Please Rate profile for PhD Economics

Graduate School
1

<p>What schools should I be looking into?
Finishing undergrad in 3 years (this is my 2nd year).</p>

<p>Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Econ, top 40 US University (By USNews)
Undergrad GPA: Overall 3.71, Math 3.62, Econ 4.0
Major: Joint Math & Econ
GRE: 800M/500V/4.5AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable Calc (A), Linear Algebra (A), Differential equations (B), Mathematical Reasoning (A), Intro to Probability (A-), Real Analysis I (B), Real Analysis II (A-)
Econ Courses: all the core classes, all A's
Letter of Rec: 1 math senior full time prof, 2 econ
Research Experience: Summer Thesis with Math Professor as advisor, and possibly Econ research in the Fall when I apply
Teaching Experience: None
Other: Asian-Vietnamese, 20 year old female</p>

<p>How are my chances at UCI, UCSB, UCLA, UCSD, CalTech, USC? Are the top 10 and top 20 schools completely out of reach?</p>

<p>Any advice? What are some of the last minute things I can do to improve my chances?</p>

<p>How competitive is it to get a job teaching at Community Colleges and possibly later on teaching at Cal States (State Universities) full time?</p>

<p>How about in the private industries? Are they looking for PhD in Economics? Does the university I attend matter too much to them?</p>

<p>Thank you in advanced! Any sort of help/advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Honestly, your professors can give you a more accurate picture than anyone on this board can of where you should apply. Top 10 Schools will be a reach (they are for everyone, and that includes individuals with perfect math grades). I'm guessing that one of their concerns would be that (compared to some other applicants) you do not have as much coursework in proof-based mathematics (some candidates come into the process with an MA in mathematics, thus more background in mathematical analysis). That certainly doesn't put you out of the running, but it will lessen your chances for admission. If you could take Topology, Metric Spaces, or any graduate level mathematical courses (emphasizing analysis) then you would bolster your chances. Your GRE score will definitely help your case.
As for the private sector, employers are looking for a PhD in economics. Employers tend to care less about where you graduated from than do universities (when hiring you). One possible path you could take in the private sector would be as a forecasting economist/consultant.</p>