Undergrad Profile for Fall 2022

[Guest]

I've been looking for some advice regarding my current profile as I prepare for PhD applications. I'm planning to apply for Fall 2022 admissions. My goal is to narrow down or add to (if necessary) the schools I'll be applying to. Thank you for your feedback in advance.

Profile:

Degree: B.S. Economics with a minor in Mathematics from Utah State University

GPA: 3.70/4.00Econ Courses: Principles of Micro (A), Principles of Macro (B), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Applied Econometrics (A).

Math Courses: Calculus I (A), Calculus II (A-), Calculus III (currently enrolled, but I have an A- which could change to an A), Linear Algebra (A-). I'm taking Differential Equations and Probability Theory in the fall. Additionally, I'm taking Foundations of Analysis and Mathematical Statistics in the spring.

GRE: Will take in the fall.

LOR's: one from my Applied Econometrics professor, not a well-known professor. One from my Development Economics professor who I've done research for and bounced ideas off of, graduate of Yale. Also, not famous. One from my Mathematical Economics professor who can attest to my mathematical ability and research ideas. He's also not well-known. There really aren't many popular economists at Utah State University.

 

Research Experience: Worked on application of Malthusian model to colonial Haiti. Additionally, I used Bayesian econometrics in an effort to predict stock market returns.

 

Research Interests: Labor, Development, Macroeconomics, and Economic History (only at some universities because many don't offer this emphasis).

 

Planning to apply to:

University of Illinois

University of Notre Dame

Purdue University

Texas A&M University

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Arizona

University of California - Irvine

University of Oregon

University of Kansas

Vanderbilt University

 

Concerns: My GPA is nothing stellar. I attended a community college two years prior to attending Utah State where my GPA was 3.33/4.00. My Utah State GPA on the other hand is 3.95/4.00. Additionally, I have four W's on my transcript from dropped courses. I dropped Linear Algebra, Calc II, Differential Equations, and a history general. I dropped Linear Algebra and Calc II because my wife was very sick during the start of her pregnancy and I needed to be more available. I ended up taking both in a later semester and received an A- in both. I dropped Differential Equations and my history class this summer because I found I overloaded myself with the birth of my daughter. However, I plan to take Differential Equations this fall and the history class again in the spring. None of the research I've contributed to has been published. I also feel like I have weak research experience as a whole. However, I have spent the last six months as a data analyst for the company I work for (not sure if this adds to my profile). I'm also concerned about the classes I'm taking in the fall and spring not being on my transcript given the application deadline for some of the schools I have in mind is prior to the end of the fall semester. I might be overthinking this given schools can admit you provisionally.

 

Thank you so much for reviewing my profile. I look forward to your advice.

Edited July 14, 2021 by parksonn39

[Eustruria]

Nobody replied huh? I'm no expert and by now you've probably already submitted or are about to submit your application, but I think that your Utah GPA definitely makes up for your community college GPA. I know a bunch of PhD students from foreign countries whose GPA, when translated into 4.0, were not particularly high due to the lack-there-of grade inflation in their respective countries. I think a 3.7 will most likely get you through the first stage cutoff so admissions will see your improvement. I think your list of schools are pretty good because, in my opinion, it's probably better in the long run to take an extra year to buff your CV than to waste 5 years at a poor institution (which the universities you've applied to are not).

I think you've grown over the past few years and you will continue to make good progress in the future. Don't stress too much on your applications and always prepare a back-up plan just in case.

Edited December 8, 2021 by Eustruria

[kun09]

I'll second to the GPA part from Eustruria. North American GPAs definitely have an advantage over international students. I got my Bachelor's from a large East Asian country (yh, i know pretty obvious). The GPA there was horrible: I ranked top 30% with 3.3, and if you can get higher than 3.5, you'll end up somewhere around top 15%. 

[startz]

Do understand that admissions committees have at least some understanding that GPAs mean different things from different schools.