Msc Economics Admissions Guide (including a Warwick specific post)

Original post by insulator

I got 79.7 in my 1st year but I don't think it's good enough for the top schools.
I should have got 80+ :frown:

My results in different modules vary a lot. I got 92 and 94 in stats,applied economics but I had only 66 in my macro(the only module which is 2.1/below :angry:

)

I think 79.7 is okay if it is my 2nd year result but not first year :frown:

I must get 70+ in the 2nd year in order to keep the chance of getting an offer

My uni is a 2nd tier uni in UK.

If you take as many econometric/mathematical economics modules as you can, then with those sorts of grades you will have a chance. Actually getting the offer is more chance than anything else.

Reply 542

Original post by .ACS.

If you take as many econometric/mathematical economics modules as you can, then with those sorts of grades you will have a chance. Actually getting the offer is more chance than anything else.

Thanks

I am taking one Mathematical Economics module and 1 Econometrics module.
These are all compulsory modules in my course.

In some of my of modules (eg. 2nd year micro), there are only 9 students who got a first out of 220 :frown:

. For 2.1/above, there are approx 40 students. More than 50 students failed the module.

Reply 543

Original post by insulator

Thanks

I am taking one Mathematical Economics module and 1 Econometrics module.
These are all compulsory modules in my course.

In some of my of modules (eg. 2nd year micro), there are only 9 students who got a first out of 220 :frown:

. For 2.1/above, there are approx 40 students. More than 50 students failed the module.

Honestly, if you can, take more. Do they have any optional ones?

Reply 544

Original post by .ACS.

Honestly, if you can, take more. Do they have any optional ones?

The optionals are economics development, business economics, operational research, corporate finance, climate change economics, managerial economics.

The total number of credits in the 2nd year is 120
The econometrics and mathematical economics worth 20 credits each, so it is 40 credits in total.

40+60( Micro+Macro)+20(finance)

Is that ok?

Reply 545

Original post by insulator

The optionals are economics development, business economics, operational research, corporate finance, climate change economics, managerial economics.

The total number of credits in the 2nd year is 120
The econometrics and mathematical economics worth 20 credits each, so it is 40 credits in total.

40+60( Micro+Macro)+20(finance)

Is that ok?

Ah okay. Are you at Manchester by chance?

What econometrics/mathematical economics modules can you opt for in your third year?

Reply 546

Original post by .ACS.

Ah okay. Are you at Manchester by chance?

What econometrics/mathematical economics modules can you opt for in your third year?

How do u know? :wink:

I can choose cross-section econometrics, time-series econometrics, mathematical economics in my 3rd year.

Do the top schools weigh these modules higher than micro/macro?

Reply 547

Original post by insulator

How do u know? :wink:

I can choose cross-section econometrics, time-series econometrics, mathematical economics in my 3rd year.

Do the top schools weigh these modules higher than micro/macro?

Then take those modules. Without a doubt.

Yes, the top schools weight advanced level econometrics and mathematical economics modules more highly than micro/macro. The main reason being that micro/macro at postgrad becomes insanely mathematical. I've been looking at some of my postgrad micro and macro notes, and truth be told, it may as well be an applied maths degree.

The same goes for the postgrad metrics notes. They all follow on from advanced level econometrics, and make extensive use of linear algebra and statistical theory.

Reply 548

Original post by .ACS.

Then take those modules. Without a doubt.

Yes, the top schools weight advanced level econometrics and mathematical economics modules more highly than micro/macro. The main reason being that micro/macro at postgrad becomes insanely mathematical. I've been looking at some of my postgrad micro and macro notes, and truth be told, it may as well be an applied maths degree.

The same goes for the postgrad metrics notes. They all follow on from advanced level econometrics, and make extensive use of linear algebra and statistical theory.

I spent 30 credits on 2 maths modules in the maths department during the 1st year. I got like 79 and 83 :wink:

Yesterday my academic advisor said to me these results can improve my chance because the top schools (esp. LSE) weigh these more than some courses like studying economics, and even micro/macro. He discussed some issues about macro module with me. I said to him the macro one(66%) was a big disappointment. It 's just a disaster :frown:

Reply 549

denissuslov

Hi everyone,
need your opinion on applying to MSc in Economics in UK/North America.
The thing is that my background is really unusual and I am not sure if that will help me or not. I am from Eastern Europe initially but I am getting my BSc in Finance in China! Its a major Fin/Econ university in China. I studied all courses in Chinese, and as a result my grades are really low (GPA 2.2). But I heard that universities in US and Canada welcome diverse background and I plan to have very good grades on GRE. So I plan to leverage this Chinese background, considering that everyone now is crazy about China. Also, many universities now know that they study Math in China on very advanced level, hope that will help me as well.
Any opinion on my chances at getting offer from some of the better UK/US universities is welcomed.

Reply 550

jdubs

Thinking of applying to the MSc Economics and/or MSc Economic Policy at UCL, but thought I'd first ask if I stand a chance at being accepted before I bother.

Here's my uni academic record:

Uni: Economics from Trinity College Dublin

Degree: B.A. (Hons) in Economics

Final grade: II.I (based entirely on final year)

Grade breakdown by year:
1st year - 1st (74%)
2nd year - II.I (63%)
3rd year - II.I (67%)
4th year - II.I (63%)
Average over 4 years: 66.75%

Grades in Quantitative modules (because I understand they are weighted more heavily than grades in other, less-quantitative modules):

Mathematics & Statistics - 93% (top of class)
Mathematical & Statistical Methods - 64%
Mathematical Economics - 68%
Econometrics - 76%
Quantitative Methods - 57%

I could go into why I ballsed up the exam in Quantitative Methods so badly. The fact is, though, that I'm not going to get that luxury when I submit my application and a top university doesn't want to hear my excuses so I'd rather you guys took a cold, hard look at my grades and told me if they're good enough for me to even be considered for either programme.

Thanks in advance.

Reply 551

Original post by jdubs

Thinking of applying to the MSc Economics and/or MSc Economic Policy at UCL, but thought I'd first ask if I stand a chance at being accepted before I bother.

Here's my uni academic record:

Uni: Economics from Trinity College Dublin

Degree: B.A. (Hons) in Economics

Final grade: II.I (based entirely on final year)

Grade breakdown by year:
1st year - 1st (74%)
2nd year - II.I (63%)
3rd year - II.I (67%)
4th year - II.I (63%)
Average over 4 years: 66.75%

Grades in Quantitative modules (because I understand they are weighted more heavily than grades in other, less-quantitative modules):

Mathematics & Statistics - 93% (top of class)
Mathematical & Statistical Methods - 64%
Mathematical Economics - 68%
Econometrics - 76%
Quantitative Methods - 57%

I could go into why I ballsed up the exam in Quantitative Methods so badly. The fact is, though, that I'm not going to get that luxury when I submit my application and a top university doesn't want to hear my excuses so I'd rather you guys took a cold, hard look at my grades and told me if they're good enough for me to even be considered for either programme.

Thanks in advance.

Don't UCL require a 1st overall? Also, out of interest, what is the technical level of your econometrics - the titles of modules mean little if the content simply isn't there.

Reply 552

jdubs

Original post by .ACS.

Don't UCL require a 1st overall? Also, out of interest, what is the technical level of your econometrics - the titles of modules mean little if the content simply isn't there.

Not officially at least, no; on the website it's stated that the minimum requirement is a 2.1.

To give you an idea of the standard of econometrics and mathematics learnt during my undergrad, let me tell you what the core Econometrics and Maths textbooks were, both for my modules in 3rd Year and for my modules in 4th year:

3rd Year:
Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach - Wooldridge
Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics - Chiang & Wainwright

4th Year:
Econometric Theory & Methods - Davidson & Mackinnon
Mathematical Economics - Takayama

If you're not familiar with the content of any of these textbooks let me know and I'll give examples of the topics covered in each.

Reply 553

Original post by jdubs

Not officially at least, no; on the website it's stated that the minimum requirement is a 2.1.

To give you an idea of the standard of econometrics and mathematics learnt during my undergrad, let me tell you what the core Econometrics and Maths textbooks were, both for my modules in 3rd Year and for my modules in 4th year:

3rd Year:
Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach - Wooldridge
Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics - Chiang & Wainwright

4th Year:
Econometric Theory & Methods - Davidson & Mackinnon
Mathematical Economics - Takayama

If you're not familiar with the content of any of these textbooks let me know and I'll give examples of the topics covered in each.

Yes, I'm aware of those texts. That background in mathematical economics/econometrics is perfect I'd say. The UCL core text for econometrics is Hayashi, which follows on nicely from Davidson & MacKinnon.

You'll need to explain the Quantitative Methods grade (What was covered in this module? Was it an earlier/easier module?), but apart from that your grades are good, and your background is good. I know people who have gotten into UCL with a less technical background than yours.

The rest will depend on your LOR and also your PS.

Reply 554

jdubs

Original post by .ACS.

Yes, I'm aware of those texts. That background in mathematical economics/econometrics is perfect I'd say. The UCL core text for econometrics is Hayashi, which follows on nicely from Davidson & MacKinnon.

You'll need to explain the Quantitative Methods grade (What was covered in this module? Was it an earlier/easier module?), but apart from that your grades are good, and your background is good. I know people who have gotten into UCL with a less technical background than yours.

The rest will depend on your LOR and also your PS.

That's excellent news, thanks for showing an interest. Obviously your opinion is one person's opinion, but you seem pretty learned on the subject so I'm going to take a lot of encouragement from that. I'm going to try to get my application in before Christmas.

P.S. My grade in Quantitative Methods is a real blotch on my record. It was an act of hubris on my part; I thought I could get a 2.1 without doing much study because I've always excelled at maths, neglecting the fact that the module had a reputation for being notoriously difficult and that two-thirds of the students taking the class were single honours maths students rather than economics students. Even in hindsight, though, I believe I was well able to get a 2.1, so I don't feel in any way that I would be out of my depth studying Economics at Master's level, even if the course is exceptionally quantitatively rigorous, like it is in UCL.

Reply 555

MPhil

Original post by .ACS.

Yes, I'm aware of those texts. That background in mathematical economics/econometrics is perfect I'd say. The UCL core text for econometrics is Hayashi, which follows on nicely from Davidson & MacKinnon.

You'll need to explain the Quantitative Methods grade (What was covered in this module? Was it an earlier/easier module?), but apart from that your grades are good, and your background is good. I know people who have gotten into UCL with a less technical background than yours.

The rest will depend on your LOR and also your PS.

Hi .ACS.

Since you are familiar with these texts, on top of being aware of what follows what, your advise to me would be very much appreciated.

My undergrad book was "Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach - Wooldridge" and this is the only econometrics course I have taken to date. Is there a transitory text between "Introductory Econometrics, Wooldridge" and graduate econometrics texts such as Green.

Is going through Davidson & Mackinnon a natural progression/prerequisite towards grad econometrics, the way the programme jdubs was enrolled into was structured? And if it is, and it is not advisible to get straght to the likes of Green after the Introductory Wooldridge, what other than Davidson & Mackinnon good/accessible texts are to be read in between?

How about Davidson & Mackinnon? Is it easy to follow?

Thanks a lot

Reply 556

turdus

So this is kind of a stupid question but I'm applying for the MPhil in economics at Oxford and it asks for two 2000 word writing samples. I have a maths degree and simply do not have any academic essays I could give them -- there's my final year thesis of 60 pages out of which I could excerpt for one sample, but for the other all I have is maths problem sets. Four pages out of my thesis will be completely impossible to understand for a non-mathematician, and my problem sets answers tend to be quite short and terse. Any suggestions?

Reply 557

LordKitchener

4

So here's another LSE-Camb-UCL MSc/MPhil Econ question: not "which one should I choose/is best" but "what are the advantages/strengths of each?" I am ambitiously hoping to get conditional offers from each and wondering, if I did, which to accept.

Leaving aside the cost, reputation, etc, does anyone know academically whether any of these are particularly strong or weak in particular subjects? (Yes, I know they are all very quant.)

Oh and thanks for the advice earlier on in the thread to those who posted. Am currently on the Birkbeck Diploma, scoring mid-70s to mid-80s in everything so far, but crossing my fingers a lot due to lack of previous quant background...

Cheers

Reply 558

tooambitious

16

Hi everyone,

Im an E&M offer holder and obviously know the course isn't as mathematical as say, LSE or Cambridge. If I take the most mathematical options (econometrics, game theory/micro and mathematical methods) available would I still be able to apply to the same masters programmes as those with undergrad degrees from the former? Like the LSE econometrics MSc which I think is the most mathematical economics masters (?)

Any replies appreciated

Reply 559