So you’ve decided, you want to get your PhD. That is fantastic! I had a lot of support along the way and looking back, my conversations with my advisors and peers were a huge help in my plan of action. I put together a list of resources and tips that I found useful when I was applying, with the hope that you will find it helpful as well.
P.S. This list is by no means comprehensive. If you happen to know other resources our future peers could find helpful feel free to drop them down in the comments below!
ADVICE WRITTEN BY EXPERTS
- Chris Blattman on applying to grad school
- Stanford’s guide on getting into grad school
- Greg Mankiw’s advice for aspiring economists and why you need math
- Susan Athey’s advice to economics applicant
- Here is a guide for UCSB Undergraduates Considering a PhD in Economics
- Miles Kimball and Noah Smith have written “The complete guide to getting into an economics program.” Noah Smith has also written on why you might want an economics PhD.
- Drew Appleby and Karen Appleby published an article providing suggestions to help students avoid common mistakes when applying to grad school
- Jesse Shapiro on applying for a PhD in Economics
- More content on Greg Mankiw’s blog
- Advice for graduate school on Karthik Muralidharan’s blog
- Miscellaneous material on Christine Cai’s website
- Useful page by Tal G. Roded which aggregates online content related to economics
- Reflections on Grad School in Economics by Nick Hagerty
MY PERSONAL ADVICE
Given my little experience compared to the people above, I am just going to share some of my thoughts, based on my personal experience. For context, I applied in Fall/Winter of 2020/2021
General Tips
- Take some time before starting your PhD, find RA opportunities and work as a researcher (for 2 or even 3+ years!) Not only does this help develop your interests, it also helps you refine your skills, gain career insight, make worthwhile connections, and overall gives you an advantage. Also, this is becoming the norm, which means many competing applicants will likely have some research experience on their CV.
- Prepare your application far in advance, applying for a PhD is almost a one-shot opportunity, and you want to be as ready as possible. It took me more than one year to get all my documents the way I wanted (GRE, personal statements, etc.)
- Keep everything very well organized. For instance, make a nice spreadsheet with universities that interest you and their deadlines and requirements. Also make several folders for your application documents: CV, statements, research proposal.
- PhD applications are very competitive, apply to a lot of programs! If you are applying to top 10 schools, I would recommend applying to 30-40 programs! It is expensive, but it is an investment in your future. My RA position helped fund the majority of my applications (another benefit of bullet #1).
- Start creating accounts and filling out the application forms on the university websites at least a couple of months before the first deadlines. It is amazing how long it can take to simply fill the administrative forms. Plus, each university has slightly different requirements and you can only find out by opening your portal. This caught me by surprise!
For those interested in Development/Political Economy
- Consider working as an RA for development professors/international organizations. If you are interested in field work, field research is definitely a plus. (Interested in finding field positions? Read the dedicated section here)
- If you see yourself at the intersection between development/political economy seriously consider applying to Political Science PhDs as well. Look for programs with strong Political Economy/International Relations groups. Usually, a background in Economics is a plus when applying to Polisci. Keep in mind that a statement for Polisci is expected to be different from the standard Econ statement of purpose.
- Same goes for Business Schools and Public Policy PhDs. Usually, they are slightly less competitive than Economics, but can still be fantastic opportunities (this depends on the program of course, do your research).
- If you do apply to PhDs other than Econ, just be aware that these are different professions and different PhDs. Do your homework before taking that route.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ITALIAN CITIZENS
- UniCredit Foundation – Crivelli Europe Scholarship: usually 65,000 for two years, deadline mid-November; notification date on January 31, 2021; a link to the 2020-21 edition
- Bank of Italy – Bonaldo Stringher Scholarship: usually $ 33,000 for one year; deadline mid-November; notification in February 2021; a link to the 2020-21 edition
- Fulbright Scholarship IIE: usually $38,000 for one year (plus other benefits); deadline early-December; notification in February 2021; required to come back in your home country for two years after the completion of your PhD; a link to the 2020-21 edition
Did you find this helpful? Did I miss something? Feel free to let me know in the comments below!
Riccardo Di Cato 