jakethedog

is this a feasible plan to build my up towards applying to a top 30? especially if I do a MA in Canada and eventually get a RA job if I can

is this a feasible plan to build my up towards applying to a top 30? especially if I do a MA in Canada and eventually get a RA job if I can

well I really enjoyed real analysis I and II. I found both classes to be straightforward and should be getting A's for both. If that's the case then the likelihood of getting an A in Topology should be in my favor correct? Given that I cannot get an RA job as of the moment, I wanted to work with the economist that I emailed at my job instead. He got his PhD at Yale and has contributed great research to the Bureau and University. He is still actively doing research for the Bureau so I'm assuming when I meet up with him there should be something I could help him with?...maybe? I was assuming if I work with him I'll build some of the skills required for an RA job. Essentially my plan right now is: -Summer 2015: study for the GRE and work with the Economist at my job(I also have to finish a case study I'm doing for the Bureau) -Fall 2015: Take undergraduate econometrics and graduate level Micro Theory(or Topology) retake the GRE. apply for RA jobs and UBC MA -Spring 2016: ? lol

Thank you everyone @arrm I'll definitely keep that in mind. I didn't know 4-5 months is overkill as far as trying to trying to do research at my current university, I spoke to the top economist at my job. He used to be a professor at the University, but then he retired and he does research on the side for the research bureau that I work at. I emailed letting him know that I'm trying to build my skills in STATA, Matlab VBA and now Python. I let him know that I was more than eager to help him with writing literature reviews, working on data and assistance with statistical or economical analysis. He seemed delighted to meet up with me next time I'm scheduled to work. What should I say when I meet up with him? Also, should I take Topology during fall? Some of my friends have recommended that I take Topology because I need something to boost my credentials up. What else would y'all recommend to remedy my weak undergraduate GPA?

My ultimate goal is to get a PhD and become a professor as for the GRE I havent had much exposure to standardized exams. I got a 440 for math and 440 reading when I took the SAT back in highschool as for Python I just started reading the book but yes I actively practice and google search extras while reading... Do you think Tufts would be the best option? Is it worth getting into +$31k in debt? Or should I try again this upcoming fall?

Hello, I was recently accepted into Tufts and I am currently taking real analysis II and intro to probability as a post bac student at my university where I completed my undergrad. Unfortunately, despite the fact that Tufts gave me a $24,000 tuition waiver, their research-based program cost $55,728(also, living in Medford is beyond expensive. I'm 23 and support my self working PT earning $9/hr). I did not bother applying to UBC and I got rejected from Duke's masters of econ program. The fact that I got a 153Q and 143V is killing my credentials right now. However, I plan on investing my entire summer on studying for the GRE and retaking it Aug/Sep2015(that gives me 4-5 months to study). I honestly think if I get my GRE scores up and once I get my final grades from Real Analysis II(I should be getting an A) that I should have a shot at UBC. Should I take the offer at Tufts? If not, I have several plans of how I would like to spend my gap year: 1.) Continuing post bac at my current school. I receive complete funding at my school as a post bac student(grants covered all of my classes and then some). I was thinking about taking graduate level micro theory in addition to undergraduate econometrics for the first semester and graduate level mathematics for economist for Spring. 2.) Take one graduate class each semester(fall/spring) as a non degree seeking student at a top university 3.) Try to get an research assistant position. So far I've been applying to top university's but after awesome advice from another member on this forum, I am now aware that is beyond my reach as of the moment. Aside of prepping for the GRE this summer, I've already started reading a book called "Python Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with Pandas, Numpy and Ipython" and I have already started teaching myself about how Matlab is used in econometrics. I'm also going to build up on my skills using STATA as well Ideally, I like option 3 the most but it is not too feasible as of the moment. I'm going to keep applying and learning as I go, but I don't have any expectation of landing anything. Below is my profile and I would GREATLY appreciate any feedback! PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US Public University:Econ and Math(Top 40, 50), National Ranking(Top 40) Undergrad GPA: 3.4 Type of Grad: Grad GPA: GRE: 153Q and 143 V Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (B-), Calc III©, Intro to proofs(B) Proof based Linear Algebra(W, A), Proof based Advance Calculus I/Real Analysis I (A), Proof base Advance Calculus II/ Real Analysis II(currently taking it this semester, I think I should get an A given what I got for RA I) Econ Courses (grad-level): Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles Micro/Macro(A), Intermediate Micro/Macro(B,B+), International Trade(B+), International Macro(A), Public Choice(B+), Honors Empirical Research(B+) Other Courses:Statistics I(A), Intro to prob(W, retaking this semester) Letters of Recommendation: One from my Real Analysis professor(UC San Diego), my professor who supervised my undergraduate research (University of Chicago) and lastly my employer from the research center that I work in Research Experience: I wrote two empirical papers and currently work in an economic research center Teaching Experience: Research Interests: For now, Development and Micro Theory

so far I have applied to several top ranked schools and have received zero offers let alone interviews... I don't know what I'm doing wrong or what I am missing. Based on my academic profile, am I wasting my time applying to top ranked schools? Its kind of discouraging consider the amount of time I'm investing with each application...Or sometimes I'll finish writing the cover letter for the corresponding school but by the time I try to apply, the posting will be gone. There was an research assistant position at Standford on indeed.com. The posting was gone within a week. The same thing happened for Chicago. I don't know whether that means those positions were on a first come first serve basis or they employed someone that already attends the University

I tried reading/going over this document http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/2010/TEP0110.pdf Everything is self explanatory up until page 30. I downloaded the econometric toolbox and I opened the editor but I have no idea how to run that script... Is this what I'm supposed to be teaching myself? I tried to look up monte carlo simulations but I really have no idea what I'm doing or what I should I be teaching myself. Do you have any links of information I should study so that I have a better idea of what type of simulations/estimations I should be understanding?

what is considered advance skills as far as excel? For instance, at my current job its important that I meet a threshold of data points per hour(I always exceed it). I never do any of my work manually, I format BLS, Census, and all different types of data sets by writing different formulas(vlookup, sumproduct, etc.) and using different tricks with text to columns delimited, advance options of find and replace etc. I used excel to efficiently clean up the issues I had with merging strings on STATA. For instance, my dependent variable was median 10 year earnings of graduates from 1000+ universities, which was a pain to merge with some of my independent variables such as SAT percentiles. For example, some data series would spell the University of Virginia as "U of Virginia" while others spelled it as "Univ. of Virginia". As for my experience with STATA, I used it for running regressions and statistical analysis on both of my writing samples and I had the chance to work with panel data as well(my roomate wrote about cross sectional differences in trade of OECD countries from the 1970's until now). I also use STATA do files when dealing with larger data sets. Aside of that, I'm familiar with the syntax in general, and whatever idk I usually just google it and pick it up lol. Should that be enough for an RAship? I'm currently teaching myself Python right now, so I have a familiar idea of the syntax involved. I'm specifically looking into learning about the Pandas package which seems like something pretty useful to know. What else should I teach myself in regards to Python? I can I state this on my resume/cover letter? As for Matlab, I still have no idea what they use Matlab for? I do not understand why it would be useful if one already has a general knowledge of STATA and python?

Hello everyone, I was recently accepted into Tufts MA program(yay!), but I'm hesitant as to how I am going to afford everything :/. I currently pay $300 all inclusive per month for where I currently live so the cost of living in the Medford/Boston area is troublesome. What should I do as far as housing? Would financial aid help me out with that? Also, I currently do not have health insurance, does Tufts (or Boston) provide health insurance for low income students? Lastly, what else could I do as far as scholarships? I would greatly appreciate any advice!

I contacted admissions from the University of San Francisco and they do not have much information in regards to placement records, nor have they offered any form of funding to me :/

Im planning to start studying for the GRE around the beginning of May and retake it around September which gives me 5 months to study for it. I contacted a student who got a 170v/170q to be my personal tutor for the summer, so hopefully that helps much more than taking a bunch of practice test. As for the Masters, wouldnt it be better to take actual PhD classes as a non degree seeking student? Another plan I had was to acquire a part time RAship and take one PhD class each semester(ideally on a pass fail basis if they offer that option) I think that would better prepare me for qualifying exams and research for the prospective PhD program that I apply to

That is definitely reassuring :) I wouldn't say my grades are superb though: Calc I(B), Calc II(B-) Calc III©, Intro to Proofs(B+), Proof Based Linear(W,A), Real Analysis I (A), Real Analysis II(currently taking), and Intro to Prob(W, retaking this semester) as for my Econ grades, I have A's and B+'s my GPA is around a 3.4 Do I still have a shot at a top school? I definitely have a lot of experience in research(I would hope that helps my chances lol)

I've been told that it is highly unlikely that they would hire me as a research assistant from Universities such as: Yale, University Chicago, Princeton etc. because they primarily look for students who attend those programs. Is that true? Also, if I'm currently teaching myself Python, could I put that on my resume? Aside of my academic profile, I know how to use STATA and Excel because of my job and my two papers, and Latex. As for MATLAB, I've only used it to solve computational stuff like computing determinants, therefore what do they look for as far as skills involving MATLAB?

Hello everyone, I was recently accepted to the University of San Francisco's MA in Economics program and I was wondering whether it is a good investment given my aspirations. Essentially, I want to work my way up to a reputable PhD program and ultimately become a tenure-track professor. Given my weak academic credentials in some of my earlier math classes I decided to apply to masters programs and RAships. How well does the University of San Francisco place students as far as PhD programs? Is it a solid program as far as preparation towards a PhD? My other plan has been to continue applying for part-time RAships(I have written two undergraduate empirical papers and currently work in a research center). Most of them seem to offer assistance regarding tuition, so I would also look into taking more math or graduate level economics courses as a non degree seeking student. Which of the two would be a better investment? I would greatly appreciate any feedback! :) I posted my academic profile below: PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US Public University:Econ and Math(Top 40, 50), National Ranking(Top 40) Undergrad GPA: 3.4 Type of Grad: Grad GPA: GRE: 153Q and 143 V Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (B-), Calc III©, Intro to proofs(B) Proof based Linear Algebra(W, A), Proof based Advance Calculus I/Real Analysis I (A), Proof base Advance Calculus II/ Real Analysis II(currently taking it this semester, I think I should get an A given what I got for RA I) Econ Courses (grad-level): Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles Micro/Macro(A), Intermediate Micro/Macro(B,B+), International Trade(B+), International Macro(A), Public Choice(B+), Honors Empirical Research(B+) Other Courses:Statistics I(A), Intro to prob(W, retaking this semester) Letters of Recommendation: One from my Real Analysis professor(UC San Diego), my professor who supervised my undergraduate research (University of Chicago) and lastly my employer from the research center that I work in Research Experience: I wrote two empirical papers and currently work in an economic research center Teaching Experience: Research Interests: For now, Development and Micro Theory SOP: Standard I guess? Concerns: My GRE scores are weak(especially verbal) and so are some of my grades. Do adcoms care about verbal if you're American? I'm hoping my A in Advance Calculus compensates for these shortcomings? I really do not know how real analysis signals for MA level econ. From what I've heard Tufts and Duke's Micro/Macro classes tend to be more theoretical/proof based so I'm hoping the A in advance calc and proof based linear signal well? Other: I'm Familiar with STATA(use it at work and used it for both papers), Excel and Latex. I'm currently teaching myself Python

I'm currently strongly considering applying for economics research assistant positions before applying for a PhD. After google searching research assistant, I noticed a lot of top universities offer research assistant positions, that being said, what is the eligibility criteria? How competitive are they? Furthermore, for those who have worked as a research assistant, would it be possible take a class or two as a non degree seeking student (I'm really concerned about taking a year off due to the depreciation of knowledge)? What research assistant positions would you recommend given my profile below? My end goal would be to work as a tenure-track professor. I would greatly appreciate any advice! PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US Public University:Econ and Math(Top 40, 50), National Ranking(Top 40) Undergrad GPA: 3.4 Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (B-), Calc III©, Intro to proofs(B) Proof based Linear Algebra(W, A), Proof based Advance Calculus I/Real Analysis I (A), Proof base Advance Calculus II/ Real Analysis II(currently taking it this semester, I think I should get an A given what I got for RA I) Econ Courses (grad-level): Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles Micro/Macro(A), Intermediate Micro/Macro(B,B+), International Trade(B+), International Macro(A), Public Choice(B+), Honors Empirical Research(B+) Other Courses:Statistics I(A), Intro to prob(W, retaking this semester) I also have lots of experience with excel, STATA and I'm currently working on LaTex Letters of Recommendation: One from my Real Analysis professor(UC San Diego), my professor who supervised my undergraduate research (University of Chicago) and lastly my employer from the research center that I work in Research Experience: I wrote two empirical papers and currently work in an economic research center Research Interests: For now, Development and Micro Theory

my end goal is to become a tenure-track professor. Thus, in the event that I am not accepted, my current plan is to take topology that fall 2016 as a post bac/non degree student and reapply to Canadian schools. I'm confident that I should bring my quant score up to par if I devote the entire summer studying for it. Also, by the end of spring, I should have my grades for advance calc 2 and intro to probability(which so far they seem pretty straightforward). Would that be a feasible plan? I was reading one other post about doing something with the Feds? It suggested that Masters are not that great if you want to place into a top program. On the other hand, there was someone that went to UT Austin for their Masters and got accepted into UCLA.

@publicaffairsny:Thanks, I mentioned a general idea of it on the first two sentences of my SOP. @Econhead: Thank you for the advice. I took some of the Kaplan exams from the book but I found them way too easy compared to powerprep and the computer adaptive exams from Manhattan prep. I didn't realize how misleading some of the Kaplan exams were until the last week before the actual exam. That's when I started reading the 5 lb book from Manhattan prep and the Quantitative Reasoning book from ETS. What would recommend that I do to speed up my time, especially given that I frequently found myself second guessing questions left and right. How could I avoid falling to prey to the obvious mistakes? As for Verbal, I did not study at all because I thought I did not need to. I figured, it would be based on reading passages and knowing some vocab terms, so my thought process was "well that can't be too difficult". I regret that decision so much right now. I should've actually studied for verbal. How do you even study for verbal lol? No worries as far as taking offense, I'm just particularly interested in advice or feedback. Right now, I'm assuming my chances of being accepted are slim. That being said, I want to devote this summer to thoroughly study for the GRE so that I could retake it around September. What would recommend in the event that I don't get accepted to any of the Masters programs?

Throughout high school I was in standard ed, and a good portion was spent in an alternative school program for at risk students. I never had exposure to AP exams and as for the SAT, I was too busy working around 40 hours a week by senior year of high school to do well. There was no value for education in family, it really wasn't emphasized, so in all, I never build the skills required for taking standardized exams. However, I did not explain this in my SOP because I really doubt it matters. At the end of the day, I have to figure out the tricks to taking and doing well in the GRE. I honestly find the whole exam convoluted, the data interpretation section is everything besides data interpretation lol. The wording of the problems really threw me off. My plan is to devote my entire summer break towards understanding the tricks and grasping what the problems are actually asking for.

Do you have any useful advice to add?

I tried highlighting my strengths in higher mathematics and research. I did not mention the low GRE scores in the SOP because I didn't know whether to include that or not. I also mentioned my nontraditional educational background which still influences my abilities to do standardized exams, but I do not know if they will take that into consideration

I will retake it but the deadline for Duke has already passed and I will nott have enough time for Tufts application deadline. Basically, it seems as though I will not be accepted, therefore, I should start planning for the year ahead... I cannot reapply until January 2016... If this is the case, bringing up my GRE is inevitably my top priority(whether I get accepted or not), however given the depreciation of knowledge what would you recommend I do with that year? I was thinking about taking Topology as a non degree seeking student and trying to reapply/aim for a 1 year program instead. If I bring my score up to a 165-167 and I take Topology over that Fall, do you think I have a shot at some Canadian schools? By then I will also have my grades for Advance Calc II and intro to probability

I don't understand why my scores are so low. Do I still have a chance? Most applicants have around a 3.7 GPA and 167 for quant, but I'm assuming most applicants also do not have proof based linear and real analysis. I really do not know how my profile signals, at one hand I have a low GRE score on the other I did well for higher math

Hello everyone, I'm trying to get a better understanding on what my current credentials signal as far as adcoms at the MA level of econ. I'm currently applying to Duke and Tufts because of their rigorous preparation towards a PhD. I would greatly appreciate anyone's feedback. I primarily want to go to Duke and Tufts because their research oriented. If you know of any other research oriented(and offer Thesis options) MA programs in the US, I'm definitely open for suggestions! PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US Public University:Econ and Math(Top 40, 50), National Ranking(Top 40) Undergrad GPA: 3.4 Type of Grad: Grad GPA: GRE: 153Q and 143 V Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (B-), Calc III©, Intro to proofs(B) Proof based Linear Algebra(W, A), Proof based Advance Calculus I/Real Analysis I (A), Proof base Advance Calculus II/ Real Analysis II(currently taking it this semester, I think I should get an A given what I got for RA I) Econ Courses (grad-level): Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles Micro/Macro(A), Intermediate Micro/Macro(B,B+), International Trade(B+), International Macro(A), Public Choice(B+), Honors Empirical Research(B+) Other Courses:Statistics I(A), Intro to prob(W, retaking this semester) Letters of Recommendation: One from my Real Analysis professor(UC San Diego), my professor who supervised my undergraduate research (University of Chicago) and lastly my employer from the research center that I work in Research Experience: I wrote two empirical papers and currently work in an economic research center Teaching Experience: Research Interests: For now, Development and Micro Theory SOP: Standard I guess? Concerns: My GRE scores are weak(especially verbal) and so are some of my grades. Do adcoms care about verbal if you're American? I'm hoping my A in Advance Calculus compensates for these shortcomings? I really do not know how real analysis signals for MA level econ. From what I've heard Tufts and Duke's Micro/Macro classes tend to be more theoretical/proof based so I'm hoping the A in advance calc and proof based linear signal well? Other: Applying to: Duke, Tufts, NYU, UT Austin