Does being an undergraduate at UChicago help in applying to grad school?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Chicago ✅
1

<p>This is probably an unusual topic for this board, but based on the people who frequent it I feel like I'll get some good answers, so here goes: </p>

<p>I'm a rising second-year in the college intent on applying to grad school and pursuing a PhD in economics. Like most people in this category, I'd like to get into one of the top 10 econ departments in the country. </p>

<p>I don't really mean to ask what I can do to prepare for applying to grad school, but based on what I've heard, it seems to include, among other things: </p>

<ul>
<li><p>taking as many math courses as humanely possible</p></li>
<li><p>doing as much research as possible and building solid relationships with renowned professors</p></li>
<li><p>taking graduate level economics courses</p></li>
<li><p>doing well on the GRE</p></li>
</ul>

<p>What I really want to ask is, how much of a factor does being an undergraduate at the University of Chicago play? All else equal, does a math-econ double major with good LOR's and research experience benefit at all from having a bachelor's from Chicago? </p>

<p>I'll be honest - I realize the answer to this question doesn't (and shouldn't) influence my behavior in any way; either way I should work as I can towards getting into a good PhD program in economics. But I still can't help but wonder if somehow the fruits of my college applications in high school somehow "help" me in applying to grad school as well.</p>

2

<p>Graduate schools (medical schools at least) typically focus their admissions decisions around one question: how confident are we that this applicant will succeed in our program? Your GPA, test scores, volunteer experience, et cetera are all representative of that. Because UChicago grad schools undoubtedly know their undergraduate programs better than those of other institutions, they can be fairly confident that an undergrad from UChicago will do well in their program. Aside from whatever bias there might be, I think this is a fairly legitimate reason that they would probably favor a UChicago undergrad. Of course, it all depends on GPA, grades, and the like.</p>

3

<p>I think you pretty much got your list right, although I don’t think you want to stop with the math courses that are “humanely” possible. Try pushing yourself a bit beyond that. (That is facetious, by the way. You want to know a lot of math and to have it be clear that you do. It’s not a contest that you win by taking 12 courses rather than 10, though.)</p>

<p>Also, I don’t think it’s a necessity, especially at a place like Chicago, to take a lot of graduate level courses. Having a rock-solid base is probably more important, especially if you are coming out of a college where your base CAN be rock-solid.</p>

<p>That said, of course Chicago gives you an advantage, but it’s hardly an absolute advantage, and it’s the kind of advantage a number of other colleges also provide. The maroon ink on your transcript isn’t going to make many hearts flutter on admissions committees. What it will give you is this:</p>

<p>Access to broad AND deep course offerings in math, economics, and other social sciences.</p>

<p>Contact with first-rate faculty with lots of ties to faculty at other universities, and whose recommendations will mean something.</p>

<p>Contact with first-rate graduate students, who have been down exactly the road you’re on now recently, and can give you expert, nuanced advice.</p>

<p>Lots of peers with interests similar to yours.</p>

<p>A brand name that stands for something. If you do well in economics and math at Chicago, no one is going to wonder if you will measure up to their standards as well.</p>

<p>The downside? There will be lots of you. You will be at somewhat of a disadvantage if you don’t look like the top Chicago candidate (or one of the top two) for any particular program, and there won’t be many programs where you are the only Chicago candidate. Something of a herd mentality can develop, I’m sure, with everyone lusting after a handful of programs.</p>

<p>At the end of the day, it all will still depend on you far more than what college you are at. You have to convince people that you are well-prepared, that you are focused, that you are interesting, and that you can help them get their jobs done. (A PhD program is a little like indentured servitude. You are being hired as someone’s apprentice. That someone is looking for the best apprentice, not necessarily the smartest one.) Someone who went to a state school or an LAC and really sucked the opportunities dry there, and who has the full support of faculty there (even if the offices on either side of them don’t house Nobelists), can easily look as good as or better than you. And the more arrogant you get about Chicago, the more likely that is to happen.</p>

4

<p>Thanks, JHS. That answered pretty much all of my questions on this topic and a few I hadn’t thought of. </p>

<p>I’m definitely planning on pushing myself as hard as I can - I have an ambitious course schedule lined up with honors econometrics (and all its accompanying horror stories) for the spring, which gives me all of 3rd and 4th year to do research with some knowledge of metrics, which I’ve heard is more or less prerequisite to research in economics. </p>

<p>As for math, I feel like the BS in math with speciliazation in econ is already a handful, but I’ll ask around to see what other courses they recommend. What’s somewhat comforting to know is that apparently a lot of the usual suspects - real analysis, algebra, probability theory, statistics, and differential equations - are all already covered. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too comfortable about this - I’m reminded of what you just said about “herd mentality” and the fact that a lot of people will be doing just the same, making it that much harder for me to stand out. </p>

<p>JHS, what do you think about the job prospects for a PhD in economics in the private sector? I changed my mind about grad school after telling everyone who asked my first year that I wanted to go into finance straight after college. I was lucky enough to have the connections to intern two consecutive years at an investment bank and I’ve just realized the work just isn’t intellectual enough in nature for me - I simply can’t picture myself just crunching numbers and writing reports that have no economic rationale for the rest of my life. Given that, am I correct in believing that a PhD in economics will grant me the opportunity to do economic research in the private sector that is both high paying and of a sufficiently intellectual nature to keep me from feeling like I’ve really “sold my soul”? I say this mostly because the horror stories of academia also scare me, and I believe that even with a PhD I’d be much happier working at, say, the Fed or an investment bank as an economist than at a university.</p>

5

<p>wow OP, you and I are like the same person. I too am a rising second-year student at the UofC seeking to go into top 10 Ph.D programs in econ. Although it appears your math background is much stronger…</p>

<p>As for the advantage UChicago provides, yes, if Robert Herbst is correct (I have no reason to assume otherwise) the UChicago name will, all others equal, help you. He told me that top grad schools first separate applications into piles from places like Harvard, Chicago, Princeton, etc and consider those first before ones from slightly less renowned economics departments.
Also, all others are not equal. As JHS mentioned, Chicago affords you access to top-rate faculty and in-depth courses that you might not have access to otherwise. This provides an advantage as well.
Do you know what else you might be taking this year?</p>

6

<p>Let me approach this issue from the perspective of an alumna who is not in economics or academia, but who has many friends and relatives who have gone to graduate school, each with different feelings towards their graduate school institution. So before I give any real advice, let me preface this by saying I may not know what I am talking about, check with your doctor before starting any weight loss program, etc.</p>

<p>First, you should very much be in touch with your professors and advisor, and asking yourself questions like:</p>

<p>… why would I want to go to graduate school, and what would I want to do afterwards?
… what sorts of fields in economics appeal to me?
… where is the intellectually exciting research in my field happening?
… what kind of community would make me happy?</p>

<p>I know several people who have dropped out of graduate school because they didn’t ask themselves these questions carefully enough. </p>

<p>Among them was somebody studying in a program that was strong in some ways and weak in other (to him) unjustifiable ways, and situated in a middle of a cornfield, very far from home, where family beckoned. </p>

<p>Another two chose programs based on rank and curbside appeal only to be soured by the amount of time they were expected to devote to research instead of advocacy and related fields.</p>

<p>A third dropped out of a program (Yale) that had a nice brand name stamped to it, but was not as strong in its field ( Yale in this field was outpaced by NYU, Cornell, CMU at the time). The person was also frustrated that because this field was fairly obscure, it was difficult to explain to the outsider and looked a little funny on a resume. (Years later, Yale eventually folded this program into another one anyway.)</p>

<p>Caveat emptor, and broaden the ways in which you think about grad school.</p>

7

<p>Don’t underestimate the value of getting work experience under your belt first. My S came to Chicago swearing he was headed to grad school, has prepared for same (including two summers of research) and has the scores, yada yada for it. He has also worked with folks in industry who are doing cutting edge work that is just as interesting as the academic research he has been doing, and with people as insanely smart as the profs he has worked with.</p>

<p>Be open to all the opportunities out there!</p>