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RussianBlue

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  1. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Math-Econ. Top 15 Economics. Large research university. Undergrad GPA: 3.8 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: n/a Math Courses (Undergrad): Intro to Statistics (A), Multivariate Calculus III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), ODE (A-), PDE(A), Real Analysis (A), Regression Analysis (A), Theory of Probability (A), Mathematical Statistics (A) Math Courses (Grad) : n/a Econ Courses: Intro Micro (A), Intro Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Advanced Econometrics (A) Other Courses: Nothing really relevant. Letters of Recommendation: One professor that I worked for (Top 2 PhD econ), Another that I RAed for (well-published), and one from my thesis adviser Research Experience: Four semesters of RA at the Econ dept. Two semesters of independent study senior year (planned) Teaching Experience: n/a Research Interests: Still need to figure this out. SOP: n/a Concerned about - lack of grad econ classes - three more math courses planned (topology, complex analysis, measure theory) in senior spring. (pushed back due to schedule conflicts). I am concerned these will add little value, since I can't show how I performed in them on my transcript. - consistently low grades on college core courses that arent econ-math-stats related. Question: 1) Should I apply this year, or next year after working full-time RA? I am unsure what the marginal return on that extra year would be. 2) Is there anything against re-applying to the same school after getting rejected the first time? i.e. is there a bias against second-time applicants from adcom's point of view? Would greatly appreciate any additional feedback / advice / comment / encouragement. Thanks everyone!
  2. Hello all, I am posting this question because I have concerns about 1) my GPA, and 2) how to structure future academic course work. My majors GPA (economics, maths, stats) is 3.96, and my cumulative is about 3.82. As it stands, the discrepancy is projected to grow even more. As far as I know, the cumulative GPA is the only GPA calculation that goes in my graduate school application. (But of course, there's the transcript) Now, my school has a pretty heavy core, and I've noticed a general trend in my academic records: I have been doing worse and worse in my core humanities classes(B/B+), but better and better in my major classes (A/A-), despite the fact that I am pretty aggressively taking more advanced major classes (but doing the bare minimum for the others). I really don't like the core classes, but if I am to graduate, I have no choice. Here is the question: Should I cut back on my major classes in rigor and workload so that I have more time to do better on my humanities core classes? How important is my overall track record vs. taking more advanced (graduate) major courses? (Think an applicant with 2 grad courses + 3.83, or 4 grad courses + 3.77) This is probably a minor point, but I am trying to gauge how important that extra (hopefully A) grad math/econ course would be. I wanted to be careful, since I would be taking it on margin (in terms of credits). Thanks a bunch!
  3. I see what you mean. I completely agree with what's being said here after thinking it through. I admit I definitely felt a little rushed to take these classes, when I should really be trying to find the right pace (and track) for me. It's also partly because of the business curriculum that I have been sort of stuck with - I wish I could skip the accounting, marketing, and communications for more math and theory, but I also need to graduate, so we'll see. Thanks for the detailed and heartfelt advice. Best wishes!
  4. Thanks so much everyone! One step at a time, I guess. Happy learning!
  5. Hello, I am a rising junior studying math and econ. Trying to also see if I can get into Grad Macro (PhD). Because of schedule conflicts, I can't get into Grad Micro for the next fall. Grad Macro is being taught by the authors of the textbook (SL), but I am not sure if that would make it more challenging or less. I have not taken econometrics either. Here are my questions. 1) Should I push to get into this Grad Macro class? It may be a long shot to guess this, but just how hard is this class compared to intermediate macro? 2) What is the mathematical preparation needed for this class? (textbook is Recursive Macroeconomic Theory). I have taken Calc1-3, Linear Algebra, ODE, Real Analysis. Should I wait until after senior year when I have the probability-stat sequence down? I see Markov Chains everywhere in this textbook. 3) Is it possible to jump into Grad Micro II without Grad Micro I? I did ask the professor Grad Macro professor if it would be a good idea to take it, but in fact he advised against it. I think he feels that it is a little too much. He said I should take more math instead. But I am already taking the math courses he mentioned, while I feel like econ phd admissions have become sort of an arms race these days. Any thoughts?
  6. Thank you for the feedback! I am also hoping to shoot for Top 6, although I am not sure if my profile is strong enough. Let me know if anyone has anything else!
  7. Hello there, I just got here and this is my first post. I am a rising junior, hoping to get into a PhD program in economics in the future. Delighted to hear from others who are working towards the same goal. Would be happy to get feedback, or to just share stories and experience. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Math-Econ Theory double major, Comp Sci minor at a large research university in the US. Top 15 Economics, Top 10 Mathematics (US News) Undergrad GPA: 3.86/4.00, Math-Econ 3.96/4.00 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: n/a Math Courses (Undergrad): Calculus III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Ordinary Differential Equations (A-), Real Analysis (A) Math Courses (Grad) : n/a Econ Courses: Intro Micro (A), Intro Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A) Other Courses: Stat for Business (A), Physics: Mechanics (A) Letters of Recommendation: Right now, I plan to ask for it from a finance professor I did research with this past semester. He is very well published, Top 2 Econ PhD. Research Experience: Two part-time RA positions, a semester each. One full-time RA position for this summer. More to come in the future. Teaching Experience: n/a Research Interests: No idea. Macroeconomics? SOP: n/a I have a couple of questions, along with a request for general profile evaluation. 1. Courses for next year. At the moment, I am thinking Probability - Mathematical Statistics sequence (a semester each), two semesters of econometrics, Numerical Analysis, Complex Analysis, maybe Partial Differential Equations. Might consider pushing to take graduate analysis next year, but not sure if I should. Let me know if you have any other course suggestions in the future. On a side note, when people here mention "graduate analysis," is this the one math masters students take, or the math PhD one? At our school, we have a two course sequence for masters students (Analysis I and II, but only Analysis I is absolutely required as a core for them), but a single semester analysis course for Math PhD students. Reputation has it that the PhD one is much more formidable. I ask because I feel like I can take a crack at the masters one, but probably not the PhD one. 2. I recently got interested in computer science and am looking to minor in it. However, I have no prior coding experience, and am aware that it would be naive to think that I would be good at it at this point. How much value-add is this four course minor for the PhD Economics preparation (in terms of signaling)? 3. Another question that may be somewhat hard to calibrate -- I have the option of spending a semester in Washington through a mildly selective program through our school, where I hope to do some sort of internship in policy / research (but no placement guarantee as of now). My guess is that if I get really, really lucky, (and my school has more pull than I think, since these places usually do not accept undergrads) it will be somewhere like the Fed, IMF or the World Bank. But more likely it will be a policy think tank or research place. The trade-off will be maybe two math courses (I am thinking Complex Analysis and graduate analysis). In the context of Econ PhD admissions, is taking this semester away the smarter choice? I would like to add that I cannot opt to do an extra semester in undergrad to cover this tradeoff in math courses due to financial constraints. 4. I also asked my econ department if I could take any graduate economics. The reply was a swift, resounding no. Although I am slightly frustrated with this response (for instance, they took no time to check my academic record so far), I hope to convince maybe one or two professors to let me sit in on some of them. Is this a bad idea, given I will not be getting graded on them? I am thinking that I will be swamped with other math/econ courses, and that I will be less incentivized to work harder for a class not taken for a grade. Maybe if anyone has done this before, I would love to hear from people that can share their experience with this (or even just dealing with school admin in general!) Thank you all for reading! Again, I would be happy to hear any experience from anyone. Hope everyone had a great weekend.
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