GnabGib

I mean, when you put it like that, then yeah, getting decent grades is not enough per se. The thing is, there are about 20 students who take the PhD track, so about 20 possible candidates. They did accept some people who didn't do the complete PhD track, but I guess they'll change that. What I mean is, as long as you don't fail anything and maintain a GPA over B-, then it's very likely you'll be granted a place. Now of course, this depends on the distribution of grades in your particular cohort. If there are a lot of outstanding students, then yes, a B- would not be enough. But a B or B+ is essentially the median grade, IIRC.

Hey vanbasten, i saw saw your post at the other thread, I haven't had the time to answer. But a short answer is: yes, everyone that is admitted gets funding (you have to TA, unless you get La Caixa scholarship). And yes, getting "decent" grades is enough to get admitted. I mean, if you want to have an idea, a lot of people who were admitted had a GPA just barely above 7.0, which is roughly a B-. Hope this helps, will try to give a more detailed answer later.

Sorry, I have no idea. But my guess would be that the applications are done separately, as the MSc is offered by BGSE, which includes Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, even if all your classes would be carried out at UPF; on the other hand, the MRes is offered by UPF only. Now that I think about it, the supporting staff for each program are also different. I guess you could send an email asking them about this, but they are not known for answering quickly, especially during this period. In any case, best of luck!

If you're really lucky, you can find a place to live at walking distance from UPF for 250€/month including utilities. Of course it's not going to be the best place to live, but you can find decent options. That leaves us at 2.5k for the whole academic year. Granted, the food is going to cost you more than 2.5k for the whole year, but I guess they expect to cover your accomodation expenses only.

I have no idea, sorry. However their webpage says "In the Class of 2016, 34% of students were awarded with scholarships or tuition waivers." which would translate to roughly 20 students. Despite this, the terms and conditions are not the same. I knew a guy who got a tuition waiver (I think it was 100%), but he was not required to teach. There were other students who got a tuition waiver and were paid a stipend for TAing.

Honestly, I am not entirely sure what you mean. Do you mean you want to take the first-year PhD coursework AND THEN a year only in micro/macro? Or do you mean you just want specialized micro/macro classes? The thing with the M.Sc. in Econ at BGSE is that it's quite flexible: people can choose elective courses to move into industry, or take the PhD track and then enroll at UPF. If you choose this latter path, it's essentially the 1st year PhD coursework. Then, if you're admitted into the PhD program, you enroll at the MRes and start taking specialized courses in the field of your choice. What I mean to say is, if you want to take the usual courses in Micro/Macro (and possibly metrics) that you would take during your first year at a PhD program, then apply to the MSc at BGSE and take the Advanced/ PhD Track courses. If, however, you feel your preparation in Economics is good enough and you want to take specialized courses in micro/macro, then apply to the MRes at UPF. You should know that it is harder to be accepted directly into the MRes (although your previous graduate studies could help you). Also, I guess you would need to be very explicit about your intention of not staying in the PhD program at UPF, otherwise they might force you to take some of the advanced courses that you didn't take during the first year (i.e. the courses you would have taken had you enrolled in the MSc program). Hope this helps you take the appropriate decision.

Hello, If by BGSE you mean the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, as opposed to the Bonn Graduate School of Economics, then I think your chances of admission are unchanged. But I do believe funding is given to people who apply before the first deadline (i.e. before the rolling-admission scheme). I think they do give funding to people who applied later as people reject the offers, however it is a bit tougher to receive it. Note that this is based only in my experience and anecdotal evidence. I applied late to BGSE and was admitted without any trouble. I did not get any funding, however. In any case, best of luck.

If you search around this same forum, there's a few resources about master programs in Econ. So I guess the answer is: this is a good quality forum to find info about master programs. GradCafe might also be of help. To give you better answers, you would need to say what are your goals for studying a master program in economics? Do you come from a different discipline and want a master program in economics to learn basic economic concepts? Do you want a professional-oriented master program? or are you an econ undergrad wanting to experience grad life before deciding to commit to a PhD program? Off the top of my head (I'm surely leaving a lot of programs out), the most popular master programs (mostly oriented toward PhDs afterwards) are: LSE (MSc in Econ, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics), Toulouse School of Economics (M1 and M2 in economics), Paris School of Economics, Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, University College London, Warwick, Oxford, Cambridge, Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros (CEMFI), University of British Columbia, University of Toronto. There are a few Latin American programs as well, but people don't talk about them much, because they are mostly taylored to Latin American students. There are a few US programs too, but the general consensus seems to be that they are more industry-oriented. But I don't know a lot about them to be honest. I've only heard about NYU and Columbia offering this type of programs. In any case, I hope somebody else can contribute something more substantial than me. Good luck. EDIT: Just read further down the forum and found this thread: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/138675-pursuing-masters-poor-ugpa.html. As you can see, Master Programs are also discussed in the forum.

No problem. It's a great school. Bust your *** working and you might make up for your mistakes during undergrad. Best of luck.

I suppose they mean to browse the department's webpage and take a look at the faculty, their interests and their research.

Hello, Of course I don't know exactly how the selection process is carried out. But given my personal experience as a student, and the statistics that they share with us, I am under the impression that they only reject people if they see a serious problem with their profiles. It doesn't seem to be your case, and quite frankly, your math background would help you. Now, if you're expecting to receive tuition waivers, that's a different matter, because that's more competitive. But if money is not an issue, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to get in. Also, if you score higher than 160Q in your GRE, I'm pretty sure it will help you get admitted. Good luck! Cheers!

Hello. Sadly, I don't feel I know enough to make an accurate assessment of your profile. If money is not a problem (I assume it isn't, since you're applying to UCL) I can only suggest you add two additional master programs in Europe to your list: Toulouse School of Economics and Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. In my experience, neither of them is that selective (this is particularly true in the case of BGSE) and they are great programs overall. Best of luck in any case. I hope somebody else with more knowledge can comment.

Don't know if you'll still find this info relevant, but I stumbled upon your posts. Regarding your questions: They introduced it this year. However, like everything in Spain, it's negotiable. I mean, you will have to take most of the Adv. Track courses, but maybe can drop one or two of them if you make a good case (e.g. "I hate macro, I prefer micro and behavioural and that's what my dissertation is going to be about. I'm 100% sure."). The 2014-2015 class was about 70 people. Out of that number, about 20 took the full PhD track courses. However it's hard to tell, because some people took almost all PhD track courses except for one or two. Now, because of some "miscommunication issues", also some people who took only 2 or 3 advanced courses were admitted to the PhD program. Granted, they were admitted with the condition that they take the Adv. courses during the MRes year. Now, regarding LoRs. It's hard to tell if it will be easier to get a better LoR in the standard track vs. the advanced track. On the one hand, the Adv. track does have fewer people and a good grade there stands out more. On the other, it is also more competitive, as they are more motivated and probably have better undergrad studies. Also, the big names teach the Advanced Track. If you're absolutely positive about not wanting to stay in UPF, my recommendation would be to take the Advanced Track courses in your preferred field and bust your *** studying like a maniac so you get a really good grade there (this is absolutely necessary, if you're not among the top 5 students in each class, my guess is professors won't write you a LoR, at least not a good one), and then take the standard track courses for the rest. This will give you more time to study/enjoy Barcelona, and you can also take nice topics courses like behavioural or experimental economics. I don't have much to say about this, as I don't know a lot. This year I know that one of the program directors (Marta Reynal) was looking for RAs. And I believe all the top faculty have an army of PhD students fighting to be their RAs, so I guess it is harder to be an RA for a top professor. You could maybe arrange a non-paid RA position, but even that is not guaranteed. I already included my advice about taking the PhD track courses only in your preferred field. However, if for some reason you end up deciding to stay for the MRes, they will make you take the Adv. Track courses you didn't take in your first year. And while it is harder to be funded if you take this path, if money is not an issue, I believe it's the best one (you're essentially smoothing out the workload and increasing your face time with your potential recommenders). Hope this was of help. If you ended up choosing BGSE, let me tell you you will have a great year. The school is great, the location could not be better. And while challenging, overall it's a great experience. Cheers!