Hi everyone
I'm finding it difficult to guess where I stand in terms of application strength as my background might be a bit disadvantageous when it comes to applying for PhDs in economics since I didn't have room in my degree to do any foundational economics units. Would like to know what sort of schools I should be applying for. I don't think my profile is strong enough for US top 15, maybe top 50? Should I consider doing a masters in economics first?
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Pure maths, with some bioinformatics and philosophy from an Australian university. I guess top tier but we don't really care about that much down here.
Undergrad GPA: 6.71/7 (about a 3.8), 1st Class Honours in Mathematics (this is comparable to summa cum laude but with a research thesis)
GRE: Q 166, V 168, AWA 5
Math Courses: 3 semesters of analysis, 1 semester of probability, 6 semesters of algebra/geometry, some applied maths, other random maths courses
Econ Courses:
1 reading course on economics
Other Courses:
Bioinformatics, philosophy,
Letters of Recommendation:
Honours maths thesis supervisor, worked together for a year, thesis was in combinatorial algebra/ solving a problem in linear algebra
Maths professor I worked with for half a year as a teaching assistant,
Final letter writer will likely be a professor who knows me fairly well but also in maths!
Research Experience:
Honours thesis in algebra: 1 year
4 research courses I did in my undergrad: each one lasted a semester. none of these are in economics.
Teaching Experience:
Got a job as a tutor for a first year course in my second year of uni. I've been doing that for three years.
Research Interests:
Development economics, mathematical economics
Concerns:
I reckon my lack of a strong econ background definitely sets me back. Is there anything I can do about this at this stage? Looking to apply this year. Thank you for any advice
