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2019 Admission Sweat Thread


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I think Prof was referring to significant coefficients on Table 2 (Y = micro/macro/metrics grades, X = GRE scores).

Could be, but significant coefficients and "strongly predict" aren't at all the same. I bring this up because (1) I'm always interested in what Prof has to say and (2) learning the difference between the two concepts is critically important for folks heading off to graduate school.

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Could be, but significant coefficients and "strongly predict" aren't at all the same. I bring this up because (1) I'm always interested in what Prof has to say and (2) learning the difference between the two concepts is critically important for folks heading off to graduate school.

In this case, the magnitude of the effects is important. I don't have GRE percentiles for the time frame of the data in the paper, but averaged over 2014-2017, a 160 on the quantitative section is the 74th percentile, and a 170 is the 96th percentile (https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf). Therefore, moving from a 160 to a 170 is associated with a 9.5 percentile (or 0.34 SD) increase in the micro grade (using estimates from Table 2, column 1). Note that I share the authors' interpretation that specifications controlling for admissions rank are less informative for this exercise because it is likely a function of GRE scores. This is as large as the premium associated with attending a top-15 university, for example.

 

To the person who down-voted the previous post, why? What about the post was offensive or inaccurate?

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I took the GRE in 2013 and got a 162 in Quantitative for an equivalence to the 86th percentile... sorry if this may seem out of place but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in too.

These things change over time. I was able to find an old ETS guide that provides percentiles for 2011-2014: http://dbbs.wustl.edu/PortalDocs/GRE%20Concordance%20information%202014.pdf. In that time frame, a 160 was the 78th percentile and a 170 was the 98th percentile, which doesn't change the way I interpret the results.

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In this case, the magnitude of the effects is important. I don't have GRE percentiles for the time frame of the data in the paper, but averaged over 2014-2017, a 160 on the quantitative section is the 74th percentile, and a 170 is the 96th percentile (https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf). Therefore, moving from a 160 to a 170 is associated with a 9.5 percentile (or 0.34 SD) increase in the micro grade (using estimates from Table 2, column 1). Note that I share the authors' interpretation that specifications controlling for admissions rank are less informative for this exercise because it is likely a function of GRE scores. This is as large as the premium associated with attending a top-15 university, for example.

 

To the person who down-voted the previous post, why? What about the post was offensive or inaccurate?

 

Very clear. Thank you.

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In this case, the magnitude of the effects is important. I don't have GRE percentiles for the time frame of the data in the paper, but averaged over 2014-2017, a 160 on the quantitative section is the 74th percentile, and a 170 is the 96th percentile (https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_guide_table1a.pdf). Therefore, moving from a 160 to a 170 is associated with a 9.5 percentile (or 0.34 SD) increase in the micro grade (using estimates from Table 2, column 1). Note that I share the authors' interpretation that specifications controlling for admissions rank are less informative for this exercise because it is likely a function of GRE scores. This is as large as the premium associated with attending a top-15 university, for example.

 

To the person who down-voted the previous post, why? What about the post was offensive or inaccurate?

 

I would interpret the admissions rank the opposite of your interpretation. prior grades (which they do not have data for) and prior math, stat and advanced econ classes (which they also do not have data for and would be hard to quantify) and quality of UG institution are the main drivers of admissions rank. GRE Q scores are a rough test of IQ/raw mathematical ability which are therefore correlated with the three components mentioned above. So for my interpretation admissions rank is much more informative.

 

Also, this paper covers admissions data from the 1990's. Starting in the late 1990's and accelerating in the early 2000's there was huge jump in mean GRE Q scores, driven primarily by clustering at the very top scores while GRE V scores stayed relatively constant (I can't find the data on this at the moment, but if I recall it was in an ETS paper justifying why they switched to the new GRE in 2011). There probably was far higher variation in GRE Q scores and percentiles in econ admissions back in the 1990's. For example, back in 2010 I think an 800 was something like 92nd percentile and only a few years before in 2007, 780 was 92nd percentile. If we go back even farther this spreads out even more. So in the post 2000 era, percentile scores clustered too much at the top and eventually became largely irrelevant. The new (post 2011) GRE fixed some of this problem but think scores are still more clustered at the top for the GRE Q than they were back in the early 1990's. However the availability of advice on websites such as this one means that more students are coming in with better preparation from prior classwork and more have been research assistants, and I think these are better predictors of grad school success. Steve Levitt (who I believe started his PhD at MIT in 1989 or 1990) famously did not even know what a partial derivative was in math camp, while the modal student accepted at a top 20 these days has real analysis and pretty much every top 75 admit has multivariable calc and linear algebra. Back then, a high GRE Q might help identify a quality student with good raw mathematical ability who lacked formal coursework, but I don't think this is true any longer. The paper is an interesting one, and was more interesting when it was first published in 2007, but I don't think the results can be applied to current admissions.

 

And a note to any newbies, in general we try to keep things polite around here. Don't downvote someone simply because you disagree with what they are saying. Downvoting should be reserved for people who are giving objectively bad advice or who are being mean or offensive.

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Guys,

I'm applying to MSU and when I'm uploading my papers, the grad plataform ask an Affidavit of Support and a bank statement. But in the department web page these docs do not appear as a requirement. Do I need to provide them? Or only after an admission?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Guys,

I'm applying to MSU and when I'm uploading my papers, the grad plataform ask an Affidavit of Support and a bank statement. But in the department web page these docs do not appear as a requirement. Do I need to provide them? Or only after an admission?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I would email the program directly to ask.

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How's everyone doing? I just submitted all of my fall grades to schools that will accept them. Incoming 2-3 excruciating months of waiting...

 

I just did the same. Based on the last two years, the first school I could hear from will notify in 34 days, not that anyone's counting. I did however have a professor from one of the schools I applied to reach out and try to sell me on his program last week. Any insight as to what that means?

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I just did the same. Based on the last two years, the first school I could hear from will notify in 34 days, not that anyone's counting. I did however have a professor from one of the schools I applied to reach out and try to sell me on his program last week. Any insight as to what that means?

 

Wow you guys got your fall grades already?

Are you willing to share which program it was?

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I just did the same. Based on the last two years, the first school I could hear from will notify in 34 days, not that anyone's counting. I did however have a professor from one of the schools I applied to reach out and try to sell me on his program last week. Any insight as to what that means?

 

When was the program’s deadline? Most places haven’t started reviewing applications yet, but I heard that some like Wisconsin started reviewing apps this week, so it could be a good sign that you got contacted. Do your rec writers know this prof personally?

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When was the program’s deadline? Most places haven’t started reviewing applications yet, but I heard that some like Wisconsin started reviewing apps this week, so it could be a good sign that you got contacted. Do your rec writers know this prof personally?

 

The program's deadline is in February. He was part of the program's adcom and said that he was looking through the applications that had been submitted and "was interested in mine." I don't think my writers know him.

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The program's deadline is in February. He was part of the program's adcom and said that he was looking through the applications that had been submitted and "was interested in mine." I don't think my writers know him.

 

If he says that he was looking through the applications, then that's definitely a good sign!

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  • 3 weeks later...
When should I expect to hear something from universities that the deadline was december 15th ?

 

Depends on the school, but from perusing past threads admissions start rolling in early February. We should expect to hear back from a chunk of the schools between late Feb and early March.

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