PugglesPig

Hi everyone, I was wondering what value a journal article has that is currently under review at time of PhD application. I know that "under review" doesn't mean much at all, but would Ad Coms take the signal a little bit more seriously given that the senior coauthor probably would not submit a paper to journals massively out of reach? Thanks a lot for your time and advice!

Hello everyone! Yet one more of these posts, but I hope those knowledgeable on the topic aren't bored out yet and can give me some hints regarding my chances as I simply haven't seen any similar profile on here yet and hence have a hard time comparing my profile. Many thanks in advance! School: Ugrad: top in UK for econ/social sciences, top 5 in the year Now also doing a masters at very good UK school in econ but have no grades yet Modules: only econ.. No maths. UK programmes aren't as flexible as the US ones hence if you are enrolled for an Econ BA you will have econ modules and econ only. My masters is probably similar in level to first year US grad programmes so one could guess that we have picked up the maths along the way - moreover I have done quite a bit of maths in my free time but have no formal certificates to show. Letters: hoping for two strong ones from top academics in the UK (ugrad supervisors) and another one from my masters thesis supervisor who is not yet determined. Research experience: no RAships yet but am applying for some at the moment. Will write a substantial thesis for mu masters. I did some internships at commercial firms that use economics/stats so have experience with data cleaning entry and analysis. GRE: not taken yet but have done practice tests and am confident that if they translate into the real thing I will get 167+ in quant. So, what do you reckon are my chances for top 10, 20, 30? What should I do to fix any weaknesses you spot?

Hello everyone, I am lucky enough to have gotten a conditional offer for both the MPhil in Economics at Oxford and the MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics at LSE. I am currently studying PPE at Oxford with mainly econ modules selected. At the moment, I am quite undecided between the two courses. I would like to do a PhD in the states afterwards, so, my decision should be somewhat based on the prospects for getting into the good programmes in the states. LSE offers the more recognised brand name (even according to my Oxford professors!) and the programme will send the stronger signal regarding maths ability, which has been a bit less emphasises, to understate it, by my current degree. However, I fear that it will not expose me to as broad a range of topics within economics (with Macro being an optional module rather than a core one) and that I might not get enough actual research related experience (10k words thesis vs 30k words at Oxford!). So these two factors could somewhat harm my application to the states. Moreover, at Oxford I would have references from professors who have taught me over the course of a full academic year and a bit by the time I apply, whereas at LSE I would apply with my undergraduate references and maybe one LSE one by someone who has seen me for maximum eight weeks. How important do you think is it to have proper Masters level references? How important is the evidence of actual sustained research work that I would get at Oxford? Or is it all about the brand + the maths? Of course there are also other considerations for me. LSE is marginally cheaper (as its one rather than two years) and would allow me to either work a year earlier or go to the states and have all the funding I could possibly need for a PhD there rather than spend money on another year in the UK Oxford has the plus that allows for a broader selection of modules (including stuff I have never seen but find interesting, e.g., behavioural economics, so it might just be a more fun time), and the much more substantial thesis would allow me to make a more informed decision about PhDs. And finally, Oxford beats London for quality of living any day, I find personally. In summary, what I am unsure about is - how mathematical is the EME course really in comparison to the MPhil at Oxford? - how do the things I mention weigh up for placements in PhD programmes in the states? - what is the general culture at LSE? (I go to Ox at the moment, so can gauge the atmosphere there rather well) And, finally, for someone doing the EME course right now, what is the LSE timetable like? I am considering commuting from Oxford if I take up the offer but not if the timetable is really spread out (i.e., lectures/seminars every day). Thank you so much for your advice and help! postscriptum: if I miss my condition on both courses, its either Cambridge, Warwick, or UCL for me, depending on how badly I miss it :P postpostscriptum: should this thread be in this subforum? really sorry if it is misplaced!!