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Questions sometimes arise about the deadline for replying to offers. There is a pretty firm April 15 deadline for most American schools. You can read the policy at https://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_April15_Resolution_Oct2020Revision.pdf and read the FAQ at https://cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/2020%20April%2015%20Resolution%20FAQ%209_2020.pdf

The end of undergrad is rapidly approaching for me and this means that I now need to actually figure out what I want to do with myself. So far I've been involved with the economics department at my school (T20 Econ T10 PPol) and have been able to get a bit of research experience under my belt along with the expected math/econ courses as well as another major in philosophy, though I realize that will mean very little its just something I enjoy. I've been looking a lot into the paths required to end up at a good Econ grad program however I have lately been much more interested in public policy for various reasons. I was wondering what the main functional differences in the programs would be between Econ and PPol (also potentially Political Econ) and if one is typically easier to get into e.g HKS vs Harvard Econ. In terms of placements I see that some of the top PPol programs have sent people to top tier Econ departments and I was wondering how realistic of a path that is. Would my econ background help because it shows I have the ability to do relatively quantitative research or would it hurt since it seems I'm not focused on policy? Also, any tips on how I would go about deciding which is right for me? Thanks!

Hi all, I'm looking for some feedback on my profile, and this seems like this is a good place to get it. Hopefully I'm on the right subforum, but please let me know if this would be more appropriate in General Admissions. Long story short, I was somewhat interested in academia all through undergrad, but never really did a whole lot to pursue it. Instead, I developed an interest in data science near the end of my undergrad, and ended up falling into software while trying to pursue that. I thought that was the right path for me at the time, but I'm finding that I'm not really enjoying it, and that's gotten me thinking about academia and policy again. I started off looking mostly at masters programs for econ and public policy, with the aim of possibly doing data science for public policy. However, I do see myself wanting to work on more serious research, which I know one usually needs a PhD for. That in mind, I've started looking around mostly at Economics, Political Economy, and Public Policy PhD programs, and it feels like I'm not qualified for any good ones. Right now, it seems like my best bet is to get into a good masters program (once again, either an economics or a very quant-heavy public policy program) and use that to plug up the holes in my profile. A good U.S. program would probably be ideal, although I wouldn't be totally adverse to a non-American program, ideally one in an English or possibly German speaking country, especially if going to a non-American program would let me do it with minimal debt. I'd like to hear some feedback about my profile and my plans. Specifically: 1. What kinds of PhD programs would I be competitive for with my profile as it stands now? 2. Would my profile be significantly stronger after a good masters program? If so, what kinds of programs would be best? 3. Would I be better served by something other than a masters? e.g. just patching up my math? finding an RA position somewhere? Here's my profile to help you all better evaluate where I am. Type of Undergrad: B.A. Global Economics cum laude from U.C. Santa Cruz (ranked 53 for econ by U.S. News). Was granted a Certificate of Research Excellence for my performance in my senior seminar (thesis in all but name). Undergrad GPA: 3.7 / 4 GRE: Haven't taken yet, but I'm not especially worried about scoring well Undergrad Econ Courses: Intro to Microeconomics (B+), Intro to Macroeconomics (B+), Intermediate Microeconomics (A), Intermediate Macroeconomics (A), Public Finance (A), Economic Growth (A), International Finance (A), Economic Development (A), Financial Crises Research Seminar (A), International Political Economy (A-, research seminar) Financial and Economic Policy (B-, study abroad in another language), International Trade (B+, study abroad in another language), Financial Crises and Heterodox Economics (C+, study abroad in another language), History of Economic Doctrine (A+), Honors Economic Rhetoric (A+, senior research seminar) Math Courses: Calculus I (B), Mathematical Methods for Economists (Pass, basically Calc II and III), Intro Stats (A-), Intro to Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A), Linear Algebra (B+) Other (Relevant?) Courses:Intro to Programming in Python (A+), Austrian Economics Seminar (A), Several years of German language classes (A avg) LORs: - International Political Economy professor. He's technically a political science professor, and he's not at an American university, but he's reasonably well-connected in U.S. and does a lot of work in economics and political economy. He knows my research interests really well, and I may be helping him with some research in the next few months. - Financial Crises seminar teacher. Was a PhD candidate when he taught the class, but is now an economist at the Federal Reserve. Can speak to my research and writing skills. - Haven't asked this professor yet, but I'm very sure I can get a LOR from him: Professor for senior research seminar. Can speak to my research and statistical skills. Former department chair at UCSC and reasonably well-connected. Programming: Python, JavaScript, Git, Bash, some Ruby, some Haskell. Going to be learning Java for my job. Some Stata experience from school. Research Experience: Three research seminars during undergrad, nothing published. No formal RA experience. May be helping one of my old professors with some programming and data analysis for a paper he is writing. Teaching Experience: None, unless you want to count some experience mentoring junior software engineers. Work Experience: Nothing directly related to Economics. Brief experience as a temp data analyst at a market research company. 2.5 years as a frontend developer at a startup that makes educational software for business schools. About to start a job as a software engineer at the SF Fed helping to build the tools that their economists use to access bank data. Research Interests: Political Economy, New Institutional Economics, Development, Financial Crises Concerns: In short, math and research experience. It wasn't super clear to me at the time how 90% of the math I learned in undergrad applied to economics, so I never worked especially hard at it, and I screwed up the grading option for the one math class I would have done well in (see the Pass grade in Math for Econ). I'm planning on trying to make up for that with some courses through extension programs and possibly the local community college. I'm looking at taking Harvard Extension's Real Analysis and Linear Algebra class, and possibly a course in Differential Equations. Also wondering if it would be worthwhile to retake any/all of the calc courses. As for research experience, I'm worried that I don't have a whole lot of it and that that will have me looking at the bottom of the barrel as far as programs go. Thanks for reading through all of that!

Hey friends, What is the difference between incoming student profiles for public policy PhDs, compared to econ? I'm slightly hamstrung by a poor freshman year, and while I have basically all of my econ and math in ahead of me, best case scenario is I walk away with a 3.8 GPA or so. My school is really good at placement for PhD programs as well. Despite this, I think I can rule out a top 20 econ program, at least straight out of undergrad. Are similarly ranked public policy programs just as competitive? I haven't found too much information regarding admissions data. If anyone knows any good resources and/or has firsthand knowledge, that would be much appreciated! Thanks!

Just wondering. Any topics that leads to jobs in private sector or biz schools? Something like how Government Business relations type of thing? If one were to write such topics will one be able to enter biz schools as faculty? Also, can a PhD public policy work in jobs like say, corporate planning?

I am currently seriously considering master of public policy. I know the programs in this field is mostly on practical, job oriented But I just wonder if there is any student got into econ phd for the next step. Cause I got low grades in math so I have very little chance to get directly into econ phd ..or econ master probably. It was more than 10yrs ago for bad grades but still wondering how i could make it up to study econ. Overall gpa is not bad, and I have job experience related to the public policy. Thanks in advance

Hi all, I find myself at a bit of a crossroads -- or rather, I see myself arriving at one in the not-so-distant future. I've been working in the field of policy research/analysis for quite a few years now and have a master's under my belt, but I'm beginning to feel like unless I acquire a PhD I may never reach the professional level I'd like to, which is to say that I'd like to lead research one day and am worried that I'll always be stuck in a purely supporting role in the think-tank scene. The thing is, I really love my work; I love contributing to policy research from within a think-tank-y type of organization and feel strongly that I'd like the rest of my career to play out in this sort of environment. While a career in academia has some allure on account of its own unique research (and teaching) opportunities, I have a bit of a fear about 'screaming into the void' so to speak, doing great research that no one ever reads. I know this isn't always the case in academia, and I know going the think-tank route doesn't mean the impact of one's research is guaranteed to be any more potent -- but let's just take my preferences as a given. What worries me is that my academic background is pretty lackluster in terms of grades, predominantly because, frankly, I didn't break my neck to do as well as I might have. Hindsight is 20/20, but when I was in my BA and MA programs in both cases I was convinced that I was taking a last step in my higher education; a PhD was only for those that wanted to be university professors (or so I thought). At any rate, I feel like an Econ PhD would not only provide the most rigorous quantitative / research methods training, but would open the most doors at the sort of think-tank organization at which I presently work/see myself a part of in the future -- but it's here that I'm most concerned about my academic background. Admittance into a sociology program seems more feasible, and I'm sure I could craft my own experience in such a way so as to make it a strong quantitative methods learning experience -- but the tradeoff here is that it seems like a slightly less relevant degree, with fewer doors being opened as a result. Here's all of my background that I think could be relevant to an admissions committee: Undergrad: BA in economics + BA in English, University of Michigan Graduate: MA in policy studies, UC Berkeley Research Experience: 1 year social work research --> 1 year education policy research --> (grad school w/ policy internships) --> 2 years health policy research --> 1 year education policy research = 5 years and change of university and think-tank policy research (w/ quantitative emphasis) GRE: I took this back in 2011 (would need to retake) but I believe my percentiles were 94 across the math, verbal, and writing sectionsLetters of Rec: I could get good recs from current/former employers/professors, the best of which would be from a current colleague who is an econ professor at a top 15 school (formerly the chair of its econ department) Relevant Courses & Grades (here's where it looks ******): (UofMich) IntroMicro A-, IntroMacro B+, IntroStats B+, Calculus II B, IntermMicro B, IntermMacro C*, EconStats B, EconDev B, EconDev II B, Econometrics B-, EconDemog B, BehavioralEcon A- (UCSD summer) Linear Algebra A (UC Berkeley) SpatialDataAnalysis B+, Land&HousingEcon A, Calculus III (Pass), RealAnalysis (dropped) *PSA folks: maybe don't take your major's hardest theory course in the same semester you enroll in organic chemistry 'for fun' TL;DR: I'm interested in pursuing an economics or sociology PhD for the purposes of developing my research skills and advancing my career in policy analysis, but although I'm not necessarily a trash candidate, my economics/math background is pretty mediocre, basically a straight B average. Is there any value in trying to go the EconPhD route, maybe shoring up my application by taking some math courses at a local college? Or is something like a top-25 school too much of a longshot that I should drop hopes of the econ and pursue the sociology route instead?

Hi there, I was wondering if some people could distinguish between several very similar sounding subfields within Economics? They are: - Economic policy - Public economics - Political economics - Public policy I've seen all of them used as areas of specialization for economists working in academia. The nuances I'm supposing are palpable and distinct, but I'm not quite positive.

There is a general agreement that top European masters like LSE EME are awesome prep for a top US PhD. But how do the first year of policy schools fare compared to them? Well ideally one could argue that policy school is not to be considered as a stepping stone for econ PhD but since so many have done it before, it begs the question. I especially would like to know how it is for the Econ and Public Policy track for Princeton WWS MPA. Their site says Econ and Pub Pol track students take econ courses beyond the core curriculum. Are they allowed to enroll for graduate econ courses provided they already have a solid econ and math background.

Hey guys, I think I will soon be getting an offer to do a PhD Public Policy (I plan to major in comparative political economy and write my dissertation on that) from a uni at home. I basically can continue to live at home, no need to rent and they are giving me a good stipend (almost equal to what a fresh graduate makes in a full time job). I can save a very decent amount of money, not too different from working a full time job. My worry is the tenure track job market later as I heard Public Policy PhDs find it harder to land jobs. But I will write my dissertation on Comparative Political Economy hoping to go on the Comparative Political Economy job market. I also have a Masters in Political Science (majored in Political Economy, covered all coursework for PhD in Political Science already). I got another offer to do a PhD in Business Strategy overseas. I heard the tenure track job prospects for Business Strategy is good (strong demand) but it still feels risky to me. The stipend is quite low, I wont save any money and I feel it is a little hard to live on it (minimal entertainment and I eat a lot). I am fretting a little about these major choices now. I quit my job 2.5 months ago to focus on PhD applications so I can get time off for interviews and research the programmes properly and I am kind of sitting around pondering about these stuff ~~~ I think 2.5 months without a job is getting to me, interviews are mostly over and I plan to find a temp job asap. Both unis are ranked QS top 50 in the world.

Hi, I'm planning on going to grad school, and am starting the application process now. However, I am unsure about whether an MPP or a Masters in Economics is right for me. I want a career in economic research with a public policy focus. I would love to work at a think tank like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a government agency like the CBO, or the Fed/IMF/WB. I am ok with math, but not super great, but want to use lots of data and statistical tools like R, Stata, and Matlab in my work. I like regressions, data work, and statistical stuff, and want to use research to solve policy questions. I am also considering getting a PhD in economics later on to further my research career, but am concerned about the math (I am unsure as to whether I can handle real analysis, topology and stuff like that). My profile: Undergrad Degree: BA in Economics and International Relations from a mid-ranked liberal arts college in Southern California Undergrad GPA: 3.36 (Overall), 3.59 (Economics), 3.54 (International Relations) Math grades: Calc I/II/III (B-, C+. C+), Stats (A-) Economics grades: Intro to Econ I/II (A-, A-), Macro Theory/Micro Theory/ Econometrics (B+, B+, A-), Electives: Economic Development/ International Economics/ Macro Policy Since the Great Depression (A-, A-, A-), Senior Seminar (B+) GRE Scores: 158 V, 160 Q, 5.5 W Research Experience: RA for a political economy professor for two semesters, Intern at South African international development think tank, Intern at Council of Economic Advisers LORs: Described by people who wrote them as "glowing" Other: Experience with Stata and ArcGIS

Hi guys, I'd like your opinion on the whole debate regarding the use of an MPP/MPA or even a Phd for advancing a career in Economic Policy. Currently, I already have a masters in applied econ and am working as a research assistant in a World Bank country office. The job is great and the deep involvement in policy making is making me realize this is the kind of work I would like to do. However, I don't want to be a research assistant forever and I'm looking for opportunities to advance my career. Would an MPP/MPA be a good idea? or would years of work experience as an RA be an okay substitute for it? Would some years of work experience as an RA be enough to be a policy specialist somewhere? Cheers.

During and after my application process I thought a lot about what I would like to do after I finish my PhD. I realized that while I enjoy research and am good at it, I really do not want to be a professor. I would much rather employ the knowledge to contribute to real world problems, policy work etc. This is why IMF, WB, similar international institutions, think-tanks and some consultancy firms seem like a perfect fit for me. Now some people say that PhD is generally worth it only if someone wants to pursue academic career afterwards; that it is a bad fit/useless for someone wanting to work in policy-related job afterwards. And I see these comments quite often. Yet I see many, many people with PhD's in IMF, WB and other institutions. And usually at least half of senior staff in economic consultancies have PhD's too; the share of PhD's in serious economic policy think-tanks is even larger. While I admit that one can be successful in this field without a PhD, the degree seems like the more "standard" and easier way in. What do you guys think?

Hi, I am currently an sophomore at Occidental College, a top 40 liberal arts college in California. I am a International Relations and Economics double major, with a math minor, and am thinking of applying to econ PhD programs, but am not sure. I have written down everything that I can think of about my opinions of economics grad school and what I want to do for a career, with the hope that I can get a definitive answer about whether or not a PhD program is right for me. Things that I have thought about regarding economics: I've always found myself interested in the economics of transition, developing, and non-market economies. I always wondered about which policies would be most effective to pursue growth in these kinds of economies, and would often imagine myself, "pulling the levers" of the economy, in other words, what would I do if I could make policy decisions? To me, the economies mentioned above are much more interesting than traditional developed economies because they represent either frontiers (developing and transition economies) or economies "out of the box" of traditional Keynesian and Hayekian models (non market economies). In addition, because my parents grew up behind the Iron Curtain, this furthered my interest in non-market economies. I love learning, and would frequently read journal articles in my free time on economics, and I am very passionate about the subject Regarding math, I like it when I know what to do and can solve the problem. In calc now for example, I get frustrated if I don't get the material, but when I can solve a problem, I really enjoy it. In addition, I am going to Uganda this summer for two months to work with an NGO to improve it's reach and quality of effectiveness, to see how much I like development, but I'm not sure at this point. I have had three internships so far: - In the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I interned for a Congresswoman in DC, who I had volunteered for in high school, which gives me some policy experience. - This spring, I am interning for the Coalition for Humane and Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles as a research and data intern. I interview children of undocumented immigrants, collect data and create a database, then run regression and analyses of the data using Stata to find correlations which can be applied towards policymaking. - Finally, this summer, I am interning at the Foundation for Sustainable Development where I will be going to Uganda and working to help improve the quality of an NGO. I hope to turn my internship there into a research paper to be presented a school wide conference over the summer. I am afraid that these internships are kind of all over the place (policy, research, development) and I am not focused, but I am unsure about which path to choose. (MPP or PhD). Regarding academics: Current GPA: 3.43 (will improve) Economics GPA: 3.42 (I got a B- in Calc I which ruined it) Intro to Econ I A- Intro to Econ II A- Economic Development A- Intermediate Macro B+ (weak, I know) Intermediate Micro (taking now) (A- so far) Calc I B- Math: Calc I: B- Calc II: taking now (A so far) Calc III: taking in the fall Linear Algebra: taking in the future Real Analysis: taking in the future Statistics: A- I know that my GPA is weak, and that I need to bring it up. I also know that I don't have any research experience. I don't know what to do about whether to drop the International Relations major (there's no minor) and take more math instead, but not double major in math and econ, as that would be too stressful, and frankly, more math than I would need for a PhD in Economics. What GPA do I need to get into a top 50 school? What should I improve? What have I done well? Is a PhD right for me? Thank You

I applied for an MSc in Economic Policy at UCL, 2014/15, however, they replied asking for a GRE score. So I took a test with very little preparation and I met their verbal and analytical writing requirements. However, I scored 150 on my quants, which is pretty mediocre and they require a minimum of 155. Other than that, I have a very good profile when it comes to economics work experience, undergrad, essay and recommendations. Do you think I have a chance for an admission?

I have been looking at a range of schools in the top 50 economics programs. I am interested in applied research questions with behavioral elements. Usually questions that involve markets (financial markets, auctions, etc.) but also areas that have been affected by different forms of policy and regulation (Environment, energy, industry etc.). I think theory is interesting as well. My ideal school/advisor would have research that spans many different topics answering interesting applied questions and also does some theory projects (more applied though). There is no buzzword for my research interests, which is a problem when looking for well known researchers I would like to study under. Someone interested in macro for example can look through macro subdivisions at top schools, or citations for macro papers. I would really appreciate some suggestions of active researchers at different top 50 programs whose research lines up with my description above. If no economists come to mind, then some schools in general that would be good for my research interests would help. I have been spending way too much time trying to figure this out on my own, so it would save me a lot of stress if you guys could help me out. Thanks!