booksnlooks

I've applied to 6 PhD programs in Canada and 1 in the Netherlands. Hoping to hear sooner rather than later! During my MA application round, I applied to 4 schools; heard from 1 in Feb, 1 in Mar, and the other 2 in April.

I made an Excel spreadsheet in order to compare program requirements, elective classes, potential supervisors, funding, etc. It helps you clearly see the strengths of each program - ex. program A has 4 profs whose research interests match mine, while program B has 1. Beyond the programs themselves, I also looked at location. You'll be spending several years there so it should be somewhere that you would enjoy (or at least kinda enjoy) living. Consider big city vs small town, family/friends nearby, cost of living, etc. Good luck and congrats on those acceptances!

That sucks that your prof pushed you around like that! As for grad programs, the fact that you have a publication coming out of undergrad would probably be an asset even if you aren't first author. Don't forget to list the presentation on your CV as well!

I had a subscription to The Economist for two years and I absolutely loved it. Wide variety of interesting topics and it keeps you current on economics, politics, and business. The only reason I didn't renew the subscription for this year is because I no longer have the time to read it cover to cover like I used to and I could use the money elsewhere.

One school lost one of my reference letters. How they did this with an electronic system, I will never know.

I keep it all organized on my computer. I also like to take notes as I go, using direct quotes as often as possible (and noting the page number) and adding context as need be. It really helps when you move from the reading stage to the writing stage because I rarely have to sift back through a paper I've already read.

I'm a huge fan of STATA, which is particularly great when it comes to the Help Manual. It explains everything well and it also has some useful examples. I also found the coding fairly intuitive but that could be because I used to use SHAZAM.

I've found that developing confidence in terms of participating in class comes from practice, but you can start small. Make a promise to yourself to contribute once or twice each class then maybe increase that over time. It can also help to prepare in advance by coming up with points to bring up for each reading as well as points that link the readings with other papers, so you can add something new (yet related) to the discussion.

Stop stressing! If your applications are in, you need to let them go. I know, I know, it's absolutely harder than it sounds, but you can't let yourself get carried away. You've done your best and now it's out of your hands. In the event you get rejected from all your programs, you take a deep breath and apply again the next year. It's not the end of the world! It gives you an extra year to work, gain experience, and make more money.

I'm currently doing my MA in economics and applying to PhD Public Policy programs for next fall. I'm interested in development economics, particularly income inequality and education. I'll be applying to 6 programs in Canada as well as 1 in Europe (some policy, some international affairs, some global governance). Good luck to everyone with applications!

I can't speak to LSE's program specifically, but I do know that MA Econ programs in Canada will admit students with non-econ undergraduate degrees provided that they have a strong math background. I would recommend contacting someone at any department you're interested in to find out more. They may recommend a 'qualifying year' at their school in which you typically take high-level undergrad econ courses and they see how you do.

1. I am in a large cohort and I do a fair bit of work in small groups. It's been really helpful in terms of understanding some of the academic stuff because we can combine our strengths and help each other out. That being said, I only work with a small group so I wouldn't say that my entire cohort has been helpful. Unfortunately, some of them can be a bit rude when you try to work with them or ask for help. 2. My cohort has been very important socially. I'm only close with a small group of people, who I spend time with most days, but the majority of the cohort gets together every so often for parties. I think this can vary a lot depending on the program and the cohort, so I'm sure you're far from alone in your situation delfi. Maybe you could try getting involved in departmental activities that would expose you to other students in different years of the program so you could create some connections there?

Taking care of your well-being can help you regain some focus. Getting enough sleep, nutritious food, exercise, and time with friends all help a lot! I also recommend trying meditation, which trains your mind to focus on the present.

Based on the info you've provided and what I know about the Canadian programs you're interested in, I would say you have a good chance of getting into Queen's, UofT, and Western, and potentially UBC as well (although I don't actually know anyone who got in there so I can't say for sure). Good luck with applications!

Hi there! I'm a current MA Econ student at one of the Canadian universities you're considering. I'm not sure what the application requirements are for math but I can tell you that you need to be extremely comfortable with math to be in this program. In undergrad, I took 1st year calc and linear algebra, 2nd year math for econ, and 4th year math for econ and I feel under-prepared for the level of math we use. Your best bet is to contact the departments you're interested in to see if they will still consider you with your math background (after checking on their website for requirements). Regardless, be forewarned that econ programs at the top schools in Canada are very math-heavy and those of us who don't have strong math backgrounds are struggling. As for grad-level courses, don't worry about it.

Oooo good advice! Thank you

I signed up with a monthly 'beauty box' service that sends me 4-5 high end beauty samples each month. Great way to try new things and pamper myself with expensive products without breaking the bank!

There is a very big step up from intermediate micro & macro to the advanced theory you take as an econ major, especially in terms of the math. The best thing you can do is talk to someone at Yale (or Cornell or wherever) and speak to them about your situation. If you really need to advanced theory and math, and you really feel strongly about doing an MDE, you could also consider taking an extra semester or year of undergrad to meet the requirements.

Thought I would bump this thread and get some more opinions on it! I've heard some very conflicting stories - some people have told me that your PhD institution is important to even have your CV read, while others have told me that other factors are more important so don't worry about it too much. I'm currently in the process of deciding where to apply for my PhD and, with the end goal of becoming a prof in mind, I wouldn't want to apply to a school that wouldn't help me with my goal.

I'm the opposite of a lot of people here - I like to study for certain things on certain days. I create a very structured routine for myself because without it, I procrastinate and feel a little lost. Most of my courses are really mathy, so I do a lot of problem sets, but for my paper-based courses I have a reading template which is basically a fill-in-the-blank Word doc. I put in the abstract, notes while I'm reading, what I like/agree with, what I dislike/disagree with, ideas that occur to me, and ways to extend the paper. Keeping this template helps me better relate all the material I'm going over and create connections. It also forces me to actively think instead of passively read. As much as I like structure, however, I don't set a certain target of reading each day. I write up a to do list, tackle it to the best of my ability, and call it quits at 9pm no matter what. I only have so much time and I want to enjoy life during grad school. It's hard to do but don't beat yourself up!

You might want to look into funding workshops at your university - they're often held around this time of year. The people running the workshop should go through everything step by step and answer any questions (at least in my experience). I'm not sure how this new system would impact success rates but I know that the 2012/13 success rate was much lower than previous years (~50% down to ~25%) because of decreased funding available. Tough econ times!

I recommend calling each department's graduate assistant about this. He/she will know more about how they take grades into consideration, because everywhere is different, and would also know how your situation would be viewed. It might also benefit you to ask if there are any courses in particular that you should take - taking an extra 4th year course that's related to their courses would probably look better than a random, easy 1st year elective.

Can't go wrong adding stuff about travelling and hiking! It's always nice to see the personal side of a professional-style blogger.

@psychdork That's great that you're going to start a blog! I look forward to reading it I don't know much about blogspot, as I haven't used it in many years, but one thing I love about WordPress is its analytics capabilities. I can find out a bunch of stats on my posts, visitors, commenters, etc.