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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.

The professor give us some information that was completely averse to the reasons that mentioned in the lecture. The first reason was all about polar dinosaurs that live in the area that temperature fluctuate wildly according to season cycle. Some scientists don’t think in this way and believed that polar regions was no as rare as they are today and perhaps, dinosaurs migrate to warmer places in cold seasons or they might hibernate like other animals to get through cold seasons without much trouble. The passage mentioned that the special position of dinosaurs legs that enable them to move fast and run is a firm reason that they are endotherms. But professor believe that their legs was positioned underneath their body because dinosaurs are very heavy animals and these legs help them to move their huge body. Also, passage indicates that the presence of haversian canals is a good reason to categorize dinosaurs as endotherms, because all endotherm animals have this structure that allow the animal to grow quickly and continuously. But, recently scientists find another things in their bones called growth rings. This finding indicates that dinosaurs stop growing during colder periods of time and they just growing in special seasons.

Greetings Here's my profile: GMAT: 760 (Q50, V44) Undegrad GPA: 4.05 / 4.30 (1st in Class) Undergrad Major: Mechanical Engineering (with a minor in Business management) Research Experience: Undergrad level research in Engineering, nothing substantial in Finance Work Experience: Working at an Investment bank for 1.5 years Concentration Applying to: Finance Number of programs planned to apply to: 6-8What made you want to pursue a PhD? Conducted independent research while at work, loved it, want to pursue further. Does this look okay for a T10-T25 university for a PhD in Finance? What schools should I consider? As I lack a Finance degree, should I pursue a Masters in Finance first before trying for a PhD? Any thoughts, suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Test Scores (GMAT/GRE): Q164(86), V163(93), AWA(4.5) Undegrad GPA: Bachelor of Computer Science from BMSIT, Bangalore, 81% (4th in my class) Graduate GPA:N/A Research Experience: 8 months with a professor at HAAS, Berkeley Teaching Experience: N/A Work Experience: 5 years - founded the technical team of a start up, working in a unicorn for the last 3 years. Strong engineering knowledge. Have side projects featured extensively by the press. One of these included a crowd sourced flood map which has been repurposed and re-used by individuals/governments in multiple countries and received recognition from the United Nations. Another project studied the gender of street names. Strong recognition and media/press presence in the open source communities in India recognised Concentration Applying to: Information Systems, Organisational Behaviour/Studies Number of programs planned to apply to: 7 Dream Schools: * NYU Anindya Ghose * Minnesota Information Systems * Maryland Information Systems * MIT * Harvard Business School * Wharton * HAAS Berkeley In addition to information systems programs at business schools, I am also applying to Information Science programs at several universities. Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? I have been part of the open source movement for a while now, and I am interested in using qualitative and quantitative methods, and openly available materials like Wikipedia stats and mailing lists to study themes of culture - so studying contributor motivations, influence of application design in inviting crowd-sourced contributions Questions or concerns you have about your profile? * My GRE quant score. I know it's not too bad, but I think it's pretty bad for the schools of my choice. Should I retake the test? * Research experience - I have no publications of my own, even though I have been doing research that has made a significant difference to the paper that the professor and I are working on. * Letters - I have a strong letter of recommendation from a business school professor at HAAS who's an MIT alum with whom I am working on a review paper that studies the effects on information seeding on contributions in an open source project. My other letters are from an MIT alum who's the director of an open source project and another person from my company who also founded a large open mapping platform, which are also strong. My prof is also reviewing the latter two letters to vouch for my research capabilities. Any additional specific questions you may have: Should I be looking at other programs?

Hi, everyone - I'm Han and I am 27 years old. I am Korean international student who's preparing for Ph.D. in accounting for Fall 2017 Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my post and respond. Test Scores: GMAT 700 (48Q 37V 5AWA 6IR) Undergrad GPA: 3.64/4.0 (State University in US - Accounting Major) Graduate GPA: 3.9/4.0 (Same School. - Accounting Major) Courses: Pretty much all accounting courses including Audit&Managerial accounting theory, Financial accounting theory, advanced accounting theory.... Research Experience: 1. I worked as RA in Korean University during summer 2012 and 2013 (Twice) - , it was marketing related research but the majority of my job was reading financial statements and disclosures to evaluate the status of the sample companies. 2. Wrote 2 research papers with classmates for MS course requirement. Not published, just 30 pages of proper research paper for course requirement (Financial Accounting Theory) Teaching Experience: Worked as an English instructor in English Academy in Korea for 1 year Work Experience: 1. Currently working as a CFO in the start-up company - small company but we are making enough profits to run the business (Not a co-founder since I did not invest any money or created business idea, but worked with founder (CEO) from the beginning) 2. (3-months) a part-time researcher in consulting team in City Hall of Korean city. 3. 2 yrs of mandatory military service (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) 3. Intern in the county office in Korea Concentration Applying to: Accounting Recommendation Letter: 1 from Acct Prof 1 from OG Prof 1 from CEO or Korean Prof that I have worked with (Which on should be better?). Number of programs planned to apply to: 15~20 Schools (Baruch college, Boston College, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Drexel, Rutgers and so on) What made you want to pursue a Ph.D: Did not really think about Ph.D. until at the end of my MS program. I realized that I want to do research as I work in the start-up company. I like to read and study on specific thing rather than run the company... Research interest: Effects of disclosures to markets / equity price. Especially the effect of disclosures through social media such as facebook, twitter, blogs and so on. Concerns. 1. The problem is that I have only completed Business Calculus (Passed.. did not choose to be graded .I was afraid...) and business Statistics(B-). I took only accounting and other management courses for my MS. My quant background is not good enough. Actually, it's not good. So I am planning to take math courses through edX or coursera next year. Should I say that I will take math courses through online to cover my quant weakness in my SOP?? 2. For my last rec letter, should I get it from my Boss (CEO and founder of the company that I am working at) or Korean Prof that I have worked with? 3. I completely have no idea whether I am an okay candidate for a Ph.D. student or not. I'm not looking for top tier schools. So I really need comments from you. So any comments on my profile would be helpful for me. 4. What level of schools should I realistically look for? Any school you guys want to recommend? Any ideas, recommendations or comments are really appreciated. Thanks.

Hi everyone, I am CIS country citizen and plan to apply for PhD in USA and Canada. I have an undergraduate degree in World Economy from top university in my country (GPA 4.0); MSc in Accounting and Finance (research oriented )in top 10 UK universities (GPA 3.0-3.33, but thesis grade - 4.0 (distinction), that accounts for 60 credits out of 180 received from MSc). Work experience: 2 internships ( Ministry and major telecommunication company) during 2nd year of BSc studies 2 years as part-time tax consultant at one of the Big4 companies during last 2 years of bachelors 1 year (after my master's degree) in audit department at another Big4 company. I got promotion in half a year and currently work as an advanced staff. Also I am a lecturer at state university in my country (teaching Economics to 2year bsc students) GMAT Score: 650 My master's degree was research based and contained lots of econometrics, which at first lowered my gpa due to lack of sufficient knowledge. But then with the help of my Econometrics Professor who was my thesis supervisor I was able to advance my knowledge and got distinction on my dissertation. I loved doing research and currently enjoy teaching. Therefore I would like to continue my career in academia. Would be glad if anyone could advice me whether my background is enough to be admitted to PhD program in USA? And which range of schools should I consider?

Honestly, I'm still considering whether a PhD will be right for me. I like reading about my interests (international macro and monetary) but I don't know if I like the academic research aspect, which is quite different. I need to figure that out to know if I should apply. Nonetheless, I would love to get an idea of how well (or not so well) I stack up. Thank you for your opinion and time in advance! PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BComm at a good Canadian school. Econ department in T50 according to RePec overall rankings. Undergrad GPA: 3.58 (Econ: 3.92) Type of Grad: Master's in Economics, same school Grad GPA: 3.55 GRE: Haven't taken yet. Math Courses: Calculus single var: A Calculus Multi-var: A- Linear Algebra: B+ Economics Courses: (Undergrad) Advanced Macro: A- Advanced Micro: A+ Metrics: A- Public Policy Analysis: A (Grad) Micro: B Macro: B+ Metrics: A- International Macro: A Financial Econometrics: B- Energy: A Financial Risk Management: A- Macro forecasting: A Letters of Recommendation: I know I can secure two good letters from undergrad profs who are well known. One prof I've TA'd for for two years and I did well on his course. The other from prof whose class I've taken and had a little RA experience with. For the third one, I'm thinking of the prof who taught me Intl. Macro in grad school but I realize his will most likely be lukewarm. Research Experience: Undergrad level. Helped aforementioned prof with two projects of his and he seemed to like my results. Other than that, half the classes I took in grad school had a research/project component. Wrote a bunch of papers and very hands-on data experience. Teaching Experience: TA in third and fourth year in undergrad and during grad school Research Interests: International macro/international finance, monetary, macroeconomics SOP: My aim by the time I apply is to have a good idea what my research topic is gonna be (I realize I'm very reaching with this goal). This is both to have a good idea where I should apply and show I'm serious about this. Will try to explain the weak parts of my application (grades) Concerns: 1. Not that much math. I would need a couple more courses, definitely real analysis. Might even take some pure statistics courses. 2. My grad school grades are meh, particularly the theory courses. I wasn't fully focused in my MA, honestly. I believe this will be the major weakness of my application. Applying to: I'm thinking BU, CMU, Minnesota, Duke, Penn State, Queen's as possible realistic targets. Daydreaming of Columbia, NYU. Really reaching with Berkeley.

The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper. "Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists' lobby is to widen the highway, adding an additional lane of traffic. Opponents note that last year's addition of a lane to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. Their suggested alternative proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic." Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation. ******************************************************************** The following argument is flawed for numerous reasons. It assumes what is true for Green Highway is also true for nearby Blue Highway. It also assumes that last year’s condition is unchanged until now. Moreover, it assumes the residents who are keen bicyclists will actually use a bicycle lane during rush hour. Thus, these assumptions if prove to be unwarranted the whole argument falls apart. The argument assumes that Blue Highway is similar to nearby Green Highway. Even if these two highways are close to each other, there may be significant differences such as may be Green Highway does not connects suburbs and city center rather it connects downtown to national highway where probability of accidents are higher. Highway plan and structure of Green Highway may be faulty. Had the argument taken into account that the two highways both between suburb and downtown, even then it must be prove that the structure and planning of these two highways are similar. Thus, if these two highways are not similar the argument falls apart. Another assumption is that what happened last years will also likely to happen in future. Even if these two highways are similar, may be last year the climate condition was worse than usual and there was excessive snow, rain or heat etc. which lead to increased traffic jams. Moreover, may be the city held some kind of world cup championship and many people came from outside the city which lead to more traffic. So it must be proved that last year’s condition was similar to typical condition, otherwise this argument won’t hold true. Finally, it assumes that residents who are keen bicyclists will actually use a bicycle lane and use bicycle for their commute. May be these residents use bicycle for their recreational activities or after work they may be exhaust and lack energy for their return home during rush hour. So it must be prove that they will actually willing to use bicycle in their everyday commute. If this assumption prove to be false then the argument will not be compelling. Because the argument makes several unwarranted assumptions it fails to make a convincing case that, a bicycle lane will reduce the rush-hour traffic jam in Blue Highway.

In any field of inquiry, the beginner is more likely than the expert to make important contributions. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Experts in a particular field are highly skilled, experienced and have systematic approaches, nonetheless unlike beginners, they lack unpredictability in their methods and may fail to think in a wide range which are essential in making any major discovery. Thus, in any field of inquiry, a beginner with enthusiasm and devotion can make crucial progress than a pundit in that field. It may seem an expert in a particular field with particular knowledge and experience can do more convincing inquiry than a dilettante in that particular field. But a beginner with lack of expertise may use unpredictable method of inquiry and get tremendous success. For example, many scientific discoveries that greatly shapes human culture, society, technology – as we know of today--are made by just mere accident. When lightening stroke causes fire in dry leafs, ancient human learnt how to use and manipulate fire. Moreover, vitamin-C found in lemon can be used to treat a disease known as “scurvy “: discovered by sailors in ships when they began to use lemon in their appetite. Even in modern era the famous physist Newton came up with his groundbreaking “Gravitational Theory” by merely observing an apple that fell from a tree. In field of archeology many expedition sites are discovered by apprentice archaeologists. Penicillin was discovered by Flemming just by happy chance. Thus, beginner can greatly contribute in their respective fields. Experts are highly experienced and have more systematic approach in dealing with a particular field; this may also lead them to become more stereotype. On the hand, fledglings can be more flexible in their thinking and their method can be peculiar to some of us but they can be highly effective. In other words beginners are more likely to think ‘out of the box’ than an expert. This free thinking ability can lead to more prolific and significant contribution in a particular field. For example, while military experts could not break the so called Enigma Code, an idiosyncratic scientist Alan Turing deciphered it successfully. Hence, these ardent beginners play an important role in exploring new phenomena in a particular field. It cannot be denied that expert personnel are more experienced, highly skilled and have more organized working methods that may lead to new discoveries and improvement that can help human society, culture, technology etc. Experts may even come up with a groundbreaking theory by using their methods. In the end, it can be said that both experts and beginners can make important contributions in their respective field of inquiry. However since beginners with their enthusiasm, unpredictable method and ‘out of the box’ thinking are more likely to come up with successful results. The challenge is to figure out how a beginner approaches and his/her devotion to the field of inquiry.

Dear All, I am seeking your advice on my profile and I would really appreciate any type of help you may lend. My Background: Research Interest -Quant Marketing: digital marketing, corporate decision making with data, word of mouth and social media Undergrad - B.B.A Accounting- Top 5% school in my country GPA - validated 3.7 however I only achieved a "pass" my undergrad dissertation Postgrad - Master of marketing analytics from New York University ( still in my last semester) GPA - 3.8 and I did really well on classes for statistics, database marketing and I hold certificate in R and Google Analytics Research Experience - I did a lot of research and analysis with my work on daily basis but most for company and organization I work with. I have 1 conference presentation at NYU without paper/publication. I do share my reports or interesting research on a personal analytics blog. Work Experience - Currently working in web analyst position for higher education, daily work include data collection, marketing experiments, user testing ( I help to conduct focus group surveys and analyze customer attitude) and I work with marketing data analysis such as regression, clustering and correlation on daily basis. Before that I previously worked in similar function for Ogilvy and some press companies. Other Experiences - Previously worked as Teaching assistant in undergrad. Have few research proposals related to my research interests. GMAT: 730( 99% for math) TOEFL - 112 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION - Can get recommendation letters from professors from NYU but they are not academically active. They are more like successful professionals in marketing. My current employer also promise recommendation letters that will validate how I work with marketing data and how I always dig into data for facts. Some schools that I am currently checking( I want to possibly stay in NYC area) : New York University, University of Rochester, MIT, Wharton ( i know this is a little bit off), MSU, Boston U Some questions I also have: I do realize that the lack of research experience may be a weakness to me but however, I do consider the data analysis work I do for organizations and companies really changed how they function and that is also my passion for further research in marketing. I have a trackable documentation of the type of analytics work/tool that I work with so can I rationalize this as a strength for me as having a solid quantitative analysis methods background and use my user survey experience to demonstrate how familiar I am with experimental methods? Again, thanks everyone for reading this far and I would appreciate any suggestions or advices you may have !!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this site but it has been really helpful and interesting so far. I would really appreciate if anyone could provide me a profile evaluation. I'm mostly concerned about my age (I'm around the youngest I have seen on this site) and my lack of a grad degree. Program Applying to: Management/OB/HR Undergrad Degree/GPA: BS in Psychology from a high-ranked public school/3.9 (major GPA is 4.0) Age: 22 GRE: 327 (165 in Verbal; 162 in Quant; 4.5 Writing) Work experience: 2 years full time during undergrad (unrelated) and 2 years full time post-undergrad as a manager (I graduated at 20), 4 years volunteering, including 1 year running a non-profit Teaching experience: no real teaching experience, but I assisted in teaching elementary school students and have tutored 10+ college/grad students in Math/writing Research experience: 3 years undergrad (research assistant in 3 labs) and 2 years post-undergrad as a lab manager (all psychology), 6 months assisting OB professor in negotiations research Letters of recommendation: 3 from psychology professors currently conducting research (2 are big names, the other is head of psych dept but not well known) Research interests: OCB/prosocial behavior Schools:I'm applying to 15 schools (wide range of rankings) I have been in contact with some professors in the programs that I met through recruiting events and working with OB professors and current grad students, who all sounded very encouraging, but I really have no clue where I stand. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm currently started freaking out about my plans for next year! I have a sense that I'm a relatively strong candidate, but I'm really not sure where I fit in terms of schools that might accept me. Is top 10 too high? Maybe I should aim more for the 10-20 range? Lower? Also I have this crazy plan about getting a masters in Europe and trying again. I'd love to get some feedback on whether or not that makes sense! PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: T 40 Public - Big state school. Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4.0 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: V170/Q167/5 Math Courses: Hon Calc 2-4, HOn Linear Algebra I & II, Hon Modern Algebra, Hon Intro ODEs, Intro Prob & Stats, Probability Theory I (hon) & II, Numerical Analysis, Real Analysis (Hon intro and graduate level), Hon Intro Complex Analysis Econ Courses (grad-level): 1st year Micro sequence, Game Theory, Growth - next semester IO, Network Games Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro, Intro Macro, Micro Theory, Macro Theory, Poverty and Wealth, Econometrics I, Game Theory, plus Advanced Econometrics and Development Economics (B+) at LSE. (all As or A+s except for the one B+) Other Courses: Computer Science BA, French minor Letters of Recommendation: 1) My Prof for game theory and the graduate micro sequence 2) Prof that I took honors intro micro with, was his TA for two semesters. Close relationship. 3) Prof who I took micro theory, poverty and wealth, and grad growth with, current adviser for honors thesis. Research Experience: Honors thesis on measuring poverty with Engel curves, work on empirical pricing dynamics with informatics prof (game theory+machine learning+some information theory.) Nothing concrete but enough to talk about. Teaching Experience: Three semesters of Micro Theory, one of intro macro, one of Data Structures (CS) Research Interests: Game theory, behavioral models, dynamics and disequilibrium. Maybe IO? SOP: Standard. I found a couple of people at each school whose work I'm interested in, so I'll tailor towards each program. Broadly interested in applications to development. Will try to work in research and extracurriculars. Concerns: I come from a less prestigious university/program. No solid research. Other: I founded an Economics club at my university and helped start a social impact fund. I am also a peer adviser for the office of financial literacy. Are these things that I should play up or is coursework/ research the main thing? I'm also interested in the impact of doing a masters at PSE or the Tripos vs. going straight into a (possibly lower than my target) PhD? Is it worth it to do the masters and then reapply (assuming that I'll really enjoy both?) Applying to: APE/ETE Masters at Paris School of Economics, Cambridge Tripos, MIT, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Northwestern, Brown A couple of my friends (who I compare pretty evenly with) have gone to or been admitted to the Tripos, so I feel like that's pretty safe. PSE also has a reasonably high acceptance rate. My current plan is to see if I get into any of my "reach" PhDs, and if not, do a masters and reapply. I've received mixed opinions about whether this is a good idea. I'd really appreciate your thoughts! Thanks!

Scandals are useful because they focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In order to divert our attention towards problem, a scandles is needed. In addition, it also promote knowledge about related issues/problems. It is evident from history that scandles have succeed in bringing one's attention towards problem because of the hype it catches through media. In general our society loves to gossip around, scandles give them a chance to do so. For the same reason, it usually gets more air-time on television - promotes the awareness - which diverts one's attention towards it. Along with that, the related challenges also gets highlighted. Which often leads to the revealation of many hidden or untold stories. Scandles, apart from creating awareness, also encourages other society members to refrain themselve from get involved in promoting such problems. Due to excessive media involvement, the relevant authorities are also challenged - or made answerable - in more powerful way than usual. On the other hand, the scandles are promoted on the cost of one's reputation. If the accused person is not culprit(or guilty) then, such promotion can harms one's reputation and personality. Scandles in our society does gets limelight, because of media hype and societies love for gossips. So, they are useful in bringing one's attention on problem in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could.

“The Smith Corporation should not be permitted to develop the land that is now part of the Youngtown Wildlife Preserve. This sanctuary is essential to the survival of the 300 bird species that live in our area. Although only a small percentage of the land will be sold to Smith, the proposed development will have disastrous consequences for our area. The company plans to build a small hotel on the land. Although they have promised to ensure the preservation of the sanctuary, there is no way that their plans will do anything but harm the sanctuary. There are no circumstances under which this sale will benefit our community, which relies on tourists who visit.” My Response: Here, the petition is sent by an environmental protection group to residents of Youngtown, not to permit the Smith Corporation to develop the land that is small portion of the Youngtown Wildlife Preserve. In this petition, protection group makes unwarranted assumptions about the impacts and consequences when the land will be used to develop a small hotel. Taken all these assumptions in regard, the argument that the protection group is trying to make, will fall apart, if such assumptions do not hold true. Firstly, the assumptions about the disastrous consequences for the area, that will follow if The Smith group makes a hotel on the small portion of the land, are not underpinned by any facts or figures. The assumptions do not state how hotel building will be deleterious to Wildlife Preserve. Rather, the protection group is firing the shot in the dark. The protection group should inquire about the project of Smith group that how the building will ensure preservation to the sanctuary as such they are promising. The protection group should also inquire about how the sewage system for the hotel will be carried out and how it will not spoil the near Wildlife preserve land. If the Smith group is able to justify themselves by providing cogent explanations how their building will not spoil the near- by land, then the whole argument falls apart. Secondly, without looking at their perspective and analysing, the protection group are clearly indicting the Smith group that their plans will do anything but harm to the sanctuary. This is again the case of unwarranted and unstated assumptions. On what grounds, protection group is accusing the Smith group of polluting the near-by land, is explicitly unclear. If the protection group are making such malicious accusations based on some facts, then they should have been mentioned in the petition. Lastly, assumptions about how the sale will not benefit the community of Youngtown, are also unsupported. Therefore, they cannot demand the people of Youngtown not to permit the Smith group to acquire the land and build the hotel. How this sale might harm the community should been mentioned to get the clear perspective of the protection group. However, there might be case, in future, if Smith group makes the hotel, the hotel can serve purpose to attract more tourists from all around the world to see the sanctuary which is just near by, which in turn can help Youngtown to gain economic and historic status. In conclusion, the petition here makes unwarranted and unstated assumptions that it seriously enervates the argument the protection group is trying to make. Unless these assumptions are addressed properly, the argument in the petition falls apart and which in turn, might not help to convince inhabitants of Youngtown to protest Smith group.

Hi I wouldn't ask a general question without doing any research. I have selected about 8 universities matching with my profile and would want all of you to kindly advice me whether I am on the right track or whether I am missing some places or if I am overconfident with some. I am in the final year of Undergrad in Economics from University of London (International Program) from an affiliate center (of Uof london) in India and I have completed some introductory and intermediate coursework in economics as well as completing advanced coursework in math and economics Firstly, I want to pursue a Masters in Economics simply in order to grab the full story. By that I mean, after learning Econometrics and Macroeconomics, I am very inclined towards real econometric theory with applications of linear algebra and real macroeconomic theory with math. This is the reason why I am choosing institutes which are not money-making ones, for e.g. LSE, no offence to LSE but I judge it as a money maker including all other institutes in UK. When I go to graduate school to do economics, I want it to be more of investment of time and less of money (I am aware that masters students don't receive full funding but I do see tuition fees as a major constraint when looking at institutes) . I want to apply Masters to non-academic areas like economic research (like consulting agencies), official institutions (banks, funds). So overall, at the moment, I am not committed to a PhD, I feel that actually spending a year in graduate school will make me realize if I am capable enough or not. So I want to use Masters in Economics as a terminal degree for job market, particularly research institutions. Please look at my profile and choice of institutes and give me any input or advice, I highly appreciate your time and advice. PROFILE Type of undergrad: Bachelor of Science, Economics Undergrad GPA: Upper Second Class (UK) (Expected in 2015) (Prediction based on current sem grades) If I convert on random online websites, I get 3.61 but don't know how accurate that is , any legitimate websites? Math Courses: Mathematics I (A-) [basic Calc - single and multi var, Matrices, Sequences] Mathematics II (A-) [Further Calc (multi-var), Differential Eq, Difference Eq, Basic Linear Algebra] Further Mathematics (A-) [ Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Optimisation Theory] Book Used: Simon and Blume ; Bartle Real Analysis Mathematical Economics (A-) [Constrained, Intertemporal Optimisation; Optimal control using diff. eq] Book Used: Hammond and Dixit Stats Courses Statistics I (B) [basic Distributional Theory and Regression] Statistics II (A-) [Prob Theory, Distributional Theory incl. Random var and expectations, Inference Theory, Regression] Econometrics (A-) [book used: Dougherty Econometrics) Econ Courses Introduction to Economics (A-) [Micro : Cons, Prod, Mkt structures, extern Macro: goods mkt, money mkt, employment and eq, infl and unempl and open econ] Book used : Amos witztum economics Intermediate Microeconomics (A) [Cons, Intertemporal choice, Uncertainty, firm, comp and monopoly, oligopoly and game theory, asymmetric info, externalities and pg] Books used: Perloff, Varian Intermediate Macroeconmics (B+) [iS-LM, AS-AD, Inflation and PC, Solow Growth, BP and Mundel Flemming OE, Theories of Cons,Inv, Money demand and supply, Monetary and Fiscal Policy] Books Used: Blanchard, Dornbusch, Mankiw International Economics (A-) [book followed: Krugman and Obstfeld] Monetary Economics (A) [ Books followed: Lewis and Mizen, Walsh, Maccallum] Other Courses Corporate Finance (Failed) - Retaking this year Business and Management (B) Graduate Work: None GRE: Q 165 TOEFL: 104 (Speaking: 29, Writing:27) Research Interests: Macroeconometrics - want to use or learn tools in econometrics (mainly time series and forecasting) to analyze tools of monetary policy like inflation targeting (currently a big thing in India right now) International Economics (International Finance in particular) Research Experience: None so far Teaching Experience: None Letters of Recommendation: 1 from LSE graduate who taught me for 2 years, and I was consistently in top 1% in his class, also got an achievement award from him given to only one student every year , 1 from UPF Barcelona GSE Graduate who knows me since 1.5 years, again was in top 1% in his class and last from a grad from local institution here in India who taught me for more than 2 years and 2 different subjects where in the first I was somewhere in top 10% and top 1% in next Applying to : 1 UBC Vancouver MA Economics 2 Barcelona GSE MS Economics 3 Tufts University MS Economics 4 Wisconsin Madison MS Economics 5 CEMFI MS Economics 6 UCL MSc Economics 7 NUS MS Applied Economics 8 Stockholm MS International Economics 9 Grad Geneva MS International Economics Concerns 1. Reputation of Undergrad degree: The course can be pursued anywhere in world as University of London has recognised teaching centers throughout the world, it is also mentioned on LSE's website as it has been designed by LSE University of London International Programmes with academic direction provided by LSE. - University of London International Programmes - Study - Home. I am not sure if this course will be a downside when applying to USA and Canada and Europe. Based on books I mentioned being followed, what do you guys think? One Uni in switzerland told me that where university doesnt have a seat in your country, then the degree is not recognized. I didn't face any other problems, not sure if this is a disadvantage. 2. No Research Experience: There is no requirement other than completion of coursework and my institute being a teaching center of a much larger institute (Uni of london) there is no research work that goes on here. Hence that part of the window is shut and on top of that, finding research assistant opportunities in my city paid no dividends as undergrads aren't given much importance. I don't know how I could fill this gap in my application, any ideas? I thought of writing an independent thesis and get one of the teachers to supervise my work but not sure if that would be of any value. Any ideas? Having no research experience will be a major disadvantage in my SOP where I am forced to base the statement heavily on my interests, inspirations and upcoming work rather than relating it to any particular work or contribution I have made in the past. Please advice 3. Calculation of GPA for UK Grades: Our final exam papers go to LSE and are marked there according to UK grade classification and I don't know how to convert these into letter grades, any help ? I used the following: Percentage Grade 70-100 A 65-69 A- 60-64 B+ 55-59 B 50-54 C+ 45-49 C- 40-44 C Can anyone provide any legitimate source for conversion? I have eleven grades above 60, out of which eight are above 65,of which one is above 70; and the rest of three below 65 but greater than 60. I didn't count subjects not related to econ (finance and business) in gpa, is it acceptable to do that? I think failure in finance would significantly lower my cumulative gpa, kind of unfair. I can't find more than 2 good universities (under decent budget) in USA : Wisconsin-Madison (any input on this, they just started a masters) and Tufts (why is this not ranked anywhere? also cant find any discussion threads on this) I am not considering the money makers Boston, Duke, New York, Columbia, Texas Austin, Michigan, Minnesota and Cornell, is any of them worth giving a shot? How about the lower ranked ones like Houston, Colorado-Denver and Florida State? Also as per advice by professor, not considering anything apart from UBC in Canada, like toronto, waterloo, york, queens, mcgill etc, what do you guys think? Plus any other unis outside of usa and canada? Whoa, I asked a whole lot of questions, I am really sorry But Extremely pleased about this forum and quality of people here and really appreciate your advice on my issue!!!

Hello! I'm interested in applying to MS CS/HCI courses in USA cuz Design + Code keeps me happyhttp://www.edulix.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif GRE- 310 | Q-161, V-149, AWA-3.5 TOEFL- Yet to take (expecting >100) UG 7.33/10 | Toppers Grade- 8.6/10 | Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, Maharashtra(Govt. + Autonomous) Work Exp. Would complete 2 yrs this Sept '14 working in Infosys Ltd. as a System's Engineer. Client- Goldman Sachs Internship/Research Junior Research Fellow at the HPC Lab, IIT Bombay for 2.5 months. I was primarily involved in parallelizing code to optimize performance. MS/PhD No PhD. Interested in joining industry immediately after MS. Universities(Draft) -Carnegie Mellon (MS HCI) -GaTech (MS HCI) -Cornell University (MPS) -UMich Ann Arbor (MSI HCI) -Virginia Tech (MS HCI) -University of Maryand, College Park (MS HCI) -Depaul University(MS HCI) -Rochester Institute of Technology (MS HCI) -University of Indiana, Bloomington (MS HCI) -IUPUI (MS HCI) Why HCI? -Brainstorming on design problems, Design of Interfaces, Prototyping, Information Visualization/Architecture, UI/UX interests me -A perfect amalgamation of Design + Code is what I'm looking for while deciding my MS courses Please correct/provide more inputs if my notion of HCI is vague. Also, feel free to extend my list to add relevant CS/HCI universities suitable to my profile. Advise appreciated http://www.edulix.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif

I have written the below issue for GRE awa practice.I know it is very bad but please give me points of improvement and also how much can i expect in gre with this kind of essay. Thanks in advance. Issue topic: To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities. The major characteristic of any society is the culture of the native people of that society. The characteristics are also depicted in the architecture of their cities. According to me the rural areas depict the characteristics more prominently rather than the major cities. The major cities of any society is the center of that society. It’s the place where you will find most of the trade and commerce taking place. Over the years the major cities undergo changes in order to accommodate the growing demands of the people. People from different parts of the world migrate and they change the place to suit their needs. The old architecture is replaced by modern buildings to accommodate more people. On the other we usually do not see people migrating to rural areas. The occupation of most of the people in the rural area is agriculture or related activities. Due to these they do the natives also do not have the tendency to leave the place. As there is no major increase in the activities in these places we usually do not see major changes in the culture or architecture of the place. Thus the culture is more prominent in rural areas. But there has to be an exception, we know of major cities like Rome which in spite of being the trade capitals have preserved their culture as well as the architecture. If the government and people make an effort to preserve the heritage of the place they surely can succeed in doing so. Even though we cannot entirely study the culture of the society in major cities but we surely can have a glimpse of it. Thus I would conclude by saying we surely can see the culture of any society in its major cities but to study it we need to look at its rural areas.

Hi, I have written the below issue for GRE awa practice.I know it is very bad but please give me points of improvement and also how much can i expect in gre with this kind of essay. Thanks in advance. Issue topic:As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate. Technology is an integral part of our lives today. The growing technology has produced some great wonders, which we never imagined were possible a few years ago. It is the human who has developed technology, so I do not agree that technology hinders human thinking ability. The world population is growing at an exponential rate. In order to meet the needs of so many people it is necessary that we become efficient and productive with the limited resources we have. It is technology which has enabled us to be highly efficient in terms of food and shelter. The area of land which could produce 100kg of rice is now capable of producing 10 times more with the help of modern technology. The modern day technology is not only supporting us but also helping us survive. Imagine if we did not have cars, trains or airplanes. How would you travel long distances? You would be confined to a small area. Today we can roam around the world and see places which ancestors never knew even existed. The transport and communication has enabled us to do business on a global level. Our best technology creation, computer has worked wonders for us. Complex calculation, saving information as well as making this information available with just a click is just amazing. It is the humans who have created this new technology to save our lives from dreadful diseases. We try to make our lives as easy as possible and today technology has made this possible in every way. There are two sides to every coin. Technology also has disadvantages. Today the children start using calculators at an early age in school .Even simple calculations which were earlier done manually are now being done on calculators. This hinders the development of the brain. We refrain from walking even short distances which has adverse effects on our health. But these things can be avoided by taking some precautionary steps. Thus, I would conclude by saying that we do rely on technology today but, it does not hamper our thinking ability.

Hi! Please evaluate my issue essay. Thanks in advance. Topic: Educators should take students' interest into account when planning the content of the courses they teach. Essay: My high school headmaster would always say the secret to motivating people is to talk about things that catch their attention and in a way that is most appealing to them. Clearly educators should consider the interests of students while building the content of their course. Interactive class is the birth place of great ideas. Students engage in lectures better if and only if the content matches with their interest. A science student whose goal is to do pragmatic research in applied physics cannot be stimulated by differential equation that governs the motion of bubble in boiling water. The professor decides to introduce more practical experiments during lectures, the response from this science student will be inundating. Not only a science student, an economics student made to tolerate myriad of graphs or a literature graduate interested in British history taught about contemporary classical novels and other such students would be put to sleep unless the content is engaging. Otherwise, it would not only be a waste to the student but also to the educator as he/she fails to inspire his/her student. It is very essential to inspire students. Inspired students become to be more collaborative and work seamlessly with the educators. As the response and engagement of students starts to build up, complex issues can be tackled. Inspiration leads to involvement which in turn leads to the next big idea or solution of a daunting problem. When content of courses taught are aligned with the interests of students, learning experience is more lasting too. Therefore content of the course taught should not be aberrant from the students' interest. However, a subject might be more important to lay foundation to perform interesting things and this subject might not directly fall under the most galvanizing course from students' perspective. The educator must also include such subjects so as to equip their students with better aptitude. To conclude, the perception of course by students is important. The content of courses should be built around the interests of students to motivate. Mountains can be climbed by the inspired. To read the zenith of a student's capability, the educators must motivate and inspire students.

I'm an undergraduate in my last semester and I intend to apply in the Fall. I'll also be a master's student in the Fall and I'm wondering if my credentials will be competitive by that time. In particular, I want to know if my math grades are good enough, since I did have a bad semester last year. The main question is: should I apply this Fall or wait another year and get some more education/experience. Thanks in advance for any comments! I'm sorry if this post is not of high quality or doesn't belong here. Please let me know. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: My school is the smaller branch campus of a public U.S. university ranked top 50 in graduate Economics. My campus itself has PhD program in Econ and is ranked top 150 nationally (in general, not for Econ alone). I will be finishing a BA in Econ after 3 years instead of 4. I will then spend that 4th year as a grad student earning an MA in Econ. Undergrad GPA: 3.8 so far. 3.9 in Econ alone. This is my last semester as an undergrad and I'm going strong. Type of Grad: I have taken master's and PhD level coursework in statistics, computer science, and other master's electives (see coursework below). I decided to stay an extra year as a grad student and finish an MA in Econ, so I'll be a grad student at the time of application. Grad GPA: 3.65 after taking only 2 grad courses so far, but I'm taking 2 more this semester and I expect this to be higher by the Fall. GRE: I'll take this in the summer. Math Courses: Algebra (B+), Precalc (A), Calc 1 (A), 2 (A), and multivariate (B+), Linear Algebra (B+), Ordinary Dif Eq (B), 300-level Prob and Stat (C+, bad semester), 400-level proof course (W). Will take introductory real analysis course (only multivar calc as prereq) in the Fall. Will take 500-level proof course and micro theory in the Fall. Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (As), Intermed Micro/Macro Theory (As), Statistical Methods (A), 300-level honors seminar in economic history (A), Intro Econometrics (A), Individual study in econ (A), 500-level statistics and econometrics (A), 500-level compsci/data mining (B+) I'm currently taking another 500-level elective and a PhD-level elective at the larger, better ranked university affiliated with my campus. I expect As in both. Other Courses: Honors independent study. Honors BA thesis. Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors. I expect them to be good to very good. Research Experience: RA intern for a small public policy think tank with a fellowship. Predictive analytics intern for a medium-large municipal government. RA for a professor in freshman year. Honors BA thesis. Progress on MA thesis by the time I apply in the Fall. Teaching Experience: Might be able to TA in the Fall for intro theory or stats. Research Interests: Urban econ, Econ history, crime, drugs, prostitution (BA thesis on this topic), land use and zoning (MA thesis on this topic). Other: Member of ODE, several other honors societies.

Dear all, I'd like you to help me evaluate my profile and give me some suggestions to decide the ECON PhD schools I should apply to? Undergraduate A top university in China. Dual degree of economics and math Overall GPA: 3.53 Real analysis: 4.0 metric-theoretic probability is disastrous in grade, yet top 2% in ranking.(I doubt anybody believe the latter) Other math mainly on B, B+, some C..... Presentation in a conference in Japan Graduate Same university, econ master GPA: 3.87 A Paper under review by Journal of econometrics Visiting scholar of UPenn invited to an international conference (econ, but not in the field I want to focus on) RA for a half year GRE V161 Q170 AW 3.5 Math Sub 90% Letter One Stanford, one JHU, one upenn I'm interested in programs from Top 6-Top 20. Thanks in advance for all of you!!

Hello everyone, I need some help figuring out my chances of getting into Econ Ph.D programs in 2014. I am currently doing 2nd Master in Economics in a top 20 Econ Department. Here is my former academic background and experiences: GPA: 3.4/4.0 Economics from China (undergrad and 1st masters) GRE: 790Q, 720V, 3.5 W Research experience: Currently being Research Assistant for a top 15 b-school research institute in my university. Have some research experience in foreign exchange rate during masters paper writing Teaching Assistant experience teaching undergrad stats course during 2-year exchange study in a Japan top 20 Univ. Letters of rec: 1-Supervisor in Japan, Econ Department Dean, 2- and 3- still need to work on but most likely to get them from a not so famous professors in my school Courses: Linear Algebra (A+), Probability and Mathematical Stats (A-), Microeconomics(A-), Macroeconomics(B+), Applied Econometric(B), Statistics for Finance Data(B+), Real Analysis( about to take this fall), Advanced Calculus(about to take this fall), Advanced Microeconomics(about to take this fall). Research interests: International Finance, International Economics, development Economics I would be glad if anyone can make rational evaluation of my chances getting into Econ Ph.D program, and what improvement I need to make before application deadline. My goal is to get into a program ranks above 80, I am not sure how high I should aim. Thanks!!!! :distracted:

please evaluate my profile: masters in computer science: from st xavier's college kolkata(autonomous),calcutta university->72.42%(highest was 81.5%) bachelors in computer science honours calcutta university->68.25%(marks are usually low) class XII(ISc)->82% class X(ICSE)->80% papers:submitted one,awaiting acceptance on a modified version of merge sort with a best case of O(n) projects: i) uncharted terrain navigation using swarm intelligence...lead the group ii)distributed programming software for a system of homogeneously connected nodes or machines iii)buffer overflow protection where stack protection is not feasible. recommendations:from head of the department of computer science at st. xavier's college from two professors from our dean of science who has published numerous books on computer science and electronics i want to apply to the following: michigan state university university of illinois urbana champaign purdue university university of washington... please inform me whether i am aiming too high and what are my chances of getting in.

Hi All, Recently came across this forum and thought I would put my profile out there for feedback on my admissions chances. I'm looking to apply to several schools this coming fall for a PhD in Organizational Behavior or Human Resources (somewhat dependent on the school in question). I am a 2008 Magna Cum Laude graduate of two honors programs of The University of Texas at Austin (Business Honors Program and Plan II Honors, both highly respected undergraduate programs). My GPA is a 3.88 and my GRE is a 1490 (720 Verbal and 770 Quantitative) and my senior thesis was selected as a model thesis (10 total selected, though mine was a creative writing thesis). I've spent the last 4 years pursuing a mix of volunteer positions (Americorps) and consulting (two top 20 firms in healthcare and environmental consulting). I've had a PhD in the back of my mind since late in my undergrad years and that voice has grown louder with time. I can't say that I have a dissertation topic locked down as I anticipate my interests could change some during the course of graduate study but some potential research interests include: 1) the effects of flexible working arrangements on employee retention and success for new fathers, 2) how results-only workplace schemes can drive bottom line results, 3) differences in long-term employment outcomes between external hires and internal promotions, and 4) career effects of formal mentoring relationships in the work place. I have a good list of extracurricular endeavors (mostly volunteer based) but am a little concerned that I have a handful of B's in some of my quantitative courses (Engineering route Calculus, Advanced Physics, and a few others). 60% (three out of five) of these occurred as a freshman, so I'm hoping the admissions councils will be understanding of that. Still, I'm considering taking a few graduate applied statistics classes to offset this potential weakness. Schools I'm looking to apply to include: 1) Cornell (not having visited, this is my #1 as I feel it lines up best with my academic interests) 2) UCLA 3) Berkeley 4) Northwestern 5) Virginia 6) Michigan 7) Duke 8) UNC 9) Minnesota 10) Vanderbilt I assume that I would have a tough time getting into H/S/W though if any of you disagree, please let me know (my ego will thank you, haha)! All feedback, constructive criticism, advice appreciated. Let me know if you would find any additional information useful.