tualatin

Most US schools don't have MA programs. The ones that do aren't really what you're looking for. Apply for the good Canadian programs. The top 4 are U of T, UBC, Queen's and Western, but there are a dozen or so that are worth going to. It's hard to say where you'll get in because these programs tend to prefer Canadians (assuming you are one) and not everyone has a math minor. You could very well get into Queen's or Western. But apply to a range of programs. Don't bother taking the GRE; Canadian programs don't require it and it's not worth the study time and fee. Best of luck.

pocpoc, I could be wrong, but the top field journal in something like energy economics isn't an obscure journal.

Thanks for the advice. Would it harm a PhD application to have a paper like that on my CV?

Currently an MA student looking to apply to PhD programs next cycle. Sort of by accident I got involved with an applied paper at another university and have contributed to it by correspondence. It was mostly written by an undergraduate but supervised by faculty there, and the undergrad has gotten a relatively unknown journal to take the paper. I don't think the paper is particularly good (although the topic is interesting), it's not really an economics paper, and the journal isn't any good anyway. My question is, before I send off my biography and the final revisions, should I simply ask not to be credited as a co-author? I don't know if I want to be attached to it, and I didn't put a whole lot of work into it in any case. Would that be dishonest given that I did contribute to it? Or if my name was attached to it, would it be dishonest not to bring the paper up in applications? How does that work? Or would it not do any harm anyway in applications--it's just a weird applied paper I did on the side. Thanks in advance for any advice.

U of T does have the less welcoming department. If you're doing the regular stream, there shouldn't be much of a difference in the course load between the two schools. I'm heading to Queen's in the fall, but that's because I'm planning on a PhD. If I were going straight into the private sector, I would have chosen Toronto. I don't know a lot about networking between the two schools. My feeling is that you'd get to know the faculty better at Queen's, but that Toronto has more "big names" with more Toronto connections. U of T is always hiring new talent into their faculty. Either way, I'm sure you'll do fine. I would rule UBC out because it has no clear advantages if you're heading to the private sector, unless you want to live and work in Vancouver.

I would rule UBC out. Queen's places their students well into the job market, but often into public or quasi-public positions in Ottawa (but Queen's is good for private sector positions too). If you want to get out into the private sector and make lots of money, I'd suggest you go to U of T and get a job in Toronto. This is all assuming funding isn't a factor.

What funding did they offer you? Do you plan on doing a PhD? Out of curiosity, where else did you apply, and have you heard back?

U of T hasn't ever given out information on PhD placements of MA students as far as I'm aware. I have to think that if they had placed students in the top 5, they'd say so. But I could be wrong. Queen's said they had had students attend MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Princeton, etc. In fact, they mentioned every top 10 school except Chicago. That said, those could be old placements. Rumor is that Queen's has declined a little.

I've been accepted for the fall to Master's programs in economics at Toronto (Doctoral stream, good funding) and Queen's (pre-approved for top tier, good funding). From these results I think I'm likely to be admitted at UBC as well when results come later this month. Where should I go? I'm undecided but leaning toward Toronto at this point. I intend to do a PhD following the MA, not necessarily in Canada. I'm hoping there's someone out there who can give me some insight into the programs at any of these schools; especially as to how they have been over the last two years. I'm aware of the rankings and general reputation of each of the schools and am hoping for more specific comments. Funding isn't a dominant factor for me, and research interests aren't important at this point. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I'm Canadian, and I applied this cycle for a number of Canadian MA programs. I don't know enough to tell you what your chances are, but since you have time, my advice is to take more math courses. Probability and statistics, linear algebra and real analysis will give you the best value, but any math courses will help. Try your hardest to get at least A-. It would be hard to take too much math if you're aiming for grad school.

This is sort of a profile evaluation thread, so I apologize in advance! I'm in my final year of a combined degree in economics and mathematics at a Canadian school, and I have been planning on graduate school for over a year. Specifically, my plan has been to get an MA in economics at a Canadian school then to enter the workforce. I've entertained the idea of pursuing a PhD without much seriousness, but for various reasons I've been thinking about it more recently. I could do a PhD after getting a Master's (which I would get ideally at one of the top Canadian programs), but I've also been advised just to apply this year straight out of undergrad. My profile has some real strengths (as well as weaknesses) but I'm unsure how it stacks up. Here are my questions: If I were to apply to PhD programs for 2015, what range of schools could I reasonably aim for? Do I have a chance at top ten? Would it help or hurt (or neither) to have a Master's degree and apply in 2016? Is it a mistake to be thinking about a PhD if I'm unsure what I want to research? While I'm grateful for any thoughts, I'd really like to hear from those of you who have a background in economics or math and have been accepted into graduate economics programs. Thanks for the help! Profile is below. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Honours Econ / BSc General Math at large Canadian school Undergrad GPA: 3.98 / 4.00 Type of Grad: - Grad GPA: - GRE: 170Q / 170V / 5.5 AWA Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A or A+ in all); Linear Algebra I,II (A, A+); Probability (A+), Mathematical Statistics (A+), Optimization (A+), ODE (A), Real Analysis (in progress), Complex Analysis (in progress), Mathematical topics for economics (in progress) Econ Courses (grad-level): - Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Usual suspects + full year of mathematical economics, two extra semesters of econometrics, year of micro/macro theory (in progress) for honours requirements. A- in a non-core econ course, otherwise A/A+. Other Courses: First year comp sci; nothing notable. Letters of Recommendation: Haven't spoken to them yet, but one Yale PhD who knows me well, a prof at another school I'm collaborating with on a paper (see below), and a math prof I did summer research with (see below). Research Experience: Summer math research in optimization related to economics. Also currently co-authoring a paper with an econ professor at another school (long story). Teaching Experience: - Research Interests: Honestly not sure. Possibly health economics. SOP: Not composed yet. Concerns: Not a lot of real research, not sure on letters, no graduate courses, not coming from a well-known school. Other: I have very broad academic interests. I'm a fairly experienced writer. Associated with a few online newspapers and blogs as a contributor and editor. Very well-versed in public policy/legal issues, and I'm presenting a resolution at a party policy convention this month. Applying to: ???

You may be right that there's no "sparkle", but a 170 on the quantitative GRE will stand out at the universities you're applying to. I think you'll definitely be accepted to some of the schools on your list. If you want to add one or two more lower-ranked schools that might be safer, but I might even add a couple of higher-ranked schools as reaches. Sometimes schools take chances on people who meet the basic requirements. Get someone to help you write a really good SOP. Good luck!