<p>Hi all, I am a senior at the University of Michigan and will be graduating in the spring of next year. My major in Economics and just today, I had this feeling that I want to go to grad school immediately after I graduate. There are a few problems with these and I ask your your guidance.</p>
<p>1) I haven't taken the GRE. Is is too late to take the test or even prepare for it?</p>
<p>2) I am just an average student with a B in Intermediate Micro and B+ in Intermediate Macro. How will this affect me?</p>
<p>3) Here is the most important thing to me. I need to find a school that will give me a fellowship offer. I don't need to go to a top school or anything like that, just something respectable. I need this fellowship because I really cannot afford grad school.</p>
<p>4) I haven't had much close contacts with any professors during my years here. Is time to befriend some to get those letters of recommendation?</p>
<p>5) Can you guys suggests some school that might me easier for me to get a fellowship?</p>
<p>6) I am an international student but English is my native language. Will this be a plus for me when applying for a GSI position?</p>
<p>That would be all I could think of as of now. I really appreciate it guys! Thank you.</p>
<p>Considering the CAT approach and the fact that you want to get at least a 760 Quant for a not-top-tier program, yeah, it’s probably too late to apply this year. Apps are due starting in early December for some schools, early January at the latest, I think.</p>
<p>Points #2 and #4 are killers against you. Those grades in core Econ course don’t argue for talent in the field. And why wouldn’t you have gotten to know your profs, no matter what? If I were a prof, I’d be inclined to blow you off when you start coming around needing a rec now. </p>
<p>I don’t know where your target programs are but they’re almost certainly below Top 20, very possibly below Top 50. Michigan has a highly rated PhD program; I’d start by running your profile by some of your Econ profs and asking their advice on what to do.</p>
<p>Finally, English may be your native language (Singapore?) and perhaps you’re typing under stress…I certainly make errors when doing so…but I count at least six grammatical/usage errors in your post plus an awkward construction. Fortunately, verbal scores are downplayed in Econ programs.</p>
<p>You could do far worse than taking a year or two off to work in an Econ-related internship or job though it sounds as if a non-paying internship won’t work for you. Also, going back to school and getting A’s in some advanced Econ courses taken on a non-degree basis might be helpful.</p>