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TheFez

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Everything posted by TheFez

  1. I also think there's a double standard about beards - since in many places it's considered okay for a man to have a beard, but not for a woman.
  2. Find a way to get enough money to retake the exam. Is a lost year of your life really worth $175. Sell a kidney, or at least some old textbooks then study hard to get scores that won't put your hard work on your GPA at risk. Low scores on the GRE do send a message to ad comms. They are used for a reason; whether we like it or not.
  3. Hey MG, well... that's a very confusing and busy post! PhDs are not generally best for folks who "don't really have any interest in going into academia" nor is an Ad Comm likely to be persuaded by applicants who don't know what they want to do. I think you need to do some soul searching first. Coming from a good school like Wharton / Penn you might look to get into an MBA and make lot's of that money that you like. Right now you are going to have a tough time applying to a top program without an SOP, LORs, and a 3.2 GPA due to slacking. A top econ program is going to want to see a bunch of good grades in math, and some evidence of being able to do a little independent work.
  4. Oh, forgot to ask - you are talking Master's program? or PhD? If you are considering a PhD and can't get in, you may be able to boost enough to get into an unfunded masters program where you can demonstrate yourself and then apply.
  5. The other problem with you proposal is that Ad Comms are pretty smart folks - inflating your GPA with some easy course at a community college isn't going to be unnoticed. It may do more harm than good. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) actions have consequences. Your best approach may be to do stellar work as a returning student, (3.6 is only marginally stellar) perhaps getting a second, related major. Study and get really good GRE scores (i.e. 90th percentile). Get strong LORs from profs who can attest to your "epiphany" as a student - write a compelling SOP and keep your fingers crossed.
  6. I am judgmental. I look at tattoos (maybe wrongly) as some sort of expression that the owner wants me to take notice of. (Or else they would hide it and keep it personal). Like a fashion statement - say a bow tie, or a Fedora, a (visible) tattoo seems to be a signal to others. For me, it's not so much that someone has a tattoo - I am more judgmental about it's content. My friend (a male mechanical engineer) recently got a "Tweety Bird" tattoo. He has no particular personal attachment to Warner Brothers or Canaries he just thought it "looked cool". I thought this showed a lack of deep thought. My own difficulty with getting a tattoo is that nothing seems important enough to mark it indelibly on my body. (Though I have thought about getting a QR Code tattoo so that I could change the message dynamically. Perhaps if I joined a prison gang I would feel inspired. Expecting people not to look at a tattoo, or being offended that they do, seems hypocritical to me. A tattoo is not a scar or a birthmark, it's usually a decoration. It would be like wearing a bikini and expecting people not to look at your legs (yes, I am a leg man). So, I am not so much biased by the existence of a tattoo as I am by a seemingly meaningless and poorly executed tattoo. Of course some people have so many tattoos that any individual tattoo seems to be secondary to the idea of just painting their body with ink. But that's a different signal altogether.
  7. No, I really don't. I am kind of a micro, I/O, mostly behavioral econ sort.
  8. You may want to check out the URCH (Test Magic) forum for econ PhDs here: http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/ for much more discussion of econ PhDs. As you know, 730Q (71 Percentile) is marginal for many econ programs, but would not likely rule you out if you have other good stuff (LORs, SOP, research experience, etc.) You will find in the admission results/profiles that most econ PhDs require more math... see the URCH threads on this. Typically a 3-semester sequence in calc (differential, integral, multivariate), linear algebra, and Real Analysis. Diff Eqs. is a plus. On top of that some more stats (from the math dept.)Unless you have taken some tough masters classes like micro theory where you use a text like Mas-Colell, etc. "More Math" is not just important for admissions, but to succeed in top 30 programs. My understanding is that many Ag Econ programs and Enviro Econ programs have easier admission standards. I know from my own experience that Ohio State has a much tough standard in their regular econ program than their AED program (even though in the first year most students are take many of the same courses). My friend at Rhode Islands Enviro econ PhD program (we got our Econ Masters together at another school) was not admitted to most of the regular econ program he applied to due to his math preparation and GRE.
  9. Once criticism is that it seems you could substitute XYZ University (or zzzyzx for that matter) in place of University of Arizona and not change the SOP. Perhaps you could describe why you are selecting Arizona? Are there some specific professors whose work fits your own research interests? A particular strength or set of resources?
  10. Darn. If I would take that $0.02 each time I would now have $16.74. It adds up! My anonymous, offhand, advice based on unvetted assumptions is not to jump the gun as it will most likely not improve your outcome and has a risk backfiring somehow. Most schools I know of follow a formal procedure for posting jobs, especially TT positions. So you won't realistically be able to keep them from advertising the position. If you've got well-respected embedded contacts - maybe they can be advocates for you and help your cause. Be on top of the job posting and respond with everything you have. Your motivation may put you in good stead if you are truly well-qualified.
  11. What is your math GRE score? What math classes have you had? Why is somebody interested in investment and risk analysis interested in applying to an ag econ program? (I mean this sincerely - is there some ag/enviro econ stuff that interests you?) What's "Mathlab"? Do you mean Matlab? What's the topic of your research paper?
  12. When asked how long a man's legs should be - Lincoln said "long enough to reach the ground". That's my take on SOPs. Only as long as it takes to tell your story in a focused, well written way. Ad comms seem to care most about reading a convincing, specific, and well-written SOP than on the word count --- within reasonable bounds. (And of ocurse addressing any specifics required by the institution).
  13. Good point lewin, perhaps for very sensitive files I will just use hard media. As for 99.99% of my stuff.... lurkers can have at it and feel free to send suggestions.
  14. Thanks to all who posted. I decided to go with Go Daddy and their online file storage service. It's less than $30 a year for 100 GB, and has everything I needed. The drive map feature allows you to use the web storage exactly like any other drive on your computer - it shows up in Windows explorer, or when using applications as any other drive. Compared to SkyDrive, or DropBox, or Google Drive, etc. it seemed cheaper and more "transparent".
  15. TakeruK - spoken like a true economist. As Gary Becker says, crime is an economic choice - weigh the cost vs. the benefit of committing the crime. As far as text books... it's hard to find much sympathy for textbook publishers. The online resale market killed new textbook sales - so they responded by jacking prices up through the stratosphere, and then changing editions almost yearly even in suubjects (like math) that don't change very much. I teach (economics), and I fight with book publishers constantly, making the poiint that if they overprice books students just wont buy them, or they will make inferior Xerox copies, etc. I work hard for my courses to find textbooks with low cost alternate editions, (including pay-as-you-go digital downloads), and I create homework seperate from the book excercises (which also eliminate the circulation of instructor copy solutions). Power to the People!
  16. I am just getting ready to enter my PhD program. I met with the director to talk about 1st year courses. He made an interesting comment (that I later found out he made to another student when he was entering the program). The gist of it was this.... Most students have an "all or nothing" approach to coursework. They don't know how to put in any less than 100% effort. They try to be perfect. Some students can "modulate" their effort. To see what is required and just do the right amount. They are then able to work on more stuff. It surprised me. It sounded like the first time I was being given advice by a professor to "satisfice" and not maximize (in econ terms). Giving this some serious thought since until now I have been one of those 100%+ers.
  17. Sorry. I assumed a question mark (e.g. "?") would signal a question. But I am just one of those STEM guys. That's why it's safer to just "get to the point" when you write to an academic audience. QED.
  18. It seems a little pompous to assume that historians appreciate good writing and STEM folks don't. I appreciate good writing as much as the next historian - but the problem is that most SOP authors are not good writers and so the SOP fails in both form and substance.
  19. LOL... your core values are Integrity ?! You are promoting thesis writing on a graduate student forum? You are both nuts. First - this isn't really a site for help with your homework. Trying Chegg, Google, the library, or a tutor might be more productive. But second and more egregious - Essaywriter - you ought to be ashamed - not so much for shameless business promotion but for peddling what appears to be unethical services. I know, you are just offering "tips" and "assistance"... but it sounds as if you are in fact as your name says, the "essaywriter".
  20. Well said Surefire. Most people are not skilful enough to pull off humor. And attempts to be "cute" and "clever" more often fall short. Personal history is more likely to come off as fluff than substance. Write - edit - reread - edit. I agree that Clarity is key. The short (2 pages or so) should tell a convincing story with a smooth flow that leaves the reader feeling as if they know more about you as a researcher, and why you want to be in their program. In my SOP I worked hard to create the impression that "this student has done their homework on what they want to do - and what we are all about. They make a logical, and convincing case for working here."
  21. Hooks are dangerous - they can come off as amateurish, childish or clich if you are not skilful. (Or if the hook just doesn't catch the reviewer the right way.) I opted for a direct, specific, and customized introduction. I got positive feedback on my SOP after my admission. I did weave some personal history, and cultural references into the more technical matter - but I didn't try to do this in the first paragraph. Re-write and edit it several times when you are in different moods. If in doubt - don't take unnecessary risks. Edit for extraneous stuff.
  22. IMO it's not worth being rejected and waiting for another cycle when you have plenty of time to retake the GRE and get an acceptable quant score. With a 170V it's unlikely you will do worse.. and most schools will look at your 170 score anyway.
  23. I found PowerPrep II to be easier than the actual test. I had an 170Q on PowerPrep II and ended up with only a 163Q on the real test. I was worried about my actual score - but it was high enough for my admit. I don't recall my PowerPrep II score for verbal - but honestly I didn't work hard on it as my verbal practice scores were higher than needed for my program. I ended up with a pretty high verbal score on the actual test.
  24. Just curious - how are your GREs? Comment: I got shut out of registration all the time as an UG. You go to the first class anyway, you talk to the professor, then go to the department and 99% of the time they will add you. I don't think the length of time to get your degree is a problem. Many students have interrupted learning. I did. I think the problem is 1) Your explanation seems weak and yes, whiney. 2)Your performance is poor. 2.8 GPA without a lot of other good stuff (GREs, research, solid LORs, a strong SOP don't put you in a very strong position.
  25. Do you mind if I ask - what university did you attend?
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