Search the Community

I'm a few months shy of jumping into the academic (tenure-track) job market in management. I'm considering applying to balanced and/or teaching schools. Aside from teaching load and tenure requirements, are there any key differences/pros/cons to working at a balanced vs. a teaching school?

Hey guys, I'm currently a sophomore (UG) at Carnegie Mellon, and I'm interested in becoming a teaching prof. My goal is to teach econ at a liberal arts school, and do less research. Would appreciate any future applications/current schooling advice given. Major: Econ/Math GPA: 3.6/4 , math is ~3.4, econ is ~3.8 No GRE or rec letters yet Math classes: Calc3, diffeq, intro proofs class (Bs), Matrices (A), Probability (this sem) (no +/-) Econ classes: Micro/Macro (A/probably A) I'm taking real next semester, so that's definitely important. After that, I'm planning to take some algebra/discrete into some pure math courses (topology, graph theory, etc.. ?). Also looking at a grad measure theory course and econ courses (not sure if allowed). The econ stuff will probably be a typical bunch of econ major stuff (econometrics, electives, etc..) Also in the running to get some TA/RA duties soon, and working with some other undergrads on a nowcasting project, etc.. I've not been able to get much substantial advice from my advisor(s) about how to go about my goals; I understand that I'm seeking a long and difficult path for relatively little gain, and my credentials are pretty subpar in addition. I have the following questions for you guys: 1) Is there such a thing as entering grad school with the intent to teach afterwards? Are there schools that offer these kinds of opportunities? 2) My school doesn't offer many (any?) opportunities in economics research to underclassmen. Does anyone have experience/advice in working for a think tank or similar summer research positions? 3) I would also appreciate any other advice. I don't have any mentor figures who have been in my shoes or anything similar. Thank you for your time!

Hi guys, I am recently admitted to a PhD program in business. However, it is like most of its graduates ended up going to teaching schools. Actualy, I don't really know what is exactly the teaching/research school. The school is research based as long as it has PhD program? What is the difference between research school and teaching school in terms of difficulty in getting tenure, salary, benefits, pressure, teaching/research load, etc. ? Can someone help clarify? In addition, it is like most people would prefer research school. Why? I heard that it is more difficult to get tenure in research school because u need to publish a lot? Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated!

Please kindly give me some advice as to where I could go. Undergrad major Psychology (from a top US school) Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00 GRE: 335 (V170; Q165; AW6) Research: 1 B+ SSCI journal publication (CB area, equal authorship with professors); several undergoing with professors; 2.5 years' RA experience Teaching: one semester TA and tutorial instructor for a biological course working: website manager for family enterprise LOR: 3 references from cooperative professors Can I target any top 10 schools? Thanks!

Hi new friends! First, thank you for taking the time to review my profile and hopefully give me some actionable insights. I appreciate having this new community! Test Scores (GMAT/GRE): GMAT 730. Q47 (61 percentile), V42 (96 percentile). I know that the score is great, but I am worried that my quant score may be a strike against me. Undegrad GPA: 4.0 at Arkansas State University, with a major in Finance and Marketing Analytics. Again, I know that the 4.0 will help me, but my school's pedigree isn't going to knock anyone over. Graduate GPA: No graduate degree. I'm in my senior year of undergrad and hoping to go straight in. Research Experience: I am working on my undergraduate thesis now, on evaluating the impact of FDIC-assisted acquisitions on bank performance. Teaching Experience: As part of my extracurricular involvement, I was essentially a teaching assistant for a handful of classes at Arkansas State designed to help our first year students acclimate to college. It is not very relevant to my field, and most of what I did was managing and mentoring my students, not teaching per se. Work Experience: I spent my junior year as a bank teller. I interned as a bank examiner trainee for the FDIC before my senior year, and I have a job offer from the FDIC, which is currently serving as my back-up plan if this doesn't work out like I want it to. Concentration Applying to: Finance, Banking Number of programs planned to apply to: 10-15. Dream Schools: Columbia, Indiana, Ohio State, North Carolina. Other Questions: I am generally unsure how my application stacks up, and I am not sure what schools I should target. I would ideally like to get an idea of what a reach, target, and safety school range looks like. What made you want to pursue a PhD? I love learning, and even more than that, I love teaching. I love having the chance to mentor younger student and watch them develop and grow, and helping people learn new things is exciting for me. I am also deeply interested in business and banking, and I would love to make a contribution to the field. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? How much does my quant score and lack of graduate/work experience hurt me? What can I do to shore up those sides of my application? Any additional specific questions you may have: No comments, I just appreciate you folks! Any feedback or tips would be tremendously helpful. I am probably not interested in applying to any top-10 programs, but I would like to go somewhere solid and respectable. I am also happy to talk about it more with anyone!

Hi Everyone, I am planning to apply for PhD in Finance starting in 2019 Fall. Can someone please give me some advice on the range of schools that I should apply and about my chances? My stats are: Test Scores (GMAT): Total-710 (90%),Q-50(85%), V-36(80%), AWA-5(53%), IR-8(92%) Undegrad GPA: 7.43/10 (Indian CGPA); if converted to US GPA, it translates to 4.0 as advised by WES; B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Enginnering from a Tier 1 Enginnering school in India Graduate GPA: 3.97/4.00; MBA, Concentration in Global Finance from Arizona State University (Thunderbird School of Global Management) Research Experience: One of my Finance Professors named me as his assistant for one of his papers used in classroom discussion (I wrote a paper on the same topic in one of his previous classes as part of my coursework) Teaching Experience: Teaching Assistant for Masters level Finance course for a full semester for the same Professor mentioned above Work Experience: Pre-MBA - overall more than four years of work experience in the Manufacturing & Not-for-profit sector + Post MBA - more than one year of work experience as a business analyst in Financial services sector + Passed all 3 levels of CFA charter and 1 level of CAIA charter Concentration Applying to: Finance Number of programs planned to apply to: 10-15 schools from Top 25-Top 75 Dream Schools: Other Questions: What made you want to pursue a PhD? The industry experience limits one's exposure to intellectual challenges. My coursework during my CFA exams exposed me to the concept of behavioral finance, which is still in theoretical concept and it is my belief that a lot of research is still to be undertaken in this area. Questions or concerns you have about your profile? I know that my GMAT score is on the low side of the spectrum of all the candidates applying for the PhD program but will it hurt very much during my applications. I have already connected with three of my Professors during my MBA course who have agreed to write the recommendations for my applications. I am still waiting for a fourth Professor to say yes and I believe he will come around. Out of the four Professors, three have PhDs and have more than decades of teaching and research experience. The fourth Professor does not have a PhD but she has a lot of industry experience and later a lot of teaching experience. Any additional specific questions you may have: I have already crossed the top 25 schools which I am sure I won't get into. Is Top 25-Top 50 too high for my profile? Any other advice that anybody can think of will be really helpful.

My school, University of Hawaii at Manoa, has a number of teaching assistantships for graduate students both PhD and MA, and I’m applying for the MA, and I want to maximize my odds of getting this award for two reasons: have funding for the MA and get teaching experience prior to a PhD program at another school outside of Hawaii. The application asks for special skills and reasons why I should get the TA. What would help me win one of the TAs? I’m going to learn 3-4 programming languages, study math textbooks, and core graduate level economics as well as popular economics (mainstream books). What else can I do?

I have an accounting background having offered Business Administration( Accounting Option). I went to teacher training college and taught for a while before going for undergraduates studies at the University. Im currently teaching, I have approximately 6 years experience in teaching. Im interested in pursuing PhD in management( and to specialise in Finance). I'm yet to write GMAT. Considering my background, I would like to be offered assistance as to how to package myself, including the application and choice of schools in order to win a PhD in Finance scholarship. Thanks

Hello guys, almost everyone advised me to fully enjoy the summer before PhD and I'm going to do that of course, but at the same time, I'm quite worried about what's gonna come in several months. Are you guys really going to have fun and relax in this summer? I want at least look into the syllabi of the first year core courses and get an idea but I can't find them on the department website :proud: I can only browse their course schedule and see who is teaching what.. So I guess I should email to a random PhD student and ask for the syllabus..? or would there be another option for me to get to know which textbooks are normally used there etc?

I am applying for PhD Finance applications this fall and have 3 referees lined up. They all talk about my research experience so I was wondering if it would make sense to replace one of these referees with one who can attest to my experience as a teaching experience? I already have such a referee lined up but just wanted to get a second opinion on whether it is a good idea or not.

Test Scores (GRE): (167Q) ,(154V), (4.5AW) Undegrad GPA: 4.0/4.0 Major: Finance, From a big state university in a US Southern State. However, before transferring here, I was doing Bsc Honors Economics at a prestigious business school in south Asia. Awards: Multiple awards and academic Scholarships, in Finance and Business Graduate GPA: N/A Research Experience: 1)Awarded Research Grant, Worked on an independent project under the mentorship of a professor, The research involved Econometrical Analytic study on market risk 2) Also co-authoring a paper based on stochastic study of portfolio volatility, with another professor in Finance 3) Worked on a research policy paper, for the Gov of a South Asian country, using Econometrical analysis to evaluate a fiscal policy. Teaching Experience: Currently teaching Business Statistics as supplemental instructor Work Experience: Part Time: Worked as a mentor and financial planner for a year while going to school. Additional Info: Passed my CFA Level 1 recently, LORs: 3 Strong LORs from the professors in US, with whom I am doing my research with, as well as for whom I am teaching Business Statistics as a Supplemental Instructor. Concentration Applying to: Finance Number of programs planned to apply to: 15 US Schools: 10 (Rank: 15-50), 5 (Rank: 50-70) Dream Schools: Top 15-35, with major faculty research interests in empirical asset pricing, and corporate finance.

Hey guys! I want to ask a question about teaching/research schools. I can find some "official" list of teaching and research university, but it's about the whole university. Then, in terms of the department like Accounting, how do you tell a research school from a teaching one? It's easy to tell some prestige schools are research oriented, but to me it goes fuzzier down the ranking. I've confused about this since everyone's talking about it but can't give me a certain criterion. My own benchmarks for teaching and research school would be whether the school has a acct phd program, whether they're research focused from their program introduction, and probably a subtle feeling of their faculty research. Thanks a lot!

Hello everyone, Initially, I asked about my specific situation. Now, that has changed. For this thread to be of any use, here is a general discussion: Does it make a difference what I teach as a GTA to my PhD application?

Hi, My TOEFL scores - Reading - 30 on 30 Writing - 29 on 30 Listening - 29 on 30 Speaking- 24 on 30 I kind of screwed up the speaking section because during the test around 4 of us were speaking at the same time which was extremely distracting. Do you think other section scores will balance the speaking one ? I am planning to apply for MS Computer Science. Just wanted to know its effect of TA positions. Thank You.