kayny

Since when have TOP20-TOP30 schools become safety schools????

I dont have any Advanced Econ courses in my pocket right now, and I probably won't have any before I go after PhD anyways. I know that there are a few Econ MA programs in the U.S. that offer some financial aid, which kinda helps me with my situation. If I apply for PhD for entry in Fall 2020 as an applicant with an Econ MA and Stats MA, does that signal well towards the adcom as I am adequately prepared?

I checked out the profiles of some job market candidates and current PhD students at Harvard/UPenn/Stanford/Yale in Health Policy Econ program. Suffice it to say, they would have got in any TOP 20-30 Pure Econ programs anyway. They are all Econ/Applied Math/Statistics majors. I suspect that you are right on how these programs tend to be slightly more lenient in terms of admission. But, I'd still caution it because everyone who will end up getting in is the TOP NOTCH applicant.

Thanks for your advice. I just applied for some unpaid RA oppositions on campus. Hopefully it will steer me back on track.

This is an important piece of advice. I appreciate that! I'll get on it, and hopefully I can leverage that into some strength in my profile.

By this year you meant F2018 or F2019? I am not sure how you came to that sense but I'd love to hear more.

My GRE was V158Q169 when I took it the first time. I am trying to step up. Hopefully I can get V165Q169 this time around.

You are absolutely right. I am trying too hard on taking these math courses. I think your advice and evaluation are pretty reasonable and realistic. Honestly, I don't see myself in any of my target schools. I'll be pretty satisfied with getting in my reach schools. Thanks ever so much!

Lemme share with you what my prof told me when I said to him that I would like to come back to NYU for PhD. I mean, that's pretty ambitious if you ask me. "You should know that it's very tough to get in here. It's extremely competitive. You will be more likely to get in a program that's not TOP25. Be realistic. Look at USC, Chapel Hill, BU, etc." He basically talked me out of applying for any TOP 10. But, dont lose all hope. My prof also said to me, "All that being said, you shouldnt feel discouraged to apply for any top schools. It's (He meant admission) a very random process. Sometimes the best schools wanna take you in, and sometimes the schools that you think want you the most will pass on you. The only way to know is to apply." Here is my unsolicited advice for you. Talk to your professor more. The more the better. Not like you are trying to be his/her buddy. Your goal should be to make him/her really know you. Convince your professor that you are absolutely serious and prepared. Also, ask for his/her advice and counsel. They will help you find the realistic goal that works for you.

Undegrad: Econ Major at NYU. 3.7 GPA. I wrote an undergraduate honor thesis. Probably not gonna be very helpful. Grad: Stats and Math at Columbia. Probably will finish with a 3.5, or 3.3. Math and Stats courses: Finished:Calc 1-3(A), Linear Algebra(A), Real Analysis 1&2(A-), ODE(B), Probability(B), Mathematical Statistics(B+), Linear Regression Models(A-), Statistical Computation(B+). Work-in-Progress: Stochastic Processes, General Linear Modeling, Machine Learning. Will take: Optimization, Topology, Measure Theory and Fourier Analysis (Yes, this is an actual course despite its makeup). Caveat: I read up all the FAQs about math prep for Econ PhD. Sources include NYU, Berkeley, Cornell. I am basically catering my math profile for these three schools. Econ Courses: Basic stuff that you need to graduate as an Econ major. No advanced stuff. GRE: The first time I took it I got 327. Will take it again and hopefully land at 335. SOP: Very general and explains my passion for using math tools to solve economic issues. LOR: One from my undergraduate honor thesis advisor. The rest comes from my math profs who taught me analysis. Research Experience: Only came from my undergraduate thesis, which was supervised. Target Schoos: Berkeley, NYU, Cornell, Brown, JHU. Reach Schools: Vanderbilt, Rice, BU&BC, Chapel Hill, Washington St Louis. Safe Schools: I'll eat up any school that is outside the top 30. Questions: 1. Am I on the right track here? That is, am I doing enough? 2. I am extremely stressed out because I think F2019 will be a tough app year for Econ PhD. Anyone can share their thoughts on that? 3. Idk. Just thoughts? Any?