Working paper helpful?

[Isabella]

Dear everyone

I am currently an economics undergraduate in mainland China, and I intend to apply for Econ Phd programs in Amerian and perhaps Europe. I have some extensive math related courses (such as Functional Analysis, Measure Theory and Advanced Macroeconomics) but my GPA(3.6/4.0) seems mediocre.

I know that during Phd candidate selection, one's research experience will be highly valued. Publication would be unrealistic for me, so my question is: is a meticulously written working paper helpful ? Thank you all~~

[marXian]

Publishing a paper is always a huge advantage but not required for getting in, especially to an American program.

If you can work with a professor to write an excellent writing sample--something potentially publishable--that will still go a long way. I would also suggest that what you choose to focus on in the paper should perhaps depend on the location of the school (Europe v. U.S.)

The reason is that European programs are going to want to see an actual dissertation proposal with you application in addition to a writing sample since their doctorates (for the most part) are purely research based degrees (i.e. no formal coursework.) So writing a paper with a professor could help you articulate a strong proposal and give the university an idea of what sort of dissertation you'll write.

In the U.S., programs want to make sure you still have something to learn from them. Every program is different, but my experience in talking to professors is that they don't want to necessarily accept someone who is already at the dissertation stage because admit to their program is expected to take course work for their degree. U.S. programs want your dissertation to be shaped by your coursework. So you wouldn't necessarily need to worry that your writing sample reflect exactly what your dissertation work will focus on, but it could still help you formulate your statement of purpose.

For me, my POI at Northwestern told me my writing sample was what made me stand out immediately and ultimately led to my acceptance, so I would tell anyone to not underestimate the importance of the writing sample.

Edited March 7, 2012 by jdharrison

[Isabella]

Publishing a paper is always a huge advantage but not required for getting in, especially to an American program.

If you can work with a professor to write an excellent writing sample--something potentially publishable--that will still go a long way. I would also suggest that what you choose to focus on in the paper should perhaps depend on the location of the school (Europe v. U.S.)

The reason is that European programs are going to want to see an actual dissertation proposal with you application in addition to a writing sample since their doctorates (for the most part) are purely research based degrees (i.e. no formal coursework.) So writing a paper with a professor could help you articulate a strong proposal and give the university an idea of what sort of dissertation you'll write.

In the U.S., programs want to make sure you still have something to learn from them. Every program is different, but my experience in talking to professors is that they don't want to necessarily accept someone who is already at the dissertation stage because admit to their program is expected to take course work for their degree. U.S. programs want your dissertation to be shaped by your coursework. So you wouldn't necessarily need to worry that your writing sample reflect exactly what your dissertation work will focus on, but it could still help you formulate your statement of purpose.

For me, my POI at Northwestern told me my writing sample was what made me stand out immediately and ultimately led to my acceptance, so I would tell anyone to not underestimate the importance of the writing sample.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. Because of your suggestion, I decided to write my working paper on Chinese exchange rate evaluation.