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March 30, 2024, 12:50:46 am

Author Topic: How do I get into top US university  (Read 1823 times)  Share 

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brism

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How do I get into top US university
« on: December 14, 2019, 04:49:20 pm »
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Hello everyone. I will be studying Commerce at Melbourne University. In the future, I am looking at possible studies in the top US universities, maybe for masters or PhD. What should I be doing to prepare myself? What do these top schools (Ivy leagues and so forth) look at? Do I need to take some sort of exam? Are extra curricular activities important? Or do they just look at my university grades?

Has anyone experienced studying at the top US schools? If so, could you share your experiences compared with say Melbourne/Monash and what separates them?

Thank you.

TrueTears

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2019, 04:59:01 pm »
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Academia or industry?
PhD @ MIT (Economics).

Interested in asset pricing, econometrics, and social choice theory.

brism

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2019, 07:08:17 pm »
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Academia or industry?
I want to keep my options open, so both :)

Orb

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2019, 07:46:47 pm »
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Highly depends on what you want to study.

If MBA, then work experience, ECs + GMAT and grades are all quite important. Getting a post-grad job at some top-tier company like McKinsey and being a strong performer there would pretty much get you a guaranteed admission (75%+ chance) into Cornell/Dartmouth/Yale's business schools if you put in the effort
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TrueTears

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2019, 06:21:05 pm »
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I want to keep my options open, so both :)
It would be good to pinpoint later down the track what you want to pursue because usually you won't be able to keep both options open: If you do a PhD, then industry is not an option, if you do an MBA, then academia isn't an option. Ofcourse there are exceptions, but that's usually the case.

For an MBA, admission into the top schools isn't too difficult provided you have the work experience, GMAT, and impress in the interview. Of the MBA students that I teach here at MIT Sloan, almost all have 4-6 years of work experience at Big 4's and 750+ GMAT.

PhD admission in the top schools is much more competitive than MBA and don't require any work experience. However, if you are aiming to do a business PhD, I do not recommend doing a BComm since that is directed towards industry jobs in Australia. I highly suggest doing BSci and take as much maths units as possible to be anywhere close to being competitive.
PhD @ MIT (Economics).

Interested in asset pricing, econometrics, and social choice theory.

brism

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2019, 12:14:02 pm »
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Thank you guys.

Hmmm, so if I am doing a commerce degree then I am pretty much locked into looking at industry jobs? Is there a reason why science is the preference for PhDs?

rkjthguakj

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2019, 12:25:03 pm »
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I would love some advice for top Ivy League law schools too!! (Mainly Harvard, Stanford and Yale). I know they'll definitely look at GPA/WAM and LSAT and other extracurriculars, but what else should I be prepared to do during university?
2019: Business Management
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TrueTears

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Re: How do I get into top US university
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2019, 12:46:20 pm »
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Thank you guys.

Hmmm, so if I am doing a commerce degree then I am pretty much locked into looking at industry jobs? Is there a reason why science is the preference for PhDs?
In short: yes. PhD in any business discipline is mathematically oriented/abstract and quite detached from reality. Almost all applicants have a science background. A commerce degree (especially from Australia) will not provide enough rigor for you to be competitive. To give you an idea: in each department at MIT Sloan, there are about 800-1000 applicants per year, only 3 people are accepted. This is approximately the same for Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, and the other top schools. Chicago is a bit different as they accept a lot more 10-15, but at least half the cohort is kicked out after the preliminary exams which effectively yields the same acceptance rate as the other top schools. Having a solid mathematics background is only the bare minimum for you to be competitive. A host of other factors determines if you are one of the lucky three to make it in.

I would love some advice for top Ivy League law schools too!! (Mainly Harvard, Stanford and Yale). I know they'll definitely look at GPA/WAM and LSAT and other extracurriculars, but what else should I be prepared to do during university?
I don't know much about law schools at all, but if you are aiming at PhD, your research experience is of paramount importance. I'm not sure what is expected for undergrad/masters.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2019, 12:51:14 pm by TrueTears »
PhD @ MIT (Economics).

Interested in asset pricing, econometrics, and social choice theory.