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Hello friends, I am a Junior hoping to pursue a PhD in quant marketing and have some questions on research areas. Like everyone else still in undergrad, I am grappling with a variety of concerns about my application profile, but I still have a good chunk of school to do. My main concern is trying to narrow down a specific area of research within quant marketing. Fortunately, the professors I have been speaking with have been able to help me understand the importance of program fit as opposed to going for the highest ranked program I can get into, but this has also compelled me to try to find an area or direction sooner than later. I currently work as a research assistant for a quant professor, and though my experience with him has been very rewarding, most of his work revolves around research methodology. Methodology has never appealed to me much; I was originally considering taking the CB track because I found the problems and questions in that area very interesting. However, I enjoy the quantitative approach to these problems rather than the psychology/neuroscience approach. My hope is to be able to coauthor/publish research by the end of undergrad, which will also fulfill an Honors thesis requirement. Covid has made contacting professors difficult to say the least, so I haven't had much exposure to other areas of research, but I plan to change that this semester. I anticipate that my interactions with them will be very formative in helping me choose an area/direction, but I still wanted to ask you all about your experiences with choosing research areas. More specific questions include: -What has been your timeline for narrowing down research questions? -How do you balance your personal interests with popular/trending subjects? -Is the quality of a PhD program fit more related to the actual research subject matter or the methodology/approach to questions? Thank you for your time reading and responding in advance, and apologies for anything poorly worded or confusing--I am happy to clarify.

excuse me... I try to practice my TOEFL by doing some exercises and I get these confusing questions. I hope you can help me correct my answer... 1. Recycling is a means of reducing the demand on nonrenewable resources ____ of preventing some problems of pollution and waste disposal. (A) either (B) and © too (D) both my answer is D, but I'm not sure 2. Although gorillas have no natural enemies, male leaders typically attack all intruders, thereby allow females and the young to flee to safety my answer is allow, maybe it should be they allow ? 3. Candles and oil-burning lamps remained the chief sources of artificial illumination when the middle of the nineteenth century, when kerosene lamps came into common use my answer is when, maybe it should be during ? 4. Cosmogony is a term applied to the study of the origin and development of the universe as well as to the theories concerned its origin my answer is concerned, maybe it should be concerning ? 5. Flint was a favored material of prehistoric humans, which used it to make tools and weapons, because it would chip into shapes with sharp edges my answer is which, maybe it should be who? 6. The flamingo constructs a cylindrical mud nest for its egg, which both parents care for it :wallbash:my answer is the, maybe it should be omitted ? 7. Many sedimentary rocks were deposited in the ocean contain the fossils that record much of Earth's history. my answer is record, maybe it should be recorded ? 8. The far northern wilderness of Quebec has vast deposits of iron ore, ____ province's leading mineral products. (A) where the (B) are the © which the (D) one of the my answer is D and I'm not sure about it 9. Sunspots are but one manifestation of solar activity related of the Sun's magnetic field .:wallbash:my answer is but, maybe it should be ......... i don't know 10. In the United States, the attorney general is a cabinet member in charge with the administration of the Department of Justice my answer is administration, maybe it should be administrator ? 11. Vitamins A and C and most of the B vitamins are retain in foods that have been canned. :wallbash:my answer is retain, maybe it should be retained ? 12. Velocity may be uniform, in which case both speed and direction remain constant, variable, in which case speed, direction, or both changes :wallbash:my answer is changes , maybe it should be change ? 13. Canada began cultivation wheat intensively in 1910, which led to a demand for tools, machines, housing, and building supplies. :wallbash:my answer is cultivation, maybe it should be cultivating ? or maybe housing is the answer ? 14. A telescope consists of a series of lenses and, often, mirrors capability of producing a magnified image and of collecting more light than the unaided eye . :wallbash:my answer is the, maybe it should be omitted ? I am sorry if I make any mistake by asking too many questions. thanks in advance.. May God always bless you guys...

I was admitted to a few programs somewhat similar in ranking and I need to start thinking about where I will go. I'm new to the academic environment, so I'm not sure what is ultimately most important in a PhD program. What should I ask professors and advanced students? Or what should I be hoping to learn? I have a few ideas, but I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Hi, I have orginially focused on Europe for PhD Programmes, but going to the US has always been my dream. I believe I have a pretty solid academic profile, but I can imagine that the US Programmes are extremely competitive so do I have a chance at all for a fully funded programme? Test Scores: GMAT 690/85% (considering to take the GRE) Undergrad (Bachelors in International Management): Top 3% at a renowned European Business School Graduate (one year Masters in Managerial Economics): Top 5% at the London School of Economics (I know several professors personally who would write me a distinguished reference letter) Research Experience: Two dissertations (for my degrees) + 6 months as a reserach assistant (however not as a co-author) Teaching Experience: none Work Experience: Several internships in Consulting + at the time of application ~1.5 year of full-time experience (not McKinsey/BCG/Bain, but a good name) Concentration Applying to: Management with a focus on Strategic Mangement or Managerial Economics/Applied Economics Number of programs planned to apply to: not decided yet Dream Schools: Something within the top 20 in the US, otherwise I would probably stay in Europe Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? During my Master degree I really enjoyed doing research and after starting to work as a consultant, I realized more and more that an academic career would be better suited to me than an industry job. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? -I had only few Economics courses and only entry level Maths/Statistics courses within my Undergrad degree (and only Applied Economics courses in my Masters). Do I therefore disqualify for most Applied Economics/Managerial Economics programmes? -Would a GRE score of ~85% be sufficient to have a shot? Having a 60h work-week, I unfortunately do not have the time for extensive preparation. Any additional specific questions you may have? --

I did an at-home test in September - happy with the result all things considered. Resources Used Manhatttan 5 lb. (Quant Only) (Strongly Recommend) ETS official practice book (Strongly Recommend) Nova Maths Bible (Only use if you've exhausted the other resources) Magoosh (Strongly Recommend). Buying the service a couple of weeks out bumped up my score from about 155V/160Q. Test Day The test itself was a lot longer than I had practiced due to the extra hoops that they make you jump through in securing the testing environment. I spent little time on the AWA section (less than 20 minutes each), as the section isn't relevant for the grad schools I'm applying to. General Advice Start early - I began studying about 3 and a half months out and I needed all of this time. It only came together in the last 2 weeks or so, before that my practice results were around 155V/160Q Emphasize practice - The concepts themselves can be learned through doing questions - I did over 2000 practice questions and didn't spend any time on the 'theory' as such Be organised - this is critical. Mock up spreadsheets to track progress, make sure you allocate enough time to practicing each section and ensure that you can find practice materials easily. Simulate test conditions - This is probably the most important aspect of preparation. Simulate the test conditions as closely as possible (including the time of day you take the test) and take full practice tests (including all sections). I found it difficult in the first few full-length practice tests to remain focused, but improved after the 5th practice test. Plan to take the test multiple times - Even if you ace the first test (which I was lucky enough to do) make sure you have enough time to take another before applications are due. I planned (and booked) another test before taking my first test, which relieved some of the pressure. Hopefully the above helps. Remember that the GRE is a specific test and needs to be prepared for as a test. The test itself has its own quirks are requires tailored preparation. The topics and questions themselves are not difficult in a vacuum, but the test itself is due to the way it is structured. Best of luck! Happy to answer questions.

Hello! Can you evaluate my profile? Currently freacking out about the entire application process. TestScores: GRE 159V (82%), 160Q (72%), AW (not received yet) UndegradGPA: 109 out of 110 (minimum is 66) in a European university. Major was Economics and took classes in both statistics (got an equivalent of an A) and econometrics (got an equivalent of an A+) Graduate GPA: 98.2 out of 100 in a top3 university in East Asia and top 70 in the world. Majored in Business Research Experience: I wrote a bachelor and master thesis and now I have finished to write a paper on what I want to research about during my PhD together with my grad advisor (we have submitted for publication, I think it will be at least peer-reviewed once by the time I submit the application) Teaching Experience: none Work Experience: internships abroad and currently working in East Asia (manager level) Concentration Applying to: OB (micro) Number of programs planned to apply to: 15-20 Dream Schools: Stanford, Duke, Columbia, Toronto, Cornell, Ohio State, Penn State Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? I have always wanted to become a professor. I love researching and I keep researching even if I have a full-time job and that means sacrificing your weekends and nights after work. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? 1) not having a GPA due to the fact that I graduated outside of the US 2) GRE. I tried to take it the first time and I got 157V and 160Q. I tried to take it again and only scored two more points in V although I focused on improving my Q score (that remained the same) Any additional specific questions you may have: I wonder whether I can pass the cut-off desk due to my GRE scores

I hope no one minds me creating a new thread for these questions without an informative title. I preface my post in this way because the questions are based on my own personal problems. I am creating a thread about them because they are probably relevant to others. (1) is obviously of interest to everyone, (2)-(4) are based on me either being stupid or lazy or both but maybe you are like me! 1. COVID-19 means that the GRE is not required at many (most?) programs. My GRE is strong but not perfect - should I light some money on fire and report or leave it be? A corollary question: could this mess up the screening process? 2. Some programs require writing samples of significant length. I have a writing sample from undergrad, the writing is passable. The content is "cringe" - I reviewed the literature like an arrogant little pissant and I use a weenie hut jr methodology in the paper, my tone is not warranted! Insofar as anyone decides to read the writing sample (why do programs create work for poor admissions committee people by making them read this drivel?), do you think they'll be aware that an undergrad thesis should be evaluated different from a MA thesis? Corollary question: when writing samples are optional, is the ideal something like a NSF research proposal? 3. Statement of Purpose - I assume that no one actually wants to read this and they want to look at LORs, transcripts and so on instead. How do I play to the desire of an admissions evaluator to daydream about literally anything else without turning in a blank piece of paper? This question is as open-ended as possible - basically everything that makes me a strong candidate is in my transcripts, should be in my letters (probably true of almost all applicants!). 4. resume/cv - is this actually examined closely? if so, is it "safe" to keep it toned down if any extra additions are obvious fluff and let letter writers do the lifting?

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Hi all, I just received an offer from UChig Booth (Econ track) a few days ago. Interests are in applied + theoretical IO + antitrust econ. I have several questions, if someone could shed light on them that would be amazing: 1. Do UChig Booth (Econ track) students take the same quals as that of normal Econ students (I am guessing, yes)? How brutal is this process? Chicago seems to be infamous for a high % fail rate. 2. How is the placement like for this program -- is it worth going over say, Michigan? It seems that most Econ-oriented Booth students are finance PhDs, not Econ PhDs. Thank you so much!

Hello, I have heard from a friend that she was invited to interview with one of her applied schools and the professor sent her an article and told her that they will chat about it. In your experience, what type of questions do professors can ask during the interview on the assigned paper? Is it like a critique, like "what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of this paper?" P.S. The field is Organizational Behavior. Best,

I was kindly wondering what are the questions and categories I should hit on when writing the PS. Thank you!

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Ok, so I finished my TOEFL some time ago now, but I just discovered this forum today. I prepared for about a week or two, with "cracking the TOEFL" which I did not find helpful at all - the tasks in there are much more difficult than what the TOEFL asks. You don't need to understand any texts, or interpret them, or rewrite sentences, or invent new paragraphs. Nothing like that. You don't need to tell engaging stories, at no point in the test. You also don't need to entertain your tester, nor sound overly natural and believable. What helped me most was using the practise exams online, and watching some videos / reading about other people's experiences. So what I really needed to practise was speaking quickly without thinking. SOmewhere I found a template that was something like 1) summary of question/problem 2) state your opinion/solution 3) give three reasons/arguments 4) summarize your suggestions and how they relate to the problem/question Not sure if that is actually required, but it helped me to feel confident. There was one question where my mind turned blank after half the time, so I didn't speak for like 15 seconds, and then just said a grammatically not very correct summary about the very few things I mentioned earlier Still got 30/30. What also helped to feel less nervous about talking to a computer in a room full of people was, as I saw someone say on youtube, trying to be the last one in the cue so that others start before you. Also, in general, if you always wait until the time for each task is up (you can skip it if you want to just continue), some people are going to be speaking before you have to anyway. Listen, so you can guess the topic. I just catched one answer for the first question but it made all the difference to my stress level. I was able to think of a sound structure before even knowing the question, and with that successful experience, the following questions were much easier to handle. I feel like the comprehension questions are very tricky, more than once I thought that there might be several correct answers. One listening excersice was particularly difficult, about some particles or bugs I don't remember, I didn't understand it too well, but I did not get that throughout the lecture they were talking about 2 different types - they sounded extremly similar and I did not notice. So when there were questions about (made up words, I don't remember the names) "miops" and "myops", I did not know which one was which so... I guessed. I'm pretty certain that was the testing question, because I got the number of questions expected in all other parts and one more in listening, and it's just extremly unlikely that I guessed everything correctly. I got 30/30 so it must have been that question that didn't count. I got 29/30 in writing and I think I know why. As again I did not want to finish early, I kept staring at my essay improving a word/sentence here and there. Unfortunately, do avoid stress, I had accostumed myself to not look at the clock. So I didn't know I didn't have time for another adjustment, but I started moving sentences around anyway. This lead to my final essay having a half sentence somewhere, as I cut the first part of it, intending to move it elsewhere and then adapt everything - stupid mistake, but well. I might have made some spelling mistakes as well, I'm used to autocorrect. Overall I have no clue why they give people so much time. I had 45 min left in reading, and over 30 min in each of the other parts except speaking because there you can't do anything after finishing the timed recordings so you don't have extra time. So what I can recommend: get there early. Don't worry about the other people, you'll never ever see them again. Also, their stress or (over) confidence do not help you. Just focus on yourself. You can go to the bathroom and take snack breaks whenever you feel like it. I think they tell you how to do it in the instructions, but since I had so much time left and did not want to skip forward, I walked around quite a lot and nobody cared (to be fair, I was the only one doing this, everyone else was very busy). Do the freely available online quizzes to get a feel for the questions and the time you need to answer them. If you know you don't have to worry about the time, don't. Just don't commit my mistake either - before changing anything, do check the time! Read the available "good" text examples. Practise writing a few essays about similar topics. A specific structure can be helpful as a guide for your writing, but again I doubt that it's necessary. Learn everything about the the test (e.g. the test questions that are evaluated, but do not affect your result). Know its duration and have your strategy to deal with the (extra) time. Know that it may take some more time to start the test than they tell you (I started about an hour late, not my fault but obviously only happened because I was last in line. Everyone else started about half an hour late). Have your drinks and (non-noisy) snacks if you think you might need them. Wear comfy clothes, but choose a colour and shirt that look decent enough for applications - the result document contains a photo they take there! Get more paper for notes if you need it, before you need it. Make sure you have enough paper for the speaking and oral comprehension questions, before you start those parts. Have an extra pen as well. Focus on your grammar and easy sentences. Nobody is trying to evaluate your intelligence, it's not like an exam at school, the content doesn't really matter as long as it's not wrong. Know your strategy for the oral comprehension part with respect to taking notes. For speaking, as mentioned above, a certain structure can help to make it easier to think of complete sentences. Before the test actually starts, there's some time which I used to write down the structures (which I had memorized) so that later, when my memory was filled with funny topics of the reading part, I could just refer to my own notes. I made a template for each question, so it was easier to take notes and the notes already formed the structure. And as you will have noted throughout this text (which obviously does not meet TOEFL criteria!), my English is far from perfect. I also have an accent. Before taking the test I had never been to an English speaking country (except for some stop overs) nor did I study in English. I feel it's really all about understanding how the test works, and using that knowledge.

I am about to give my GRE by the end of next month. I am having trouble with solving percentile and Data Interpretation questions. Can anyone please suggest right place to practice that sums. Is there anyone who is gonna take GRE in next couple of months if there we can study together.

Hello, I am hoping to get some input on what type of schools I could apply to. Test Scores (GMAT): 700 Undegrad GPA: 2.85 (1 really bad year, trended up after but alas... this was a long time ago). Graduate GPA: 3.7 MA, Economic Sociology (Top 20 school in Asia), 3.7 Msc in Business Research (Top 20 school in Europe) Research Experience: 2 publications (B+/A- level journals), 1 as first author Teaching Experience: N/A Work Experience: Several years consulting Concentration Applying to: Management, Organizational Theory / Economic Sociology Number of programs planned to apply to: 10? Dream Schools: No idea Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? I truly love doing research and being in an academic environment. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? Low u-grad GPA. Average GMAT. Any additional specific questions you may have: I am just really not sure what level I should target? I am open to anywhere in the world (North America, Asia, Europe)

Hi Urch! I'm very excited to apply to programs this Fall and am interested in any feedback you have on my profile. Test Scores - GRE: 167 Q, 162 V awa 4.0 Undergrad GPA: 3.72 in labor economics Graduate GPA: N/A Research Experience: Worked as a Research Assistant for a business school professor for 2 years during undergrad; completed undergraduate honors thesis Teaching Experience: none Work Experience: 5 years total: 2 as a technical program manager and 3 as a research & analytics manager for an org design company Concentration Applying to: Management, Organizational Behavior Number of programs planned to apply to: 5-10 Dream Schools: Booth, Kellogg, WashU Olin, Wharton, Michigan Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? I'm interested in how organizations meet their strategic objectives when they require significant collaboration outside of traditional "org chart" boundaries. I believe there is a gap in existing research in this area - specifically, in how technical and non-technical teams collaborate to deliver complex integrated software solutions (for anyone in tech - think Scrum, Scaled Agile Framework, Kanban, etc). I'm passionate about my research questions, and would like to dedicate my career to exploring them (and teaching others what I learn). Questions or concerns you have about your profile I realize my analytical writing score is low. Do you think it is worth re-taking the test to improve it? For recommenders, I'm planning to use two professors for whom I worked as an RA in college. For the third, I am considering using my former boss who supervised me in a research & analytics role. Do you think I'd be better off going with a former Professor? Many thanks for any advice or feedback you have!

Hello Friends, I am from India and below are the required details.Requesting you to check and give a feedback. Thanking you in Advance. Test Scores (GMAT/GRE): (Note: It often helps a lot more if you list the percentiles each of your raw/composite scores are associated with)- GMAT Yet to Appear but I am Confident of Scoring between minimum 600 to 650 Points. Undegrad GPA: 04 ,Engineering in Production From India Graduate GPA: 04 ,MBA in Marketing From India Research Experience: 0 Teaching Experience: 0 Work Experience: 10 Years in Oil & Gas,Power & Automobile Sector in Sales & Supply Chain Functions Concentration Applying to: PHD in Strategy or Marketing Number of programs planned to apply to: 03 Dream Schools: Harvard, Insead, Stanford, MIT Sloan or any other top 50 Colleges. Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? Join Education Field as a Faculty and also to carry out research related to Strategy. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? No Any additional specific questions you may have: No Regards, Sandesh Musale

Can anyone please tell how to solve age group based questions? For example in a group some people are 30 years old or younger. Some are 50 years old or older. How many are aged between 30 and 50? I encountered a similar question on my GRE.

After graduating a decided to work a couple of years before going to grad school. To up my chances I decided to take a summer school class before applying to grad school, but had to withdraw mid term because of health reasons. Do I need to send this transcript or not when applying?

Duplicate post.

Hello, I was recently admitted to two of the schools I applied to this round for Econ phd: Oregon State U AE and UCR Economics (both full funding/insurance/tuition waiver). I am waiting for other schools to get back to me, but I am so happy I got into a program! I was hoping I could get general impressions from people who might know anything about these programs. For example, I understand UCR is on the heterodox side but am still unclear as to the reputation it has. UC School but still very looked down upon? (Another thing, I am planning to commute there from one of the smaller communities next to Anaheim; am I better off living close by?) I am visiting both schools soon and had some questions prepared, but what types of questions would more experienced forum posters suggest I ask? Thanks!

I am trying to decide on which self paced program to take. The deciding factor for me is detailed explanation to all math questions. I tried asking Princeton Review to give me a sense of what the explanation to their math section is like but they are acting very cagey. Has anyone taken their self paced program? what was their explanations to their math questions like?

Hi all! I have a phone call with a director of graduate admissions at a school I was recently accepted to and am very excited about. I am wondering what sort of questions would be important to ask. I have many of my own, but don't want to miss out on anything important and thought that reaching out for advice from more experienced applicants would help me to get all the information necessary out of my phone call. Thank you in advance! --Lindsey

Longtime reader who has had an interest in getting into academia. Initially wantedto do PhD in Economics/Finance after undergrad but was unable to due toinability to do proof based mathematics and limited math scores on GMAT/GRE. Test Scores: GMAT:710 (91% Total, 42 (96%) Verbal, 46 (60%) Quant, 6 (89%) Analytical Writing, 6(70%) IR GRE:159 (83%) Verbal, 161 (78%) Quant, 3.5 (42%) Analytical Writing Undegrad GPA: LargeState University B.SEconomics 3.76 HonorsProgram and Thesis Fullcalculus sequence and multiple econometrics classes Graduate GPA: PartTime program at Small State University M.SData Science 3.5 Research Experience: 2years as undergrad RA resulting in 3 non-peer reviewed papers (papers went tothink tank organization) Teaching Experience: None Work Experience: 3years in analytics at large bank Concentration Applying to: Management/OrganizationalBehavior Number of programs planned to applyto: 5-10 Dream Schools: Duke,Wisconsin, Texas, Washington, UNC Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? Long time interestin research but choose not to pursue it after undergrad, something I have beenthinking about while working and pursuing my masters part time. Work experiencehas led to a number of questions about how we work (productivity, distractions,etc.) and why we work (motivation, satisfaction, etc.) which I would like toexplore. Reading papers in organizational behavior has confirmed that these areinteresting areas to me that I would like to explore more. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? Needadvice on how to communicate story. E.g. moving from analytics to psychology. Schoolsthat would be good fits? Any additional specific questions you may have: DoI even send my GRE scores? Isit appropriate to talk about work experiences as inspiration for researchideas? How to talk about my part time masters in data science?

Hey Y'all, After I've received such prompt and nice feedback on my last post I thought I'd try one more time. I have a visiting day coming up and am wondering what to expect. I was told I'll get a schedule shortly before and generally will meet with a bunch of faculty, the grad-students, and get a campus tour. Now this is a pre-offer visit and there'll be more applicants than spots. I'm wondering what to prepare for...I guess I'll be ready for the standard questions that might be asked/might come up (although I was told that the faculty meetings wouldn't be real interviews). Otherwise I'm just going to read up a little bit on the research that the people I'm meeting with are doing. Is there anything I'm missing here? Also I'm trying to come up with a list of questions to ask both faculty and grad students over there to figure out whether I'd be a good fit. What kind of questions would be good to ask? What questions do you wish you had asked back when you were in my situation? Any help is highly appreciated. I'm very excited. Thanks so much y'all P.S.: I couldn't find a major thread in which all of this information is gathered, but if there is one it might be good to link it on the "important past threads" post.