PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Math and Economics, Ivy League (starts with P)
Cumulative GPA: 3.51 / 4.00
GRE: 169 Q/166 V/4.0 AWA
Math Courses:
Calc II-Multivariate (A), Calc III-ODE ©, Calc IV-PDE (A-), Linear Algebra (A), Math of Finance (A), Real Analysis I & II (C/A), Adv ODEs (A)
Stats Courses:
Probability (A), Regression (A), Time Series (A), Stochastics (A), Math Stat (A-), Bayes (A-), Machine Learning (A-)
Econ Courses:
Intermediate Micro/Macro (A-/A+), Game Theory (B-), Adv Micro (A), Adv Game Theory (A), Economic Development (A)
Letters of Recommendation:
- Prof
- Fed economist
- Current boss (was previously an Asst Prof at a top-5, well-known in finance)
[assume generally positive but maybe not superlative - all agreed to write without reservation. I honestly don't have a great sense]
Research Experience:
2 years at Federal Reserve
1.5 years of independent work with an Asst Prof at a top-25 (couple of presentations, still WIP stage)
Teaching Experience:
None
Work Experience:
Internship at top DC think tank - economic policy
2 years at Federal Reserve
3 years Data Scientist at Silicon Valley tech/finance company, currently senior level (~200K salary). Have a couple of mathy blog posts which can be adapted for writing sample.
Programming skills:
R, Python, Scala
Questions/Context:
Wondering how competitive I'll be at top 10. Also looking at business programs. Have low/mediocre GPA with some unfortunate Cs which I think is my biggest weakness. Should I do a Master's? I've saved enough (350K, no debt) that I can afford it easily. Honestly a PhD wasn't really on my radar until end of senior year, would have studied a bit harder had I known earlier