<p>I'm asking the advice of adults who have gone through grad school.</p>
<p>I'm currently in my third year of undergrad. This school was not for me and I currently have no more passion or will whatsoever to study anything anymore; almost all interest that I had has been sucked out of me. I'll refrain from going into the details of why I haven't transfer, etc. etc. so ...</p>
<p>I plan on graduating with a BS in Economics at the end of this year and then I need some time off from school in a different atmosphere. Plan on working for a little while.</p>
<p>I eventually at some point hope to apply to some top PhD Econ programs. Since I'm graduating so early my application will not be competitive when it comes to the math background or extensive advanced econ courses.</p>
<p>I was thinking of getting an MA in math or statistics which would hopefully help with the PhD application.</p>
<p>My question is, is this a good route to take, can it make one more competitive in the process, etc? If not someone that doesn't come from a well-known institution but with a good GPA (3.8 or higher) what should this person do to eventually be a competitive applicant in a top PhD program. Again, I'm not planning on going to school full time again for a few years; I would like 3 to 4 years between me graduating undergrad and attending a PhD program. I would not mind taking some classes part time.</p>
<p>Tough problem. Best is either get an MA in Math in the US or an MA in Econ from programs (mostly abroad) like LSE in UK or Toulouse or Pompeu Fabra on the Continent with a reputation for sending students on to good grad programs. Be aware that most US MA Econ programs are NOT good prep for the PhD as they are designed to be terminal Master's degrees. Research is useful if you can do it with someone willing to write a strong rec letter. For top 30 program, you basically need a 780-800 on GRE Q as a minimum. GRE's don't help you but poor scores get you excluded unless you have other strong characteristics. You should take and do well in Real Analysis and if possible graduate Micro. Linear algebra, advanced calc, and some stats/metrics are of course bare prerequisites even for most lower ranked programs.</p>
<p>Try to find a prof at your school who can advise you knowing the specifics of your situation. If you can't, you need to ask yourself why you haven't made contact with good profs yet. For grad school, the formula is LOR, math, high grades, test scores, serious research, often in that order. Many applicants will have all of the above.</p>
<p>Of course, if your primary goal isn't to do research at a major university but to teach at less research intensive schools, consult, work at NGOs or in DC think tanks, PhD's from even lower ranked programs can get you good jobs as the Econ PhD is in high demand.</p>
<p>If you find that you are only short in one area, a relatively inexpensive option would be to enroll part-time at whatever college/university is close to your place of work and to take those classes that you are missing. Once you are safely out of college and in the workforce, take a look around at what is offered at the various colleges/universities within commuting distance. Most will let you take one or two courses in "special student" or "non-degree" status before you would have to commit to a particular degree program.</p>
<p>Back in the last century I enrolled (full-time) at my home state public U in order to get the coursework I needed to apply to grad school in a completely different field from my undergraduate major. They admitted me as a "Senior Transfer" based on my number of credit hours, and I designed my own program of studies. I didn't finish a second B.S. although some friends in similar situations did. After a year and a half of coursework, I applied to grad school in the new field.</p>
<p>Good thing you're making the decision to take the time off. You can't exactly apply to grad schools if your undergrad's currently sucking the life and passion for academia out of you now. Otherwise, why be miserable for another 5-6 years?</p>
<p>Get yourself together now while you can in terms of advanced economic theory courses. You can certainly continue to take math as a part-time, non-degree student anywhere (pretty much anyway). </p>
<p>I agree with the above, at this point, you need to get in contact with a very good professor who can figure out what's the best route for you from here on to get in an econ PhD program. Make that professor one of your primary LOR writers as s/he will be able to explain where you're coming from when it's time to apply some time down the road.</p>
<p>Get a job (and some good relevant experience), take part-time courses, and apply when you are ready. Lots of people do this kind of stuff and succeed. Good luck.</p>
<p>I actually don't think a job will help you much in applying to top PhD programs in economics. An MA in math or statistics is more likely to catch their attention, or advanced courses with high grades taken at a good university.</p>
<p>That said, it sounds to me like you really might want to try out the world world for a while, leave academia behind a bit, and go back to it if you still feel the draw.</p>
<p>You may want to browse around [url=<a href="http://www.econphd.net%5Deconphd.net%5B/url">http://www.econphd.net]econphd.net[/url</a>] to find some of your answers. It won't hurt you to take a bit of time off between undergrad and grad, and it may help in terms of helping you refocus. I think doing a masters can help quite a bit. Keep in mind that doing a full degree can often be cheaper than taking a few classes here and there, because the degree can get funding.</p>
<p>Let me reiterate what kenf1234 said: Except for a very few research oriented jobs, work experience will not help you get a Phd in Econ. Don't bother getting a letter of recommendation from someone who is not a Math or Econ professor or who doesn't have a strong sense of the importance of academic research (so the Fed or the World Bank counts). Moreover, you never get credit for taking the same subject in grad school. I would guess that a large fraction of the students doing the first year core micro-macro classes in top PhD programs have already completed the equivalent course from the school they did their undergrad in. I have been on PhD admission committees, and the competition for slots -- especially with funding -- at the top departments is quite fierce. You need to ask yourself: What can I do to make myself look like a much better than average candidate to be an academic researcher in economics?</p>
<p>I also agree that the greatest value of work is to see if you really want to get back into academia. But if you choose the latter route I wouldn't stay out for more than 3 years.</p>
<p>Why do you think you want to get a Ph.D. in econ? Why I can understand that you might dislike your college, no matter how awful it is socially or in other ways, if you are really the Ph.D. type, you should be afire about academics. If you haven't taken a lot of advanced math and haven't take "extensive" advanced courses in econ, I don't think you have a sufficient basis for determining that a Ph.D in econ is really what you want. </p>
<p>Now perhaps there are valid reasons for your decision, but I reallly doubt that someone who has only completed two years of college and has not taken a LOT of advanced econ and math courses knows enough to make that decision.</p>
<p>If you are convinced that a Ph.D. in econ is your ultimate goal AND that it has to be a 'top program,' then stick it out another year at your university and take advanced econ courses. Do well in them and ask for LORs. </p>
<p>Personally, while I'm not an academic, I can't imagine any prof writing a strong rec for a Ph.D. program for someone who hasn't gone beyond intermediate level coursework. And I think you're going to need at least one strong LOR from your UG to have a prayer at a top program.</p>
<p>As others have said, Ph.D. programs in econ are VERY competitive. If it's really what you want, I say stay put, do another year where you are and your options will be a lot better.</p>
<p>You also need to look at the job market. Placement for an "average" econ PhD's is not good and the pay is not good in colleges unless they happen to be tied to the B-school, not often the case. You might be better off with a PhD in Fincance if you have the math skills (equally demanding in many ways) and jobs are much more available with much higher pay. PhD production is behind demand for many Business Disciplines.</p>
<p>i'm not sitting here right now saying I must and need to attend a PhD program in the future. The question I'm asking is geared more towards me trying to make the decision that will leave me with choices in the future, it's more a concept of wanting to just be informed right now and keeping that information in the back of my brain if I do eventually go that route. If not, so be it.</p>
<p>I need one or two years off to see if in fact academia is the right way to go or whether I enjoy the industry world more. Undergrad was overall boring and in my case I do think that the environment I'm in just was not for me and it's for that reason I need a new perspective.</p>