clairelb

Hi all, I am applying to PhDs in Applied/Agricultural Economics as well as Public Policy schools. So far, I am in 2 ag econs well as a couple policy programs. I am also curious as to the rankings of the ARE programs? What about versus policy programs?

Is anyone else still waiting for Wharton? I have not heard anything (neither interview, nor decision), and it seems most decisions have gone out by now. Applying in Management stream.

To echo what some people have said, the topic you are interested in is more of a social science topic, this may be why you are having trouble finding people researching it in business schools. There are many professors working on this topic in Sociology departments, Economics departments, Applied Econ or Policy departments, Psych departments, and apparently some business departments. As a social scientist, I can tell you a bit more about the first 3 I mentioned. The achievement gap is a fairly "common" question in economics of education, there is certainly room for more research (as with anything) but you will find lots of interesting papers in education economics journals and well as sociology of education journals. Look at those and look at where the professors are. Because this topic is very social-sciencey you will be up against people with more research experience than yourself. It is fairly common for undergrads in soc/econ to have worked on some experiments as an RA then have written a senior thesis, if not more. If they have a Masters, you can add a Masters thesis and some conference presentations to that (minimum). To stack up, and if you want to study what you mentioned, you may need to take time off to RA. From what I've seen, in business PhDs this is less the case as people in undergrad business programs do not necessarily lean towards research from day 1. If you want to apply to those programs, you will need to take the GRE. As others have mentioned, for Econ in a T50, you would need an almost-perfect quant score. For sociology, I think a general strong GRE would do. To address what HorsesinVA said about econ, it is true, you need lots of math. However, you could balance this by having the minimum math (calc sequence, linear and real analysis) and doing research with a prof on the topics you are interested in pursuing. Even better if you can present a paper on it at a conference. You may do better approaching this topic from the perspective of sociology, where you will need less math, but can still be in a highly quantitative program (this applies to education PhDs as well). In either case, you will need to frame your research questions to fit a discipline. You have good marks and good letters, you are just lacking in research experience and direction in your research question. With this, you would be competitive in non-econ social science programs that focus on class-based educational achievement. Make sure you read about this topic before you apply, the fact that you could not find people working on it indicates you may need to do a bit more research before you submit your applications.

Thanks for your reply! I very much like the idea of working on entrepreneurship in developing countries, it's a huge labour market theme and I've done some basic research in that field already (lit reviews and stuff, but very interesting). I will look into it. I'm not sure about the lens because I definitely combine economics and policy in my approach so far - will have to see. (Is there a discernible difference on the post-PhD labour market for these streams?) The school suggestions are very useful - I will stay in North America (US actually) for personal reasons and will likely target the North-East, and Northern Mid-West (unless I get into Stanford - ha). Do you think I could target a few T10 and a few T25 that seem like good fits for my interests? What about the MIT Sloan stream on labour? Lastly, I am retaking Linear Algebra now, and will have a new mark by December/Jan. With this, and my GREs, do you think it is realistic to apply this year? Or should I wait to publish my research, take multivariate Cal, and work more before I apply next year?

Hello all, I am currently considering applying to Business/Management PhDs, making the switch from my current field in international development/development economics. I am currently a junior researcher working on labour markets and employment in developing countries (Asia and Latin America) and would be interested in studying these issues from a business perspective as well as a development economics perspective. Because my background is not in business, I am looking for advice on where I could apply, what programs would be a fit, and whether I have a shot. Test Scores (GMAT/GRE): Have done well in the practice GRE should be high in quant and verbal (Note: It often helps a lot more if you list the percentiles each of your raw/composite scores are associated with) Undegrad GPA: 3.65 (top canadian uni) Major: Honours International Development/Cultural Studies Taking math now at local Uni : Cal 1 (A+), Cal 2 w/real analysis (A-), Linear Algebra © - will retake Graduate GPA: 3.8 (loosely converted - top French uni) Major : International Development/ Economics and Quantitative methods (some econs and stats/methods classes) Research Experience: Master's thesis (Labour and Public Policy theme on Latin America), Quantitative received high honours and presented at small conference, Current research fellowship 1 year (similar themes on Asia, will present paper at conference, and hope to publish it as a paper in the coming year) Teaching Experience: Taught English abroad (likely irrelevant but quite enjoyable) Work Experience: International Organization working on themes mentioned above, current fellowship position, Economics Research lab internship in Grad School I also speak 4 languages, have extensive international experience, Concentration Applying to: ? Number of programs planned to apply to: ? Dream Schools: MIT- Stream focused on work/employment What made you want to pursue a PhD: Love of research Concerns you have about your profile: Non-business major Any additional specific questions you may have: Need to retake Linear Algebra before entering program, but have valid reasons for doing poorly Does anyone know applicants with a similar profile to mine? Is this change of discipline possible? What schools could you recommend? Thank you!

That is just the range (and actual schools in many cases) I am targeting. Unclear if my letter writers will feel comfortable saying that, as they are all econ and won't know more than my transcript of previous math classes, but that would be great! Good to know- thanks.

Ok- good to hear. I am working hard in the intro class so here's hoping.

Thanks for your advice - its always nice to hear a sliver of positivity, regardless! Good luck this fall :)

Thanks for your reply, it is in line with my own intuition. With Cal III and Real Analysis this fall, do you think I would have enough math to apply this year (looking at the courses I posted above)?

Thanks for replying. I do think it's a bit more than Honours Calc II, as we have a full intro to analysis text book (where we cover many things that typical intro courses cover), as well as the Calc II text book. Your point is well-taken, though, that it will be insufficient for adcoms. Do you have any suggestions for how I can shore up my profile for a pure Econ program? Would taking a Real Analysis course in the Fall, along with Cal III, and high GRE quant do the trick? (I wouldn't have ODE in that case.)

I posted earlier this year about my non-traditional profile (feel free to check for background info), and have been able to change my math situation before I apply for Econ PhD and ARE/AE PhD programs. My concentration is development, I am aiming for some Top 20s and Top 30s. Can someone weigh in on whether this is enough math for applications for 2016? I will take a couple in the Winter of 2016 for preparation, but won't have transcripts for them (obviously). I have spent lots of time reading the other forum threads on math, but I remain confused (as many on this forum still do) as to what is the minimum/standard for admission vs. in grad school. Math Grad: Intro to Stats (A+), Advanced Stats for Policy Analysis (A+) Undergrad: Cal I (A+): took this winter, Taking now, summer: Cal 2 an Intro to Analysis, and Introduction to Linear Algebra. Fall 2015: Multivariable Calculus, and Ordinary Differential Equations My plan was to take Elementary Real Analysis in the fall, but it is not offered until next winter (only the more advanced Real Analysis is offered). I am still considering putting off applying, but would rather not. Would this Cal 2 with Analysis class and ODE be enough to send a signal? I will happily take Elem Analysis before starting grad school, and will write that in my SOP. Description of my Cal 2 with analysis class: A second course in calculus emphasizing geometric and physical intuition in which attention is also given to the conceptual foundations of calculus-analysis. Review of inequalities. Sequences. Completeness axiom of the real numbers. Continuity. Proofs of some of: the intermediate and extreme value theorems, the mean value theorem. Taylor's theorem. Standard curves and surfaces in 2 and 3-space. Tangent vectors, planes and normals. Partial derivatives, directional derivatives, derivatives as linear maps. Thanks for your help!

I would also be interested in getting advice about what schools/departments would line up with my profile - particularly from others studying development economics. As well as what range of schools (in terms of rank) would make sense? It is hard to know and coming from Canada/Europe, and my profs who are far from their PhDs don't always know as much about the American application system as it looks today.

Thank you for answering. I am very interested in Berkeley's ARE (moreso than Econ in that case), I will just have to do my best :p I'm actually not sure where my letter writers have placed students. 2 of them work at my grad school in France and the system there is different for applying to PhDs. I think they would at least say I was one of the best, if not the best? They have nothing to lose in putting me forward, and I doubt there would be others asking for letters from them for the same American schools in the same programs. I know them all very well and they have written me letters to get my current research fellowship, for example. My current research supervisor is working at this research centre where he supervises projects from very advanced to very novice researchers - so, ranking me is tough but I think his letter would be strong/ rank me well for my level. Do you think I would be ready to apply this December with my current math? Or should I wait a year to get more math as the other commenter suggested (although I have nothing else lined-up)? Do you think I could apply to normal econ programs too?

Thanks for your answer, it reflects the hesitancy about math that I had.. and good point about the syllabi!

Thanks for your honest answer. So, I do have Linear Algebra, I just poorly translated the name of that class on this forum :p. If I do take a year extra, I want to make sure it will be of great value-added. Would you suggest I take Real Analysis & Differential Equations during that year (that was my plan)? Would that be enough? I will have to work full time as well, so can only take one class per semester. I also hope to get my foot in the publishing door, which would probably only come about next year, so that may be a plus as well. I don't necessarily know whether I want to be in Academia or not, but I don't want to close doors. However, I have seen top ARE grads from Berkeley, Cornell, Harvard, etc. get great academic placements. I know on average they place less well in econ departments, but do you think it's really closing off the academic route? Would the ad-com necessarily know how much math theory was in my grad econ classes? Some of them were more math heavy than others, so it's even hard for me to generalize. Although, on average, you're right that they're lighter than very quantitative Econ MA classes.