<p>Schools for MA economic program: Berkeley, UChicago, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, LSE, Yale, Hopkins, Northwestern, UCSB.</p>
<p>USC junior. Because I am double majoring, I will spend one extra semester at USC. So 9 semesters total.</p>
<p>Double Major: Economics and Political Science
Cumulative GPA: 3.8</p>
<p>Internship at major investment bank for 1 summer. Planning on working at investment bank for a few years and also doing economic research at the bank and also possibly with professors at USC.</p>
<p>I have not taken my GRE yet. What scores should I be aiming at for the schools I am applying to ( I will list below ) </p>
<p>Do other, non-economic related, extra activities matter? I say this because I have many awards in debate, chess, and also screen writing from film festivals.</p>
<p>I am planning on getting good recs from professors I will be doing research with.</p>
<p>UCHicago, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Northwestern do not have a terminal Master's program in Economics. You have to get accepted into the PhD program. Unfortunately, that's the case for almost all of the top Econ departments in the country (NYU is an exception). I'm not even sure about Berkeley, UCLA, or UCSB but you can check. Hopkins and LSE have one, of course.</p>
<p>Most admission committees rarely care about work experiences or extracurricular activities unfortunately. It's pretty much your GPA, test scores, Statement of Purpose, and recommendations.</p>
<p>Obviously your GPA is high enough, but the real question is whether you've taken lots and lots of math classes. Calc 1-3 and Linear Algebra are usually minimum requirements with preferred candidates having taken Differential Equations and Real Analysis.</p>
<p>As far as GRE goes, aim for 800 in quantitative. The average admittance for Master's programs is around the 760-780 range for Math. The Verbal section doesn't matter all that much with econ programs but obviously still try to do as well as possible.</p>
<p>Sorry to jump in on the post but I had a similar question. Would the ideal econ master's candidate have the following math classes? If not, what should (or shouldn't) be on the list? </p>
<p>Calc I
Calc II
Calc III
Linear Algebra
Real Analysis
ODE
PDE
Number Theory</p>
<p>The question anyone who wants a masters degree has to ask themselves is why they want a masters degree. Do you enjoy economics, do you like research? Then why not go into a PhD program?</p>
<p>Alternatively, if you're interested in working in finance (which is what your post basically says), the two years spent in a masters program isn't going to do nearly as much for you as spending those two years working. Additionally, many schools have one/two year programs in financial mathematics/engineering, and if you're interested in finance then that is what is directly applicable to what you want to do--not economics.</p>
<p>most master's degree are just simply connected to a PhD program. you do your masters for 2 years and then you do your research immediately after and go for your PhD.</p>
<p>a terminal master's degree is stand alone. you get it and then you move on.</p>
<p>Recommendations are huge factor. Adcoms place much more faith in you when you have someone who has already been through a PhD program to vouch for you. This is why employers and work experience matter so little in PhD admissions. They want to know how you'll succeed in the program, not the work force. Also, make sure recommendations are from a math or econ professor.</p>
<p>Additionally, all econ departments care about is mathematics ability. Your high GPA in econ courses shows you're at least competent but you NEED to have a strong math background (which is why many econ majors double up as math majors or math minors at least). Again... Calc 1, Calc 2, multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and real analysis are minimum. That's basically a Math minor right there. When they are looking at your transcript, they'll look at your advanced econ courses (adv. micro/macro, econometrics, etc.) but will focus mostly on your performance in the above stated math courses.</p>
<p>As for the GRE, adcoms don't pay too much difference between an 800 and say a 770 in the quantitative section. They aren't stupid, they know that anything can happen with test day conditions and that margin isn't going to kill you. But get below a 750 and you're getting into troubled water. There are simply TOO many people that are better than a 750 (around the 80 percentile). Verbal is pretty much irrelevant. You can do fine even with a 550-600.</p>
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Oh well then can you chance me for that then (M.A and then phD)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nope.</p>
<p>I've said it too many times to count - we can't chance grad school admissions. It's very different from undergrad admissions. The tougher a program or field (and econ's a tough field), the less able we are to give you any real idea of your "chance."</p>
<p>If you want a range of school for application purposes, your undergad advisor is your best resource. S/he knows you, your work, and the field.</p>
<p>Please, though - first learn about grad school. As you don't know even the difference between a terminal MA program and a PhD program, you have some reading to do! That's OK - we all started out there. Read the websites of programs you might be interested in. They all have a grad section (on the dpeartment website, not the graduate school website) - read it all. Then do it again and again for other programs. Trust me - that's the best way to start.</p>