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There's a very nice new article out in The Journal of Economic Education titled "So you want to go to graduate school? Factors that influence admissions to economics PhD programs" You can find it (probably through your university library) at https://doi.org/10.1080/00220485.2020.1731385 Here is the abstract The authors survey admissions coordinators about the importance of application components in admissions decisions for economics PhD programs. The survey explores the importance of difficult-to-quantify aspects such as a targeted personal statement, strength of letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, and related work experience. The most important aspects of an application are GPAs in math and economics, letters of recommendation, and GRE quantitative score. The strength of letters of recommendation carries more weight than the prominence of the letter writer. Top-25 programs place a higher value on undergraduate program rank (for students from both domestic and international universities) and strength of letters of recommendation.

I’ve been wondering, if someone happens to get an RA position at J-PAL, who is the best person possible that will be able to write a good letter? I’m thinking that because the research is conducted away from Cambridge that despite working with J-PAL I wouldn’t be able to get a letter from any top faculty. Is this about right?

I have 4 years of work experience after my MBA (from IIMB, India) and am planning to apply for a B - School PhD this December. I am confused about the kind of recommendation letters I should provide. Would love to get inputs on 3 out of the following options that I can choose for my letters: 1. An IIMB prof known for research in US circles whose course I took, did not do very well in it but he knows me personally and is very impressed with my work. I might also potentially write a short paper with him soon. 2. An IIMB prof not very well know for research, is heading a policy think tank right now. I took his course and decently well in it, also published a Working Paper with him when I was in IIMB. 3. An IIMB prof very well known for research globally whose 2 courses I took, did decently well in both the courses (received straiht As), but she does not know me very well. 4. An IIMB prof known for research outside of US circles whose course I took, did not do very well in it but he knows me personally and is very impressed with my work 5. A senior from one of the research centers at UChicago, who is neither a PhD, nor a prof, has connects in UChicago, knows me personally and will be happy to write a letter Out of the above 5, which 3 should I pick for my letters? Looking forward to inputs!

Hello guys, Just a question out of the blue. Does anyone not waive the right to see the recommendation letters? meaning they check that they wish to see the letters after the admission cycle? Can the letter writers see that you have not waived it? and what do they think about it?

Hi All, Requesting views, experiences, opinions on below dilemma: I'm currently in my first year (and first semester) at a top-30 PhD program in the US, but now needing to relocate to Europe for (entirely) personal, and unavoidable reasons. Most EU schools have a cap on the number of letters I can submit and I have to optimize on which letters I choose: do I choose a letter from my current university, so that the admissions committee do not think that I am quitting because of any bad experiences or due to failing my exams here? (Such a letter will reduce information asymmetry but it will not be as strong as my other letters because it will be built off of just 2 months of interaction with my professor, and grade A-, on his subject. OR Do I submit letters from my old professors who know me better, and can write a relatively more detailed letter. Also, I know those letters are not bad because they got me into this T-30 program in the first place!. The drawback with this strategy is that reviewers will not have any faculty's validation/assessment about my performance at current phd program. They will have my transcript though, and my SOP, where I shall clearly state my reasons for moving. Thanks a lot !

Hi all I’m currently in my first year, thinking of my re-application for NSF GRFP. I applied last year and got Honorable Mention, so I know I’m marginal, hoping to make it over the edge this time. I’m on the fence between applying this year or next year (note now you can only apply once after starting a program). Looking for tips, especially from any faculty lurking who may have more direct insights into how NSF apps are reviewed. There are two main Q’s that I think would help clarify things for me: - Does it look weird to not include a rec letter from anyone at your current institution? As a first year I don’t know any profs that well, so they wouldn’t be able to write a terribly informative letter. But does it look weird then if I apply this year with no letters from my program? If I apply next year instead, I could RA this summer and include a letter from my school that way, which I imagine would be a solid letter. I think my letters this year are pretty strong, so I’m not overly concerned about adding a strong letter; I think the strength of letters could marginally improve if I wait a year, but the larger factor might be whether or not I actually just need to have one letter from my current school. - If I apply next year instead of this year, how much will reviewers weight my first year grades? I’m sure I’ll do fine, but I’m guessing more in the B/B+ than A range. Maybe that would be taken as a negative if that’s the case? So the main tradeoff seems to be a possibly better set of letters next year versus the risk of non-strong grades being weighed heavily. Any insight on how reviewers weigh these things would be helpful. Also open to any other thoughts on applying first vs second year that I haven’t touched on. Thanks!

Hi all, Well the time has come and I will be sending masters applications out shortly. I plan on applying to the top Canadian MAs, some back ups and U of T and Westerns MFE programs. Any advice on crafting statement of interest letters will be greatly appreciated, Thanks!

I submitted the online application of some programs in time. However, one of my letter writers hasn't submitted his letter yet and told me letters could come late that then application letter, otherwise the school will specify that they have to submit letters by a certain date. I assume this is true since he seems pretty experienced at being a recommender. However, he didn't submit the letter for the program that says "make sure letters be received by the deadline" in the online application. I'm kinda worried if I'm wasting my efforts and money for this school because of the late submission of a letter. Can anyone share some insights on this? Thx a lot!

On the department, it says 3 but does not go beyond to say whether they encourage or discourage 4th, 5th, or 6th letter. The application portal allows up to 6. The general Stanford graduate school says to consult the department before utilizing the slots allocated for 4-6th letters. I've contacted the department but no reply for a while... It's my understanding that over-submitting letters is generally negative. Do you think that applies to Stanford Econ?

Hi, I have a masters degree from a highly rated university in my (developing) country- however its not globally well recognized. After graduating from there in 2011, I worked as a financial journalist for ten months and then later got a job with World Bank as a research analyst. The latter is a two year contract and will end in 2014. So I shall apply for the PhD next year for the fall of 2014 and it would have been three years since I completed my masters. Do you feel this three year gap could seriously hurt my application (as I wouldn't gain much research expertise during this period)? Also, I plan on taking the LORs from my professors- Could the three year gap affect my letters? Would it beneficial to take letters from my employer, as well? Could someone please suggest ways in which I can improve my application, whilst working with world bank to undo any damage caused by the gap? I have tried to fit in most of the other information in the roll call format below. Please help. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Economics Undergrad GPA: first division, top 5% of the class Type of Grad: MA Economics Grad GPA: first division, top 10 % of class GRE:Q 790, V 720, AW 4.5 (took in 2008 and need to re-take) Math Courses: Introductory mathematics (grad level- including dynamic optimization/linear algebra- decent grades), math econ (real analysis/topology, text used- munkres. decent grades), advanced course in dynamic stochastic programming. Econ Courses (grad-level): dynamic macroeconomics, open economy macroeconomics, advanced macroeconomics(heijdra and van der ploeg), microeconomics (mwg + gibbons and osborne for some game theory), econometrics (discrete choice models- text used- Kenneth train), introductory econometrics (text used- basic econometrics-gujrati). Good grades in all. Letters of Recommendation: not too sure right now- nothing too outstanding but should be okay. Research Experience: Working as a research analyst with world bank- but it mostly involves data management and some forecasting using their pre-set models. Teaching Experience: none Research Interests: macroeconomics, international trade, international economics Concerns: How would the three year gap affect my application? Applying to: I understand that top 10/20 would probably be out of my league, could someone please suggest the range of schools I should be considering?

I can't really find any information about that... ok, here's the thing. Basically I'm not sure how I should spell my name and any other personal information during registration. Because I need to use letters like that: ś, ó, ł . But I not sure is that accent marks? They said that I can't use accent marks such as the caret (ê), cedilla (Ç), tilde (ñ), grave accent (è), and umlaut (ö) so that means I can't use exactly those marks or any others like main. They also said I must to spell my personal information as appear on my ID, so should I type Śląsk or Slask? I'm little bit confuse. I will be glad for any your help guys, that's really important for me.

I have two years left, and need to start working on getting Letters of Recommendation. Problem: I attend a top 20 econ school where all of my classes are taught by Grad Students. I have tried to email a few professors to ask if I could assist them but I never get responses back. So, how should I go about getting Letters of Recommendation? Thanks for your time & advice,

I am visiting with my favourite faculty this week. How do I make my request for recommendations less awkward. Also, am I mad to ask my favorite professor for a LOR because I got a B in his class? He understands that I'm more capable than the grade suggests. To be honest I'm going to ask him regardless of what the advice is... just wondering what you thought out there.