AppInfo

There is certainly no definitive list and I'd argue that it is not even something you "just know from being in a particular country." My own program may or may not be top ten depending on who you talk to. I think that is true for half of the programs in any person's top ten. BrazilianPhD's advice is solid. Generally it is about finding a good match. Just about any school in the top 25 schools is going to give you a similar education and should position you well on the job market.

Like the above comment suggests, transfering is fine as long as you have a good reason. There are a couple of students in my own department that transfered from other schools (one moved up, the other was a lateral move). The downside is they had to start over taking classes again. The upside is they had an extra year of research under their belts.

Well said TM. I'm reminded by this discussion that we are all biased by our own pasts experience, personal circumstances, and pre-existing beliefs. I think the system (i.e. the April 15th deadline) while not perfect, is generally fair and tries to do the most good for the most number of people. That is not to say that certain people won't get the worst of it, but the system as a whole is reasonable. Thus I see no moral obligation for any individual to go above and beyond the system, however, they may choose to do so based on their personal value or circumstances. Of course I'm making a lot of philosophical assumptions here. My broader point is that we ought to respect other people's situations, values, morals, and philosophies. There is no 'right' here. As academics we should strive to not unilaterally impose our own views on others, rather we should try to recognize that approaches/thinking other than our own may be equally valid (with its own advantages and disadvantages over ours).

I don't entirely understand the harshness of the responses. Is there a reason to believe this person is trolling us and does not deserve an earnest response? Edit: I realize there is little we can offer. Academically these are all good programs that will likely give great training. So the decision will depend on research and culture match for the applicant. However, that hardly warrants mockery.

This varies by field. I don't really know how things work outside of OB, but I gather that finance is fairly unique in actually paying its reviewers (hence the high fees?)

Yeah, sadly there are real journals that have submission fees (ironically, it seems there are a lot of them in finance). When I say pay to publish, I mean if you pay you will get published no matter what you submit (i.e. if they have a 'review process' it is a joke). In retrospect the terminology I used was probably confusing, especially considering the fact that there are reputable journals with submission fees. So let me try again. Just make sure you publish in a 'reputable' journal. This usually means that it is is peer reviewed (although there are exceptions, such as Research in Organizational Behavior). However, peer review is not by itself a guarantee. Basically, if it is a journal that the adcom will have heard of you will be fine. If you aren't sure what those would be try asking your letter writers or someone in academia. If that isn't an option then try following this advice: BMJ Blogs: The BMJ » Blog Archive » Jocalyn Clark: How to avoid predatory journals—a five point plan I wish I could offer a more cut and dry explanation, but sadly it is getting increasingly difficult to separate out the predatory journals from the real ones.

As rsaylors suggests, in the application stage any publication is a good one so long as it is in a reputable journal (i.e.not a pay to publish journal. B level journal is fine). Personally, I would avoid attempting sole authorship since at this stage you would benefit more from working with and learning from a more experienced researcher.

This is an old one but it is still funny : snopes.com: College Rejection Letter However, next time you need to cite your source. ;)

Just for the record, there are others of us here with great (though perhaps not as epic) beards.

Lack of an email probably means you made it through the round of desk rejects and at least got some additional consideration. My guess would be most of the mass email rejections were to people who were eliminated earlier on. But this is just conjecture on my part. Although, I know that some of the schools that where seriously considering me but never interviewed me also never sent me a official rejection.

As usual Xan, unlike me, offers accurate and actually helpful advice. :encouragement:

Unfortunately I think this is one of those decisions that is about values tradeoffs that only you can make. The only consolation I can offer is that once you make a decision you'll be invested in it so all your cognitive biases should kick in and reassure you that you made the right decision. :-)

What you should be doing between the time you commit to a school and when you start? What to do if you didn't get in anywhere (which I believe you are already planning to write)? How to survive living in the frozen tundra and dealing with the regret of not going to a warm weather school?

I wondered that as well, but I beleive they are just giving out interviews, not at the waitlist stage yet.

Don't worry, you aren't alone. It is impossible not to feel that way. I shows you care. :-)

You can always ask the program coordinator. Usually they say business casual, but a suit and tie certainly won't hurt you and I'd generally err on the side of being over rather than under dresses.

Not only will it be cold, but you will almost inevitably be walking around outside. So definitely bring warm cloths.

I think the you haven't gotten many answers yet because the answer is 'it depends'. First it depends on what you mean by 'short list'. This term gets thrown around but it means different things to different people and at different times in the process (e.g. pre versus post interviews). Second, it depends on the program. It is going vary a lot from program to program. My advice is to do as Xan says, breath. You should feel good about getting short-listed, this means you are in pretty good shape and are a competitive candidate. I can tell you that everyone we interview here is almost certainly getting an offer somewhere even if it isn't here (assuming they applied reasonably widely). For what it is worth, I can also tell you that we accept about half of the people that we interview, but keep in mind that is just one data point for one program (although I think it is not atypical). To answer your second question, yes letting them know that they are your top choice certainly won't hurt and might help. But only convey this if it is definitely true. If you turn down an offer after saying that to a program it is going to reflect a bit badly on you and the last think you want is to start forming a bad reputation in the field before you even start (remember in a few years you maybe interviewing for jobs at some of the same schools). So yes, express your enthusiasm for the program, but be honest and don't over sell it.

Fair point. I agree that prestige matters to the extent that it is a school that the adcoms have heard of, but I suspect that you get diminishing returns beyond that. My point is that a MOOC from a very prestigious university if going to be less desirable than a graded math course from a known school.

I don't know Finance programs very well so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I would say anything that is graded and that you can get a transcript for is preferable. I don't think online versus in person matters unless it as at an online only school (which could be viewed as less rigorous). I don't think prestige is going to be a huge issue since it is clear that you are just trying to beef up your math background. In terms of your goals I'd suggest learning the material is just as important as bolstering your application. I'll defer to the Finance folks here, but I wonder if it would be useful to take some statistics courses as well?

This is the standard for INSEAD. I had the same type of interview last year, although only one of my two interviewers spent significant time on the articles.

I'm going to agree with others here that it will depend on the specific market but it is probably not worth it unless you plan keep the home and renting it after you leave. You can talk to a realtor but keep in mind that they are incentivized to sell you a home. Also, you should take my advice with a grain of salt since I was badly burned by the last housing market collapse.

Then from now on Ohio state should be TOSU?

You forgot my favorite 'UM'. Miami? Minnesota? Michigan? There is also UT. Texas? Tennessee?

Well if you weren't freaking out a little I'd think you didn't care. :-)