Hey guys,
Today I consulted my economics professor regarding what kind of research experience he received prior to grad school. I have spent time reading what people have to say on here, and in other places, but I wanted to get a sense of the type of things I should be doing while I work towards my undergraduate degrees from someone who I knew was actually an economist.
He said that RA work was not worthwhile to do prior to graduate school. He told me that I should finish my schooling as fast as I can so that I do not forget any of my math when I get into a phd program, and should definitely not take an RA position post graduation. When I inquired, he also said that RA work was not something I could do while in school and that people are not really ever ready to do research until they complete their phds. This response was very puzzling to me, as it seems that most people here have listed research experience in their graduate school applications. I realize that I won't be able to write publishable papers any time soon, but I figured an understanding of stata, SAS, R, and some statistics was all that most undergrads doing research had.
He is a graduate from a good university (top 30), so perhaps there is more to understand about my endeavor to "get research experience" than I know.
I am studying economics and applied math at my university. Given that I am employed full time, and that I am working towards two degrees, I understand that I will take longer to finish my program than most people. I personally do not find this problematic, given that my job is paying for my schooling and that I'm taking my time to do as much math and stats as I possibly can. Is he right that I should rush through school faster and that doing research work is not realistic for me? Maybe I'm misinterpreting him. Anyway, any words of advice would be wonderful.
Thank you!
