158V/169Q Econ Ph.D

[Dismoc]

Applying to ~20-30 schools, with 40% reach, 40% doable and 20% safety. GPA is 3.43 from undergrad in applied math - physics emphasis. 3.9 minor in Econonics with 2 and a half year of research in macro-Econ and half year of research in physics. Should I retake the GRE in regards to how my profile stands right now? Or is it good enough where they won’t toss my application for the reach schools (Stanford, MIT, etc.)

Edited August 18, 2018 by Dismoc

[jmillar]

What is your quant score?

[Dismoc]

1 minute ago, jmillar said:

What is your quant score?

Sorry it was 169 not 189

[historygeek]

Hold on... 30 PROGRAMS?

[Dismoc]

1 hour ago, historygeek said:

Hold on... 30 PROGRAMS?

Is that too much? Just want as many options as possible.

[historygeek]

12 minutes ago, Dismoc said:

Is that too much? Just want as many options as possible.

I don’t know if it’s the same with Econ, but in history, you have to choose schools with the best fit. Try to keep in mind as well that applying to 20+ programs is going to be pretty expensive. 

[Dismoc]

17 minutes ago, historygeek said:

I don’t know if it’s the same with Econ, but in history, you have to choose schools with the best fit. Try to keep in mind as well that applying to 20+ programs is going to be pretty expensive. 

Yea it’s probably gonna cost ~5k total, but that money is minimal when compared to getting into Stanford. But other do you think my credentials are okay for top schools??

[ResilientDreams]

I really don't know how it is for econ, but for psych, which is what I'm applying for, it's important to look for a program that's a good fit for what you want to research. Quality over quantity. 30 programs seems extremely excessive. 

[ExponentialDecay]

List what math classes you took and your grades in them.

the GRE is good but tbh unless that 3.43 is weighed down by Cs in humanities classes, that's a worrisome GPA. It's a worrisome GPA even if it's not weighed down by humanities classes. It also depends on what your research was and who your supervisor was for that (whom you should ask about your chances btw). If you want a realistic shot at MIT and Stanford, I'd get a master's from a program that places at MIT and Stanford (LSE, Bocconi, BGSE), kill it, do research with Giacomo Ponzetto, and then you'll have a good chance of getting in. 

[historygeek]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to tailor your SOPs to the school/program. 5 or 6 really good applications is better than 30 okay applications.

 

[Dismoc]

9 hours ago, ExponentialDecay said:

List what math classes you took and your grades in them.

the GRE is good but tbh unless that 3.43 is weighed down by Cs in humanities classes, that's a worrisome GPA. It's a worrisome GPA even if it's not weighed down by humanities classes. It also depends on what your research was and who your supervisor was for that (whom you should ask about your chances btw). If you want a realistic shot at MIT and Stanford, I'd get a master's from a program that places at MIT and Stanford (LSE, Bocconi, BGSE), kill it, do research with Giacomo Ponzetto, and then you'll have a good chance of getting in. 

Yea my C’s were in humanities. I’ve only gotten 1 b+ in my upper level math and Econ, with the rest being A’s. 2.0 my 2nd semester of freshman year, but after that I was consistently above 3.8. Did research w/ lasers in physics and historical records for Econ.

 

2 hours ago, historygeek said:

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to tailor your SOPs to the school/program. 5 or 6 really good applications is better than 30 okay applications.

 

Yea I’m actually gonna reduce it down to ~12 after listening to all the advice. Thanks!!