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Hi! I am an undergrad student entering my third year and have been an RA for a professor for over a year; however, I don't feel like I am learning a lot. Many of my tasks include monotonous tasks that aren't necessarily improving my skillset or making me excited about research. I'm curious to know if working with a PhD student would be a better experience. I think that working with a PhD student might help me learn more about research. Does anyone know any tips to reach out to current grad students and proposing work as an collaborative researcher/intern/RA?

Twitter raised a storm on the predoc culture of Econ academia, but from what I understand having research experience is no longer an exception but a requirement for pursuing a doctorate degree. This leads to my current dilemma. I have completed both a bachelors and a masters degree (this year), and have worked directly as an RA for two incredible professors. But because of the pandemic, I figured I will take this year to try to apply at institution/industry (university positions/think tanks, NGO's, etc) based research positions to bring some diversity on my resume. However these seem both hard to come by and highly competitive. For background, I got my degrees from one of the best institutions that my (developing) country has to offer, grades are above average, expertise in Stata, some experience in GIS and python, etc. However, the onslaught of rejections is hard to bear. So to now come to the question, how important is a high profile research experience, if I am targeting some of the better institutions (especially considering my education background is not in a top tier class at the global level)? Is the amount of rejections normal, even with previous experience, considering I am not even making to the interview stage? And finally, should I try writing to professors directly for RA opportunities, or would you suggest some alternative way I can boost up my CV? I've been without a 'job' for over a month now, and no offers in sight, leading to my post here.

Hello, I am a undergraduate student studying economics in the hopes of one day pursuing a PHD. I have downloaded STATA and am faced with the task of self study. Would anyone have tips or advice on how to go about learning this software package in a way that is geared towards economics. I figure any RA position would want you to prove your proficiency with the software. I just wonder how you would show that. At my university, I have found some previous class assignments from an econometrics class that require the use of STATA. I am thinking it may be a good idea to mess around with those assignments and see what I can do with them. Maybe I could even use the assignments as a badge of proof, a way to show proficiency in STATA. If anyone has advice for me, I would be happy to hear it. Thank you.

Hello Everyone, I am looking to apply to as many Fed banks this fall as is sufficient to make my odds reasonable. In order to do so, it would be nice to know if my profile looks competitive or not. In addition to the profile, I am interested in knowing if it is a good idea to apply to all 12 banks and the board? Or should I be more selective. Hows does one distinguish between which bank is the best should one receive multiple interviews? Also, last question, how competitive is the pay for such positions? Will it cover the expenses for living near the bank? Here is my profile: University: Satellite Campus of a Big State School in NJ Major: Economics Minor: Math GPA: 3.96 Major GPA: 4.0 Honors, McNair Scholar Classes: Intermediate Micro/Macro (A/A), Basic Calc (A), Calc I-III (B/A/this fall), Linear Algebra (A), Numerical Analysis (A), Probability and Stats (A), Econometrics (A), Grad Econometrics (this spring), Math for Economics[Grad Course](this fall), differential equations (this fall), Monetary theory[Grad Course](this fall), proof writing course (this fall) Research: 2019 Undergraduate Research Fellow at Top 10 Econ Department Research with Professor at my Own School Independent Research for the McNair Program Will be writing my senior thesis this year Software Knowledge: R, Stata, Python, Latex, Microsoft Office Other Experiences Intern at Bulge Bracket Firm in Wealth Management Fed Challenge participant

Hello everyone. I want to apply for fed RA Positions. Is it a good or bad idea to apply to all 12 banks plus the board? Should I be more selective than that? Here is my profile: Big State School (Satellite Campus) Major: Econ Minor: Math GPA: 3.96 Major GPA: 4.00 Classes: Calc I-III (B+/A/taking this fall), Linear Algebra (A), Numerical Analysis (A), Grad Course Called Math for Econ (taking this fall), Probability and Stats (A), Econometrics (A), Grad Econometrics (taking this spring), Proof writing course (this fall), Intermediate Micro/Macro (A/A), Topics in Micro-Game Theory (A), Graduate Monetary Economics (this fall), elementary differential eq (this fall) Research Experiences: 2019 Undergraduate Research Fellow at a Top 10 Econ Department Research with Professor at My Own Institution Independent Research for a federal program I am in Will Write a Senior Thesis Software: R, Stata, Python, Latex Extra: Intern in Wealth Management at Bulge Bracket Fed Challenge Participant

Hey everyone! I was wondering about how competitive RA jobs not at the NBER and the Fed branches are; does anyone have some information on things like GPA cutoffs or how many people are applying for these jobs? Thanks.

I'm a college senior choosing between full-time RA positions for next year rn. Specifically, I can continue to work with a professor whose work I really enjoy and with whom I have a fairly good relationship, and a position at a "good" Fed branch. I've been told by others that this professor is "famous" (in the top 100 of Ideas/Respec ranking thing for the last-ten-years one), but I sort of hate my undergrad institution and the surrounding city. Not in terms of academic merit, or the people, just the environment. Working at a big city for a few years sounds incredibly nice in comparison. Also, since you are working for one professor and not with a larger team of recently graduated undergrads, staying at this job can be a little isolating, and part of the reason I'm taking a two-year break ish from academia is to do some mental health cleanup anyway. The letter of rec that would come out of the Fed job would probably be weaker than a letter written by this professor. I've been waffling a bit between what my intended field will be in the future as well, so that's not a huge dividing point. In terms of pay, time, etc. they seem similar. The professor job will probably have more interesting work associated with it. I also go a bit back and forth about whether I want to apply to a Top School, but in the end it comes down to funding issues that I'll probably encounter, so I think I will still have to strive for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys in advance.

What are the best pre-doc RA positions in terms of getting into a top PhD program: NBER, SIEPR, Stanford GSB Research Fellows, specific labs/profs, a particular university? Secondary question: what are the most important considerations for choosing an RA position? What matters most: tenured professor, high-profile professor, high-profile department, work in your specific subfield, professors' only RA vs. working in team, etc.?

Hello all, I am considering applying to PhD programs in either Economics or Agricultural & Applied economics programs. I am a bit worried about my GPA though. I went to a top 15 ranked undergrad school, doubled in Math and Economics, and came out with a cumulative GPA of 3.5. I am currently working as a research assistant in the NU Economics department. My GRE score is nearly perfect on quantitative. How much does my GPA hurt me with admissions and what tier school is a likely reach for me(if any)? Does working for a highly regarded professor and receiving a rec letter from them help me out with this? Thanks in advance for any responses!

I am a bachelor in Economics from the top university in a South American country (but not among the most prestigious in the region). I graduated last year, first of my class. Since my degree lasted 5 years, I have already taken intermediate courses on economic theory, econometrics and mathematics. I have more than one year experience in Applied Economic Research at my university's Research Center. I also spent a semester as an exchange student in Mannheim (Germany), where I took elective courses from the Master's program and passed with a 4.00 GPA. I want to enter a top PhD program in the US as soon as possible, but I don't know which is the best route to achieve that. I am undecided between RAing in the US or attending a master's program in Europe, this coming fall. Right now I have received an offer to be RA to a top researcher at Northwestern University. However, I was also planning to apply to the Bocconi master in ESS. Since I have not taken the GRE yet (I've been preparing for the last few weeks and plan to do it soon), I would have to accept or decline the offer at Northwestern before knowing the outcome of my application process to Bocconi (which would be due in april, approximately). Which option would you recommend? Some points I have in mind are. - I have a fair chance of entering Bocconi, but I have no idea if I would be granted full or partial funding (and in contrast I would be paid for working as an RA). From what I have read here, it seems that the program has very good placement in the US, but does anyone know if I would get the chance to do Research and interact with top faculty? - South American PhD aspirants always hear that we should do a master before applying, because of poor signaling. Would my experience as an RA in the US substitute for this? Would I have a better or worse chance to be accepted in a top PhD without a graduate degree, but considering that I have spent >1 year at Northwestern? - Is the work as a pre-phd RA challenging? Would I interact closely with top researchers there? How likely is it to get good LORs after this period? I was also told that I would get the chance to take courses at Northwestern, do you think that could help my profile? Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks to everyone in advance :)

Applying to PhD in Econ/Fin this winter. Which summer internship will help the most? Thanks!

Sent in my application before the Oct 15 deadline and haven't heard a peep. Wondering if I should keep worrying about this or if I should move on.

University of Michigan is looking for a full-time research assistant in the field of Public Finance with a focus on government expenditures, government revenues and political economy. Previous research assistants received fully funded admissions to leading graduate programs in the United States and gained familiarity with cutting-edge methods in empirical research. The position is ideal for candidates aiming at graduate admissions in top graduate programs in economics. Work responsibilities will include: - Analyzing data for existing research projects - Data collection for new projects - Writing, creating and editing presentations - Editing research papers Required Qualifications* Bachelors degree or equivalent. Please note that there are no nationality requirements. Link For Application: http://umjobs.org/job_detail/105953/res_asst_ii_soc_scitemp For Additional Information: Please contact taxproject@umich.edu

A lot of the advice for those of us without much in terms of research or work experience seems to revolve around finding a position as an RA for a couple of years before applying to grad school. But how exactly does one "get" an RA job? Can anyone recommend a few organizations to look into that would hire people right out of undergrad? And how much do GPA/classes taken matter for something like this?

Hello, all. I have been a lurker, but I think it's my time to surface as my undergrad years are almost over and I now do think I have something to contribute to the forum :) First of all, I want to apologize for posting a thread that seems rather irrelevant in a time when everyone's weighing over different phd programs to go to, but I'll greatly appreciate if you could help me figure out what to do for next one or two years of my life. Well, the thing is, while I believe I have a solid transcript record (will post the profile later on), I thought I rather lack some research experience, so I've decided to get some before applying to grad schools, and so I've applied to multiple RA positions instead of grad schools in my last semester. And now, I've got two choices. One is to work as a RA for one of the Fed branches, and the other is to work as a RA at a prestigious reasearch university. I guess the Fed has the advantage in a sense that it's more systematical and that it is a very well-known institute, but I'm guessing that I can build much stronger relationship with professors if I were to join their team. By the way, that professor in the university is relatively young, so I'm not sure if they're super-famous in the field. Which one do you think I should go for? It's the question that kept bugging me, and the time to make decision is draing near. So any advice will be greatly appreciated! PS1. My apologies if I somehow posted at the wrong forum (or even in a wrong method)... It just seemed to be the most relevant one. PS2. Good luck for all those fellows who will start their marvelous year as bright future PhDs!!!

Hi everyone, I will apply next year and am very interested in micro theory. My aim is top 15. I am taking a couple theory phd field classes at a top 15 econ department and think I have a chance of getting a good score. But I am concerned what kind of research work I should do to make my cv shine. The consensus is theorists need very few ras, even fewer undergrad ras. Have any of you done theory ra before? If so, could you tell me what your work is like and what skills it requires? Or should I do independent research and ask a professor to advise me? Thank you in advance.

Hi everyone, I plan to apply for Finance PhD beginning from Fall 2012. Here is my profile: Undergrad: BBA Marketing (GPA: 3.53) from small Oklahoma university Coursework: Calculus I©, College Algebra(A) Grad: MBA from small Oklahoman university (GPA:4.0) Coursework: Advanced Financial Management (mostly Corporate topics), Managerial Economics, Business Statistics MS in Quantitative Financial Economics from top 50 school (GPA:4.0) Coursework: Numerical Analysis(A), Linear Algebra(A), Math Stats(A), Probability(A), Mathematical Economics(A), Intro to Econometrics(A), Fixed-Income(A), Derivatives(A), Risk Management(A) Worked under 2 professors as Research Analyst but without many meaningful assignments. Competed in Tulane Trading Competition and Rotman International Trading Competition but without much success. Enrolled in CFA (level 1) but failed this June. Planning to write again next June. Also considering the PRM since it's more closely aligned with my goals. Work Experience: 1 summer with Citigroup in New York + 3-year internship with business development office helping firms develop business and marketing plans, business evaluations, SBA loan assistance GRE: 790(Q)/690(V)/5.0(W) Research Interests: I'm looking to refine this more but so far I'm interested in risk management, asset pricing and market regulation. I would like to consider working in the industry after PhD so want to make these as practical as possible. Recommendations: one from adviser (will be good), one from research professor (good) and possibly one from math econ. prof (should be decent) I realize a lack of math background will limit my choices of University but I only have a single semester to go until graduation and 1 free class to choose so not much I can do about it now. Do you have any opinion on research areas? Are these reasonable for my level. I'm looking at: University of Rochester, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Florida and University of Texas-San Antonio. Looking to add about 5 more to this list. -Thanks

Hello- I wanted to make everyone aware of a fairly new website at the NBER where full time research assistant positions for aspiring economics PhDs are posted. http://www.nber.org/jobs/nonnberjobs.html The link has postings to research assistant jobs outside the NBER. I have a posting there myself, hiring full-time economics research assistants at Microsoft Research. http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/newengland/projects/RA/msr-ne_ResearchAssistantJD.pdf I am looking for a couple of full-time research assistants to work as part of a team, doing statistical analysis in support of academic, for-publication research by top economics professors who visit Microsoft Research regularly from their home institutions. The research uses Microsoft data sources (e.g. internet search). The positions are highly competitive--in the past, successful applicants have had great empirical research assistant experience, and have the potential (perhaps with additional coursework, and the research experience they gain) to be successful applicants to the top 5 or top 10 economics PhD programs. We have current projects in a range of areas, from advertising auctions to health economics to international trade to media economics. We will have several continuing RAs for next year (the positions last two years), and I hope to hire a couple of new RAs each year. Good luck! Susan

I'm trying to decide between a research assistant position at the IMF and a research assistant position at the Federal Reserve Board. I'm wondering if anyone knows which of these two is supposed to be a better launching point for a PhD, or if admissions committees look at one more highly than the other. If you could explain a bit of your reasoning when giving your opinion that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!