sub-par college grad seeks advice: MA Econ or MA Finance

Graduate School
1

<p>I graduated from a top 10 LAC a few weeks ago with the following stats.</p>

<p>Economics major (GPA:3.12)
Political Science major (3.24)
Cumulative GPA: 2.97.
Published research: one econometric paper in a respected undergraduate economics journal. Another political economy paper is currently awaiting publication.
Work experience: internships every summer. Spent two summers interning at a large financial firm.
Courses that brought my GPA down: Intermediate Macro, Intro Geology, Calculus II, Linear Algebra.</p>

<p>Having perused through the forums, I know that without at least a 3.4+ GPA, good GRE scores, meaningful work experience or some other distinctive attribute, i might be out of luck when applying for grad school. </p>

<p>That said, I realize that I'd really like to pursue a Master's in Econ or Finance. From what I understand, the Master's in Public Policy (which i might be more suited for) is kind of like a less quantitative MA Econ degree (provided that I specialize in Econ policy or something), but I'm not sure how 'in demand' that degree would be. </p>

<p>I don't want to do an MBA, primarily because of the cost, but also because I'm interested in writing and research-oriented activities and want to improve my econometric and quantitative skills. I realize that these skills can be learned in a finance-focused MBA, but it seems pretty expensive relative to MA Econ, where TAships and research opps are more widely available. With that, here are some questions I have:</p>

<p>1) I know that MA Econ programs require some background in math. I took linear algebra in freshman year and flunked it. Took Calculus II and got a C- (hardass professor + my own incompetence). I could retake these classes at the local university, along with multivariable calculus, but is it true what they say about math, i.e. you either 'get it' or you don't? In that case, should I even be thinking about pursuing these quant degrees in grad school?</p>

<p>2) Aside from (1), how can I hope to improve my chances of getting into a decent MA Econ/Finance program with decent funding? Are my chances of funding/TAships/RAships dependent on my undergrad performance? Here are some of the strategies I'm pursuing:</p>

<p>a) studying hard for the GRE
b) trying to get a couple more papers published (publication dates are in October, before apps are due)
c) i'm currently jobless, but looking to land an internship either in economic research, health econ, trade policy or energy/environment.
d) talking to professors of econ classes i did well in about writing me LORs. </p>

<p>Anything else? I realize how low my GPA is, so any other suggestions you may have with regards to damage control would be very helpful. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>If I’m not mistaken, the majority of MA programs are unfunded. TAships are reserved for Ph.D candidates. Could be wrong though.</p>

3

<p>hmm, i wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. that means the only aid i might get would be need-based or (gulp)…merit based. </p>

<p>i should probably also mention that i’m looking into doing the masters in Canada, where admission might be slightly less selective; it’s also cheaper than US schools (given that it tends to be 16months, and is state-funded).</p>

4

<p>I don’t think it is either, you get it or … you don’t with math. Calc II was the only class I ever failed and I retook it over summer and got an A… the professor was horrible and could barely speak english, tests that had nothing to do with the material, etc. and had a 60% fail rate for a class of 150 people. </p>

<p>But, that is why many schools offer a few “mulligans” and allow you to retake. </p>

<p>That being said, I am pretty sure your gpa as far as grad schools are concerned is set in stone as soon as you finish your 1st bachelors degree. </p>

<p>But retaking it, if those courses are prerequisite might behoove you. </p>

<p>I would say, you better ace your gpa… And also hope your junior/senior year, depending on school was high. Some grad schools only weight your last 60 hours, which I think is a better analysis given they are usually 3000/4000 level classes and most people have matured a bit. I started college when I was 17 and definitely got caught up in some of the “social” stuff which brought my gpa down.</p>

5

<p>yeah, my junior and senior year grades were better.
Junior yr:
Fall - 3.00
Spring - 3.09</p>

<p>Senior Year
Fall - 3.50
Spring - 3.34</p>

<p>This is when I was taking mostly upper level econ and poli sci courses, along with a number of research seminars. the lower grade in my senior spring consisted of 2 As, 1 A- (my econ thesis) and a C- in a poli sci course with an impossible amount of reading.</p>

<p>I really do appreciate everyone’s feedback, so please keep me posted on what I can do to mitigate my poor undergrad performance. thanks.</p>

6

<p>just to bump the thread and throw in another question:</p>

<p>given that I’d like to take some math classes (calc, linear algebra, multivariable calc) within a relatively short period of time, i.e. in the next few months, I was wondering whether grad schools would look differently upon courses taken at a community college than at a four-year school. The community college in my county is really good, and I guess I could include a LOR from one of the professors mentioning something about the rigor of the math program there.</p>