Profile Eval Masters / PhD

[ice123]

I have a BE(Hons) Computer Science and MSc(Hons) Economics dual degree from BITS Pilani, India.

CGPA: 9.11/10

GRE: Quant: 170, Verbal:169, AWA: 4

I have excellent grades in Economics. However, my MSc coursework was not very rigorous and certainly not researched oriented. I have attended summer school at LSE. I have a done an internship at the Reserve Bank of India (the Indian central bank). However, I do not have any published work.

I want to pursue research in Economics. Since my economics coursework was not rigorous, I was advised by one of my teachers to do a masters which is research oriented and rigorous. I have the following questions:

1. Should I go for an MS/MA/MSc from a reputed university before going for PhD or should I directly go for a 5 year PhD program which includes two years of coursework?

2. If I go for a Masters before going for a PhD do I still have to do a 5 year PhD program at US universities?

3. Is my AWA score too low?

Edited August 24, 2017 by ice123
Grammar correction

[DGrayson]

Hey Ice123! 

Your profile is going to be a little difficult to evaluate properly because you're coming from an institution outside the US, but I'll do what I can. First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about not having done research. What most Ph.D programs in economics care about when accepting students is having them pass their comps at the end of the first year, then they worry about research. Plus your interests could change during that time anyway. Your quant score is fantastic! What gives me pause is that you got an MSc in Economics rather than a straight MA. There may be a difference in coursework in India, but usually an MA indicates more of a "pure" economic track that highlights more mathematical rigor. I think the question that should drive your decision to apply to an MA vs Ph.D program is the level of mathematics courses you have taken. Any decent program will have required you to take at least multivariate calculus and a course in matrix/linear algebra. Keep in mind that that is the bare minimum. Most students have taken differential equations, perhaps a mathematical probability or statistics class, and a course in real analysis. If you have the bare minimum, I would give applying to Ph.D programs a shot, but apply to a few MA's (I did one a UT Austin and really enjoyed it) just in case. 

[ice123]

 

On 8/26/2017 at 5:34 AM, DGrayson said:

Hey Ice123! 

Your profile is going to be a little difficult to evaluate properly because you're coming from an institution outside the US, but I'll do what I can. First of all, I wouldn't worry too much about not having done research. What most Ph.D programs in economics care about when accepting students is having them pass their comps at the end of the first year, then they worry about research. Plus your interests could change during that time anyway. Your quant score is fantastic! What gives me pause is that you got an MSc in Economics rather than a straight MA. There may be a difference in coursework in India, but usually an MA indicates more of a "pure" economic track that highlights more mathematical rigor. I think the question that should drive your decision to apply to an MA vs Ph.D program is the level of mathematics courses you have taken. Any decent program will have required you to take at least multivariate calculus and a course in matrix/linear algebra. Keep in mind that that is the bare minimum. Most students have taken differential equations, perhaps a mathematical probability or statistics class, and a course in real analysis. If you have the bare minimum, I would give applying to Ph.D programs a shot, but apply to a few MA's (I did one a UT Austin and really enjoyed it) just in case. 

5

Thanks a lot for your help!

I have good grades in Linear Algebra, Probability-Statistics, multivariate calculus and differential equations. Being an engineering student I have done a fair bit of math but I am a bit out of touch with calculus, but I'm pretty sure I can brush it up before starting school. My economics courses weren't very rigorous and involved little math and almost no calculus. Also, I am worried about my AWA score. 

Edited September 2, 2017 by ice123
added thanks

[DGrayson]

No problem! The math background is a major plus. The fact that you didn't have math in your econ classes is a little worrying, but since most of it at that level is just straight optimization, I won't really worry too much about it. Also, the AWA scores don't matter at all. If they need an example of your writing, they will look to your Statement of Purpose but almost no one does. With what you've told me, Ph.D sounds like the best route to go down, but like I've said before I would also apply to a few MA programs just in case. 

[ice123]

4 hours ago, DGrayson said:

No problem! The math background is a major plus. The fact that you didn't have math in your econ classes is a little worrying, but since most of it at that level is just straight optimization, I won't really worry too much about it. Also, the AWA scores don't matter at all. If they need an example of your writing, they will look to your Statement of Purpose but almost no one does. With what you've told me, Ph.D sounds like the best route to go down, but like I've said before I would also apply to a few MA programs just in case. 

What are my chances of getting into a top PhD program such as MIT and Stanford? I read online that your research projects matter in the top universities