Summer prep for PhD Programs

[anxious2011]

Hey guys,

I'm going to be starting my PhD in Finance in the late summer/fall, and for the rest of you out there joining PhD programs in Econ/B-school, I was wondering what people were doing to get set to hit the ground running?

I have been working since I graduated two years ago, and have been out of the academic setting for a while. I started reviewing some math which I know I will be using a lot of, and was just curious as to what others (especially those of you who might be returning to academics after a pause) are doing in terms of Econ/Math preparation before going to school.

Of course, I am definitely taking the summer to relax at home and travel as well() but I definitely have more than enough spare time to get productive as well.

[Behavioral]

Hey guys,

I'm going to be starting my PhD in Finance in the late summer/fall, and for the rest of you out there joining PhD programs in Econ/B-school, I was wondering what people were doing to get set to hit the ground running?

I have been working since I graduated two years ago, and have been out of the academic setting for a while. I started reviewing some math which I know I will be using a lot of, and was just curious as to what others (especially those of you who might be returning to academics after a pause) are doing in terms of Econ/Math preparation before going to school.

Of course, I am definitely taking the summer to relax at home and travel as well() but I definitely have more than enough spare time to get productive as well.

I graduated a year ago, though I was still working as a research epidemiologist/statistician, so I've been involved in the academic scene continuously.

Since being accepted, I've been reading all the recent paper (within 5 years) of the faculty I may work with at my school, picking up some past-edition economics/game theory/modeling books, and reading some of the popular "Handbooks" in my discipline. Besides that, I got invited to be a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow at a great lab for the summer, so hoping to get some more projects rolling to publish in the next few years. Also been getting in contact with current Ph.D. students in the program and getting an idea of what to expect in terms of coursework and recreation.

Besides that, I quit my job so I have a month to relax before starting my fellowship. Sleeping 10-12 hours a day everyday is something I haven't done since I was in Middle School.

[anxious2011]

I graduated a year ago, though I was still working as a research epidemiologist/statistician, so I've been involved in the academic scene continuously.

Since being accepted, I've been reading all the recent paper (within 5 years) of the faculty I may work with at my school, picking up some past-edition economics/game theory/modeling books, and reading some of the popular "Handbooks" in my discipline. Besides that, I got invited to be a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow at a great lab for the summer, so hoping to get some more projects rolling to publish in the next few years. Also been getting in contact with current Ph.D. students in the program and getting an idea of what to expect in terms of coursework and recreation.

Besides that, I quit my job so I have a month to relax before starting my fellowship. Sleeping 10-12 hours a day everyday is something I haven't done since I was in Middle School.

That sounds like a great plan! Yeah I think it would be perhaps useful to review some microeconomics and read up on faculty papers as well.

Would it be alright to e-mail Professors you have talked to and get their advice on how best to prepare? I'm still a bit nervous about Student-Professor interactions, and how much is too much, if there even is a 'too much' :S

P.S. - totally realized the spelling error in the sub-headline of the thread oops!

[Behavioral]

That sounds like a great plan! Yeah I think it would be perhaps useful to review some microeconomics and read up on faculty papers as well.

Would it be alright to e-mail Professors you have talked to and get their advice on how best to prepare? I'm still a bit nervous about Student-Professor interactions, and how much is too much, if there even is a 'too much' :S

P.S. - totally realized the spelling error in the sub-headline of the thread oops!

Should be perfectly fine. Your success reflects well on your advisors, so it's in their best interest to help you out--as long as it's not TOO inconvenient. E-mails are perfectly fine as long as you try to keep them short and easy to read.