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Hi everyone, I'm currently a third year Econ student at Bocconi trying to decide what to do next year (and with my life in general). I got an offer for SSE's MSc in Economics and it would not be a problem for me to get into Bocconi's MSc as well (although I won't be able to get a scholarship) so I'm trying to decide between the two. I also applied to other places: I applied to a double Econ MSc Sciences Po-Sorbonne, which I don't really like, and I got an offer from Stockholm Uni which I won't accept, so I think those two are my best options (I didn't apply to UK unis because the costs are prohibitive for me and other places because I was looking for a two-year MSc). I would like to get a PhD in Economics after my master's, maybe in the US. I spent a semester at SSE so I know what the two schools are like and I actually already accepted SSE's offer as I didn't want to stay here, but after looking a bit on the internet and especially on this forum I think Bocconi is a better choice considering getting a PhD in the future: highly rank, the program is very quantitative and usually places student at top PhD programs. The main reason for me not wanting to stay here is that I know my life would be miserable for the next two years, as I would have to live with my parents and spend 10+ hours/day in the class or the library like I do now, plus I would have to pay 14k per year (I would pay no tuition fees as a EU citizen at SSE). What do you think of SSE's Econ MSc? How does it compare to Bocconi? Do you think I would have similar chances in terms of PhD or is there a significant difference between the two? Thanks in advance

Hi, guys! I’ve been a lurker in the forum for quite a long time and have found a lot of useful information! Thank you all!:orange: However, it seems that not many people are talking about the 2 years version of LSE’s MSc Economics. I’ve applied to the MSc Econ program (2 year) at LSE, so I desperately want someone to evaluate my chance of admission to the program in the context of my unconventional academic background. Any input is greatly appreciated. Here is my profile. Type of Undergrad: Double degree, Bachelor of Arts in Business English and Bachelor of Economics in Finance (I know this sounds weird, but this is what we call a finance major in our country) Type of School: A decent specialized university in my own country (not top in overall ranking, but still respected in the field of economics and business studies. Moreover, it should be known to the selectors at LSE since several students from my school were admitted by them every year) Undergrad GPA: 3.92/4.00 or 92% (rank: 1/160) Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: Q:170 (98%) V:170 (99%) AW: 4.0 (54%) Below comes the atypical part of my background. Due to my double degree, I took a lot of English courses, and, as a result, less economics and finance courses than a typical finance major would take. I list all (yes, that's all) the math, economics, and finance courses I have taken below. Math Courses: Advanced mathematics I (95%. 90+ is A and 85+ is A- in my university), Advanced mathematics II (99%), Probability and statistics (97%), Linear algebra (97%), Applied statistics (95%) Econ & Fin Courses: Microeconomics (92%), Macroeconomics (85%), Principles of Economics (97%), Introduction to money and banking (90%), Introduction to Financial Accounting (96%), Public Finance (92%), International Finance (89%), International trade (97%), International Economics (94%), International Risk and Insurance (90%), Corporate Finance (98%), Bank Management (97%), International Political Economy in Asian Pacific (95%), Studies in Latin American Economy (92%) Courses Currently Taken: Econometrics, Investments, Financial Derivatives Letters of Recommendation: one from the dean of my school who is not in the field of economics but who can attest to my academic abilities and extracurricular activities, another from an associate professor of international trade who knows me well Research Experience: RA for one semester, one senior thesis for BEcon in Finance (both are related to corporate finance and governance), and one senior thesis for BA in Business English Teaching Experience: peer microeconomics tutor, volunteer community English teacher research Interests: financial markets, with special attention to corporate finance and governance SOP: decent but nothing spectacular Applying to: LSE MSc (2 year), Cambridge diploma, Duke, Boston, McGill, UT-Austin ( I do not care about locations since I am an international) As I did not take intermediate economics, I choose the 2-year route of the MSc program. I apply to MSc Economics (rather than Finance & Economics) because I am research-oriented and this program gives me a very solid foundation in economic theory and econometrics which will be beneficial for my further study (PhD in Economics very probably) My Concerns: 1) Lack of advanced mathematics courses: my mathematical background just meets the minimum entry requirement 2) Letter of recommendation: both of my referees are absolutely unknown to selectors at LSE 3) Low AW score in GRE: I got 4, but LSE’s website says they expect AW score above 5.0. Moreover, my GRE scores appear to be unbalanced. 4) Quantatitive ability: LSE's website says explicitly that they want students from quantitative subjects. Since a huge part of my undergraduate study focuses on language, I do not know whether my undergraduate study is quantitative enough for the MSc. Questions: 1) Will my unconventional academic background hurt my chance of admission? Are my econ and math courses enough preparation for the 2-year MSc program? 2) Will LSE be more lenient on my GRE AW score because I am an international? Are they serious that they expect a score of over 5.0 in AW? 3) Any suggestion on other programs I could apply to? Sorry for the long post. I am desperate to know my chance. Thank you very much in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm currently finishing my B.Sc. in Economics at a good university in a European country, and I'm planning to apply for PhD programs in the US for either the 2018 or 2019 intake. I've received offers from LSE, UCL, Warwick, SSE (all MSc Econ) and Cambridge (MPhil Econ) and am now trying to decide which one would best prepare me for PhD programs in the US. My interests are in applied microeconomics. Does anyone have insights which of those programs is considered the strongest signal by admissions committees in the US (let's say TOP30) at the moment and dhow hard it is to actually obtain good enough grades at those universities to be competitive, setting aside all other parts of the application (RAships, LORs, etc.). Thanks in advance, any input would be greatly appreciated!

hello, i am a master of finance student in Bocconi university. i have a bachelor degree in economics and wanted to continue on it but decided to switch to finance due to some restraints (my scholarship from European Union only allows me to register in one year programs; and as you know msc in econ programs are 2 year) i do not hate finance but i do not love it as much as economics. besides, i beleive that that business life is not suitable for me. i have a great interest in economics which -unfortunately- revealed in my last years in bachelor degree. therefore, i do not have a high gpa (2.86) but a great interst in economics. so i have some concerns about for pursuing a phd degree. i will be very happy if you can help me. although i have taken some math courses (calculus, statistics, linear algebra, econometrics), i am not sure that it is sufficient for a phd in economics. plus, i do not have very shiny grades on math (because i was not studying at all, i mostly entered the exams mostly 1-2 hours of study and survived with my previous high school math knowledge. as i mentioned above, i was not a hardworking student in my first years do to my lack of interest in economics). calculus101: c+ calculus102:c+ statistics1: c statistics2: c econometrics: c linear algebra: b+ so do you recommend me to get a phd? can i survive a phd program (especially the math part)? if so which masters program do you recommend for me (i assume taking an ma degree will improve my chances for phd admission, especially for a low gpa guy like me) thank you for your answers which will help me to shape next 50 years of my life

Hi, I'm relatively new to this forum, but after reading several posts am so happy to discover this forum!!! My situation: I attended a major US university majored in Economics looking to apply for Msc Econ targeting only european schools (really want the experience and travel across europe :D) I have a very low overall GPA 3.4,,,, major GPA is quite good, haven't confirmed with the school for specific major GPA, but among my econ courses have three Bs and the rest either A or A-. For math level I will be comfortable because I am only one course short to double major mathematics,,, So I've taken all the hard math courses, i think that's one major reason for my low GPA. My GPA for entry or medium level math courses is pretty good, so I guess math level would suffice for msc econ requirement. GRE score: reasoning 680 Quan 800 Analytical 3.5 LORs: pretty weak LORs,, since I graduated three years ago I can only provide references from work, since none of the professors will remember me... and my work is only finance related, not econ related. Target school: LSE Warwick UCL U of Amsterdam (any recommendation is welcome!) My major question is, I understand LSE min requirement for overseas GPA is 3.5, would they consider my major GPA tho,,? How important is cumulative GPA in this case? Since LSE is my top choice,,, please someone tell me if I've got a chance. And please if my list of schools are aiming out of my reach, recommend some schools that I would have a chance! Although it might look like I'm not seriously considering msc of Econ, but after working for a while I realize I prefer school much better, and might even pursue a PHD in the future, I might not have been serious in studying before but I'm determined to achieve high GPA in graduate school... Thanks in advance!!!!

Hi fellow economists! I'm soon graduating from my BSc Economics in London (not Uni of London), and have three offers lined up for my MSc Economics: LSE, UCL and Warwick. My final goal is to enter a US top 10-15 Econ PhD programme. Any suggestions on why any of my offers could be better than the others with regards to maximising my chances of achieving my final goal, life-work balance, and any details that might come up to your minds are well welcome!