An Econ Major’s Guide to Grad School Applications
2 min readOct 22, 2021
In conversation with Shereein Saraf, an International & Development Economics student at Yale University. Shereein is the author of the blog What-If Economics and an aspiring PhD scholar. Her blog explores the applications of economic theory through a what-if lens and has a loyal readership.
The following is a list of some the key takeaways from an informational interview conducted with her and is sure to be useful for prospective grad school applicants:
- Undergrad performance — A strong performance in undergraduate is one of the most basic requirements for reputed grad schools and usually gets your foot in the door.
- GRE scores — GRE scores hold just as much or higher importance when it comes to grad school applications. Given that econ is a quant heavy major, your performance in this section would be a sign of your competency to handle the challenging coursework.
- Research experience — Prior research experience can be strong evidence of your motivation to join grad school. While not having publications under your belt is not a deal-breaker, it might fetch you brownie points!
- Go beyond your curriculum — Developing research skills, taking MOOCs and picking up programming software such as STATA or R shows your initiative and commitment to the major and is certainly a trait that the ad-com looks for.
- The Statement of Purpose — The statement of purpose is a chance for you to make a compelling case for your place in the program’s incoming class. Take the time to express your motivations to join the school and the program, your aspirations from it and get it proofread to your satisfaction before you apply.
- Letters of Recommendation — Letters of recommendation are one of the most important aspects of the applications process. Ensure that the letters do not talk fluff and come from someone who can describe your capabilities well to the admission committee.
Check out Shereein’s thought-provoking work here: https://whatifeconomics.com/.
