marlene314

Hey! I did the QEM with the double degree option at Sciences Po, if you like you can contact me via PM. I think I would recommend you Toulouse if you aim to do a PhD in the US afterwards, for many reasons: QEM does not help you build your background in math (it is more like the first-year economics sequence of a econ grad program but on a Masters level), teaching is very inconsistent in terms of quality across institutions, and you won't be able to develop a consistent relationship with potential letter writers, the program does not really aim to prepare you for a PhD and its administration/organization is a hot mess. I cannot say much about Toulouse, but I have the impression that it is more rigorous and in terms of reputation might be better for US admissions, conditional on doing well and maybe doing a M2/RA-ship in the same place afterwards (I don't think ou would be able to successfully apply already in your M1). Choose QEM only if you trust your quantitative skills already and you think you can be on top of your class because then you can go to the APE Master at Paris School of Economics for the second year, or you stay at UAB from the start, they have some good people whose letters might help you get into US programs. These are just some things to consider, good luck!

I have received an offer for both programs and need to make a decision until next week for the CEMFI offer (cannot be further extended). I already have a MRes in Economics from another university, my main research interests are development, labor, IO and applied micro. Not yet sure I am interested in becoming a tenured professor, I am mainly considering academic positions at international organizations and think tanks (e.g. World Bank Development Research Group). CEMFI (Doctoral track, 5-6 years) - fully funded, generally well endowed - not necessarily the best place for development, but they have good people in different fields, might be able to broaden my horizons and be less specialised, also research interests can change over time - better overall education (more comparable to some US programs), supervision and preparation for the academic job market, professors care a lot about their PhD students - small department, can be both good and bad, as explained above - can tailor the curriculum to my interests, elective classes on topics that I haven't studied before - very good academic placements (in Europe) - very close knit community, both among students and with respect to professors - access to data through the bank of spain, but not much data on developing countries - quality of life in Madrid may be better - locational advantage for me personally (my boyfriend is Spanish, we have many friends there and would be closer to his family) Oxford (DPhil PRS, 4-5 years) - no funding for the first year, not secured for the following years, would have to teach/RA substantially or pay out of own pocket if not offered scholarship subsequently (only around 40% of students are fully funded); in short: it's a pain... - chaotic and I quote "medieval" structures, no cohesive economics department, very dispersed - less thorough coursework, more direct access to research stage - you can be both very independent or very proactive and close to your supervisors as a PhD student - 3-4 professors that work on exactly my topics of interest and are interested in supervising me - data I would need for my current research ideas is available - great for development if I am 100% sure I want to specialise in this area, many seminars/events in this field etc. and other students with the same interests - connections to World Bank/placements in policy-related research sphere, overall prestige/brand name - small city, but special kind of atmosphere, lots of activities for students, did I mention Harry Potter already - my boyfriend won't be able to come with me and find a job, brexit?! I know in the end nobody else can make this decision for me and it mostly depends on my personal preferences and goals, but given this information, I would still be happy to have your advice, as I am having a hard time deciding... Thanks!

Does anyone know when we will hear back from Oxford (for the DPhil)?

Thanks!

To the USC poster, will you accept? do you think there is a second round of admissions? When is the visit day?

Type of Undergrad: BSc in International Economics at one of the best universities for economics in my home country Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0 (converted), top 5% of graduating class Type of Grad(s): double master's degree MRes (PhD track) in Economics and MSc in Quantitative Economics at three well-known universities in Europe (Barcelona and Paris) Grad GPA: 3.8/4.0 (among top 5 students) and 4.0/4.0 (with distinction, top of the class) GRE: V:161, Q:163, AWA: 4.5 Math Courses: mathematics for economics (covers basic calculus, real analysis, linear algebra, differential equations), statistics I-III, graduate optimization (programming, multivariable calculus), graduate probability theory (proof-based); many other required topics in math covered in (graduate level) econ classes, but do not explicitly show up on transcript Econ Courses (graduate level): micro I+II, macro I+II econometrics I+II, applied econometrics, advanced labor, urban and regional Econ, trade, advanced international macro; and many more in undergrad (including development, international, public econ etc.) Letters of Recommendation: very good (expected), one from my current RAship supervisor (well-known, works with professors from top US schools), one from my master thesis supervisor, all writers know me quite well and are top 5% researchers in economics according to IDEAS ranking Research Experience: current pre-doc full-time RA working on different projects in labor, IO and trade under supervision of well-known professor, master thesis with very good grade, published a co-authored article in an African central bank's journal, bachelor thesis with very good grade, one year part-time RA at an institute for applied economic research during undergrad Teaching Experience: TA in Math for Econ students in undergrad Research Interests: at the intersection of economic development, labor and IO, applied micro, with a focus on firm heterogeneity and firm behaviour in developing countries Other: internships at the UN and OECD, experience in international development cooperation, consultant for monitoring and evaluation I need your advice: 1) An obvious caveat in my application is my low GRE quant score. However, as it stands, I would like to know if I have any chances to get admitted to a top 20, top 30 or even top 50 school in the US? Put differently, to what extent can the rest of my application 'compensate'? 2) After my PhD, I am mainly interested in highly technical/research-related positions in international organizations, how do you think does a US PhD compare to one from a European program in terms of placement in Young Economist/Professional Programs at, say, the Worldbank? 3) Given my profile, goals and research interests, do you have any suggestions which programs to apply to? Any feedback is highly appreciated!