happenstance

Thank you @sulebrahim and @fakeo！These are very helpful.

I definitely did not place myself in the right niche. I should have known that I have no shot at top 30 with this profile. :P It is easy to get attention if you come from a small department, but the world out there is just too big. Lol Thanks for your suggestion!

HI @Econhead, @Blanket and @sulebrahim ! -I applied to six programs ranked between 10-20 (according to US News best grad scools ranking) plus BU and UC Davis. -My undergrad institution is ranked between 100-150 I guess. The Econ department is really small though and does not grant PhD. -Being at teaching school the professors do some research, but probably not very active or recognizable. I picked the programs and asked for their opinion. Now that I think about it, one of my letter writers did mean to suggest applying to a wider range by saying certain things. Lol -Getting research experience is a problem I do not know how to solve... To be honest, my econometrics skills are getting rusty. -Please correct me if I'm wroung, but I get the feeling, from viewing posts here, that my type of profile is best complemented with a master degree before applying to PhD. I'm willing to do a master first, but would probably refrain from getting myself heavily in debt. (I did apply to UCL MSc. Econ and got in.) Although I am really curious about the range of PhD programs that i can get into directly. Thank you for any insights!

Hi @Slimy ! Thanks for the advice on SOP. I still hope someone could shed light on what range of schools I should be targeting.

Hello All! This forum is great. I just wish I have discovered and made use of it much earlier, before spending lots of time and $$ only to get a shut out for 2014. So, before I reapply for 2015 admission, I would like to have your insights on what my chances are to be admitted by Toulouse M1, Tilburg MRes, or Queen's master. What rank of US PhD is a realistic goal given my current profile? Are Zurich and Bonn worth applying since they are small programs and difficult to get in? PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US low-ranked private school Undergrad GPA: 3.8 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: Q170 V165 AW3.5 Math Courses: Calc I-III, Statistics and Probability, Linear Algebra, ODE, Intro to Abstract Math, Discrete&Combinatorial Math (all A's) Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro+Interm Micro & Macro(A's), Money and Banking(B+), Econometrics(A), Math Econ(A), IO(A), History of Econ Thought(A), Public Finance(B+) Other Courses: random Gen Ed courses, a few philosophy courses Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ professors who have each taught me two courses and suggested would write extremely strong letters; 1 Abstract Math prof Research Experience: basically just term papers Teaching Experience: 2 semesters as TA for Intro Macro; tutor/grader for Calc I Research Interests: definitely Micro: Behavioral, Decision Making, Experimental, Evolutionary, etc. SOP: a large part was to talk about how the Econ Thought project I did in senior year got me into Economics, finally; also mentioned my interest in philosophy (problem?) Concerns: lack of research experience, not enough tough math/econ, not well-known reference writers, low AWA score, 2 year out of school working on sth unrelated to econ Other: Applying to: to be dicided. maybe focus on masters that allow advancing to PhD. Thank you for your time!!!