Mystis

No one ? :(

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BSc International Economics (best uni in country, well known in Europe , PhD awarding, good placements in MScs and PhDs in Europe/US) Undergrad GPA: 7.02/10 top 25% Type of Grad: MSc International Economics and Finance same institute , top 40 program in Europe Grad GPA: 7.8/10 top 10% GRE: 165Q 150V 3.5 AW Math Courses: Statistics, Probability , Calculus , Real Analysis , Matrix Algebra , Diff Eq. , Game Theory Econ Courses (grad-level): Metrics , Applied Metrics in Finance , Monetary Macro , IO , Macro Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Macro I-II-III , Micro I,II,II , Metrics I-II , Time Series , Advanced Macro , International Econ, Public Econ Other Courses: Finance , Accounting , Behavioural Finance , Political Economy , Tax Policies , Money and Capital Markets , Portfolio Optimization Letters of Recommendation: 5 different profs. Master Thesis advisor, 2 Metrics (one from LSE , one from UIUC ) , 1 Finance prof i RA'd . I’ll have to make a rotation since they won’t give me unlimited letters (hence the 5), but 3 are strong and the other 2 at least good. Research Experience: 6 months for a finance professor , BSc and MSc thesis Teaching Experience: None Working Experience : 1 year Financial Advisor in a major Construction Company Research Interests: Monetary Policy , Macroeconomics , Finance , Business Economics SOP: Good I guess, from the feedback I had from other Grad Students and my Thesis advisor. Concerns: a) Not very good grades at undergrad. especially in Math courses. Mostly Bs , A- tops b) 165Q , planning to retake in December (late I know) Other: For my MSc i was admitted to BGSE and Stockholm School of Econ (just mentioning ), I decided though to stay at my undergrad uni. Applying to: Well , it’s still vague in my head. It depends on GRE. Long Shot : UCLA, NYU ( i’d prefer the Stern program ) , CMU . Then UT Austin, USC , UCSD , Georgetown , Duke , Maryland , UC Irvine , Arizona State , Washington U and my safety (i believe) will be SMU (any opinions about the program? ) since I’ve got relatives in Dallas. I’m also thinking about the Mphils of Oxbridge , since i don’t think i stand a chance to get admitted straight to the PhD programs there. Another option in Europe would be ETH or the Copenhagen BS. Any objections/ comments / suggestions are (very) welcome, since the clock is ticking and my head is about to explode. Thank you in advance!

Thank you setsanto for your quick response. As far as I understand, you suggest that Barcelona ''wins'' even if eventually I won't pursue a PhD . I surely agree with your objections about the preparation at Stockholm, I believe it's orientated mainly for industry . Anyway My heart already belongs in Spain, there is just a little part of my brain that fights back . But the sun always wins in the end :tan: It's good to know, that it is a better choice academically too.

Hello my dear board and fellow future Doctors, As it seems, we share common views and goals here , so after my Bachelor degree I decided that what I wanted was a good PhD from a top US institution. But one step at a time. So here is my question: Barcelona GSE or Stockholm School of Economics for my Masters Degree? I wasn't able to find a direct answer in here, hence I started this topic. I am referring for the 2 year Masters in International/Applied Economics @ SSE , and the 9 month Master in Economics @ BGSE I'm searching the internet about SSE's Masters placements, but they only mention -the extremely great- placements in the industry, and nothing about placements in PhDs . On the other hand BGSE is all about their PhD placements all over the world, and mainly in the US. Therefore my dilemma. Although SSE is a great and well established institution with a better (?) reputation and credentials than BGSE, in this specific situation it seems that others do the work, others get the glory. As I understand from what I've read, in the case of BGSE there is a gap year where you either pursuit a RA or you begin with your PhD at UPF and then transfer in the US? So as a matter of time, in the long term there is a resemblance between the programs. The same applies about the costs , even without tuition the 2 years at Sweden are gonna be probably more expensive or about the same. A big plus in favour of Stockholm is the exchange programs in the second year. You are able to spend a semester, tuition free, in places like UCLA, Columbia and Upenn. Last but not least, as a guy from the Mediterranean, Barcelona wins hands down for its sun and the climate in general although Stockholm is a magnificent place to live -besides the long cold winters- . Enough with my jibber jabber, I'm anticipating your answers, and sorry for the long post. Thank you in advance :)