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These undergrad field course have little to do with serious PhD level research. The admission committee would rather see something else.

Hi all, I am going to start my graduate study (economics PhD) this fall. I got offers from UCSD and PSU. Though I am currently leaning towards UCSD, I am eager to hear voices from more people before I make a final decision. Here is some general background of me. I did my undergrad at a huge public U in US where the economics department is strong in Macro but very weak in Metric. I have done 1st-year grad-level Micro and Macro sequences and measure-theoretic probability theory. Now, I am mainly interested in international trade and economic growth, but not sure whether I will actually enter some other fields because I haven't dedicated a lot in them. PSU seems to be a good match for my current interest. UCSD also has a few strong professors in this field, while there are many more metric professors. What do you think? Thank you for any reply!

I would suggest you contact someone to figure out what books are used for the courses that you are going to take. You can just read those books assigned for the class. If they do not use a specific textbook, then Varian's Microeconomic Analysis is probably a good choice. It is an old textbook written for graduate students with some math in it. But it is not too hard.

PhD algebra and differential geometry are very hard but useless for economics applications. Metric and measure-theoretic probability are useful.

Some professors were overwhelmed by the number of letters they were urged to sumbit and would not submit all of them until mid or late December.

If you are going to do PhD economics after graduation, you might want to read the beginning chapters of Hayashi. Though it is a graduate-level book, it is readable for undergraduates with good understanding of the material in a typical prob-stat sequence. Alternatively, Greene might also be a good choice. For linear algebra, I once read Leon's book several years ago and felt that it was a good one. You may also want to try Friedberg's classic text on linear algebra. That one contains a bit more "theory" than Leon's and is very rigorous. I heard that Linear Algebra Done Right by Axler is also very good, but I have not read that.

For your case, it's better to ask people from your U. You will want to post a thread on some Chinese forum as well.

The chance for TOP 10 is very low. Depending on how strong your letters are, you might have a chance in somewhere from 15-30

The Analysis I & II for undergrads are exactly what ECON people mean by "real analysis". They are helpful for developing your skills of writing proofs and also teach you knowledge that might be useful when you learn more advanced Econ. For now, forget about the graduate level real analysis. They are super difficult and not required for applications.

Your GRE score is almost perfect. A 4.0 in AW is fine. You don't need to worry about it at all. There is no need to mention GRE/TOEFL in essays either.

It really depends on what kind of field you are more likely to be in. Econometrics or Micro theory? There's no single answer for it.

Since (Intro) real analysis is proof-based and contains much more contents than the Intro Proof class, getting A should compensate. But, the thing is usually it is much more difficult to get A in (Intro) real analysis than to get A in Intro Proof. It takes time to accumulate proof-writing skills.

Most schools require the SOP to be 1-2 pages long. So, I think 2-page length is fine. But, admission committee might not be interested in reading carefully, unless your SOP is really interesting.

For UT-Austin: It's said that some Chinese PhD students who stayed in the program for too many years were forced to leave. They strongly suggest that Phd students graduate in 4 years, which is shorter than the usual 5-year length.

Whether you should get a third letter in Econ depends on how well the third Econ professor would be willing to help you. But, the real thing I want to say is that you should apply some schools in the 20-30 range and even some good european master programs. PhD application for Top 15 schools is super competitive.

I think you're aiming too high. Acturial experience won't help for Econ application. In my opinion, they're different kinds of "Math".

Hi all, I am applying for PhD programs for Fall 2017. I am facing lots of uncertainty now for the recommendation letters. I am very worrying that one economics professor who agreed to write a letter for me half-year ago might not actually submit a letter before the deadline for application. She told me that she was overwhelmed now. In fact, I knew someone who asked letter from her for application last year did not get her letter until late January after the deadlines had passed. (And she rarely replies emails to students.) So, it is possible that she might not submit letters on time again. I don't want to let my applications end up with "incomplete" status. Do you think it is a good idea for me to enter a fourth recommender into the application system (a Math professor) just in case one of the professors does not submit a letter on time? It might be that the system will show "incomplete" status as well if only three letters are actually submitted. But, at least that reaches the minimum requirement. Thank you for any comment.

If you don't plan to take the GRE again, you can send the score now. It takes a few days for ETS to send them and the admission office also needs time to process after receiving them.

Hi, I am an applicant for PhD program in economics starting in fall 2017. I am currently working on my personal statement. Usually, in the instruction of the PS, we are asked to write about education objectives / career goals / objectives in pursuing graduate study / academic plans. I am wondering how much detail do I need to write about these plans / goals? In my preliminary draft, all I have written about goals are just 2-3 general statements saying that I want to be an independent researcher. Is that enough or do I need to elaborate more on that? I have spent most of the words in my PS to explain what kind of preparation I have done in undergraduate program. Thank you!

It would be really weird if someone knows about measure theory but not linear algebra. Linear algebra is something everyone in the Math department or Econ department should definitely know.

Another option is that you should consider transferring to a larger research university. If you want to do a PhD degree, you should start taking more advanced courses, especially more Math. It is also very important to meet some professors who can write good recommendation letters for you.

The admission committee will not even bother to see your score on courses unrelated to Econ application. You do NOT even need to mention that in your PS. Nobody really cares why you got W for Ancient Greek Philosophy. They are much more interested in how well you did in advanced Math and advanced Econ.

I agree with what Catrina said. A Q score of 160 is really too low and will definitely leave negative impressions to adcoms. You probably know that your math background is below what an average PhD applicant from UMN would have. The Advanced Calculus I you took is the simplified version of the analysis sequence at UMN. There is a more advanced Honors Analysis I & II sequence (Baby Rudin level) which is considered as the standard math preparation for Econ PhD applicants aiming at TOP 30 programs. With that said, I don't think you have a chance to get into a very top program like UC Berkeley. Applicants entering a TOP 5 program like UC Berkeley typically have excellent preparation in almost every perspective. I am surprised to see that you get a letter from Prof. Guvenen, because as I know, he rarely teaches undergraduate students. It is also a bit too early to make further predictions without knowing how you will perform in your master program. But, one thing I suggest is to work hard on econometrics. Getting perfect grades in econometrics can to some extent mitigate your shortage in math preparation.

1. By "top-tier", do you mean the TOP2? How about your undergraduate university? You can apply for a master program first as well. I think you have a chance in PhD programs, if you do a MA program in US (eg. Duke Econ MA) first. There are also some good european MA programs such as CEMFI and LSE EME that will also help a lot. 2. The scores for your English courses are not important, if not irrelevant. You can demonstrate your English skills by getting a TOEFL score greater than 110. 3. I don't think that will make a difference in the application.

I don't think it is a good idea to directly apply for a PhD program when you haven't got enough training in ECON, especially when you are an international student studying out of US. 1) You need to have enough ECON courses on your transcript (preferably advanced theory courses) to demonstrate that you understand what an ECON PhD is about. 2) Since you don't get your degree from a US institution, there might be information asymmetry problems. The admission committee might not fully understand the level of your economics courses and the soundness of your college, though they probably won't worry about your math ability since you say you have had quite a lot. 3) Learning more ECON in a solid master program (eg. DUKE MA, LSE EME, CEMFI, etc.) prepares you for the 1st year of PhD study and brings you chance of getting more letters from ECON faculty.