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KleanKanteen

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Everything posted by KleanKanteen

  1. So I've been digging in this forum trying to find any recent discussion on writing samples and couldn't find any. What do adcoms look for in a writing sample? My BA did not have a thesis component and my master's thesis text won't be anywhere near ready by the time I apply for PhD programs, and I'm not sure how much I should be worrying about this. Would a literature review submitted as a term paper for a class be enough? What if it's something different from the field I want to do research in? Should I dedicate part of my summer to a research paper to submit as a WS? Saw some guy in an old thread from 2007 say that he got into Chicago by submitting lecture notes as his writing sample, but I think that might've been a joke. Also, 2007 was a very different admissions environment than today..
  2. You should know that the UK now has the equivlent of a two-year OPT for international students.
  3. This is all very good to know, thanks! I think the obvious choice here is IHEID and my ego is just making it hard to get over the brand name aspect of the decision...
  4. Thanks! I think my main concern about the PhD route (beyond not being that familiar with econ) is that I don't know if I could get into a (top 50ish) program because of my mediocre performance during undergrad (3.55 GPA). Econ PhD admissions seem to be brutal. Every time I look at top 10-20 admits they have perfect undergrad GPAs, years of RAing and TAing, ridiculously advanced math classes, etc.. I guess the small class size at IHEID and the two year format could help me get there with really good rec letters?
  5. So I was admitted to both of these programs. I like both because, coming from an International Affairs background, they both seem pretty good for making the switch to econ. The SAIS program is entirely a professional program, while the IHEID program is a lot more academic in nature. The IHEID program also seems better (it's two years long yet cheaper than the one year MIEF, the cohorts are significantly smaller, both professional and academic placements are really good). My one concern is that nobody in my small Central American country knows what IHEID is, while a lot of people know Johns Hopkins. If I were to stay in Europe that wouldn't be an issue as IHEID is well known over there, but if I fail to do that I don't think my degree would help me too much back home. I think I'd like to do a PhD but at this point I'm not familiar enough with economics as a field to be certain about that (and also my 3.55 undergrad GPA might hold me back even though my GRE scores are pretty great). What do you think? Any help is appreciated!
  6. I applied to masters, not PhDs, but I just got my first rejection from Bocconi ESS :( And I thought this was going to be one of my safeties... I guess at the end of the day this was an experiment to see if I could switch from IR to econ through grad school, and it seems like the answer is not really.
  7. I'm very interested in this program but I can't figure out how competitive it is. I come from a political science background so it might be difficult for me to get into standard programs. Also the website is super sketchy, it has multiple typos and strange UI choices (see below) [ATTACH=CONFIG]7272[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]7273[/ATTACH] That said, the program is super cheap and it gives me the opportunity to study at both Paris 1 and Autonoma de Barcelona. Any help with this is greatly appreciated!
  8. What about the Warwick Diploma + MSc. It seems like some Warwick MSc students have placed into the university's PhD program and some others. I can't find substantial information on their MSc placements, though. Would this be a reasonable path for me?
  9. Does anyone here know about the HKS MPA/ID and whether I would be a good fit? I think that program could be a solid middle ground for me, and I meet all the prerequisites.
  10. I disagree, the PRGS has almost no placements into academia or multilaterals and virtually no placements into development non-profits. They do have some government placements but as an international student I'm not interested in that. I know a few people from college that ended up there, but it was mostly the security people who have been slowly disappearing into the classified world.
  11. Thank you both for your responses! I'm lucky enough that tuition won't be too much of an issue for me. Work savings have me covered there. I'm not rich, though, so a tuition free masters would be amazing. You're right, though. The German programs I've looked at so far require that I have an undergraduate degree in economics (I'm sure they make exceptions but they would still ask me for a lot more econ classes than I have). By decent program I meant well known, respected programs, like the ones I mentioned. I think the only two in my original list that aren't that well known are the IHEID and SAIS masters. The IHEID one is still very competitive and I've seen it place into top 5 PhDs so I'm guessing it's really good. The SAIS one probably won't lead to a PhD but they've got a solid pipeline into DC based development multilaterals. From what I've seen so far (and granted, I know very little about academia) it seems like public policy PhDs have abysmal job prospects once they're done. Not to say that econ PhDs are incredibly high in demand, but their employment rate, both in and out of academia, seems to be much higher. I'm also not sure that PPol PhDs play a significant role in development institutions. Certainly very few of them end up employed by the World Bank/IDB/UNDP, and I don't think I've seen any of them when looking at the profiles of people working at places like J-PAL or Innovations for Poverty Action.
  12. Hello everyone, I'm struggling to figure out whether I have a chance of being admitted into any good econ masters programs (I have 0 chance of being admitted into any decent econ PhD). I have almost no background in economics, which is why I'm looking for advice here. Undergraduate Degree: BA in International Affairs from a top 10 IR school, virtually unknown for economics Undergraduate GPA: 3.55/4.0 GRE: Q 168 V 169 AW 5.0 Math Courses: Calculus I (A-), Calculus II (A), Statistics (A), Linear Algebra and Real Analysis (A-) (this last one is an intensive, proof based linear algebra and multivariable differential calculus class with a real analysis module) Econ Courses: Intro to Macroeconomics (A), Intro to Microeconomics (B), Intro to Int'l Economics (A-) Related Experience: None. 2-3 years in industry doing policy (sometimes economic/financial) work, and I have some policy research experience, but no economics research experience. Letter of Recommendation: Two letters from former and current bosses (which would be 10/10 for policy programs, probably not worth too much in this scenario, and one letter academic letter that I still have to figure out (I graduated over 3 years ago and haven't kept in touch. Possibly will be from an international finance professor that I had a friendly relationship with). Research Interest: Development economics, impact evaluation. Programs I'm thinking about applying to: Barcelona GSE MA Economics, PSE PPD, Bocconi ESS, IHEID MA International Economics, SAIS MIEF, LSE Two Year MSc(I don't think I make the GPA cut for this but maybe my GRE can push me over the edge?), UCL MSc. I think the ideal program for me would be something like the LSE Two Year MSc that's specifically made for people with very little background in economics. I unfortunately haven't been able to find any other programs like this one, though. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! I know that my chances would increase substantially if I took intermediate micro and macro but my local academic institutions do not offer open enrollment and I need to save money for grad school so I can't take any more online classes.
  13. Hi Bayes, thank you for your input. Just to be clear, you're referring to the linear algebra and real analysis class I mentioned in the OP? Here's the catalog description: "This course is an integrated treatment of linear algebra, real analysis and multivariable differential calculus, with an introduction to manifolds. Students are introduced to higher-level mathematics and proof-writing, with a requirement to learn twenty-six important proofs." I uploaded the syllabus here just in case (not expecting you to read it, it's just in case you're curious): Smallpdf.com I understand what you're saying and I am wary of the masters classes being possibly more than I'm prepared for, but my concern right now is getting admitted in the first place.
  14. So do you think I should take the advanced linear algebra and real analysis class? Or should I just take calc 3 and not bother with the extra effort? I'd love to get into BGSE and Bocconi, but I also want to raise my chances as high as I can.
  15. My bad, forgot to mention I'm only applying to masters programs. Many of the ones I want to apply to ask for at least calc 3 and linear algebra, though. This is part of the reason why I'm a little apprehensive. Although, from what I understand, this professor's pay is in no way conditional to course enrollment I asked around on reddit before coming here and people kept telling me adcoms will want to see "formal classes", as in not hybrid classes mixing two subjects, for at least calc 3. I'm fairly confident that I can get a good grade in the course. The workload seems a little crazy but I think I'll manage.
  16. Type of Undergrad: BA in International Relations (Top 10 IR school, terrible for economics) Undergrad GPA: 3.55 Math Courses: Stats (A), Calc 1 (A-), Calc 2 (A) Econ Courses: Intro to Macro (A), Intro to Micro (B+), International Economics (A-) Research Experience: Only political science research, 6 months at a DC think tank (internship) and 2.5 years in industry.
  17. So I'm about to take a class called "Linear Algebra and Real Analysis" through Harvard Summer School to meet both the multivariable calculus and linear algebra prerequisites for most of the econ masters programs I want to apply to + to show that I've gone a little beyond that with the real analysis portion. The class is the equivalent of Math 23A in Harvard College and it's the class the Harvard undergrads take after calculus II if they have an advanced (for their level) math background. I've seen good reviews of the course here (apparently it's very hard and very intensive) and the professor claims that AdComs like seeing the course in people's transcripts. My worry is that if I take this course I won't have a class called "multivariable calculus" or "calculus 3" in my transcript. Will that be an issue?
  18. Yeah part of the benefit I see in doing the master's is getting those lettters.
  19. Thank you all for the advice. One more question: I graduated 3 years ago and don't really feel comfortable asking any of my college professors for a recommendation letter. Will having letters from job supervisors affect my chances that much? One of them is a well-known PhD (in political science, not economics) so I'm fairly comfortable with him assessing my academic capabilities. But the other is just a standard industry person.
  20. Thanks! This is very reassuring. I will definitely be applying to both of those. These are some very interesting recommendations. I'd seen the QEM program before and noticed they have a preparation year in Paris 1 called the Mathematical Methods in Economics and Finance, which looks like it could be right up my alley. (Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne: First Year of Graduate Studies: University Diploma in Mathematical Methods, Economics and Finance (MMEF)). My concern with the QEM is that its placements don't seem too great. I hadn't heard about CEU before but apparently it's well respected. And, like you said, they emphasize that you don't need a background in economics, which is great! Do you know about their placements? (And CERGE-EI's?) They don't list them on their website...
  21. I don't think I can take 4 classes along with my full time job. I could take them spring next year, but I definitely want to apply to schools this winter.
  22. Thanks!! You're saying I should try TSE even though their website says "Students should hold a BSc in Economics, Applied Mathematics within a recognized curriculum considered as consistent with the program and approved by the TSE selection committee."?
  23. Thanks! Yeah that’s exactly why I’m not applying to the three you mentioned, they all require a background in economics.
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