about at this point, although a masters would help with that. Math courses and letters are something I have more control over. The consensus seems to be I take the math courses in order to get into a masters program, position it to prepare for me for a PhD, do research and establish relationships with professors in my masters in order to get high quality letters. Then, after succeeding with a MA, I can apply to schools ranked 25-35. I wish there were a way to skip the MA, but I were to do that, a top 35 school seems out of the question. Even after acing math courses, I'd be lacking letters and research experience. Would it be possible to establish strong enough letters/research while taking math courses, or would my profile still be too weak without the MA title?

Wonderful, thank you so much for all the info. Sorry for all the questions, I'm trying to learn as much as I can! If you don't mind, are certain types of Master programs going to better prepare me to transition to a PhD than others? Obviously, higher rankings will better prepare me as they look better on paper, and with stronger references, etc., but are certain programs designed solely to transition the student into their own, or another, PhD program? If so, I would certainly aim to apply to these after taking the remaining courses necessary for a bachelors in math (unless the bachelor title is deemed unnecessary and receiving A's in the appropriate few courses is sufficient).

Can somebody explain what exactly an ARE school is? Is it a master's program that is setup to prepare you to apply for PhD programs, or to transition into their own PhD program?

Do not be afraid of "treading heavily," as there isn't much point in beating around the bush. I know the hole I have dug myself in, and am simply looking for advice on how best to pull myself out! :) I am quite comfortable with calculus, and have brushed up on various math through Actuarial and CFA exams during the past year or so. I am confident in being able to jump right into linear algebra/calc 3

I am most interested in water resource management, but to be honest, I do not know more details about what exactly I would want to study with regards to that topic. Should I have a better understanding of what exactly about water management I would want to research, or would that be something I dive into during the first and second years?

OP again. Is there a complied list of ARE masters with the PhD sequence anywhere? It seems a Masters would be a necessary step in ultimately enrolling in a top 40 program. Also, I remember reading somewhere that people are able to transfer to better PhD programs after a year, and sometimes even one quarter, if they show enough potential. Is this at all common?

OP here. Thank you all for the answers and honesty, it's unfortunately what I expected to hear. I'm practically starting from ground 0, and maybe even worse due to my low undergrad GPA. I am hoping that if I can go back to school and get a bachelors in math with a near 4.0, admissions would see that and weigh it more heavily than my undergrad 3 years before. I am unsure if my math courses would get averaged into my other undergrad GPA, though.

Hi All, I posted this in the econ phd section but wanted to ask here as well to get more responses and opinions. Basically, my goal is to be accepted into a top economics phd program. BUT, I'm quite a ways behind..... My story: 23 years old Graduated in 2012 from a good UC school for undergrad with 2 bachelors, one in Economics and one in Environmental Studies. Overall GPA of 3.1. I messed up early, but better grades in my latter years taking harder classes. I did NOT take enough math in undergrad (NO real analysis, linear algebra) Been working since at a financial analytics firm. Zero research experience (ouch!) With your knowledge of the application process and about the difficulties getting in, how would YOU go about getting into a top phd program (top 10) if you were in my situation? I am willing to sacrifice an extra year or two of preparation in order to prepare myself to get into a top 10 program rather than a mid level program. My guess would be that I need to return to school, and maybe get a bachelors in math, or is this not necessary? Can I simply take the appropriate math courses at local college and get A's to prove my competence? Am I helpless getting into a top program with my low GPA? Would you suggest retaking classes to bump it up over 3.5? It seems I need a way to reenter school, take the appropriate math course, get A's in them, do some research, and get to know my professors in the process in order to get great letters. So I guess the underlying question is: what is the best way to do this? Would it be to simply take more classes at a local college, reenter a decent undergrad school to get another bachelors in math, or go for a masters first and then apply for a phd program after? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all :)

Hi All, This is my first post, and I must say that this is the BEST place to find information on all things related to econ/finance phd's so I must thank you all for contributing! Basically, my goal is to be accepted into a top economics phd program. BUT, I'm quite a ways behind..... My story: 23 years old Graduated in 2012 from a good UC school for undergrad with 2 bachelors, one in Economics and one in Environmental Studies. Overall GPA of 3.1. I messed up early, but better grades in my latter years taking harder classes. I did NOT take enough math in undergrad (NO real analysis, linear algebra) Been working since at a financial analytics firm. Zero research experience (ouch!) With your knowledge of the application process and about the difficulties getting in, how would YOU go about getting into a top phd program (top 10) if you were in my situation? I am willing to sacrifice an extra year or two of preparation in order to prepare myself to get into a top 10 program rather than a mid level program. My guess would be that I need to return to school, and maybe get a bachelors in math, or is this not necessary? Can I simply take the appropriate math courses at local college and get A's to prove my competence? Am I helpless getting into a top program with my low GPA? Would you suggest retaking classes to bump it up over 3.5? It seems I need a way to reenter school, take the appropriate math course, get A's in them, do some research, and get to know my professors in the process in order to get great letters. So I guess the underlying question is: what is the best way to do this? Would it be to simply take more classes at a local college, reenter a decent undergrad school to get another bachelors in math, or go for a masters first and then apply for a phd program after? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all :)