Stanford University is one of the top global universities and is ranked 5th in the US for economics. Recently one of my GRE students from Pakistan got admission to the Masters program at Stanford University on graduate research assistantship – which is paying all of his expenses. He has decided to share with us his professional profile so that other students in Pakistan may benefit from it.
SEE ALSO: Profile of Pakistani PhD Student – Virginia Tech Fall 2013 [Electrical & Computer Engineering]
Please note that this profile will only help you gauge where you stand but is by no means a confirmation of getting in Stanford University.
In this Article
Admitted To
- Stanford University (100% Tuition Waiver + Monthly Stipend)
- Boston University (100% Tuition Waiver + Monthly Stipend)
- Cornell University (100% Tuition Waiver + Monthly Stipend)
SEE ALSO: Scholarships Available in the U.S. for Pakistani Students!
Rejected From
- Harvard University
- Yale University
- Princeton University
- New York University
- Columbia University
- Brown University
SEE ALSO: Profile of Pakistani Student – UCLA Fall 2014 [Electrical Engineering]
Professional Profile
Graduated From NUST
CGPA 3.90/4.0
Scores GRE Scores: 334 (Quantitative: 170; Verbal: 164) & TOEFL: 119
SEE ALSO: Things to Know About GRE Score! and Average GRE Score for Stanford Economics program
Work Experience With regards to work experience having to do with economics, not very much—helped with a business plan in Nicaragua but that’s about it (had other jobs besides). Oh, and I also TA’d an econ class my senior year.
Research Papers None
Letter of Recommendation 3. Professors at my school (one who had a personal contact here at Stanford), including the one who taught a macro graduate level class that I took.
Extracurricular activities Club Tennis Team
Test Preparation Do some tests and see where you’re at. I know for Economics that they mainly look at the Math Score so I would primarily focus on that. I spent 2 months on my GRE preparation.
Personal Statement I focused on what I really like about economics—the intuition, the search for underlying basic principles that guide the economy. I really focused on my intuition, as I think that is my strong point.
SEE ALSO: What Should Be the Tone of Your Personal Statement?
Any tips for prospective Pakistani applicants? I guess the only thing to say is try your best in all above. I didn’t have any research which I think hurt me. But also be aware that this is extremely competitive, and don’t overthink things if you get rejected from places — I was rejected to 2/3 of the places I applied to. I think there are a lot of worthy candidates out there, many of whom you could make a very legitimate case for getting into Stanford (or another institution) even when they didn’t. But go for it — I didn’t even really want to apply here, but my advisor convinced me to, and 1 year later I’m out here living on the West Coast. Good luck!