1st Year Workshop

Who is here and who might leave?

Ian McCarthy, Emory University

Economics PhD Professionalism Workshop

What a great group!

Who are you?

  • 11 selected out of 407 applicants!
  • 6 Masters degrees
  • 8 different countries, 5 different continents

Our goal

What a great, diverse group! We want EVERYONE to leave here with a PhD in Economics and on their way to the job that THEY WANT

Our reality

  • But inevitably, not everyone finishes the program:
    • Awarded 91 Economics PhD degrees since 1993 and 31 Economics MA degrees
    • Cumulatively 61 people lost at various stages
    • 17% probability of failing the 1st-year core exams
    • 54% probability of leaving the program for any reason, at any time
  • Who is in this 54%?

Who doesn’t finish?

Who doesn’t finish?

  1. Match with a PhD
  2. Match with the program
  3. Allocation of effort

1. Match with a PhD

  • Challenge of graduate school can be a shock
  • Academia is a unique work environment, may not fit with your prior
  • People change and evolve

Knowing yourself and knowing the profession are important things. Leaving the program for these reasons is not what I would call a failure.

2. Match with the program

  • Interests don’t align with available expertise
  • Faculty move
  • People change and evolve!
  • Program is not supportive

These are clear failures, but they are failures on our part!

3. Effort allocation

  • Inefficient use of available time
  • Not committed enough
  • Burn out

Very personal issues. Everyone works and handles stress differently. But we are here to help however we can.