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UG Top20 Math (3.9)+Science (3.6), overall 3.7 due to not studying -- partying too much during UG. No econ courses. I did well in UG real analysis and stochastic process, but I did not take any graduate level Math courses. Master Top 20 management, 3.7 due to not studying -- I am working and doing research at the same time. Some Econ courses but at the B-school level only. My work is policy related; not a top place/big brand. GRE: 160/167/4.5. I did not study for it because I got research to do. I can try to invest several weeks to score a 169 on V/Q but I guess it is unnecessary. Math Course: about 20 undergraduate level math courses, including calculus series, analysis series, linear algebra, algebra series, ODE, PDE, geometry, probability, statistics, stochastic process, math-fin. Mostly A with few A- and one B, 3.9 subject GPA Econ Courses: Business school econ courses, not PhD level, mostly A, one B. Research: One top field with revision requested. Two top fields submitted with AE/Editor coauthoring. One other working paper that could be tried to submitted to top 5. My research is between consumer theory, IO, policy, and a bit finance-related. Presented in top Economics/Business conferences (like AEA AFA) for five times. Letter writers: Currently one strong econ letter from a senior in top 5 (coauthor, regular meeting); one b-school letter from a senior top 5 (coauthor, met for several times); one strong stats/math letter from a senior in top 5 (coauthor, regular meeting last year); one letter from an econ AP (non star) from top 20 (taking courses only); one letter from an econ AP (non star) from top 20 (coauthor). May invest more time to find better letter writers. # of school to be applied: Honestly I don't know. If the number would not cause a problem for letter writers, then I would try to apply to as many schools as I can. Dream Schools: US top 5 or UK top 2 As a nontraditional applicant, I know that in top places UGs with perfect grade and a good thesis are preferred. So what shall I prioritize? Here is my list: 1. Revising papers 2. Submit to Top 5 3. Get another stronger letter in Econ/B-school 4. Write an impressive SOP to explain my experience, non-traditional background, and my poor grades 5. Improve GRE Does it sound reasonable? Thank you in advance for your advices!

Hello, first post on here. I would like to know what is reasonable for me before I get my hopes up. Is something in the 20-30 range attainable? For context, I would rather wait another year and improve my application than attend a school ranked 50+. I am very interested in pursuing a career in academia. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Top 20, flagship public research university. Economics Major, French Minor + lots of chemistry, biology and some physics. Undergrad GPA: 3.35 cumulative, 3.65 last 2 years, 3.60 major GRE: 168 Q/164 V/4.5 W Math Courses: Calc 1 (B-), Calc 2 (B), Calc 3 ©, Calc 4 (C-), Linear Algebra (B+), Differential Equations (A-), Real Analysis (A+) Econ Courses: Stats for Economists (C-), Intro Economics (A-), Intro Economics 2 (A), Intermediate Micro (B+), Econometrics (A+), Econometrics Lab (A+), Intermediate Macro (B-), Theories of Growth/Development (B+), Advanced Econometrics (A+), Behavioral Economics (A), Advanced Macro (A+), Advanced Macro Lab (A), Economic Forecasting in R (A-), Advanced Microeconomics (B+) Other Courses: Mechanics (C+), Thermodynamics and Waves (A), PChem1/2 (C+/B), OChem1/2 (C/B), Cells&Tissues (C-), Stem Cell Biology (A-), Cell&Molecular Bio (A), Genes&Evo&Ecology (A) Letters of Recommendation: 1) Co-signed letter from neuroscience research advisor employed by my university and the head of the lab; 2) business school professor who I know personally, we are working to publish COVID-19 survey data from a survey that we co-designed, 3) *unverified* advanced econometrics professor who is near the top of the field and has encouraged me to chase my aim of becoming a professor. We are in touch and have been communicating but I didn't feel ready to ask her for a letter until now-- asking her this week or next. Research Experience: In neuroscience lab-- adapted github python script to parametrize neural power spectra, used this to transform and analyze multiple datasets of 100+ patients. Analysis included review of related literature and basic statistical tests. This was ongoing for 18 months. Covid-19 Survey-- assessing population level outcomes and integrating accepted behavioral scales to investigate mediating factors. I designed half the survey, the prof I'm working with designed the other half and has been providing guidance. I am solo performing analysis on outcomes of my portion, the plan is to publish the results in the next few months. Teaching Experience: None-- impossible for undergrads to get RA at my institution; chose extracurriculars over tutoring. Research Interests: Complexity and macroeconomics, although also curious about neuroeconomics/behavioral and I am sure that econometrics will be a key part of my toolkit. SOP: I dealt with a combination of depression, anxiety and untreated ADHD throughout undergrad but especially in the first 2 years-- would it help to mention in SOP? Other: Python (3/5, have used professionally to automate demand planning and numerous coursera projects), R (2/5, several large statistical projects), Stata (yuck). Graduated 2019, worked 9 months as a 'Product Development Analyst' before covid layoffs. I am worried that my performance in micro courses is going to be an issue (they bored me at the time, so not in terms of my capabilities), and I have no idea how my poor early math grades will be seen. Thank you for any input you may have.

UG: Top20 Math (3.9)+Science (3.6), overall 3.7 due to not studying -- partying too much during UG. No econ courses Master: Top 20 b-school, 3.7 due to not studying -- I am working and doing research at the same time. My work is policy related; not a top place/big brand. Some Econ courses but at the B-school level only. GRE: 160/167/4.5. I did not study for it because I got research to do. I can try to invest several weeks to score a 169 on V/Q but I guess it is unnecessary. Research: One top field with revision requested. Two top fields submitted with AE/Editor coauthoring. One other working paper that could be tried to submitted to top 5. My research is between consumer theory, IO, policy, and a bit finance-related. Presented in top Economics/Business conferences (like AEA AFA) for five times. Letter writers: Currently one strong econ letter from a senior in top 5 (coauthor, regular meeting), one b-school letter from an old endowment professor in top 5 (coauthor, met for several times), one strong stats/math letter from an old endowment professor in top 5 (coauthor, regular meeting last year), one letter from an econ assistant professor from top 20 (taking courses only), one letter from an econ assistant professor (not star) in top 20 (coauthor). May invest more time to find better letter writers. First Question: What discipline in B-school shall I apply to? I love to do marketing but my paper/background seems fit finance. Also my policy-related paper and work experience fits the TOM/innovation program. My strongest letter would be from an economics professor, but I did not have enough economics courseworks for an econ PhD. So I am having a hard time to decide. Second Question: As a nontraditional applicant, what shall I prioritize? Here is my list in the decreasing order of importance: 1. Revising papers 2. Submit to Top 5 3. Get another stronger letter in Econ/B-school 4. Write an impressive SOP to explain my experience, non-traditional background, and my poor grades 5. Improve GRE Does it sound reasonable? Would a strong rec letter from the academic advisor help to explain my non-traditional cases? Thank you for your advice! Any other comments are welcome.

The system kept freezing and I lost almost 5 minutes on one of my two quant sections. I ended up with a 161Q, 164V. Im only applying to top cs programs, and a 161 in quantitive probably hurts my chances. I now have no time to retake it before applications are due. The folks at the test center were sympathetic, and admitted something was wrong and filed a report, but that was it. I'm going to call ETS tomorrow, but doubt there is much they'll do. What should I do, has anyone else experienced this, and with my scores, is it even worth applying and spending the money on applications?

Hi everyone! Hoping for a little feedback on my profile. Undergrad: B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Georgia (overall GPA 3.4; Major GPA 3.72) Grad: M.S. in Marketing with a certificate in Brand and Customer Management from GSU (Grad in Dec 2014 - Current GPA 3.89) Recommendations: I have at least 4-5 professors who are active in research and well known in academia GMAT: Got a 620 last year but hoping for a anywhere between a 680-700 this year Research Experience: Merit Scholarship - Grad Research Assistant position for a full year (all of 2014) during my masters - more of a sales concentration Citizenship: U.S. (saw another poster mention this so I am too) I am hoping to get a PhD in CB and have a couple research topics (interpersonal relationships, household size, and direct marketing related) in mind that I intend to put in my statement of purpose (which I am having a couple friends and professors review for me). My fear is I will not get as good of a GMAT score as I am hoping. Your evaluations will be GREATLY appreciated. My top picks are UT Austin, George Washington, UCLA, BU, and USC (California). Any feedback on my profile and program recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

Hi! I have been following this forum throughout the application cycle and have found it immensely helpful. With a bachelor's degree in engineering and some research experience, I applied, somewhat skeptically, to 9 OM programs mostly between T-10 to T-20. However, quite to my surprise, I was interviewed (over skype) at almost all of them and finally have an offer from a T-15 school. But the school does not have a great placement record with most students ending up at programs beyond T-50. I now have two choices A) Go for a PhD now. B) Get some RA experience under an Assistant Professor who is reasonably well known in the international circuit and re-apply in the 2016 cycle. My questions to the members of this forum are these: 1) Is it worth taking the risk of reapplying in hope of breaking into the big league (maybe I just got lucky this time)? Or should I just start my PhD now and spend a year as a Post-Doc if things do not pan out right. I know it is not common do a post doc after a b-school PhD but I am not sure how helpful it will be. 2) Apart from the obvious prestige, how would life as a faculty member in a not so good school differ from that in a better school in terms of research opportunities/industry collaborations (and the taboo topic - money earned). Your thoughts and suggestions would be greatly helpful Thanks!

Hi, Recently, I read several research articles: Effect of Service Transition Strategies on Firm Value (2008) Effects of Customer and Innovation Asset Configuration Strategies on Firm Performance Outcomes(2011) Trust at Different Organizational Levels (2008) Customer Loyalty to Whom? Managing the Benefits and Risks of Salesperson-Owned Loyalty Use of Relationship Marketing Programs in Building Customer-Salesperson and Customer-Firm Relationships: Differential Influence on Financial Outcomes. Thus, I think that I am interested in focusing on the organizational-level or marketing strategies, especially areas in relationship marketing , impact of those strategies on the financial performance of organization, and strategic reactions to the external dynamic environment. However, I am confused about choosing appropriate phd program. I am wondering if anyone is willing to please help me by clarifying several questions below and give some guidance. 1. Since few marketing phd programs show that they have the subarea "marketing strategy", how can I better define the area marketing strategy and find an appropriate phd program? Is it a correct way to divide marketing phd programs into three branches: Modeling, CB and Mkt strategy? 2. What are the major differences between mkt modeling branch vs strategy? What kind of math background should I have for each subarea? 3. What are the major differences between phd in marketing and in strategic management? If I am interested in marketing strategy, which program should I apply for?( strategic management or marketing)? I really appreciate your upcoming advice.

Hi everyone, I'm entering my senior year and I'm trying to narrow down schools to apply to from a large list. I was hoping I could get some suggestions based on my profile and interests. Without further ado... PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Econ major, math minor, Top 75 USnews Undergrad GPA: 3.5 Type of Grad: none Grad GPA: n/a GRE: taking in summer - no disappointment expected Math Courses: calc 1-3 (A/A/C+), Real Analysis (current, 100% anticipate A), Linear Algebra (taking in Fall), Probability Theory (in Fall), ODEs (taking next Spring), Statistical Inference (next Spring) Econ Courses: intro/ intermediate micro / macro (A/A/A/A), Econ Statistics (A-), Health Economics (current, expect A), Econometrics (current, expect B+ or A-), Mathematical Econ (Fall), Environment and Resource Econ (Spring). also writing thesis. Other Courses: some psychology and neuroscience classes (sparkling GPA, formerly my major, but thoroughly irrelevant) Letters of Recommendation: One from current research adviser / probable first reader on my thesis - he is a freshman professor; another from probable second reader who is moderately known micro prof., third to be determined. Research Experience: REU research (this semester, summer, and likely all of next year) in applied micro - specifically health economics; formerly did pharmacological research at the medical school, and did a summer REU program in neurobiology (most of my experience before this semester is not relevant to economics) Teaching Experience: tutored calculus Research Interests: Applied microeconomics, Resource economics, Health economics, human capital, time preferences SOP: who knows, time has not yet come. Assumed strong enough. Other: My low GPA is attributable to science classes from my two years as a pre-med student. I lack upper division econ and math for the same reason. I currently have an enormous list to whittle down, but the tops are Michigan and Wisconsin. I also like UNC chapel hill, Michigan State, and I've been advised to apply to Duke though I know little about the school. A little further down, UC Boulder seems like a decent fit for me. I need help filling out the distribution. Do I have a realistic chance of getting into Wisconsin or Michigan with funding?

Hi, everyone. I really love this forum because everyone here is nice and a lot of people are dedicated to helping new members. I am here to seek advice on my problems. I want to do modeling in marketing, but the problem is that I don't have a solid mathematic background. My undergraduate major is marketing and I am currently in a pre-PHD program that is also in marketing department. Since I don't want to do CB just because I want to get admitted by a top B-school, I am considering attending more math-related courses such as advanced econometrics, to make up for my weakness. Will this kind of strategy work? What else can I do? Is it possible for applicants who have similar backgrounds to be admitted as marketing modeling PHD in top B-schools? Thanks for any suggestion!

Hello all! This is my first post (and I hope it's not my last), since there is a great deal of helpful knowledge floating about and I hope to be able to contribute as the application process moves forward. I am currently preparing my applications for a econ PhD and was wondering whether I could get opinions on my profile. Honesty is most welcome and any help you guys can give me will really help. Thanks in advance to those who took the time :) Type of UG: Latin American Public University (Honduras), BSc in Economics. GPA: 4.0. Honor student for 3 years in a row. Distinction on Undergraduate Thesis. Math courses in UG: Two semesters of Algebra (including Linear Algebra), Calculus I and II (including differential equations). Type of PG: Latin American University (Argentina). MA in Economics (Specialized in Labor Economics and Development), GPA: 3.8. Some of the courses: Real Analysis, Advanced Micro (using Mas-Colell), Econometrics I and Topics in Econometrics. Labor Econ I and II, Program evaluation. Program was not particularly strong in Macro. Research: Junior researcher at a distinguished Latin American think tank for the last three years, which specializes on development, poverty, inequality and labor studies. Have published several working papers in the econ department and for international development agencies, one chapter in a book (WB-funded) and have two articles in submission process (one with no co-authors). Teaching: Served as undergrad TA in my UG program for two years in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics. Currently a TA in the Master's Program from which I graduated (Labor Econ I). Standardized tests: GRE: Tanked first attempt, retaking Dec 1. (Q=700, V=520, AWA=awaiting) TOEFL: Taking tomorrow morning (more confident for this one) LORs: All academics. One from a Princeton alumni, very well-known researcher in Latin America. Another from a LSE alumni, also relatively well-known in the region. Other possibilities: Alumni from Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Boston University and Oxford. My idea was to attend a mid-level program which is strong in Micro (or applied micro) and Labor econ. Due to the poor GRE first attempt, I was trying to find alternate (lower ranked) programs as a safety. However, I am pretty sure I can raise my GRE score (had terrible anxiety during test) and bombed it. Maybe I am being overtly pessimistic and was wondering whether I may apply to higher ranked schools assuming I improve my quantitative score. I arranged the programs which interest me into tiers (according to the econphd.net rankings): Tier 1: Cornell, Michigan-Ann Arbor, Johns Hopkins, U of Maryland Tier 2: Carnegie-Mellon, Syracuse, Boston College, Georgetown, University of Virginia, American U, UC Davis Tier 3: George Washington University, Rutgers, Purdue Do any of you think I might be reaching too high on some of these? Do you also have any other school in mind which I have not considered? I believe that in general, my profile is not too shabby. However, I still have that GRE itch which I need to remedy. What do you guys think? Do I have a shot? Many thanks in advance!!! -I hate GREs

Hi m8s! I am about to apply for a phd in management (concentrations in organizational studies). I would like to understand what kind of biz school (i.e. top10 - top20 - top50 - top1/0) i can aim at, given my profile, in order to maximize my chances to succeed. What matters for me is getting into a phd program, which means: Harvard much better than Homer Simpson School of Management but Monty Burns Business School much better than nothing (as long as I am provided with funding by the University). Currently I am thinking about a portfolio of 10 business school to apply to: 3 in the top 10, 3 in the top 20, 2 in the top 50 and 2 in the top 100. My profile is: BS and MS: Business economics at LUISS (Rome) GPA: 29/30 (in both BS and MS) which means I was one of the finest students Toefl IBT: 104 GRE: 620V, 760Q (dunno AW yet) LORS: ex professors of mine (who are very good and reknown in Italy but I doubt their international fame in the US even if some of them had studied in some top business schools - Columbia, Sloan MIT, Wharton UPenn) Professional experience: 2 years in business consulting, working on competitive analysis, business process analysis, post-merger integration. Language skills: Italian (mother tongue), english and spanish (fluent), french (good). SW skills: proficinecy with excel, power point, Visio and Aris (as every business consultanat ) Do I need to add further details? Thank u very much for your kind attention and suggestions!

Hi everyone I just graduated from Colorado Boulder with a BA in econ with a sub-standard GPA (3.2) and now I would like to apply to some MA or PHD programs, but given my bad grades as an undergrad and little math background it doesn't seem feasible. What i am doing right now is strengthening my math background by taking calc1-3, differential equations, real analysis and some probability at a different school (non top tier) before applying. I am also intending to take the GRE until I get a quant. score of hopefully mid 700's. My question is am I doing the right thing to make myself a more attractive candidate, or is this all just a waste of time and money? If it is a waste what could I do that would be a better option? Its worth mentioning that I am not trying to get into a top 50 school