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Hello people. I am deciding between applying for a PhD in economics and going for a Masters first, and I've noticed that most of the Masters have higher tuition fees than the PhD programs (actually, the PhD usually don't have). I want to ask you, how easy or probable is to get a scholarship for a Masters? what can you tell from your experience? Comments about all parts of the world and all universities are welcome. I also would like to note that I am a Math major.

Hi, Long time lurker, first-time poster. I want to apply for PhD Economics programs. I am open to pursuing a masters too if that may seem more appropriate. International student Undergraduate degree: Electrical Engineering Undergrad University: (university in top 20 in India- not IIT/IIM/NIT) Undergrad CGPA 60/100 (2.88/4 as per WES- helps calculates GPAs but I think its an approximation and depends on how universities calculate it) Grad program: Masters in Public Policy Grad university: Low ranked state university (+100 rank in public policy, relatively newer program in USA. Has placed students in Indiana, Cornell, UT Austin PhD Policy programs amongst a few) Grad GPA- 3.75/4 Quantitative: Engineering maths (3+ maths subjects with advanced calculus: grades are A, A-and C ) and microeconomics (A-), econometrics (B+), Quantiative methods (regression analysis) A- Recommendations: University program director (political science), professor at University (economist), boss at federal research lab (Architect & Planner- Oxford) Relevant Work Experience (6) (limited economics research, more quantiative policy research): -Research work experience in India for about 3 years in a non-profit on climate change, clean energy policy, and implementation- local, national and international (researcher) -Full time research work experience in USA for about 2 years in a national research lab on clean energy policy and implementation, looking at markets, local and state policy, utility regulation etc.. published at the lab (research assistant) -Part time research work experience at OSU on local clean energy policy issues for 2 years as a professors research assistant Research interests: Energy/ environmental economics, development economics, behavioral economics GRE: 155 v/ 157 q/ 4 analytical (will retake and aim for 165+ in quant to strengthen profile) Goals: Interested in a career in research in the policy world/government. I am not aure about academia yet. Questions: I am debating between a couple of questions and any insights would be helpful. I have read answers to similar questions on the forum and found them to improve my understanding. If I were to apply for a PhD econ now- what range of programs should I apply to? i.e 50-100 or 75-100? Is my profile suitable for PhD economics? Am I missing some key pre reqs from my coursework? Is it advisable to get a masters before applying for a PhD? If I want to apply for a higher ranked programs what are some key suggestions? With a masters degree with a low ranked university and good grades, what is the range of universities I can aim for? Thank you for reading through my profile. I look forward to receiving your comments.

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BS in Economics/Mathematics, Top 25 private research university / Top 30 Econ (but weak undergrad); minor in music Undergrad GPA: 3.92 cumulative / 3.95 major Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: 162/163 (on a practice test before studying, hoping for much higher before applications) Math Courses: Calc III (A), Linear Algebra & Diff Eq (B+), Probability Theory (A), Mathematical Statistics (A), Machine Learning Theory (A-); [for fall] Optimization, Real Analysis Econ Courses: Int. Micro (A), Int. Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Experimental Methods (PhD seminar/lab, Pass/Fail); [for fall] Practice of Econometrics (grad) Other Courses: 3 semesters of only music and honors gen ed, Intro to C++ Letters of Recommendation: Reasonably well-known experimental professor I RA’d under, Math professor I got to know pretty well, psych PI or hopefully an econ professor from next semester. Research Experience: Completed one semester as RA in environmental psych lab and one semester as RA in experimental econ lab (not much responsibility so far, mostly just a lit review). Planning two more in the econ lab, at least one econ honors thesis, possibly directed research in mathematics, possibly financial econ RA, and application for Fulbright. Teaching Experience: tutored math at a homeless shelter, possibility of tutoring econ next year Research Interests: experimental, developmental, micro theory (political economy/institutional, decision theory) SOP: I don’t know how to approach it yet Other: Extracurricular experience in debate, school magazine, and consulting. My school has next to no guidance to help pursue an Econ PhD so I did not start preparing until third year and only now found good information. Self study in game theory, R, and Python. Concerns: Relatively little coursework, especially in economics, because late start Below average and possibly irrelevant LORs. The undergraduate econ lecturers are not at all well known or receptive to talking to students outside of class. Important coursework and research won’t be ready by time of application for Fall 2017 start This upcoming summer with be a completely unrelated internship with a Fortune500 as a business analyst, unfortunately doing marketing optimization (when I accepted, there was a good chance it would be forecasting) I’ve planned to do a Fulbright and started an honors thesis in preparation (developmental/experimental study in S. America) but I’m worried its not relevant or taken seriously by AdCom’s Questions: From reading previous profiles, it seems like I won’t be competitive for Fall 2017 admissions. If so, what are some good next steps? Given my profile, do any types of masters programs or RA opportunities come to mind? (Applied math, ad hoc classes, Econ MA, think tank, World Bank, etc.) If I do have a chance this year, what range of schools should I focus on? I was thinking about a few top 30 programs, around ten for the top 30-50, and a few more below Should I forget about the Fulbright? Do AdComs care about that, interdisciplinary background, or extracurricular experience? In my final undergrad semester, what courses should I take (algebra, undergrad neuro/IO/etc., real analysis II, diff eq II, etc.)? It doesn't look like I'll be able to take PhD micro, macro, or fields. Given a very challenging course load, should I attempt several different research projects or try to find one to focus entirely on? Should I sacrifice some research time to do things like tutor or self study advanced topics? What can I do about my LORs? If my recommenders ask me for bullet points, what are the sorts of themes that make a strong letter? Thank you so much for any help you can offer. This forum has already significantly adjusted my expectations and I really appreciate everyone’s contribution. I hope I didn’t ask too much for one thread. Please let me know.

Hey! I am having a hard time deciding whether I should opt for MSc Econ from LSE or MA Econ from DSE.I'm really confused between the two. I mean I know that LSE is far much better than DSE in terms of rankings but DSE has strong roots in India. Please Help.

Hi, everyone! I am an international student who earned a bachelor's degree and have recently been accepted to LSE for MSc Economics (2 years) and M.A. of Economics (1 year and a half) at NYU. In the end, I would like to pursue Ph.D in economics in the United States to become a research economist. I would like to hear your opinions on which school I should choose for my Master's program since I don't have anyone around me who earned a Master's degree in Economics. In terms of pursuing a Ph.D after earning my Master's, what would be my optimal choice? (Let us leave the living cost and the tuition fees behind although they are one of my biggest concerns.) Thank you for your opinions in advance! Wish you all have a great day.

I'm completely hopeless now that I realize what kind of signal a low GRE Quant score can send out to grad schools. I want your advice on how to pull off an admission offer for a Masters Economics most possibly in United States. Here is my profile Type of Undergrad: PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: University of London Distance Learning Program (BSc Economics) - This program is run by LSE and taught by affiliated institutions across the globe. University of London International Programmes with academic direction provided by LSE. - University of London International Programmes - Study - Home GPA: Don't know how to convert, I currently fulfill all requirements for a 2:1 (Upper Second Class Honors) GRE: Q 156 (64th percentile) V 147 A 4.0 TOEFL: 104 (Speaking: 29) Math Courses: Calc I (A-) Calc II (A-) Mathematical Economics (A-) (involves Static and Dynamic Optimization, Differential Eq, Control Theory) Statistics I (B) Statistics II (A-) (Prob Theory, Distributions, Inference) Linear Algebra and Real Analysis (C+) Econ Courses: Principles Micro&Macro (A-) Intermediate Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (B+) Intro Econometrics (A-) Monetary Economics (A) International Economics (B) Research &Teaching: None SOP: Made a thesis proposal by describing a research topic in monetary policy tools and effectiveness, also highlighted a academic excellence award received at the end of 2013/14 semester Applied to: UBC, Tufts, CEMFI, BGSE, UCL, Duke, Wisconsin, Grad-Geneva, NUS, Boston, Texas-Austin, Warwick Rejected by: BGSE, UCL (within 2 weeks) Accepted by: None so far Concerns: 1) Did my GRE score close the curtains on my hopes? I had carefully assessed whether I needed to retake it but UBC and UCL have mentioned a minimum requirement of 156 in quant section and BGSE mailed me that GRE is not as important as your quant subjects grades. Although that shouldn't count now as 2 out of those 3 already rejected my application. NUS, Warwick didn't require GRE. It is too late to retake it anyways. Have I made a critical error? 2) Knowing my profile and places I applied and rejections I got, can you advise on where I should NOW apply as a backup, possibly in US for MA Economics? I don't necessarily want to pursue a PhD and wouldn't mind working in industry for economic research institutions or financial services. How reputed are NC State, Georgia State, Georgetown, UColorado-Denver, Texas A&M, Florida State for their economics departments and in particular masters programs not just in terms of getting into PhD in the future but also for getting into job market? Any other places in Canada, UK, Europe? 3) Also, what will be good options for MPP or Public Administration programs as well as Masters in Finance (leaving out the elite group of MIT, Princeton, Vanderblit) ? How good are Arizona State, Temple U, Massachusetts-Boston and IIT Stuart? Would really appreciate some input Thanks a lot for your time P.S. My grades were in UK percentage scale and hence I used WES website to convert them as follows: [TABLE] [TR] [TD=colspan: 2]Grading Scale[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: Title, bgcolor: #FFCC33]Scale[/TD] [TD=class: Title, bgcolor: #FFCC33]U.S. Grade Equiv.[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]70-100[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]A[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]65-69[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]A-[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]60-64[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]B+[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]50-59[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]B[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]45-49[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]C+[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]40-44[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #EEEEEE]C[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]0-39[/TD] [TD=class: info, bgcolor: #ffffff]F[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

Will have an economics undergraduate degree and an applied mathematics degree. Economics gpa will be about 3.3 and math will be about 2.9. However, my math skills have increasingly gotten better over time. Chances of masters acceptance? What type of placement (ranking)?

Hi guys, could you guys help me choose between these three programs: MA Economics at NYU (Accepted) - 1.5 years MA International Economics and Finance at Brandeis (Accepted with significant scholarship) - 2 years MA Applied Financial Economics at Duke (Awaiting Decision) - 2 years Specifically, I would appreciate if you could comment on each school's academic reputation compared to each other, their recruiting facilities and employment prospects as well as career resources, taking into consideration that I am an international student. As you can tell, I'm not interested in pursuing a PhD in the future and working in the industry is the goal here. Personally, I'm interested in Financial Economics so I really like the Duke's program but am not so sure about the recruiting there. NYU is preferable in terms of location and prestige, but the program would be less financially oriented. And I just don't know enough about Brandeis but the scholarship made it a lot more attractive. Thanks!

Hey guys, I am spanish student. Try to excuse my english, I am still not very fluent. I did the GRE test two weeks ago. In percentile, my scores equal to: Verbal 149 = 42% Quantitative 165 = 93% Analytical writing 3.5 = 29% I am disappointed about my analytical results, and worried because in many progrmas they do not only require quantitative scores. My intention is going to a good school with a good master program in Economics. As examples: Boston University, Cambridge or Barcelona GSE. What is your experience, do you think that my poor results in the analytical section would be an obstacle? Thank you so much in advance!