ellen20148

Have started to COMPLETELY FREAK OUT.

I'm 24. Took a job after I earned my undergraduate degree to get some research experience. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made and I'm so glad I'm not going into a Ph.D. program as a green 22-year-old. I would recommend that anyone wanting to go to graduate school work in their field first. You will not only be a better candidate, but more sure of your interests and career path.

It is a problem. I'm not sure what level of school you are shooting for, but any lack of advanced calc, linear algebra, differential equations, or real analysis will probably put you at a distinct disadvantage for top programs. Having a high quant GRE score is important, but most top economic programs use that as just a preliminary condition for consideration of your application. You cold always apply to a couple and see what shakes out, but I would recommend applying to a range of schools and being especially careful about applying to schools that you seem a good fit for. For example, U Penn would probably be a bad choice because they place an extreme amount of importance on your math background and have a very math-heavy program that you may struggle to complete even if you were admitted. You might also consider applying to a couple of public policy schools for a Ph.D. since they are less math intensive. You won't graduate with a degree in economics, but you will still be able to study some of the topics you mentioned and take classes with the associated economics department. The Harris School at Chicago is one such opportunity. No one can tell you if you'll get in somewhere. Even with the most careful preparation, where you get in and where you don't can be very random. Admissions decisions seem to depend a lot on who looks at your application on which day and what they think is important. Just do your best, start the application process early, and have a backup plan.

There isn't any cutoff, but you will need a very high quant score to be considered a serious application. Probably no lower than 760. Also, I want to point out that you can't apply directly to get a PhD in Financial Economics -- you have to either apply and be accepted to Booth OR the regular economics department. Once you are a student, you need to apply for the joint degree in the first two years of your program.

I wouldn't worry too much about not having an economics background. It will be most important for you to show admissions committees that you have a solid math background and quantitative GRE score. After all, modern economics is essentially applied math. Don't try to publish something in economics for the sake of publishing. Any scholarship or research experience will be looked upon favorably, especially if it is of high quality. You should get recommendations from people who know you well and can write glowingly about your drive and aptitude for research. Don't look for any old economist who will write you a letter -- they won't know you very well or be able to talk about research you've done with them and that will definitely show in the letter. It seems like you have a pretty solid general background for research, but if you're sure you want to do economics, I would recommend taking a couple of advanced math classes if you can. Also try to figure out more specifically what sub-field you want to study. Admissions committee are going to want to see more than general interest and a discussion of topics in that sub-field that will show you to be a serious candidate.

Well... you shouldn't be annoyed. You did take the GRE awfully late for this application season and there is probably still an extra delay because of scoring under the new format. You should just enter in the unofficial scores you got and then send the official ASAP. Most administrators I have talked to say they give their applicants a couple of weeks to rectify any missing supplemental materials as long as their actual applications is in. So it probably won't hurt you, but it could delay the processing of your application. Hope this helps.