[The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING]

On 9/8/2017 at 11:22 PM, ExponentialDecay said:

I mean, you know best, but if you made it through an econ MA in Singapore, your math is probably not too weak for a mid-ranked econ program, which is still a better value proposition than even the top PhD in public policy. Unless, of course, you don't want to sit comps - which I totally understand (and anyone understands, really). In terms of the work you will be doing, you can do general empirical work in either public policy or a mid-ranked econ PhD.

Of course a better-ranked policy PhD will place you better. That said, how you place will depend heavily on your research agenda and the reputation of your supervisor (and, if you plan to go into industry afterwards - which you should, because academia is a no-go with this degree - work experience in your specialization). If you are planning to basically do economics research, apply to econ programs and save yourself a lot of sweat and tears come job time.

Comps is a problem for me. The Econ MA is really an applied programme, catered to professionals, and I know how painful Econ comps are from interacting with PhD Econ yr1 grads in my grad school. And if they have it bad in Asia, god knows how tough comps will be in US, even for a mid-tier programme.

Personally, am inclined to use Econ analysis in research, but am attracted by the interdisciplinary aspect of PPolicy as I do find that political concerns are an understudied issue in Econ, but studied in greater detail in PPolicy.

It is very likely that I will still stay around in industry/think tank work myself.

Appreciate your comments. Keep them coming.

[The 'Am I competitive' thread - READ ME BEFORE POSTING]

First post here, hope to use some good advice

Program: PhD in Public Policy/Public Administration

Schools Applying To:  UChicago Harris PhD, UGeorgia PA, Duke Public Policy PhD, Georgetown PhD Govt (joint MPP), Syracuse Maxwell Policy PhD, USC Sol Price Policy PhD

Interests: Long-term policy planning, impact of policy uncertainty, sustainability and impact of independent fiscal institutions. It would depend highly on the interests of the schools.

Undergrad Institution: University of London International Programme

Undergraduate GPA: NA, Upper second-class honours

Undergraduate Major: Economics

Graduate Institution: Top 3 Singapore University

Graduate GPA: 3.64/4

Graduate Major: Masters in Applied Economics

GRE: Q162, V161, AWA 4.0

TOEFL: 111

Quantitative Courses: Graduate Econometrics (A), Topics in Advanced Econometrics (A-), Undergrad Math and Stats (Cs under the British system, but here's hoping the grad should make up for it)

Years of Work Experience: 3 years, 2 in private, 1 year doing 2 RA jobs, both in policy work.

Age: 30

Languages: English and Mandarin, fluent.

Work Experience: Two years in private sector that did research projects on SMEs and startups under the advisory of Ministries. One year university-affiliated policy think tank RA, working with firm data. one year policy work on research

LORs:  1 from Master's prof under whom I studied 3 modules with, a former IMF Deputy Director, and with whom I have kept regular contact. 1 from my policy think tank whom I collaborated with on scrutinizing feasbility of databases . Probably another professor from my Master's whom I know quite closely.

Concerns: Been doing a gap year to decide whether a PhD is right for me, and my Economics concentration is a concern for a broader policy PhD, but know that my math is too weak for a Econ PhD.

Also concerned about the value proposition of going to a non-top five school. I was told, even as an international student, that the more prestigious schools will help get me placed in major think tanks/academia positions better.

Also, I've yet to move out of Singapore before. I wonder if some level of East Asia expertise is an innate advantage and do I need to make the case for that in my cover letter?