anxious2011

That's a good question and one I had too when I was applying. I actually applied to 12 schools in all (3 masters programs and 9 phd programs), so was worried about the "too much to ask of professors" issue too. But if they are willing to write you a recommendation, there should not be an issue. In order to make sure its not an issue you kind of should do your part too. Decide up-front the schools you are applying to and send a comprehensive e-mail to Professors detailing the schools you are applying to, the program at the school, and the deadline for submitting the letters. I would try not to add any more schools once you e-mail your professors the first list. It seemed like they left the letter writing not exactly up to the last minute, but the last couple of weeks before the deadline, so they probably estimated how much time it would take them to finish. You don't want to throw off their plans by any last minute additions unless you absolutely have to. My two cents

I have been out of the academic world for a while now so I figured I should get myself going a bit before grad school (PhD in Finance)...one of my professors recommended keeping up with a couple of blogs and financial news as well as reading some review papers in the field. I'm also preparing for some intense math by using MIT's OpenCourseWare to brush up on a few concepts I'm going to need. I've also started reading some of the books related to the recent financial crisis to get into finance/econ mode!

Anyone signed the dotted line on housing yet? Where are you guys going to be staying? I'm planning on sub-leasing from a friend for the first month and then scoping out places in North Berkeley area. Also, I've heard that downtown berkeley, or the part south of campus is not safe? Is that true? Or is just because there's a lot of homeless people there from what I've heard?

What about the housing arrangements part? Did they require a lot of detail on that? like housing e-mail from the university or something? I am sub-leasing a friends place for a month and then planning to find a permanent place in that month, so I suppose that will be a sufficient answer?

Haha, thanks for the heads-up! But I'm pretty single so should not be a problem!

One thing I realized after the round of applications and hearing back from Universities was done was that it helps to have a strong cohesive "personal" element to the SOP. The two universities I got positive responses from both required a separate short essay to talk about "the journey that led you to decide on graduate school", and labelled it the "personal statement" or something of the sort. I think being able to tell my story, if I could use a cliche, really helped separate me from the other applicants they had. And of course it's such a small sample size, but I wonder if it was only a coincidence that I got good responses whenever I included this additional essay. So if I was to do it all over again, I would look to somehow include that "story" element more into my statement of purpose, while at the same time including the usual things, what I want to study? why I want to study it? Which professors' work interests me? school specific resources? and a discussion of my qualifications. Hope that helps!

I was thinking about this too at a point when I had not heard back from a lot of Universities and it was looking like I might need to reapply. I was told by my research advisor in undergrad that re-applying should not be a problem. Also, the way I looked at it, I figured that if I do something to add to my CV and credentials between a rejection and reapplication, then I am justified in re-applying instead of just re-applying with the exact same application. So if things didn't work out, I was going to do a Masters degree first, take up a job more closely aligned with what I wanted to do in grad school, or take additional classes at a local college. But yeah, totally go for it!

Hey guys, definitely a helpful thread! I have my interview next week. Hopefully it's straightforward as I've done my undergrad in the US on a F1 Visa, and was on a H1-B for a year and a half before I left my job recently as I am heading to grad school in the Fall. Any one in a similar situation? was just trying to think of any tricky questions I might need to answer... :/

That sounds like a great plan! Yeah I think it would be perhaps useful to review some microeconomics and read up on faculty papers as well. Would it be alright to e-mail Professors you have talked to and get their advice on how best to prepare? I'm still a bit nervous about Student-Professor interactions, and how much is too much, if there even is a 'too much' :S P.S. - totally realized the spelling error in the sub-headline of the thread oops!

Why are you doing an MBA if you know you want to go for a PhD? Sorry, I'm not sure that answers your question, but american universities really don't require you to have a Masters degree of any sort when you apply for PhD programs. It might help (again, not sure how much an MBA would help since it is very "non-academic") but really not required. I do not have a masters degree but will be joining a PhD program in the fall. Not sure how much that helps but just thought I'd give my two cents :-/

Hey guys, I'm going to be starting my PhD in Finance in the late summer/fall, and for the rest of you out there joining PhD programs in Econ/B-school, I was wondering what people were doing to get set to hit the ground running? I have been working since I graduated two years ago, and have been out of the academic setting for a while. I started reviewing some math which I know I will be using a lot of, and was just curious as to what others (especially those of you who might be returning to academics after a pause) are doing in terms of Econ/Math preparation before going to school. Of course, I am definitely taking the summer to relax at home and travel as well() but I definitely have more than enough spare time to get productive as well.

You first are assigned a Student ID number within a couple of days of accepting, and then there should be instructions to get your CalID set up. Any idea when we get our e-mail accounts?

Hey IvyT, I also went to college in Philadelphia, and am most likely coming to Berkeley. I agree making the move out west has gotten me slightly worried, especially finding housing etc. Anyone have any ideas on how much in advance one is able to find housing. For e.g. if I show up on July 1st, will I be able to find a place that I can occupy 2 weeks later?

Hey guys, Thanks for the great advice! I have managed to organize a visit to the school I was waitlisted at to get a first hand view of the program, so this should also definitely help my decision! But I agree with a lot of your advice, especially the one on thinking about where you will be intrinsically happier. Thanks again!

Hey guys, I am looking to go to graduate school to earn a PhD in Finance. So I've been admitted into one program, and waitlisted by another. I am trying to think along the lines of which program I would choose if I got into both. Both are great programs, and balance out on all other factors that I think are important in a graduate school. There are two main points which remain on which they differ. 1) School I am accepted at is on the west coast so quality of life would be much better in terms of weather, and general environment for attending graduate school. School I am waitlisted at is on the East Coast (where I have spent the last 6 years) in an extremely expensive city where it might be hard to survive on a graduate student stipend. 2) School I am waitlisted at has on average a slightly better placement record over the last few years. After visiting School Accepted At, I fell in love with it and was all ready to sign on the dotted line so to speak. However, would I be stupid to turn down the school with the slightly better placement record? How important should the placement record be? Help!