frankiez

OP here. I know this thread has rather devolved, but I have some programming experience (SAS, SPSS, LaTeX) and I'm probably going to take a data science class in the near future. I don't know if this will really put me ahead of someone with a more prestigious background, if the competition is as fierce as it seems to be.

I've been stalking this site for a while, but I haven't quite found a thread that pertains to my exact situation yet (although if you could send me a link to one, that'd be great). I am a junior at a regional southern university's honors college, and I think I have a fairly strong profile except for the prestige of my undergraduate university (except perhaps my math grades). Assuming I do well on the GRE, I'm shooting for the top 40ish; is that unrealistic? Should I try to go for a European research masters? Any advice would be lovely. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Regional nonprestigious university; honors college. Major: Econ, Minors: Chinese & Math Undergrad GPA: 3.85 GRE: Yet to take Math Courses: Calc I/II/III(B+,A,A), Linear Algebra (A-), Prob&Stat I-II(A-, A), Intro to Proofs (A), Real Analysis I&II, Mathematical Statistics (or perhaps another math elective?), Differential Equations (all yet to be taken) Note: I came into college with a very poor math background that I had to overcome, which is why a lot of the basic classes I have B+ and A-'s in. Econ Courses: Intro to Macro/Micro (A,A), Intermediate Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Econometrics (A), International Econ (A-) Other Courses: A ton of Chinese classes (I'm a chinese minor), required honors classes Letters of Recommendation: 1 professor I've been working really closely with on a bunch of projects (Auburn PhD), UGA PhD prof that I'll be working on my honors thesis with, Econometrics Prof (NC State PhD) Research Experience: Honors thesis, worked on a couple research projects with the same professor, a public health research project (which isn't really related, wasn't econ-based at all) I'm also in a mentoring program for top econ students at my uni and I've applied for some Fed and Brookings internships this summer Teaching Experience: Tutor through the econ department Research Interests: health or environmental SOP: Haven't written it yet, assume i will tailor it for each school Concerns: Undergrad prestige, Math grades Other: Do you have any suggestions on how I can improve my profile? I would be willing to get a European/Canadian Masters if it would help my application. What range should I apply? Thanks!