lemma

To put it like this: it is statistically more competitive to get into a top investment banking analyst program than to get into a top PhD program. Once you're in the door though, it's a different set of skills. I know many professors who wouldn't pass probation in investment banking, and know plenty of investment bankers who would drive themselves crazy by the end of a semester of concentrated research.

This is an interesting exercise. I think that everyone has a valuable story to share, with challenges and obstacles they've faced in their personal life, irrespective of how typical or unusual their public story is. I probably fell more into the stereotype the OP was mentioning. I won my first national prize when I was ten, got my first university qualification as a high school sophomore, was successful across the board with undergraduate admissions and got reasonably good grades once I started. However, I have had my share of challenges, especially with a serious mental health diagnosis that leaves many people in long-term care or on disability. This is not something I discuss professionally, but has taken huge efforts to manage, entailed significant sacrifices from those who love me, and has reshaped my outlook. You would never know it from my resume though.

Definitely don't do it. US schools are terrified of having students who could be suicide risks on campus from a legal perspective.

I'm just so, so tired. Trying to balance PhD applications with full-time work and part-time study is taking it out of me. I wonder whether it's worth it. The university isn't used to having people with my background apply, so I've been going through mountains of red tape to make my case for eligibility. The department wants me, and truly believes I should qualify, but the final decision may not lie with them. If I get rejected based on this technicality, I'm not sure what will be going through my mind. Maybe I'll sleep, finally.

Things have changed dramatically in recent years regarding employer sponsorship. A few years ago, investment banks and management consulting firms had no issues hiring international students - along with tech, these were the main employers that international students could access. The expectation was that you would use your year of OPT, and then enter the lottery for H1B. If you missed out - no big deal. The firms would transfer you to another office abroad. Things have changed dramatically since then. Most of these firms no longer hire international students because of immigration woes, even though they can in theory. This means the competition for the remaining couple of firms in these areas among internationals is crazy, because few options remain.

Interesting question - I'll digress to talk about types of schools in general. At the moment, I only plan on applying to two programs: one is global top 10, the other is global top 15, but neither university is ranked near that overall. I'm only applying to two programs because they're the only two programs where I genuinely see myself being happy for the next few years. In this process I've had some mentors hoping that I would apply to brand names - classmates with less research experience, lower scores and easier coursework were admitted to Princeton, Caltech, and Cambridge, to name a few. Part of me feels like I'm letting them down, especially the mentor who has never sent a student to institutions like that, who invested so much in me, who really wanted me to go. I went to an Ivy for my undergrad, and I wouldn't want to go to a similar school for graduate studies. I had an amazing education and I have zero regrets about matriculating there. Culturally though, it was hard. Everyone was trying to appear perfect all the time - and so busy! - if only to justify the sacrifices made to send them. This made it a lonely place for me, even though I know that I had a good circle of friends. How I perceived the culture was likely influenced by some mental health issues that were either undiagnosed or not responding to treatment at the time, and I'm sure I would have gotten more out of it if I were there today. Anyway, somehow the last few years has made me reflect critically on what makes me happy and gives me meaning. People might question my passion and dedication if they look at my shortlist (a very short list!), but it's not about that. For me, it just comes down to solving interesting questions with approachable and engaged supervisors, at a university with good access to data, in a city which gives me what I need. Oh, and funding!

Everyone has different preferences of how they would like their life to look, so if you think you would be happiest in a certain geography, it's no one's place to tell you otherwise. However, if the decision is fueled by anxiety and avoidance... ... I would really recommend seeing a professional if your anxiety is getting in the way of you being able to do the things you would otherwise want to do. There are plenty of treatments which don't require medication (CBT would be the most common), and the purpose of going on medication is so that you can perform at your best, rather than being weighed down. It doesn't always work that way for everyone on the first prescription, but you would have complete control of your treatment - if you feel that something isn't helping, you and a doctor can work together to try a different script or remove all medications. In terms of jobs which don't require a lot of travel, some jobs in education spring to mind too, but this may not be interesting for you. If you want to live in a major metropolis, there are some finance-based jobs that like certain PhD graduates. Some more research-heavy positions involve little travel, and in these cases where travel is required, it's usually done in teams. Have you considered a domestic or state policy position related to your field?

This is a little late, but from when I was an undergrad to now (few years of industry experience) I considered programs primarily in the US, the UK and Australia, as well as some programs in continental Europe and in Asia. One thing I would say is that with some non-US programs, you can't generalize about the requirements and the structure. Some require the GRE, whereas other universities in the same city don't. I'm not in biochemistry but I've heard that the University of Melbourne is great for biomedicine.

I'm applying to a couple of finance and economics programs (I have a pretty specific area of interest) in the next few months, and was wondering whether anyone else is going through the process?

Like the other posters, I think spending a couple of weeks (if you have that luxury) thinking over your motivations and what you'd like your career to look like (including plan B and plan C) would be valuable. I know a little bit about Yale's econ department, and I think you should dig deeper and learn more about the MA before you sign up. Some things to consider would be: What flexibility do you have in choosing classes and electives? Would you be able to take core mathematics classes in the math or engineering department (engineering would be sufficient and possibly preferable the way Yale runs these classes)? You would want to take calculus, linear algebra, ODEs/PDEs (even as a combined class) and analysis if you can. You already have an economics degree, so what sort of courses would you have access to, and when would they be in the degree? Would you be taking classes with the econ PhD candidates? If so, your math would not be up to scratch. The undergraduate program has several streams and to be competitive for graduate studies, you would need to be taking the more mathematical stream, but the competition and workload will be tougher than the more qualitative stream. What sort of preference would you have getting into seminars, presuming that undergraduate courses are open to you? Yale's economics undergraduate program is overenrolled and you may not be able to obtain a place in the more popular classes, especially if graduating seniors are given preference, as they usually are. If you're supposed to take general undergraduate lectures (PhD seminars are a different story, so ignore if that is the case), the lectures will be huge again, and it may be difficult to build a rapport with professors.

I was never going to do this - I don't know where you got this impression. Another poster raised this possibility. All I wanted to know was whether it would be harassing the letter writer if I asked for her to fix two grammatical mistakes that are obvious.

No, the only way I can submit it is by uploading it online myself, which it states on each referee form as well as in the portal. It's not an American university so practices do differ from what many people on this board have experienced.

To make things clear - my intention was never to alter the letters. I was only asking whether it would be worth asking the professor to do so - if they don't do it, no changes will be made. It's actually not a case of the professors showing me the letters on request or because they feel like it. The university actually requires me to submit it myself and will not accept direct submissions from the professors. It even says so on the form they fill out. I would rather them submit it directly because it would make me far less anxious - I don't want to know what they're saying. I lost so much sleep while I was waiting for them to send it back to me.

Thanks Riley! I am a little worried she'll be insulted/bothered if I ask her, so I'm still unsure whether it would be better to just submit it as is.

I have another question about letters of recommendation - not directly related but didn't want to start a new thread. As mentioned, I've seen both of these letters of recommendation, as I have to submit them to the program directly. Both are strong. One, however (the weaker one) has a few typos. Would it be worth contacting her to see if these can be amended?

She never said it would hurt but just didn't show much interest in it and turned the conversation towards the undergrad professors. I know this guy writes successful letters of reference for this program (and others) each year. I actually thought he would be the most relevant reference, so it was surprising to me that she wasn't as interested in it. To me, it seems like the only strike against him is university brand name, but it's the same department that I'm trying to get into. My experience with him and his colleagues is a reason why this program is my top preference. I know she will not be the only person evaluating my application, so that's what's making me think twice. I need funding to attend, and references from this guy earn people funding most years. I think part of it is that this is not an American program, so I don't think they've had anyone from my university or its peers apply. Brand name may play a bigger role than I was expecting. I still think I'll cap it two references from my undergrad, as I'm happy with what I have from them.

I'm in a quantitative field. I've seen the other reference letters, and they explicitly say that my research and analytical skills are on par with students accepted into top five programs and that I have been performing graduate level research. They are unreserved in their support and speak highly of me in comparison to peers. I was happy and touched by what was said, and I think that an additional reference could confirm I was in the top x% of my cohort but not much l beyond that. From what you've said, I think including that additional reference would water down the praise from the others. One option to me would be to reconsider adding the additional research reference, despite the commentary from the project director. I don't think it would make a dent in the prestigious scholarship, but I think it would help to cement me getting funding full stop. He would add a lot, as we worked closely together recently.

Head of the PhD program gave that advice. She said that if I didn't provide it, it was no big deal, but that the more references from my undergrad the better given its reputation, as they will be nominating me for a major scholarship. I am also confused (hence the post!). My confusion arises from what you were getting at - whether the fourth reference would add anything new. My gut says no - all it would do would confirm that I work hard and that I'm intelligent enough to tackle difficult problems. It would be definitely less personal and less enthusiastic than the other references I've received. It would be another voice saying that I compete among those who get admitted to top programs. My key question is whether this extra voice is worth providing given it will be worse than the other references. The other research reference I offered would have been outstanding and was actually from a professor in the target department. They didn't think it was worthwhile. I'm trying to weigh up all of these comments to see what is worth providing...

I need two letters officially. I have three, with two from my undergrad. I was advised that an additional reference from my undergrad would be helpful for scholarships because of the competitiveness of the program I undertook, but the only outstanding options for referees are those listed. I already have three strong letters (I have been shown them), but given the advice I received, I still have questions whether it would be worthwhile solicting an additional letter just to demonstrate my ability to achieve results in a tough program. But I don't want to waste their time and damage my application with a weaker reference. My target program is at a university significantly less prestigious than my undergrad. That may play into their desire for as many references as possible from my undergrad. For anyone who has gone through the application process, is there ever any benefit submitting referees from classroom subjects? For what it's worth, I offered to provide a research reference from a supervisor at a less prestigious institution than my undergrad, and they had no interest. The awesome professor I mentioned has very weak written English, so I am hesitant. I have letters from other people who were educated in other languages and their English is spot on.

Has anyone here ever applied to Australian programs? If so, how difficult did you find it to obtain funding?

I am currently preparing an application and am required to produce X letters of recommendation. I have so far secured X letters from my undergraduate program and also another from a supervisor at a different university. Though I have more than enough references, I got some advice that providing another reference from my undergraduate may help me with some ultra competitive scholarships. I proposed submitting a reference from a supervisor at a good school, but was told it wouldn't have as much weight as someone from my undergrad. I'm not sure that any other professors will be able to provide detailed letters of recommendation. The one additional professor who I thought would do so has not been replying to my emails. In essence, is it harmful to submit a less strong reference? I'm worried about watering down my application but am not sure at what point I recommendations start to hurt. I've also included some potential professors below - if anyone would see them as appropriate let me know. -Professor of highly quantitative class where I got an A (max possible). Knew me well at the time as I went to all of his office hours. Issues are that I took his class five years ago and English isn't his first language. Full professor at an elite University. -Professor of most advanced lab class offered, where I got an A and had best ever results on one of the projects in a small class. Not sure he will remember me well as he was very shy. Full professor at an elite university. -Lecturer of an intro, unrelated class, where I did very well (A) and we are still in contact. He would write a great reference, but I'm worried it would be brushed aside as he is now an academic administrator and taught me as he was finishing his PhD (at elite university). -Professor of a highly quantitative class who is known for being happy to write recommendations for most of his students. Did well (A-) but wasn't the standout student here. Given this, and the fact it's been a few years, I'm not sure he'd remember me all that well.

Thanks, that is helpful! Do you have any recommendations on how to phrase emails to these professors? In some cases it's been four years

I've been out of college for a few years, and have decided to pursue a PhD in the field which I'm now working in. I didn't major in this, but I did the equivalent of a minor, and a lot of people with my undergraduate background pursue graduate studies in this field. A major concern I have though is getting letters of recommendation. I've done a lot of research projects (including one supervised by two senior academics in this field), however, I'm applying to non-US programs that require coursework professors to provide recommendations in a set template (including checking boxes). There's not even the option of professional or research referees. The classes in my current field were huge lectures and many academics have since left the university, so I would need to take professors from my major. However, I finished my coursework for my major four years ago, and even if professors remember me, I'm not sure they'll remember the nuances of my performance in their class. Has anyone requested references long after graduating? How did you go about this? Also, though most of my upper-division classes were As, how would it look to take a reference from a professor who gave me an A-? I had a stronger relationship with her than most others. I was a sophomore taking a class geared for PhD students, not sure if that would make a difference.

I did a small amount of vocab prep, because as a STEM major, you don't really use that many words. I didn't really prepare for the math section or the essay. I ended up getting 170/170/5.5 - from my experience, math preparation doesn't help much if you're already in a quantitative major, but without doing some light vocab prep, I definitely wouldn't have gotten the verbal score that I did.

Pending writing scores: Kaplan free test: 170Q/166V Two tests in ETS book: 169Q/168V, 169Q/169V Powerprep software timed test: 169Q/163V Actual: 170Q/170V (unless the unofficial scores differ from the official ones. Does that happen nowadays?)