<p>Hi everyone; I'm new here (this is my first post). I have a couple of questions I hope some fellow members will help me in finding answers for, so that I can seriously measure if my dream of going to MIT grad school is anywhere remotely near realistic.</p>
<p>I have a growing love for Economics and I very much want to do a masters degree in that field. I don't know whether or not I will even qualify as an applicant to MIT grad school because I'm still an undergraduate student and my major is in Environmental studies. My GPA currently is about 3.5 hoping it will get higher by the time I graduate. Well it's really hard for me to explain my 'qualifications' but here goes:</p>
<p>I did International A levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics= A A A A.
I have a CPE certificate graded C2.
I also have work experience in a government institution, more like an internship.
I speak another language fluently (my native tongue, or mother language)
+ my degree in Environmental studies.</p>
<p>The thing is I am an international student so I don't know how hard it'll be for me to get accepted in the program. I know most Economics programs require rigorous mathematical and analyst skills, I'm good at math but not extremely proficient at analyzing and research because the university I attend doesn't emphasize much on the importance of research ( I come from a humble background so I attend a relatively humble university; and we're not really equipped with the finest/latest research instruments or equipment so most research is actually delayed until final year of under grad as a mandatory assignment granted for graduating terms.),it's also a private university so this will most probably be a great disadvantage I acknowledge.</p>
<p>Do I have any realistic chance of getting into MIT grad school for economics? and if so what are the steps I should take in making it more likely to happen?.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this post, I'll appreciate it much more even if I get a reply giving helpful insight.</p>
<p>Most graduate programs assume substantial undergraduate-level background in the subject of the program. It’s not that it’s impossible to be admitted to a graduate program in economics if your degree is in environmental studies, but you would be expected to have a sufficient undergraduate-level background in economics and math to enable you to complete the graduate-level coursework. For that reason, most students admitted to top graduate programs in a particular field have undergraduate degrees in that field, or at least in a related one.</p>
<p>MIT’s economics program is one of the best in the world, and admission is incredibly competitive. Most applicants to the program will have extensive undergraduate work in economics and math, plus relevant research and internship experience.</p>
<p>Thank you Jpm50 and molliebatmit, so maybe then I should go for a masters degree in economics then see how well I do after that?. I do have a basic understanding in math and sometimes read extensively about econometrics. So are my chances close to zilch regarding a PhD admittance?.</p>
<p>I’m not really sure what there is to add. Mollie’s post is basically correct although I would add that a math major is generally considered to be at least as good preparation for econ grad school as an econ major. Based on the description you gave in your OP it seems extremely unlikely that you would currently be accepted at MIT econ. Less competitive econ phd programs may be a possibility though although getting a masters first is probably a good idea. My general impression is that masters degrees are typical for international students in US econ phd programs. Some schools have research groups in environmental economics which might look more favorably at an environmental studies background. Here is some advice regarding econ grad school [Graduate</a> School Advice: Susan Athey: Faculty: Stanford GSB](<a href=“http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/athey/gradadvising.html]Graduate”>http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/athey/gradadvising.html) from Susan Athey, a very distinguished economist. Hope this helps.</p>