jblsmith

Hey guys, just wanted to revive this old post. First off, I'll update you by saying that I finished my first year in the PhD program and then passed the Comps on my first attempt to be admitted to Candidacy. I'm now nearing the end of my second year and everything seems to be going well. In the almost two years I've spent here I've not heard any stories of the now infamous Ms. Cohen. Of course, I haven't explicitly asked any of the older students or professors either. I might just do that... To DamianD, I would ask how he hasn't heard of UH if he was looking to apply to Rice? The Departments at UH and Rice work extremely close with one another. We share a weekly seminar series where visiting professors alternate between the two campuses to give seminars in Macro, Micro, and Econometrics. And our students are able take classes at either campus. True, Rice is more theoretical which may make it more prestigious but the distinction between theory and applied work is quickly fading and now many of the best economist are empiricists Furthermore, while Rice may have a better reputation for being a private school, UH benefits from public funding by having a much bigger department and many more funded graduate students. This in turn means more publications, citations, and placements for the department. I would strongly encourage any perspective student to apply to the program as it is very well respected in the field and Houston is a great place to live!

Unfortunately, I don't know if your GRE and GPA are strong enough to get into a Tier I school, your criminal history notwithstanding. Like you I made some mistakes as an undergrad, and I did have to provide some documentation to one school but I got in with funding anyway. From the way it sounded, I don't think the Department saw the documentation, just the University administration. If I were you, I would look at MA programs. Spend a year really demonstrating a grasp of mathematical economics then apply to PhD programs as you finish the research phase of the MA.

Whoa, easy there partner I never said I had "a huge problem" with it, obviously I've revealed that I'm willing to fulfill the requirements of a liberal arts education because I went to a small, private LAC. But wouldn't it be nice if there were schools that offered a more specialized 4 year degree as well? Variety is, as they say, the spice of life. Then one wouldn't have to choose between their field and type of education. I agree with this too. A degree no longer tells employers what you've learned, rather it merely acts as a signal that you are capable of learning and have the maturity and work ethic necessary to complete some set of requirements. I'm not trying to attack LAC's I'm just suggesting another way of thinking about education. Indeed, many other countries value the specialized approach and it's something that US institutions might want to consider.

What about fields where there are no technical/vocational/trade schools? Like International Development, English Literature, or Econ? How would someone wishing to pursue these degrees go about getting a trade school-style education? I think this is another huge problem with the job market, especially in the US. I feel that there are too many students spending too much money on degrees which, in reality, they don't need and it's all because jobs which have no reason to, require a BA/BS. In short the market for higher education is over-heated which is why you see such high tuition costs. But this is a topic for discussion in another thread. But as I said in an early post, that is what K-12 education is for. The whole premise of primary and secondary education is that it prepares people with all the skills they need to function in society.

Dare I say that I may actually agree with Just me, however, I'll try to restrain my cynicism to a light trickle. As an economist, I strongly believe in the benefits of specialization. I feel that people become more productive when they pick a trade and devote to it. I also believe that by the time one reaches college they have (or should have) all the broad knowledge they need to function in society. That's what primary and secondary education is for. In my opinion post-secondary education should be a time for specialization and differentiation where students gain an in-depth knowledge of a particular field thereby becoming more productive members of society. The Liberal Arts philosophy obviously believes the opposite, that "well-rounded" individuals are more valuable. With that, I don't feel that LAC's make art majors take math classes because there is some sort of profit motive but I do feel there is some misplaced sense of altruism. I also agree with Two Espressos, that if LAC's offered more specialized course schedules they would begin to look more like trade schools. But so what? What's wrong with vocational training? It gives students the skills they need to lead happy and successful lives. Just because their talents are more aligned with plumbing than with English literature doesn't make their education any less valuable. Maybe the trade school model is more efficient; instead of apprentice electricians spending time analyzing Chaucer their learning how to wire a house. This lowers the overall cost of education by cutting tuition and getting them into the workforce sooner. One wonders what an Econ trade school would look like...

I feel blessed to have a lot of good friends, people who I go out on the weekends with or stay in close contact. Then I have a handful of really close friends, those I could go to for advice or other personal issues. None of these closest friends are in my field or even went to grad school. Most of them are football buddies from high school and college. Nothing brings people together like playing a varsity college sport. The time and effort it takes forges extremely strong interpersonal bonds. Plus, I've never really fit in with the grad school crowd. One, because I'm American. Two, because I like to go out and have a good time on the weekends. I guess I just don't have much in common with someone from mainland China.

Put in the specific context of Government Affairs I see that my comments are not applicable. I didn't realize what topic the thread was under, I just clicked and started writing. Think before you type.

I don't think so for two reasons: First, I'm pretty sure most universities will take you at your word that you graduted with honors. Second, I don't know that it really means all that much to adcomms. Graduating with honors from one university may mean something completely different than graduating with honors from another university. Yeah, it can't hurt but I don't feel like they're going to put much stock into it. They'll be far more concerned with the courses you took and the grades you got. That being said, be prepared to send the appropriate credentials if they do ask you about your honors. Lying on your application (or failing to provide the appropriate supporting materials) is a real quick way to get rejected or have a standing offer revoked.

I would defintely include relevant coursework. With so much disparity between degree requirements from one school to the next I think it is important that you let prospective schools and/or employers know exactly what you've studied. For instance, my UG major was economics. At my institution the economics degree was quite rigorous, requiring a several upper-level math courses. However, at other institutions the economics degree may be more applied and policy based. I wanted to let schools/employers know that I had more rigorous training. Moreover, I took additional advanced math classes which schools/employers whould not have known about had I simply stated "Degree in Economics." This paid off, for once I entered thesis-stage with my MA program I took a job as an analyst doing heavy statistical work. My director explicitly told me that it was the "Relevant Coursework" section on my resume that caught his eye and got me an interview. He went on to say that he interviewed a number of other candidates who graduated with degrees in econ but that they did not have the mathematical background I had. As far as the blog, I would leave that out. I feel that it is too informal for a CV. While it shows initiative and an interest in writing, there is no peer-review of blog-enteries so adcomms cannot know the quality. Plus, blogging is still in its infancy, I don't think it garners the respect to make its way onto a CV.

I think there are too many differences from one program to the other in order to make this sticky. For instance, my program (economics) seems to require a much stronger transcript and GRE score than suggested above but work and life experience seem to play almost no role in admissions decisions. The original post is a good guideline but I fear that it is in danger of misleading some who's actual degree requirements are quite different.

Haha, I'm in the exact same situation. I'm defending on the 9th and I leave for my Ph.D. on the 11th. It's not so much the thesis, but the university's red tape that I have to cut through in order to gradaute.

I feel like you have a good shot at getting into one of these programs but how would an MPA help you become an economic consultant? I can better understand your motive for learning Arabic than doing more graduate school in public administration.

I don't know how someone who majored in history and English composition would get a teaching position in economics.

Your transcripts and CV are strong and you said you didn't want the obvious "retake the GRE" suggestion so I have to ask: how are your SoP and LoRs? You're not a native English speaker so I would definitely suggest going through multiple revisions of your SoP (and CV) with someone who is fluent. Who is writing your LoRs? How well do you know them? Are they well known in their field? If you feel that this is a source of weakness in your application I would suggest working on building relationships with possible referees.

Most applications have a section which allows you to list pertinent coursework that you are planning to complete before enrolling in gradaute school. However, becasue you have not been graded in these classes they are little more than a curiosity. At best, the adcomm will assume that you will perform about as well in these classes as your other courses.