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Hello I'm a 3rd year Business Administration (specialization in Finance) bachelor student from a top University in Netherlands. I am planning to attend a Masters degree in Economics that would be a stepping stone to a good Phd in Economics. My GPA right now is 8.98/10 in dutch scale which will translate to 4.0 in US scale (at least that's what I found in my uni website) The relevant courses I took are (*- All letter grades are taken form my unis approximate transfer matrix from Dutch to US grades) Economics/Econometrics (42 EC) - Intro to Econ 1 9/10 ~ A+* (6 EC) - Intro to Econ 2 7.5/10 ~ A (6 EC) - Intermediate Econ 9/10 ~ A+ (6 EC) - Behavioral Econ 8.5/10 ~ A+ (6 EC) - Social and Econ Policies - TBD (6 EC) - Economic Methodology - TBD (6 EC) - Applied Econometrics - TBD (6 EC) Maths/Quantitative methods (18 EC) - Statistics and probability 1 9.5/10 ~ A+ (6 EC) - Statistics and probability 2 9.5/10 ~ A+ (6 EC) - Quant research methods 7.5/10 ~ A (6 EC) - Linear Optimization models - TBD (6 EC) Plus additionally 42 ECs in Finance At this moment Cemfi, RoME and Bocconi grabbed my attention, what are the chances to get in / get scholarships. What other masters should I consider applying to if my goal is to get into top Phd in Europe or US? I know that I most likely cannot apply to top programs in UK as they require Econ degree and specify that Business Administration will not be enough. I appreciate any response! Thank you in advance

Hi guys, first off, I am grateful for the existence of this forum. What an invaluable resource! Okay so first off I was given a four year contract at perhaps the most reputable international organization in DC, it's always been my dream to work there, and through the experience as a Research Analyst and working there, I have realized I am excruciatingly unequipped for the career I would love to have as an Economist or Development Specialist. I have one more year on my contract and I have been trying to apply for other positions but I read the job description and I don't have the macro or macro skills required for the economist roles. I met with the leading Economist there in the region and he told me to go to a PhD in Economics and it would put me in a whole different league. I have come to believe him and would be passionate about pursuing something that would give me something fulfilling to do for the rest of my life. Economics was my first love, I have always been passionate about learning and doing it. Background: I studied Economics at undergrad, at an American University located in Africa. Achieved a 3.81/4.0 CGPA, Magna Cum Laude, and if not for devastating incidents and mistakes like not being told to read a particular textbook for exams and then 50 percent of questions coming from there, I would have done much better. I am really passionate about school. I went to Masters at the London School of Economics but I did not have a Masters in Econ. I got it in Economics and Risk which was from the Sociology Department, it was a take on economic sociology and using it to decipher an alternative way of analyzing financial risks and disasters that kind of thing. So I didn't take mathematics or statistics here, which makes me wanna just cry because I need math so bad for this Eco PhD thing. The math/statistic courses I took in undergrad are: Introduction to Statistics, University Algebra (not linear algebra), Pre-Calculus, Calculus 1, that's it. I got a B in Calculus but an A in the rest. I took difficult Econ courses and got an A in all Econ courses but 1 where I got a B. I want to apply to good Econ Phd Programs towards next year, the deadline is December and I am thinking of taking any classes necessary for admission in top economics programs the next three to four months. Please give me advice, I don't want my Econ dream to die, I am stuck at a place where a career in this is what I would love to work toward. I also don't wanna go back to Africa after a year because I don't feel I have much to contribute right now so with a PhD I would be able to work towards a clear path in my career. A career as an economist in IMF or World Bank is kind of my dream job. Today I met someone from the IMF who spent 6 and a half years on his PhD (extenuating circumstance) and got a job at the IMF through the EP program which I just think is amazing, all the opportunities and extraordinary work is so immense. I am sorry for this epistle I have written but basically I would please like to know how I can apply for a PhD in Econ for next year given my limited Math history and what I can do to surmount the challenges if there are any. Thank you so much.

GRE:TBD usnews top80 university in USA (usnews top30 grad program), public International application interested field: Applied Micro, Development economics. I am interested in everything from micro and empirical, and have I ever been exposed to theoretical research, so it is difficult to make a final conclusion. Master in applied statistic (IUG) GPA:3.83/4 Bs in econ and Bs in math GPA:3.72/4 math in major 3.67 econ in major 3.73 research: REU RA for a development econ assistant professor in my university -- basic data analysis and programming tasks -- going on -- 1 year RA for a statistic full Professor (College Graduate Education Associate Dean) at my university -- replication and expansion code, independent analysis data task -- going on -- 3 month Letter: two strong from the RA professor for sure, one pending Extracurricular and other activities: Working as a tutor coordinator in the economics club The academic training program of Economics depart will hold monthly seminars with different professors Statistics Consulting Training Camp Language: R, Latex, STATA, SAS, MATLAB, Python, ArcGIS, Git.... award: Dean's list, almost every semester My weakness: 1. During my sophomore year, I chose courses that were very hard for me, resulting in 7 late drops and 6 of them in my sophomore year. (I enrolled in the courses credits celling every semester!) 2. I have been trying the econometrics of the Honor version and web courses consecutively, so I did LD twice and only got a B in the end. Therefore, I have also taken many statistics courses to prove my abilities. 3. I got C+ in Intro Mathematical Analysis 1. B in intermediate economics. B in Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (Honors). 4. I don't have too much research experience. 5. International students face fierce competition. 6. No master thesis but have a writing sample supervised by my latter writer. UG-related core courses: Python intro, B Introductory Microeconomic Analysis, A Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis, A Statistical Foundations for Econometrics, A- Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (Honors), A Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (Honors), B Introduction to Econometrics, B Environmental Economics, A Multinationals and the Globalization of Production, A- Special Topics: Applied Computational and Research Econ with R, A Advanced Microeconomics, master-level, A Microeconomics theory, Ph.D. level, TBD Calculus and Multivariable Calculus 1, 2, 3 A, B+, B Matrix, A- ODE, A Elementary Combinatorics, A Concepts of Discrete Mathematics, A- Real Analysis, A Introduction to Analysis I, C+ Probability Theory, A Mathematical Statistics, A Numerical Computations, B+ Mathematics of Finance, B Linear Programs, A Linear Regression, A Linear algebra, B+ Master courses: Analysis of Variance and Design of Experiments, A Statistical Consulting, A- SAS, A Design of Experiments, A Sampling Theory and Methods, B+ Applied Data Mining and Statistical Learning, A Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials, B+ ..........

I am wondering if anyone has received invites for interviews for their PhD applications yet? When do they typically go out?

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Hi everyone, I'm a junior in Economics from Peking Univ, China. From some RA work and communication with marketing faculties, I find consumer behavior especially attractive to me and I want to apply for marketing phd in the US next fall. However, I'm a bit worried about my profile so I'm here for some advice. Test Scores (GRE): V152+Q170+AW4.5 (I'll retake to try to reach 160 in V) Undegrad GPA: 3.85/4.0 Research Experience: a 6-month RA experience with an assistant prof in management (phd in social psych at UC Berkeley) (the project focuses on social emotions such as awe and envy), participated in idea generation, lab experiment running and data analysis in R and Mplus; currently working with an associate prof in marketing (phd in marketing at UChicago Booth and worked as AP in UFlorida for 5 years) Teaching Experience: None Work Experience: None Other information: As I mentioned above, I major in econ so I used to think that I was interested in behavioral econ. However, after some exposure to social psych, I find myself prefer doing research using experimental methods. Now I'm working on a supervised independent project (which will be my writing sample if everything goes on well) on gift giving and decision in dyads. As for psych training, I've only taken introductory social psych. Also, I'm participating in 1st year cb course and reading group to read and discuss articles from top journals jcr and jmr. My main questions are whether i should take more psych courses to strengthen my background and whether I might be a strong applicant for cb phd next year? Concentration Applying to: CB Number of programs planned to apply to: about 15 Dream Schools: haven't started selecting schools If anyone can leave some opinion, I'll be extremely grateful!

Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions about my profile: Educational background: -Bachelor: 4/4 with honors (top 100 university, Europe) -Master: 3.6/4 (top 20 university, Europe) Core Courses at Master level: -Math (real analysis) B- -Statistics B -Econometrics A- GRE: Quant 160 Verb 162 (planned retaking) Reference letters: My Master thesis supervisor, top faculty member and reasonably strong My Bachelor thesis supervisor, I assume not so strong Research experience: No RA Work experience: currently in a one year traineeship at ECB with high programming content questions: -Apart from retaking the GRE, are there other ways to make my profile stronger? What are the European universities reachable? A sincere thank you in advance.

Hey guys: What are my possibilities to get into PhD in economics in Europe? Like Zurich, Bocconi, SSE or EUI? I am not considering US My grades are pretty low: Masters in economics (8.2/10) at Carlos III Bachelor in economics (7.3/10) at Carlos III But I have a lot of research experience: Research intern at Bank of Italy Research assistant at UPF (Pompeu Fabra) Research intern at a famous German institute Research Fellow at Barcelona school of economics Soon I will join DG Research at ECB Really good recommendation letters Do I have any chance? I did not take GRE yet.

Hi there, Profile: International student Undergraduate: Commerce - Not well known outside home country Percentage - 75% - this is a decent score. Cleared a very difficult famous accounting charter exam in India alongside my bachelors- only 11% of test takers clear in the 1st attempt - will this help prove academic ability in any way? Masters - Economics - Top 5 Economics depts UK Percentage - Distinction - Top 5% of the class. Diploma in maths - Distinction - Top 5% of class .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... Courses from MSc in economics and diploma in maths - courses from undergrad not very relevant to economics. Economics topics - Intermediate micro (82), Intermediate Macro (72), Econometrics (65), Money and banking (64), MSc Macro (78), MSc Micro (82), MSc Metrics (78), Game Theory (79), Public Finance (78), Asset pricing (80). The MSc modules are somewhere between intermediate courses and graduates courses in terms of rigorousness. Math topics covered - Partial Differential Equations (75), Real analysis I (74), Real analysis II (72), Complex Analysis (75), Ordinary Differential Equations (78), Stochastic Processes (70), Linear Algebra (80), Optimisation (73). ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... Research Experience - none Potential References - One from the head of the department who taught me undergrad level metrics - he knows me well, did his PhD from top in Australia. Another from math professor where I did my Math diploma - knows me very well and have discussed a lot of stuff with him with regard to mathematical applications in economics. Another from my dissertation supervisor, an associate professor who did his phd from an ok uni in the UK but I managed to really impress him with my MSc dissertation. He gave me very good marks on my dissertation. GRE - Q/V/AWA - 166/154/4.5 Research Interests: Macroeconomics, Time series My goal is to apply to the top 20 Economics PhD programmes. I fee like I should either do a course that strengthens my math profile or my economics profile. Its really hard to get a full time RA opportunity in the UK so i thought i should decide to focus on coursework and grades. i am hoping that my dissertation supervisor's reference would be sufficient proof of research potential. In the same university where i did my MSc in economics there is a course MSc in applied math that students in that past have taken and were placed in top 20 phd in economics in the US. This course allows you to take advanced math courses and phd level economics modules from the econ department. This will also help me build better relations with some of my potential referees and perhaps obtain a stronger reference from one of the profs teaching phd students. As part of a dissertation i will again get to reach out to some profs who are well known and write a dissertation under them. I could choose modules such as: Measure Theory Stochastic Analysis Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis Functional Analysis I Advanced Econometric Theory Introduction to Topology Advanced Real Analysis Another choice I have is to go for the LSE EME course where the coursework is perfect preparation for phd in the US but may not help me get a good reference as it is a short 9 month course without any dissertation element. I am worried if my lack of RA experience is going to count against me. Students from my program (Msc in economics) before me have gotten into Stanford, NYU, UofT, UBC, UCLA, Minnesota. Which course should i choose to maximise my chances of top 20 phd? Is there something else i can do to improve my chances of getting into the top 20 US Econ programmes? Please guide me.... :eager: Thanks a lot in advance.....

Hello everyone, I’ve been admitted at European University Institute’s PhD with full funding. Nevertheless, I’m worried about the lack of Environmental Economics research among the faculty. I have the alternative option of the doctoral track M2 at Toulouse School of Economics. Nevertheless, at TSE there is no guarantee of progressing to the PhD after the M2 and, given that I already hold a master’s degree, the prospect of ending up with another master and start PhD applications all over again is not flattering. Apparently, TSE accepts around 25 students for the M2 and 15 make it to the PhD. Moreover, I wonder if the current COVID-19 crisis may affect universities’ funding and cohort sizes next year. I also have an admission to the PPE master at Paris School of Economics, which comes with the same caveats as TSE, after 2 years there is guarantee of progressing to the PhD. I’ve entertained the idea of going to EUI and look for a second supervisor elsewhere, EUI students can visit other institution during their second or third year as part of the program. The school holds some exchange agreements with some universities and seems open to the possibility of arrangements with other departments by students proposal (Exchange Programmes • European University Institute). Nevertheless, I wonder if it is a stretch from my part to have this as my plan A. Any thoughts on whether EUI might be a good option after all or if the risk of going to TSE/PSE is still negligible compared to the better fit with its department? I particularly wonder how common it is or if it makes sense for a professor to invest the time and effort of supervising a student outside of his/her uni. Any thoughts/advise welcome! Best regards. PD: TSE comes with some funding (but not a full stipend) and PSE has no funding. I may get some external scholarship, tho.

My profile is below. Thank you in advance for reading my post! Any input is greatly appreciated. Type of Undergrad: Honors BA in Behavior Economics from Chinese university (Top 5 of Chinese finance and economics colleges), 2016 – 2020. Undergrad GPA: 4.02/4.5 Rank: 4/23 Type of Grad: MA in Labor Economics from Chinese university (Top 2 of Chinese finance and economics colleges), 2020 – 2023. Grad GPA: 4.2/4.5 Rank:1/13 Research Interst: Health economics, labor economics GRE & Toefl: still working on it Research Experience: (All 3 have a high gold content） 1 project 2 RA Presentation: twice (one is an international forum, another is a well-known labor economics forum in China） Paper: 1 health econ paper (It is expected to be published as the first author in JCR 1） 1 public health paper Teaching Experience: 2021 – 2022: TA for Adavanced Macro Programming skills: Proficient in Python, Stata. Questions: There is an internship at the National Health Commission in China, doing research work in public health, and I would like to ask if it is of great significance for applying for a PHD? Given all this information, what rankings do you think I can get into?

Hi All! Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to get accepted to UIUC Econ PhD program as it's ranked among the top 30? And how are the admitted student profiles? Thank you in advance!

Most people find Year 3 to be the most mentally challenging time of their PhD. You are just starting to define your research agenda and projects, but the pace is slow and the feedback is almost always negative. Around this point, PhDs begin to question their ability to write a dissertation, become an academic, or even do useful work in general. Below is advice I wish I would have gotten prior to my (very rough) 3rd year in a Management (Macro) PhD program. You'll soon see that writing a paper is just your small contribution to a conversation that the rest of the field is having, nothing more and nothing less. Thus, you need to be (1) interested in the topic of conversation and (2) understand how the rest of the field discusses topics and is expecting the conversation to evolve. Most PhDs with bad advisors don't fully understand the critical importance of point (2). The current state of our field is built by a complex social process of egos, ideas, and tradition which is unlike any other industry. You can easily see this in the field's large amount of conventions that would be obscure, counterintuitive, or bizarre to laypeople and even other academics. For most people, it takes a year or two to figure out how to come up with ideas faculty will find interesting, how to write papers are written to appeal to reviewers, how topics evolve in a predictable way, etc. Don't be hard on yourself when it takes you a while to figure this out. Around the middle of year 4, assess if you meet both criteria (1) and (2). For example, you may realize that you like what you research but learn that you find the entire writing, review, and publication process glacially slow, overly focused on almost useless theory, beholden to fads, reliant on bad science, and that you've made no meaningful contribution when all is said and done. If you (1) lose the fire for topics of interest or (2) realize that you don't like the often dysfunctional academic production function, you should ask yourself whether you want to do research academia for the next 40 years. The job essentially doesn't change as you get more senior-- you just do a bit more teaching and service. If you aren't energized by (1) and (2), it can be a miserable life. There are many tenured professors in this position. If you fall into this camp, start looking at adjacent industry jobs, which would almost certainly be a better fit, allow more mobility, give you more locational flexibility, and often have relatively higher pay once you get five years out of your PhD. Industry has other issues (e.g., less autonomy, less temporal flexibility, less pure intellectual engagement), but in the long run, you'll almost always be judged on your current skills, ability to learn, ability to work well in a team, and by what you can produce. Make sure to find the best fit for you (and your loved ones!).

Hi all, I recently heard secondhand that some schools have increased their GRE Quant Score thresholds to a 168 (consistent with 167 falling below the 90th percentile). Can anyone confirm if this is the case? I've taken the GRE 3 times, and every time have scored a 167... My verbal and AWA scores are strong enough (165 and 5, respectively). Will my application be thrown out at top schools before even being considered due to the low Q score? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

The Rady School of Management (UC San Diego) is seeking applicants to the fully funded PhD program in Management, Economics and Strategy concentration. Students will have the opportunity to work on exciting research in behavioral, health, and education economics field experiments, and work closely with faculty thanks to the small student : faculty ratio. This is a small but growing program that affords close mentoring from great faculty (including Uri Gneezy, Marta Serra, Sally Sadoff, and Anya Samek) and access to the resources of both the business school and the Economics department. UCSD has a vibrant research community and San Diego is a beautiful place to live. Students can learn more and apply here (deadline is Jan 5): https://apply.grad.ucsd.edu/departments/rady-school-of-management#management-rs79

For those who want to go to a PHD in economics, is it better to continue to choose IUG(Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Study) or go to a higher ranking master's program? currently top 50 public and top30 Econ department undergraduate

Hi I have started considering applying to Finance Ph.Ds as a diversification option for Econ phd applications or perhaps as a first choice given some of the advantages that business school phds seem to have. A profile evaluation is appreciated. All advice pointing out differences or similarities between the two application processes is welcome. Stats: University of Southern California Double Major in Mathematics and Economics Overall GPA: 3.88 Math Courses: Calc 1-3: A Linear Algebra: A Probability Theory(MVC prereq): A- Mathematical Statistics: A Real Analysis 1+2: A Topology: A Advanced Linear Algebra B+ Econ Courses (All A grades): Intermediate Micro + Macro Econometrics Advanced Econometrics Thesis course I've taken 3 programming courses for A grades. I was in the honors research program at my Economics department and have good contacts with the professors there if that is relevant. I have never taken a business or finance course. I'm currently working a finance job in a boutique asset management firm and plan on staying here for two years. Not sure if my profile is appropriate at all? Or if it is, where I should be applying. Thanks all.

Hi, I am 46 years and want to apply for PhD in Strategy. I have had experience in Corporate Strategy as well as in academic think tank institutes. I have also worked with a top Strategy professor as part of the think tank group. Will my age be considered as a challenge in my PhD application? What would be the best way to overcome that? I am posting in this group to get more reliable advice. Officially no university can discriminate on age. I want to prepare an application that may address their concern, if any. Thank you, Regards Gowrishankar

Hi - I am wondering if universities have a preference for GRE v/s GMAT for a PhD application in Management / Organizational Behavior. Most universities say they accept either, while some universities explicitly say they prefer the GRE. However, most of the folks on these forums seem to have answered the GMAT. Any thoughts on this?

Hi all, I found an (aptly titled) Public Goods website that compiles/aggregates a bunch of free resources online that's relevant to budding/current PhD students, compiled by Christine Cai, a fourth year PhD student at Princeton.

Hey everyone, I am a first year at the University of Virginia and am hoping to a PhD in economics. The main problem I am having is I feel that there is very little support for me at this university, for example: the vast majority of resources seem to be devoted to our business school, I am unable to assist in or conduct any research until my third year, and there is only one economics related club. In only a few weeks, I have made a few connections with the top economics professors at our university and feel that letters of recommendations from them will not be too hard to get. I am very motivated, have already taken high level math classes, but it seems like I could excel much more if given the proper opportunities. I few options I have been considering that aren't too far out of reach include: Northwestern, Georgetown, Cornell, Berkeley, UPenn, and Columbia. I have lots of other extracurriculars I am very excited about, but none of them are quantitative and all of these other universities have vastly more assistance for econ majors. I am hoping to get into a top 10 PhD program and was wondering how beneficial/hurtful transferring to another university would be. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I'm currently going through the interviewing process and will be starting my OB PhD program in Fall of 2021 (haven't committed anywhere yet). I am married and my wife just gave birth to our first little girl. It is a very exciting and special time, but also, in the back of my head I'm wondering how we are going to make it all work. Questions such as if we can afford buying a small house or condo, if my wife can continue working with our child, if there is child care at the universities, if we may have to go into debt, etc., come up in my head and bring a bit of stress. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on how to best handle a PhD program with a family, things to watch out for, things to consider, etc.? Thanks!

I applied to 19 schools this year (17 PhD in Finance across US and Europe) and 2 MSc in Finance (LSE, Tinbergen). I was rejected without interview from 16, had interview at Michigan Ross and INSEAD and finally got an offer from Bocconi for PhD in Finance. I have a decent profile coming from top schools in my country (Bachelors in Physics, MBA) but have had below average grades in my UG Maths sequence (B-, B, B+). In the first two ones, I simply did not study (please don't ask why). So the rejections (especially from Masters program) fill in tremendous self doubt as to my ability to handle PhD level curriculum. I have worked on 2 research papers during my Masters, cleared CFA Level 2, working in a top US Bank and work with utmost discipline and sincerity. I think my primary motivation for pursuing a PhD was not research rather 2 factors. One, I love teaching, having taught in schools and other people. Second, I hate corporate world and the feeling of having sold myself and my life for big bucks. So being a Professor seemed a good option. But I don't know if I should even pursue this path anymore. Seeking some advice.

I used to be in a top Management PhD program but quit later because of research interest and relationship with one of my committee members. This year I am applying a Marketing (CB) PhD program. Should I mention my past experience in the Strategic Management one? Actually my performance (GPA) was very good. It's a plus or minus to include it in my application? Many thanks in advance for your kind advice!

Hi guys, I am new member in this forum. Nice to meet you all! I'm here mainly to get some advice for my Econ PhD application since my case is pretty rate. All the best!