jwill96

Sorry if this has been asked before, but which option would be better for someone looking to bolster their chances of admission to a decent program? For some background, I struggled with personal issues my sophomore year which resulted in me getting a few bad grades in calculus that are really hurting my chances. I've since turned things around and have gotten A's in all of my upper level math and econ courses and should have a GPA of about a 3.6 by graduation in the spring. I'll be doing a guided research project next semester and will try to really improve my skills with things like STATA and SAS in order to be competitive for RA spots. I don't have any previous research experience (I contacted basically every professor in the department but they were either not accepting student assistants or just weren't interested), which I realize is another strike against my chances of getting into a PhD program. I realize that an RA job would really help boost my profile in this respect, but would it actually make up for the damage done by my one bad year? As for the masters, I've heard conflicting things. Some say it's a great way of making up for blemishes in an undergrad record while others have said that an MA in econ is basically worthless. I've even heard that admissions committees look down on them. Basically, given my personal situation, which path would you recommend I take? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

Went ahead and made the changes

Type of Undergrad: State school, it's in the top 100. Not amazing but not terrible Undergrad GPA: At least a 3.5, possibly a 3.6 (have another semester to go) Type of Graduate: n/a SoP: working on it GRE: Haven't taken yet but expecting >167 Courses: Applied Linear Algebra (A), Linear Algebra (A), Elementary Differential Equations (A), Partial Differential Equations (A), Probability (A), Calc 1 (B), Calc 2 © (biggest concern), Multivariable Calc (B), Intermediate Micro (A), Econometrics (A), Intermediate Macro (B), Basic Stats (A) Have yet to take Real Analysis but will either in the summer or fall LOR: working on these, nothing definite so far Teaching: none Research: none, reached out to a bunch of professors but they either weren't interested or didn't take undergrad assistants. Hoping to get an RA job during my gap year As you can see, my math background is pretty solid aside from my poor performance in calc. I was depressed during this time and my GPA as a whole suffered during this time. Given this was confined to one year, how badly will it hurt my chances? I'm not trying to get into Harvard or Princeton, a PhD from a place like NC State or Clemson would be more than fine. Provided a get a good GRE score, would I be competitive for places like that?

I'm a senior economics major and math minor. My GPA at graduation should be at least a 3.5. At the end of my senior year, I'll have taken multivariable calculus, two semesters of linear algebra (one applied and one more theoretical), two semesters of differential equations, probability, an introduction to proofs class, and I will take real analysis during the fall of next year (doing a gap year). I've also taken a basic stats course, econometrics, and intermediate micro and macro. I haven't taken the GRE yet, but I expect to do well as I've always performed well on standardized tests. I've gotten A's in my advanced math courses, but during my sophomore year when I was going through a period of depression and a lack of motivation I slipped up and received a C in Calc 2 and a B in vector calc (after withdrawing from the course and retaking it). I realize this is a pretty big red flag considering the importance of calculus to economics, but how much will it hurt me given it was confined to one year and I've excelled since then? I also haven't had any RA experience (I reached out to tons of professors but none were interested) Given all of this, what are my chances of getting into a decent program? I'm realistic enough to know that Harvard, Stanford, etc. are out of reach, but what about other schools? I'd be perfectly happy getting into a school like NC State or Clemson. If my chances of getting into even schools of that caliber are low, what would you recommend doing to boost my chances? I've heard conflicting advice from various sources. Some strongly suggest doing a masters and using that to make up for any blemishes on my undergrad record while others say that's a complete waste of time and money. Others say the best way to boost my chances is to find an RA job. Any advice would be really appreciated since I'm pretty much undecided as to what to do after graduating.