Search the Community

I'm choosing between these two programs, and they both south incredibly fascinating. My interests are development and political economy, and more applied work. I have a larger network on the east coast. I'm 50-50 on whether I want an academic or non-academic research career and going in I'm leaning slightly towards the latter. Anyone in the same boat in previous years and what made you choose the program you did? Or in general, anyone wiling to weigh in?

Hi Everyone, I'm hoping someone can give my profile a quick look over and let me know how competitive I'd be for PhD Economics or Public Policy admissions. Please let me know what you think: All at Arizona State University (has pretty highly ranked MPP) Undergrad: BA Economics (3.85 GPA), minor Political Science Economics: Macro Principles (A), Micro Principles (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Immigration & Econ (A+), Intermediate Macro (A), Money & Banking (A+), Labor Economics (A), Game Theory (B), Econometrics (A+), Capstone (A+), International Economics (A) Math: Calc 1 (A), Calc 2 ©, Statistics (A), Calc 3 (B), Proofs (A-), Linear Algebra (B+), Real Analysis (B+), Differential Equations (A) Grad (Master of Public Policy): GPA 3.97 Public Service Research I (basically applied econometrics) (A), Microecon of Public Policy I (A+), Public Service Research II (A+), Program Evaluation (A+), Public Policy Analysis (A), Microecon of Public Policy II (B), Applied Econometrics (A-), Public Budgeting and Finance (A), Advanced Policy Analysis (A), Capstone (A) GRE: 165 Q, 160 V, 4 AW My letter of recommendations would come from professors in the School of Public Affairs, not the Econ department (although I could probably get one if I really tried from the Econ department, but it probably wouldn't be as good as my MPP recommenders). I could also get one from a research fellowship I am currently doing at George Mason University in Political Economy. I have a paper published in a lower-tier Public Policy journal of which I am the sole author and will have some experience with research with my fellowship at George Mason. What tier of Econ schools do you think I could get into? Would I be better off trying for a top-tier Public Policy school, or is my profile not even suited for that? I'm definitely interested in Political Economy, Public Choice, Behavioral Economics, and Macro, as well as the applied side of Econ that Public Policy brings. I should also mention I have 2 years of work experience, some research experience at a think tank and 1.5 years in state government as an Analyst.

Undergraduate Studies: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science( University of Bucharest, relevant University for the Central European region, Bachelor in English) Undergraduate GPA: 3.96/4.0(converted), average grade of 9.88/10(valedictorian) Thesis: The Construal of the Romanian Financial Crisis, 2008-2010-Graded with 10/10 Additional studies: Certified Project Manager-National Accreditation Center; Certified Risk Manager-The Romanian Financial Studies Institute. Numerous online classes taken in mathematics, from topology to real analysis. Research Experience: Currently working as a Research Assistant at the University of Bucharest, cooperating for a global project in quantitative political sociology with UC Irvine, Georgia State University and Boston University. I have published a paper on the Financial Crisis of 2008 in a peer-reviewed journal, although a rather average one. Work Experience: Worked as the Public Affairs Officer for a start-up in the field of medical technology and as a communication trainer for the largest national NGO in the field of informal education. Other experience: research intern for the Aspen Institute in their public policy department and administrative intern for a brokerage company. Letters of Recommendation: 1. From my Research Supervisor, well-known professor in the field of political sociology, with expertise in quantitative design. 2. From my Public Policy professor, who is the current programs manager at a renowned school of management in Europe. I expect both recommendations to be excellent. I plan to apply for a number of MPPs in Europe.

abide

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.

Hello, I have offers from Chicago's PhD program in economics and Harvard's public policy PhD at HKS. My interests are mainly in development and applied micro broadly (including health, labor, environmental, empirical IO). Chicago attracts me because of its prestige in academia and its training and strength in economics. However, I heard the program is brutal and mentoring by faculty is lackluster. Recently its faculty seem to be macro/finance/theory focused, which is not my area of interest. Harvard attracts because of its strengths in development, connections to Harvard/MIT econ faculty, and a smaller cohort with more flexibility in coursework. There's also a certain prestige of Harvard broadly, and for any non-academic jobs. However, it is not as prestigious in the economics job market, making it tough to market a Public Policy PhD as opposed to economics. Is there anything (other than quality of life and financials) that I am not considering? Is there a clear (or weakly dominant) winner here? Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Closed.

John List and Anya Samek’s team at the University of Chicago / University of Southern California have several internships available this summer for outstanding undergraduate students in economics and related fields (all levels). Internships come with a small stipend. Internship location may be at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL or the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. The ideal student should be interested in behavioral economics and experimental methods, and will have a background in economics or a related field, such as psychology or public policy. The student should have excellent organizational skills and communication skills. Students who spend the summer with us will have the opportunity to work in a dynamic research team to carry out field experiments, including interacting with full time research staff and faculty at the center. Students will learn how to conduct field experiments, including subject recruitment, IRB approval, data collection and analysis. Broad areas of study that students may be involved in as part of this internship include health economics, economics of education and charitable giving. Most of your time will be spent “in the field,” for example, going door to door to raise money for charity and recording responses. Hence, ability and experience interacting with people in dynamic environments is a must. If you are interested, please contact David Jimenez-Gomez at bee2017internship@gmail.com. Please send a statement of interest and your CV. We have not finalized the location for our summer field experiments, therefore, we are currently recruiting assuming we may place you in either location (Chicago, IL or Los Angeles, CA). In your statement of interest, please indicate whether you have a preference for one city or the other, and whether you are willing to come to either city. Please also indicate whether you will have a car (students with cars will receive additional compensation for gas/mileage for driving to/from study sites).

Hi, I am an economics student and I want to apply for a PhD in Economics. However, my profile feels rather weak: Undergrad GPA: 3.68 (in a developing country, so university not ranked) Masters GPA: 3.31 (also not a good ranking university) GRE: 160 in Verbal, 161 in Quantitative I would ideally like to study more of behavioral economics and work on designing better policies. I was considering PhD in Public Policy, but without going to a top school, I'm sure I will be skipped over for most jobs. I want to work in a research institute or academia. Any advice? Should I apply to a higher ranked MA school and would they be willing to take me? Or, should I try working on research? Thanks

Hey, I am planning to apply for Masters in Public Policy(MPP) and MSc Econ in a selected few universities from top 20 in US and UK (e.g.: HKS, Woodrow wilson School of PP, LSE, Warwick). My GRE scores are Quant 170, Verbal 152, Analytical Writing 3.0. My academic records are good with a GPA of 8.7/10 and have 4 years work experience. What do u think will be my admission chances? As deadlines are soon approaching i don't have time left to rewrite GRE as well. Kindly advice.

Hey all! Just came across Michigan's joint PhD program in economics and public policy and I am very interested in it. Is anyone on the forum considering applying or know someone who applied last year? I'm interested in learning more about the program since I sorta love it? haha! :proud:

Hello! I have completed my undergrad study from Department of Social Work, Shah Jalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. I have completed my Masters' in Public Policy and Governance from Department of General and Continuing Education, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here are my particulars. Here are my particulars. Country: Bangladesh University: Shah Jalal University of Science and Technology Degree: Bachelor of Social Science. Social Work, With Honors, Topping the class of 60 students CGPA: 3.36/4.00. University: North South University Degree: Masters' in Public Policy and Governance, with full-fund CGPA: 3.37/4.00 Research papers: - The Psycho-social Aspects of Oppressed Women: A Study with Special Reference of Women Support Program. - Delivery of Mobile Phone Aided Health Services in Rural Bangladesh- A Study on Two Upazilas Work Experiences (4 years): UNDP Bangladesh (Research Assistant), Corporate Social Responsibility Centre (Research Associate), Intervida Foundation Bangladesh (Education Officer) TOEFL IBT: 75 (R:16, L:12, S:20, W:27) GRE (revised): 297 (V: 148, Q: 149) Research interest: Health Policy, e-Governance, ICT for Development. Would any body please give me some idea about my chances to get a call from the following school for PhD with this profile? Here is 16 schools. I want to apply to 10 of them. 1. University of Maryland Baltimore County 2. George Washington University 3. University of Maryland- College Park 4. American University 5. Mississippi State university 6. Ohio State University 7. Georgia State university 8. University of Arkansas 9. Virgina Commonwealth University 10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 11. University of Louisville 12. University of Texas at Dallas 13. Jackson State University 14. New York University 15. Ohio State University–Columbus 16. George Mason University

Hey guys, I was thinking about applying to two different PhD programs U Michigan: the one in Econ and the one that specializes in Econ and Public Policy and I need some guidance about this. 1) Good idea? Aye or nay? I want to diversify the risk but at the same time I don't want to come off as unfocused. As far as I am concerned, I'd like to either work in academia or in the public sector so that's why the choice is before me. 2) Has anyone done this and gotten accepted/rejected? Any input is welcomed! Thanks!

Hi, I am interested in applying to Public Policy PhD Programs this fall - Syracuse ranks really highly on U.S News: Does anyone have an idea about how good it is?? I find that they offer a PhD in Public Administration and not Public Policy!

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Top LAC Undergrad GPA: 3.8/4.00 GRE: Q780+ on practice exams Math Courses: Calculus I-III, Multivariate Data Analysis, Statistics, Linear Algebra(B+) (A’s in everything else) Econ Courses: Micro, Honors Macro, Honors Econometrics, Advanced Macro, Game Theory, Institutional Economics, Master’s level Public Economics, Behavioral, Labor (A- or above in all) Letters of Recommendation: Prominent economist at Fed, a few others who know me well but who are moderately well-known Research Experience: Senior thesis, Fed RA, will probably have at least one or two co-authored briefings (or possibly journal articles), Research Interests: Macro/Urban I’m debating between public policy (masters or Phd) and economics (Phd). If I decide on economics, I’ll take Real Analysis and Math Stats next fall/winter. In the long run, I’m interested in going into an applied econ area, likely gov/think-tank/nonprofit work. Econ is appealing because I’d learn more technical skills, but I’m not sure if my math background is strong enough for econ, or whether spending several years learning theory would be worth it based on my long-run plans. Any thoughts on this dilemma would be greatly appreciated, namely: -suggestions of policy-oriented econ programs or econ-oriented policy programs -what level econ programs I should target if I go that route (top 20?) Thanks!

I have recently come to crossroads in my career, because I quit medical school and now am trying to get a job to pay off the loans for that detour. However, eventually, I would like to get a higher degree because I always wanted to work in the government and in a leadership position. I have some ideas and have read many of these threads to death lol, but joined because I desperately need some guidance. While most people would say do what you love, well, the problem is that I like a lot of different things and it really comes down to the best program that I will succeed in academically, as well as just where I can have the highest chance of being accepted into a top program, not because I'm an elitist (well, sort of because I've heard from so many people that a PhD is only good if its from a top 20 school) but also because I've noticed that they generally give financial aid to all the attendees. At this point I've considered economics, business (finance/economics), public policy, political science. But am looking for other similar areas, such as Urban Planning (which I hadn't even heard of until about 10 minutes ago!) Some stats to help you out: BA in Economics from a top 50 US school, GPA 3.4 (its a little lower than I'd like it to be because of my premed courses) My GRE scores: 690V (97%) and 740Q (80%), and 4.0 Writing (I don't really plan on taking it again because I'm a terrible test taker and would probably score lower if not the same...except maybe my writing since I didn't really even look at that area before the test) I've taken Math up to Calc II, but am willing to enroll in other courses to strengthen my application while I am working. However, I'm not strong in math, well, I'm not very good at proofs, or programming (compsci stuff) All my research experience previously is in the medical field, scientific research. I do have my MBA but its from the same institution I got my BA from and while its accredited, its unranked. Its a bit odd as I'm working backwards, i.e trying to find a PhD program that fits my stats rather than brushing up my stats to fit a specific program, but I'm kind of just floating ideas in my head. I'm really looking for something applied, not theoretical, and something macro scaled, not micro. And I'm open to suggestions of any top PhD that my GRE scores would get me into since I'm exploring right now. I would be willing to take courses in whichever subject area over the next couple of years where I will be working (hopefully). If you got through all that, thank you, and please give your opinions candidly.

Dear all, Need some help related to graduate admissions. I want to get a PhD, but cant decide on the graduate degree. My research interests are eclectic, very wide and related to poverty, development economics, political systems and higher education. I have an undergrad. in economics and good scores on most economics papers. I have taken little maths papers (primarily because they were not offered in the univ. I graduated from). I did take the GRE and scored 800 in the quant. section? Will that cover up for the lack of maths papers? (I am certain I can handle the maths, but just that I dont have many papers to back up my application - I have one maths paper and 3 stats papers to show for). As for LOR, I can get one from a political science prof and an economics prof. They know me well and should write me good reccos (or so I think :p) I am confused between a PhD in political economy, economics/applied economics, public policy and political science. I would like to ideally work on something like political economy or public policy - something more applied and not strictly formal. Any suggestions?

I've found this forum to be incredibly helpful, and I can't thank everyone on here enough for being so generous with their advice. I've posted on here several times before regarding masters programs as a stepping stone into a computational economics related PhD (prior post here). It seems my best bet would be schools that offer joint degrees in Information Science and Public Policy (Michigan, Berkeley) or Engineering and Public Policy (Stanford, Berkeley, UT Austin, MIT). Any thoughts? I've enumerated and possible school and my profile choices below. Programs Listing 1) Michigan School of Information - MS Incentive Centered Design & MPP 2) Stanford - MS Engineering Management Science & MPP 3) Berkeley - MS Computational Engineering Science & MPP 4) UT Austin -MS Computational Engineering Science & MPP 5) Maryland - MS Computational Engineering Science & MPP 6) MIT - Technology Public Policy & Computational Design & Optimization 7) Warwick/Ecole Polytechnique - Erasmus Mundus MS in Complex Systems Science 8) Duke - MA Econ w/ specialization in Computational Economics 9) Harvard - MS Engineering/Computer Science (extensive collaborative research w/ Econ Dept) Academic Profile Major: Mechanical Engineering School: Purdue University (Ranked #7 for MechE) GPA: 3.1 (I realize this is low, but as the school with the lowest grade inflation, it is still in the top 1/3 of the class) Minors: Electrical Engineering, Economics Research: none to speak of Undergrad Math: Through the 300 levels for calculus and algebra, mostly Bs with a few Cs Undergrad Econ: Tested out of Micro I & Macro I, Intermediate Micro (B), Intermediate Macro (A), and a 400 level class in behavioral (A) Grad Math: B+ in Probability Career Profile (Please read! It provides a glimmer of hope! :-) Graduating as a master of nothing, I first took a job teaching in India. Somehow this lead me into IT consulting, where in my spare time I co-authored a book on currency transactions in Oracle. I then jumped back across the pond as a consultant doing mainly operations research related work for a Big 3 consulting firm. In the past year, I moved laterally in the firm, and now work professionally as a researcher working on a class of technologies called support vector machines (related to optimization, artificial intelligence, and text/data mining). I've thus far co-authored one paper, presented a paper at the International Journal Conference on Neural Networks, and am currently working on another paper where I will be the primary author. I also developed the original paper that I co-authored into a fully functional, patent pending piece of software that has been deployed at several Fortune 500 corporations. ...I feel I may have to bite the bullet and see if I can just do both CS and Econ in 2+ years...but I don't want to. :wacko:

My graduate thesis will not be complete till next summer and I plan on applying this fall. I had some extremely poor grades during my sophomore year and into my junior that i know will limit my acceptances. I made up for this by getting near 4.0 for the last three semesters of my undergraduate and 4.0 for my entire time in graduate school but I am still afraid I may have trouble. I have a publication with a world renowned research organization and will likely have several other acceptances by this fall. Can anyone provide me some feedback/ suggestions about my chances and school choices??? HELP + ADVICE???? Type of Undergrad: Large Public University (Not Flagship). Undergrad GPA: 3.2 (3.6 for Econ) Some poor grades Soph/ Junior year But 3.72, 3.85, 4.0 Consecutively for Last 3 semesters. Type of Graduate: Interdisciplinary economic development graduate program at same school. Graduate Concentration: Interdisciplinary program for Economic and Social Development of Regions Graduate GPA: 4.0 (Expected Near 4.0) Undergrad Major/Minor: Economics Major, Poli Sci and Bus Admin Minor GRE: N/A Taking this summer (expect 700+) Math Courses: UnderGrad: Calculus I, II, Stats I,II, and Linear Algebra Graduate: Econometrics, Quantitative Research Methods, Regression Analysis Econ Courses: Undergrad: Introductory Micro, Intermediate Micro, Introductory Macro, Intermediate Macro, Labor Economics, Government Business and Society, Financial Markets and Monetary Policy, Public Finance, Business Finance, Investments, and U.S. Economic History, Seminar on Dominique Foray's Economics of Knowledge Graduate: Inequality in Organizations, China and India in the Global Economy, Political Economy of Employment, Foundations of Comparative Regional Development, Organizational Dynamics in Regional Development, The Effects of Work Technology and Training, Dynamics of Power and Authority. Letters of Recommendation: Rec. from two well known/ highly published heterodox graduate professor, Rec. from local policy maker whom i have served as a research assistant for. Teaching Experience: Limited but I served as a research assistant in the departments research center Next Fall/ Spring. Research Interests: Political Economy, Labor Economics, Industrial Organization, Regional Development. Research: Co-authored research publication from world renowned organization, Completed local development analysis of the financial crisis on minority population (forthcoming publication), Working on project which analyses the effects of cyclical economic trends on the high tech industries of a specific region. Internships: Intern position with local policy maker with a specialization on economic development Other Resume Stuff: Epsilon Omicron Delta, Lots of volunteer work, multiple conferences attended and coordinated Plan to apply: University of Utah, American University, UMB Public Policy, UMass Amherst, New School, University of California Riverside, UKCM, Colorado State University, and possibly the University of Manitoba.

I am interested in working with a non-profit on the executive level or as a lobbyist/liasion on the Federal or State level . I have myriad interests in health policy (poverty and health care, populations with HIV/AIDS, obesity, smoking, drugs/alcohol, mental health care reform, etc.) I have a BA in Psychology and an MA in Journalism. I have been an executive for 10 years in an entirely unrelated field (outside of public policy/health care, that is). All that said, I am presently thinking of chucking what I have now and going back to get a degree - either an MA in Public Policy/Administration or a PhD in Public Policy/Administration. My concern is that with a PhD, I will be viewed as "overqualified" or too research-oriented for a non-profit or government liasion position. Then again, with a master's, I am concerned I will be missing out on more in-depth study as public policy is not my background. As someone who does not want to teach Public Policy on a full-time basis, but enjoys the research/management/applied side, what are the views out there on which degree I should persue? I am also doing research on this when I am able. Any real-world folks out there who have any thoughts on this?