一些经济学申请的经验 [复制链接]

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发表于 2004-8-1 19:56:19 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

转载自instudent.com.cn

Host: Tammy, inStudent USA
Guest: Associate Professor Wade Pfau, PhD Economics, Princeton, USA
Date: July 23, 2000 hr (US PST)
Venue: inStudent Event Room
Duration: 1 hour

我们非常高兴邀请到了Dr. Wade Pfau 来为我们做这次在线讲座，Dr. Pfau 将与大家一起分享他作为一名学生申请普林斯顿经济学（Economics Department, Princeton University）的申请过程以及他在那里的学习经历。

Dr. Pfau 毕业于普林斯顿（Princeton University ），他在2001年获得了硕士学位，在2003年获得了博士学位。他现在在 National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS, Tokyo, Japan) 担任助理教授（Associate Professor）同时兼任Sophia University（东京的一所教会学校）的助理教员（Adjunct Faculty）.

[WadePfau] Ohayo gozaimasu
[tammy] Konichiwa, wade-san. How are you?
[WadePfau] I'm fine, thanks
[tammy] Do u have to teach this term (summer)?
[WadePfau] No, but the spring term has just finished last week. I gave my final exam on Wednesday. Now I am free from teaching until October.

Economics and Statistics
[mzd2] I want to know if I get a master’ degree in a #50-100 university in Statistics, can I apply for Ph.D. Economics at the Top 20 universities?
[WadePfau] Yes, it's certainly possible, but you will have to distinguish yourself as one of the top students and get very good recommendations from your professors. I went to Princeton after finishing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Iowa, which is ranked in the 40s for its graduate program.
[mzd2] However I have heard it is hard for me to get the recommendation letter from my department, because they don't want me to leave?
[WadePfau] Are you in a Ph.D. program or a masters program?
[mzd2] A Ph.D. program in Statistics
[WadePfau] Oh, I see. So you are in a Ph.D. program in Statistics, but want to switch to a Ph.D. in economics at a better university? Have you finished your masters already?
[mzd2] Yeah, I want to go to a famous university.
[WadePfau] How much longer would it take to finish the Ph.D.?
[mzd2] No, I will go to US this August. It will take about 5 years.
[WadePfau] Oh, you haven't started your master's program already?
[mzd2] Yeah. Can I find professors in economics department to recommend me?
[WadePfau] Well, if you haven't started yet, then you won't be able to get letters of recommendation from anyone there for a couple of years. To get a really good recommendation, you should work with a professor for a couple of years first, both by taking their classes and also working on a research project with them.
[mzd2] I mean, in these two years I try to get some professors in economics department to recommend me.
[WadePfau] Okay, so your strategy is to stay for 2 years in the statistics program and get the master's and then move on to an economics department. Well, it's possible, but you will have to convince an economics professor that you can be their research assistant even though you are in the statistics program. I assume your interest is in econometrics. Have you looked at the web pages of the econometricians in your new university? Is there anyone with a research interest that you like? May I ask you which university it is?
[mzd2] Yes, my interest is econometrics and time series. There are some professors working in econometrics

Pre-requisites in Economics
[tammy] Wade, what background should a candidate generally have to apply to economics?
[WadePfau] Background for economics: the most important requirement that you must have is a strong math background with several calculus courses and matrix algebra and hopefully differential equations or topology too. After this, then there's a variety of possibilities for what else will look good to the department. Economics department want to make sure that the students will be able to do all the necessary math. Once meeting this requirement, they just seek students with a wide variety of backgrounds who have the potential to become successful researchers.
[tammy] So someone with electrical engineering background or even physics can consider applying for economics? Is there no need for applicants to illustrate related research experience in economics?
[WadePfau] Sure, students from those areas can consider economics. Actually, many physics experts become macroeconomists.
[kramer] 8:14 pm: So are you saying that math be tops?
[WadePfau] 8:15 pm: I'm saying that math is very important because starting in lecture #1 of your first class, you will be expected to understand the math the professor is using.
[kramer] 8:16 pm: I did badly in one math exam during year 2...will that be a problem?
[WadePfau] 8:17 pm: Did you do better after that? The most important thing is that you understand the math now. If it happened a couple of years ago and then you improved afterwards, it should be okay.
[kramer] 8:18 pm: am ok...but did very badly that time...got just a passing grade
[tammy] ok, so math is #1. what is the 2nd most important thing after that?
[WadePfau] There is no second most important thing. You just have to have done something that shows you have potential to do research

[Cyber] In some universities, economics program is included in B-School, and in others it's not. What's the difference?
[WadePfau] Economics in Business schools: it could mean a couple of things. On the one hand, some universities just organize themselves differently, and so it means nothing special. O the other hand, maybe the economics department is more business oriented: like accounting or MBAs or something. But if they offer a Ph.D. in economics, then it's probably just that the university organizers decided economics belongs in business and not liberal arts, so it's nothing special.

[shirley] Is it difficult to publish papers in phd period?
[WadePfau] Shirley, it is difficult to publish papers! But there's no reason that it's any harder to publish while still a student. You will have the same chance to publish as everyone else. Of course, it means you've had less time to work on research, but the journal editors won't penalize you for still being a student.

[yajun] I heard that economics is very tough to get in...I have good results in school but the ranking of my school in China is only average. Will that be a problem? How can I stand out in my application?
[WadePfau] Economics departments can be hard to get into because so many people apply. I'm not sure if the economics departments in the US will know so much information about which schools are better than others in China, except for maybe the top few schools. Have you done any research with professors?
[yajun] I didn’t have any chance to do so. I only attended classes.
[WadePfau] It will be best if you were one of the very top students in your classes, this will have to be the way for you to distinguish yourself.
[yajun] I am top 5%.
[WadePfau] Yajun, it may be difficult to get acceptance at a Top 20 university, but since you are in the top 5%, you should have a fair chance to be accepted in some programs.

Personal Statement
[wangyi] Hi Professor. Can you tell me what to focus in my personal statement for economics?
[WadePfau] When I applied to graduate school, my professors told me that personal statements don't matter so much and not to worry too much about it. I just wrote my personal statement in a couple of hours. But you can talk about your background and what interests you in economics, and what type of research you want to do (although, it's okay if you don't know what your research interests are).
I think each university will ask a slightly different question for the PS, so be sure to change your answer to match the question being asked. You can write a general answer to use for each university: Discuss why you are interested in economics, what parts of your background make you a strong candidate for being able to do research, and how you see yourself fitting into the university and department. Economics departments seek people who will get along with the other students and who are ambitious and have the skills and abilities needed to become a good researcher in the future. So, you want to show that you can do this.
[tammy] When applying for economics, must one specify the specialization on the PS? is it ok to leave it as general and then to decide after two years in the program?
[WadePfau] I would say it's better if you know your specialty, but don't make up a specialty just for the personal statement (PS). If you don't know, then leave it general. I didn't know my specialty for my PS. I left it as general. But probably your application will be stronger if you know your specialty already and can say so, and the university actually has professors who work in that area. Of course, if you have published research in economics, then you will know more about what you are interested in, and then this will improve your application.

[lovepp]: Dr. Wade Pfau ,my background is EE, what should emphasize in my application for Economics?
[WadePfau] Lovepp, so you probably have a strong math background. Emphasize this. Have you taken some economics classes? It is important to demonstrate that you know what you are getting into... that you have passion for economics... otherwise you could get bored and not do research... this is what the selection committee might worry about. This follows under the "potential to do research" that I talked about with the personal statement.
[lovepp] Thanks much. I will do it as you advised.

What to Research in Economics
[wangyi] Can I ask what subjects there are for possible research?
[WadePfau] Well, economics is divided into three main areas: Macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics. Finance is also closely related. Then you also have the choice of theoretical work or applied work.
In macro, there are such things as monetary economics, savings, consumption, international finance
In micro, there are theoretical things like game theory and micro theory. Then there's lots of applied things like trade, public finance, labor economics, development.
In econometrics, you have time series, which is more related to macro; and cross-section analysis which is more related to micro. There are theory people who are just interested in the theory of econometrics, and there are others who are interested in more broad areas of applying the theory to the real world.
[wangyi] I see...thanks!
[WadePfau] So you have two main choices: 1) theory or applied; 2) macro, micro, econometrics. That's six areas. Then you can add finance. You will end up doing research somewhere in there.
[wangyi] Great! Thank you so much!

Will certifications help in my Economics school application?
[Shirley] Will it help if I can get CFA or SOA this kind of certificate to apply for PHD in economics/finance?
[WadePfau] You don't need these types of certification for Ph.D. programs in economics or Finance.

Job prospects for Economics graduates
[tammy] What kinds of job opportunities are available to Economics graduates in the US?
[WadePfau] Job opportunities: of course there are professors. This is the most popular job: to become an assistant professor. Many international students stay in the US after finishing and become professors, but others return to their home country or some other country to become professors. Also, there are jobs in the government (Federal Reserve, other central banks, other government agencies in the US or other countries); or private
sector (consultant for McKinsey or some places like that).
[tammy] Would a student earn more with just a master's in economics compared to one with a PhD?
[WadePfau] Hmmm... Well, to maximize earnings, a bachelor's degree is enough. These are the people that go into the financial sector and get the big paying jobs as investment bankers and analysts. As for master's versus PhD, it's hard to say. Master's graduates can't be professors, but they could have just as good a chance for jobs in government or business. But some jobs will require PhD. So probably Ph.D.s can earn more than masters.

Recommendation Letters & GRE-V score
[kramer] I have a question...whom should I ask to write my recommendation letters? I only have one Economics professor.
[WadePfau] Kramer, what department are you in?
[kramer] International Business
[WadePfau] Well you should ask the professors who you have the best relationship with... professors who actually know you so they can write about your strengths and potential. This is much better than a professor who can only say: "Kramer got an A in my class." The letter is much stronger when the professor can make statements about you as a person. The department doesn't matter so much.
[kramer] I see. So I may ask my English teacher and Math teacher too. Thanks
[WadePfau] Yes, those are both good possibilities. For international students, it is important to demonstrate that your English is good enough to be able to understand the classes. And of course math is good.
Note, though, that it is not important to get a high score on the GRE-Verbal. You can demonstrate your English abilities in other ways. We had a joke at Princeton about how the top students in economics also had the lowest English GRE scores... there was inverse correlation!

GRE Sub-Test
[yajun] Should I take a GRE subject test to help my application?
[WadePfau] 8:58 pm: GRE subject test in economics... some universities require that you take it, but I think that is kind of old-fashioned. If the university doesn't ask for your score, then there's no reason to give it to them. They won't care so much. Of course, if you get a really high score then you might as well send it to the university. It certainly can't hurt to have a high score. It's just that it also won't hurt to have a low score.
[yajun] 8:58 pm: oh. Thanks

[tammy] In summary, to apply to economics, a strong math background is a must. Generally, it's important to demonstrate you have the potential to do research. It's also crucial to let the school know that you do know what you're getting into.
[WadePfau] 9:01 pm: Yes, Tammy, that sounds good.
[tammy] Thanks very much for your time, Dr. Pfau. Great to have you here responding to our applicants' inquiries about economics.
[WadePfau] It was my pleasure. Tammy, enjoy the rest of your Friday night! It's lunch time on Saturday over here in Asia.
[tammy] Thanks to everyone for attending this event. Please feel free to write to
us with your application questions or fill up a free evaluation form on the home page of our website.
[tammy] Next week, our application chat is on Humanities. If you have friends applying for philosophy, literature, languages etc, do them a favor by informing them of our next chat!

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