Graduate School Admission Results

TPB. Application to any Econ / Appl. Econ / Ag. Econ PhD program is a stressful process by itself. Several different platforms, way too much time gone into filling forms and wiriting essays, and a lot of money may be spent in the process. Further stress may come if you have close friends and/or colleagues getting admitted, and you somehow feel "left behind"... But still, you shouldn't decline on your aspiration! Not everyone wants to purposely get themselves into such a rigorous deal as a PhD, so you have won a big first step by setting up your mind to go for it. Now, based on my experience (I have scores quite similar to yours, and got admitted this year--but was rejected last year) I could only give you these recommendations: [1] Choose well the universities you are willing to apply: Sometimes we wish for admission to a "dream school," but you might as well wonder whether it is a good fit for you aspirations as a future researcher. Beyond your interests, look for a place where you will receive attention and time from your professors, and where you are likely to receive funding. A PhD is essentially work and demands a lot of time and effort; you should be awarded for it. [2] Despite many others differ from me about this, and without trying to be repetitive, you should really prioritize the programs you are going to apply. From the first pool of programs you chose, make sure you have five of them where most of your effort will go to. It's better to make solid applications for a limited number programs were you see real odds of both getting admitted and growing as a researcher. This will help you to dedicate enough time to prepare your essays and make a robust case of what you can wait from each program, and on what can you bring there. [3] Try and evaluate the real quality of you recommendation letters. Make sure that those recommending you can provide both a good and thorough description of you abilities. It takes more than a "big name" for a recommendation letter--it's better to have someone who can give insights on your potential based on detailed knowledge of your work, instead of someone who is known as a good researcher but that may give a mediocre letter (at the eyes of an admission committee). [4] Build new abilities in the meantime, and make an effort to improve your profile based on your rejections. There is a lot of randomness in admission, but you can learn from those getting admitted or ending their first year in those universities where you are planning to (re)apply. Check their CVs when possible, and see what can you improve in your formation to increase you chances of getting admitted. It's though and takes time, but you end up improving yourself in any case. [5] Make the best to not to compare yourself to others. This is discouraging in many cases, and it's unfair with yourself. Your process is yours only, and you should not measure your achievements as relative to others since they are most likely not comparable to you. [6] Finally, do your best to make your applications early and at the same time whenever possible. After that, just disconnect from it and take a vacation. We focus so much on the admission process, that we leave aside many things that are truly important, and start to stress unnecessarily way before results start to come out. At the end of the day it's worth remembering that the PhD will be roughly 5~6 period, so it's not a matter only of education but also a life changing decision. Don't rush it. I know these are not quite ortodox suggestions, but I found them to be helpful for me. Hopefully this will help you to keep going for it, and hopefully getting the expected result.

Can anyone help me. It is now for two years that I am applying and getting all reject. My toefl score is 105 and gre is 162 quant and 152 verbal and 4 in AWA. My target is top 70 us universities. Is it my low gre quant score that cause me to be rejected from top 70. For the coming year I wanna apply again. If any one can comment on reasons of being rejected it helps a alot. Thanks.

Does anyone have an idea whether the schools will be open in August - September? Maybe some news about distance learning??

In normal times you have to think that the selection committee is looking for several things. Applicants have to have measurables past some internal hurdle. Once past that, the process is very unpredictable. They are looking to build a class, a cohort of people that will work together and have parallel but complementary traits. And on top of that they are looking for people who they think will actually accept. And the market on both sides suffers from a lack of information on what people are looking for. I've seen people on these boards with great self reported scores be rejected from multiple places. Others with below average scores celebrated multiple acceptances. This was all BEFORE the unprecedented world-wide pandemic which created uncertainty at all institutions. Try again, try better.

Congratulations to people who got admission during this tough season. But if you have accepted the offer and plan to go, please decline offers and withdraw applications as soon as possible, especially for some schools that have not processed their second round offers. Lots of people still wait for the first admission at this moment, and declining other offers would not change your decision and career plan. Application fee is the sunk cost now, it should not influence your current decision. Thanks!

I don't know why people are waiting till the last minute to decline the offers. Have some respect for the waitlistees and decline the ones you won't attend to.

TPB: It depends on the specific program. Most programs will probably tell you that you will need to apply again, while others may tell you that you can defer admission but funding is subject to availability. The situation may differ this year due to the pandemic. If you are seriously considering doing this, then you should ask your institution.

Does anyone know how deferring admission works? Can I defer my admission and go next year with the same offer. Or will I have to apply again?

To all: I have not heard from dream program yet and they never replied my email. Should I email their director informing my current offers and interests for attending their program? Need suggestions. Thank you guys.

NY mayor announces that the schools will be closed until September and we're only in mid-April... Looks like we won't have face-to-face classes for a long time. Bad year to start a PhD, wish I had better and safer choices.

There is no point in unnecessarily postponing your decisions. Just keep your top choices and decline the others today. Many people are counting days to April 15. So, stay safe and Decline if you are Accepted to a school you're not willing to attend!

TPB: my situation is similar. 1a/4ir many programs require interview in Jan or Feb, but I were not on those list...

TPB: I hope that you get admission in your top choice near your home so that you can be with your family. Stay positive!

TPB: I hope that you get admission in your top choice near your home so that you can be with your family. Stay positive!

So far I only have one acceptance, this year's application almost doomed. I still have 5ir but I know the possibility of admission is very low. I feel so bad, because the only one admit me is too far from my home and I desperately want to be with my family...

This seems to be a mistake that a lot of people make. You need to select programs that fit your research interests, not just the best programs. Get advice from current and recent PhDs to get a sense of what worked best for them and apply that knowledge to your process. You'll find that even a back up program that is “worse” might not accept you if your interests are not a good fit for the program.

I feel terrible guys:(( I can't understand it because last year some of my friends got admission from these universities and it seemed my application package was better than them. I wish I could back in the time and apply for some less competitive programs.

TPB: I don't think it hurts to ask. I used my offer from another program to get more funding at a program I liked more. I think it depends on the program and what type of funding they have available. In my case, I got offered a better paying assistantship that is typically available to 2nd+ year students. I basically just said I really love your program, but I am being offered a better funding package elsewhere and they have the same cost of living. Sweeten the deal and I will choose you.

Guys, do you think it is a good idea to negotiate funding offers? Or, are they fixed and we shouldn't even try? Has anyone tried negotiating?

I got rejections from all the universities I applied for in the first year. The main reason was that I was too ambitious. What I did for the second year: 1. I made realistic and pragmatic choices. Schools ranked between 200-300 are good too. 2. I worked hard for 4 months and published a paper in a decent Q2 journal. 3. I made connections with two scholars outside of my home country via email. They tremendously helped me to publish my paper and also gave me strong LoRs. And all this worked! I got funded offers in the second year. Additionally, a high GRE quant score (say 165 or above) makes your profile competitive. I love the US but there are good schools in other countries. Do not limit yourself to a specific region. Good luck!