Navigating the PhD admissions process

Summary

This resource compiles advice from J-PAL-affiliated researchers who have served on admissions committees at North American and European universities as well as the authors' own experiences, offering insights on how to craft a competitive application.¹

Your PhD application is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique passion and aptitude for research and how well your background and goals align with the program to which you are applying. Putting together a competitive application involves thoughtful preparation and thinking ahead.

Showcasing your quantitative skills

An applicant’s undergraduate major does not need to be the same field of study as the discipline of their PhD, especially if they can demonstrate strong skills related to math and statistics and an understanding of what research in their PhD discipline entails. 

Coursework

Admissions committees for economics programs typically consider quantitative preparation as one of the most important qualifications for a PhD. Showcasing your quantitative skills clearly can ensure your application makes it through the first screening round.

• Your application should include a complete account of your quantitative background. Committees will look closely at undergraduate and master’s (if applicable) transcripts, particularly courses that focus on quantitative skills, such as multivariate calculus, linear algebra, real analysis, and statistics. Being specific about the quantitative courses you have taken (e.g., noting the textbooks used) can give the admissions committee context on the quality of the courses—especially if you took the courses at a university the committee is less familiar with or if you have taken quantitative courses outside of traditional education.
• Experience with software or programming languages used for statistical analysis, web scraping, and data cleaning, such as Stata, R, and Python is very helpful for completing PhD coursework and research and may make applicants’ more competitive for admission.

GRE

Most economics PhD programs still pay attention to GRE scores despite their known limitations. In order to be competitive for top-ranked economics programs that accept GRE scores (even if they are optional), applicants may need to score in the 90th percentile or above in the quantitative section (see advice from Professors Chris Blattman and Dick Startz).

• Plan to practice extensively for the GRE. The GRE score is often one of the first metrics considered when reviewing applications, so it is important that your quant score is strong. However, the GRE is tricky because it doesn’t just require technical skills but also test-taking skills. Specifically, one big challenge of the GRE is the timing. Using online resources to practice and test yourself in different settings and under the required circumstances can help strengthen your familiarity with the format. 
• Retake the GRE if your quantitative score is insufficient. While formal requirements vary by university, economics programs often require a GRE score above the 80th or 85th percentile, and top-ranked programs often expect a score above the 90th or 95th percentile. It is possible to take the GRE multiple times, and it is up to you which score to share with the schools. Therefore, consider taking the test early so you have time to take it again if it doesn’t go as you hoped. If costs are a concern, research whether there are waivers that can help subsidize test fees. 
• Consider taking the GRE even when it is not required. Your GRE score can be one of the most efficient ways to signal your quantitative ability, especially for students whose undergraduate and master’s programs did not have a strong mathematical focus, or students applying from schools where the grading system will be less familiar to admissions committees (e.g. if you studied outside of the US and are applying to US PhD programs). There is, therefore, value in sharing a strong GRE score even when the GRE is not required.
• Experience with software or programming languages used for statistical analysis, web scraping, and data cleaning, such as Stata, R, and Python is very helpful for completing PhD coursework and research and may make applicants’ more competitive for admission.

Letters of recommendation

Letters of recommendation should be personalized to you as a candidate and must expand on your unique skills and abilities beyond the experiences listed on your CV. Professors who can speak to applicants’ specific interests, experience, and research potential beyond their performance in class can typically write the strongest and most compelling letters of recommendation.

• Put careful thought into whom you choose to write your letter. All else equal, letters of recommendation from more well-known professors carry more weight. However, how well the professor knows the applicant and how detailed and specific of a letter they can write is more important. So if choosing between a well-known, senior faculty member who does not know the applicant well versus a junior faculty member who can speak to one’s specific strengths and research interests, choose the latter.
• Your letter of recommendation needs to speak to your research capacity. Ideally, your letter should be written by someone who has a PhD and is familiar with the research process, which can provide additional credibility to your application. It is also important that your letter writer has experience working with you in a research setting and can speak to your individual strengths and abilities.
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate, and ask for a letter of recommendation from someone who can best balance them. Ask your referees directly if they would be able to write you a strong recommendation, and give them the opportunity to say no. If your letter writer is not familiar with writing a recommendation letter, you can share examples of letters or match them to someone more experienced with the process.
• Ideally all (or at least two) letter writers should be tenure track (or equivalent) faculty members in the same discipline who publish in top journals, and no more than one should be a professional recommendation (e.g., from a supervisor at an unrelated job). See further advice on letters of recommendation from Professors Susan Athey (Stanford) and Chris Blattman (Chicago).

Statement of purpose

The statement of purpose (SOP) is an opportunity to highlight the applicant’s research experience and research interests. It can describe research topics and methods completed in an undergraduate or master’s thesis or a research assistantship and plans to apply skills from such experiences to one’s doctoral research. The SOP is your most important opportunity to show your analytical potential beyond what is listed on your CV, especially if you come from a lesser-known program.

Many programs do not accept separate writing samples, so the statement of purpose is also a way for the admissions committee to assess the quality of an applicant’s writing. Writing in the statement of purpose should be clear and professional. It should not be poetic and does not need not be highly creative. However, it is not advisable to simply follow templates that can be found online.

• Tailor your SOP/personal statement for each program. Applicants should also tailor statements of purpose to specific programs for each application by explicitly mentioning professors from the university you are interested in working with and why. Spend time understanding the work of faculty and ensure it is analogous to the research you describe being interested in. If the department to which you are applying has separate tracks, your statement should include why the specific track you have chosen suits you best. Additionally, if there are different research centers within the university, mentioning and being familiar with their work can be a good way to signal how the program aligns with your interests.
  • For US programs, applicants may mention several professors who would be good advisors for different aspects of one’s doctoral study. For example, a student interested in conducting field experiments related to political economy in Southeast Asia might mention faculty members who do field experiments (regardless of topic and region), faculty who do research in Southeast Asia (but with different methods or topics), and faculty who study political economy (but with different methods or in a different region). Doing so does not commit the applicant to working with any of the faculty members mentioned but can indicate to the department that the applicant has done their homework and may be a good fit.
• Statements of purpose should demonstrate familiarity with the recent scholarship in the applicant’s area of interest and show that the applicant can identify potential research topics that are appropriate for the context of doctoral research. Research at the doctoral level is quite different from research applicants may have done for term papers at the undergraduate or master’s level. To get a sense of what cutting edge research in one’s field looks like, it is helpful to read articles published within the past five years from top journals in the discipline. 
• Explain any extenuating circumstances that make you a good fit for your program. Remember that the PhD selection process is about two-way matching: You are looking for the program that is the best fit for your interests and goals, and universities are looking for PhD candidates who are the best fit for their program and who are likely to accept their offer. Therefore, if there are any extenuating circumstances that make you particularly interested in a given program, like if you have family who live nearby, it can be valuable to mention this in your personal statement.
• Begin drafting statements of purpose early to allow time for feedback from professors and friends in PhD programs and multiple rounds of revision. J-PAL affiliated professor Chris Blattman (University of Chicago) offers more advice on writing statements of purpose here. More advice can also be found in this guide to applying to PhD programs in economics.

Research statement

Institutions have different requirements regarding your SOP and will sometimes request that a personal and research statement be submitted as separate documents. The research statement (or proposal) should cover the type of research you are interested in pursuing; a personal statement can help build a narrative for your motivations and explain why you are a good fit for the particular program you are applying to.

• Use your research statement to showcase your analytical and critical thinking skills. Your research statement is an opportunity to show your originality and ability in your approach. While not all universities require you to apply with a fully formed research question, and while you are not obligated to execute the proposed research question during the PhD, the more thought out and original the ideas included in the research statement, the better. Start thinking about a research question and a potential research design to address it  several months before your application is due to make sure you submit ideas that are possible, interesting, and well-motivated. 
• Demonstrate deep knowledge of and engagement with the literature from your proposed research area. The research statement should place your research ideas within the current literature; it can be a red flag to the admissions committee if the literature you use is no longer relevant. One way to stay on top of the literature is to find recent reviews, e.g., through VoxDev or J-PAL’s database of Policy Insights. 

Weighting application materials

Each component of the application serves a different purpose. Particularly in economics, coursework and GRE scores indicate to the department whether an applicant possesses the technical (and especially math) training necessary to get through first year theory courses and should be thought of as a necessary but not sufficient condition for admission. That is, insufficient math preparation, low grades, or low GRE scores can keep an applicant out of a program but on their own are not enough for admission.

The letters of recommendation and statement of purpose should speak to the applicant’s research potential, i.e., creativity, focus, and passion for doing research. The letters and statement of purpose may also speak to self-motivation and ability to pursue self-directed work, highlighting relevant soft skills and experiences that may not be obvious from only reading the applicant’s resume and transcript.

Keep in mind that there can be a lot of randomness in the admissions process—not getting accepted to your preferred programs does not mean your PhD dreams are over. If you choose to reapply the following year, explore application assistance and mentorship programs referenced in our admissions process resource.