EconSVSU

Thanks for all of the great advice. A lot of people seem to think that being older can be a pretty big advantage, and definitely outweighs it being kind of awkward once in awhile. That is pretty reassuring. Due some advice here I also realize that I should be casting a wider net when it comes time to apply for grad school. My goal is to get into one of the top three tiers for grad school. According to the American Economics Association, they are: Tier 1 (ranked 1-6): Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale Tier 2 (ranked 7-15): Columbia, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, Rochester, California-Berkeley, UCLA, and Wisconsin-Madison Tier 3 (ranked 16-30): Illinois-Urbana, Boston University, Brown, Cornell, Duke, Iowa, Maryland (UMD), Michigan State, New York University (NYU), North Carolina, Texas-Austin, Virginia, California-San Diego, University of Washington, and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) So in my home state, that is Michigan and Michigan State. I was including Western Michigan as kind of a back up plan in case I can't get into my preferred schools. However, due to some advice here, I am thinking I shouldn't have such a narrow view, and applying out of state to some of these other schools could be beneficial to me. Of course, I have to focus on doing the best I can in undergrad first.

Expresso shot, thanks for the in depth answer. This seems like a good foundation to start on. I think I will have a clearer picture of what I want to focus on as the get my feet wet, so I guess that could also lead me to look out of state when the time comes. I have just heard that if you don't want to break your bank, the best thing to do is to try to stay in your home state. I can use all of this advice though. As a follow up question, do you think where you do your undergrad has a big impact on your grad school application? The school I am attending isn't a dump or anything, but it also isn't highly ranked. Do you think even if I did all of the things well that you listed that the reputation of the school I am attending could hinder my chances? Also, as someone who started undergrad around the same age as I am, what was that like? Did you feel out of place and uncomfortable? Sometimes I think I will feel like an old man or something.

Hello everyone, I am new here, so sorry if I am posting this is the wrong forum. I am 26 years old and about to start undergrad for the first time in the fall (when I will be 27). I know this is a grad school forum, but I have specific goals and know I want to attend grad school. As a complete newbie to the college world, I wanted to give some insight about my situation and goals, and ask some questions of people who might know how to help. So I start this fall as an Economics Major at Saginaw Valley State University. I know I want to go on and get my masters and PhD after undergrad. I also know I want to stay in the state of Michigan, but I want to go to the most prestigious school possible. Right now my top 3 are the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Western Michigan University (in that order). I have a few questions about this. First and foremost, with a clean slate as a totally new student, what should I be doing from day 1 to give myself the best chance of getting into the best grad school possible? Should I just be concentrating on grades? Courses? What exactly is the best way to prepare myself for my goals? Secondly, where are the best resources on the internet for finding information about grad school rankings, entry requirements, and reviews? I would like to know as much as possible so I can take direct aim at the things I want to do. Lastly, any other economics majors or graduates here that might like to offer even more specific insight? Thank you in advance for the help and I look forward to participating in this community!