How to Stand Out in a Master's in Economics Application?
Having credible and verifiable projects is often enough for an outstanding application
The key issue for admissions for competitive economics master’s programs is that there are more qualified applicants than available spots. Most candidates have strong grades in economics and math. So if you want to get in a master’s and already have good grades, what can you do to distinguish yourself?
The answer is to show evidence of deeper interest in economics. People who demonstrate this through tangible work (research, writing, or technical projects) consistently stand out. This trend seems to hold both in my stint on the relevant committee and in the work of friends at other institutions.
As a result, I decided to write a post on some possible signals, why they matter, and how applicants can incorporate them.
The Signal Problem in Admissions
There are two reasons why admissions cannot just be based purely on grades:
- Grading inconsistencies: the admissions committee cannot have encyclopedic knowledge of every university’s grading standards. A 90% GPA from Institution A might mean something very different from a 90% at Institution B.
- Limitations of prestige: coming from a more prestigious institution with known high standards helps, but there aren’t that many of those by definition, and access to those is very uneven geographically.
As a result, there typically is a large pool of applications who have “reasonable” grades from “reasonable” places.
Effective Signals in Applications
So how do you distinguish yourself if you are in that pool? By sending other signals! Of this, the most useful ones:
- Are concrete (e.g., a project, a written analysis, code).
- Demonstrate initiative (self-directed or minimally guided work).
- Align with skills used in economics (quantitative reasoning, data analysis, clear communication, programming).
- Verifiable: the paper PDFs, blog posts, GitHub repos all exist, are accessible and timestamped.
These are not arbitrary requirements but reflections of competencies that matter in both graduate study and professional economic work.
There are many possible examples of such signals, and I now discuss a few of those that are useful for a non-research master in economics. At least some of them should be broadly accessible to anyone in an economics (or adjacent) program.
These signals and recommendations are by no mean absolute, of course.
Undergraduate Research, Work, or Independent Projects
Perhaps the most obvious example are different kinds of research and work experience in economics and business. This may take many forms:
- A research assistant (RA) position.
- Economist positions at a “relevant” institution (think tank, central bank, ministry, international organization, etc.).
- Data-related position with defined contributions.
- Even a course project developed into a working paper.
These are fairly straightforward to include on a CV. Work experience can be listed in the relevant CV section. Moreover, team and project leaders may often be used as a reference in an application, if the program requires several letters. Independent papers should be listed on the CV with a link to an accessible PDF, along with a brief description.
I tend to pay attention to these things, particularly to papers. If they are broadly competently done (within their scope) and presented clearly, then it sends an impressive signal.
There is no expectation of groundbreaking originality and immense technical skills (if one has them, maybe a non-research master in economics is not the best fit anyway). Just something competent and at least to some extent original (possibly in just applying someone’s kind of analysis to a new country, say). The project also does not have to published (and if it is, ideally not in a predatory journal).
Writing on Economic or Data Topics
Another useful signal is written work on economics outside of course assignments. Good writing demonstrates both economic understanding and communication skills. Effective examples include:
- Blog posts or articles analyzing economic issues (of micro or macro nature), whether theoretically or with data.
- Op-eds or contributions to student publications and newspapers.
This can again be linked in the CV, and people take a look at stuff that seems relevant.
Whether the writing makes a good impression depends on following:
- Consistency: not just three LLM-written posts uploaded in the week before submitting the application.
- Evidence-based arguments: evidence-based arguments that show flexibility when faced with contrary evidence
- Relevance: Topics need not be groundbreaking, but should demonstrate economic and/or statistical reasoning.
I personally like those that apply microeconomics tools (e.g. tools from intermediate micro, information econ, etc.) to some applied life scenarios. Given my background, I would also enjoy posts on computational or statistical topics, though I have not seen any examples in the wild yet.
Technical Projects with Economic Applications
Projects combining economics with technical skills (e.g., coding, data visualization) are also great. Observed examples:
- A well-done dashboard visualizing certain economic and social changes in the applicant’s city in the context of some big reforms.
- A data-scraping project answering an economic question.
- Coordinating collection and access to a particular kind of local data resources.
Here having an active GitHub helps immensely. If the CV includes a GitHub link, I look at it and open at least a couple of repos. As above, ideal projects are both relevant to economics in some capacity and at least a bit original.
Common Questions
Is this necessary for admission? No. Many applicants are admitted without these signals, though (as elsewhere) there seems to be a trend towards more competition.
Does this apply to PhD applications? No. PhD admissions typically require stronger signals. This advice is more relevant to non-research programs.
What if my work is not polished? Imperfection is acceptable if the work demonstrates effort and reasoning. A flawed but original analysis is preferable to no signal at all.
Is this just busywork? Hopefully not. Writing, coding, and doing at least some kind of research are core competencies of almost kinds of economics work.
Conclusion
The admissions process for economics master’s programs naturally favors applicants who demonstrate engagement with the field beyond their transcripts. A few well-executed projects are often sufficient to make an application genuinely memorable.
And a final thought: the current bar for standing out remains relatively low. That may change (as is happening elsewhere), but the underlying skills will retain their value.
