Webinar series: Preparing for graduate study abroad for African students
Each year, J-PAL Africa runs a three-part webinar series providing information on pursuing graduate study abroad. The first webinar provides guidance on how to prepare for a graduate program in Economics abroad while the second and third webinars provide information on how to put together a competitive application for a Masters or PhD program in Economics, Public Policy or related fields in North America and Europe.
Dates for the 2024 series have not yet been set. Please sign up to our African Scholars registry if you would like to be informed when applications open.
Webinar 1: How to Prepare for Graduate Study Abroad
This first instalment in the series targets Africans who would like information on pathways to acquire the skills and experience that sets one up for graduate study abroad and strengthens one's application. In 2023, the webinar featured representatives from the Graduate Applications International Network (GAIN) and Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC), as well as several current African PhD students and a J-PAL affiliated researcher who completed her studies in the United States and works at the University of Ghana.
Webinar 2: Putting together a successful application, North America edition
The second instalment of the Pre-PhD webinar series targets prospective African students who are preparing to apply to PhD programs in North America starting in the fall of 2024. Hosted by J-PAL Africa Scientific Director, Isaac Mbiti, in 2023 it featured a panel of admissions faculty from a number of schools including McGill University, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin, University of Delaware, Tufts University, University of Houston, University of Minnesota, University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia and Cornell University. At the end of the webinar, breakout sessions gave attendees a chance to ask questions directly of admissions faculty.
Webinar 3: Putting together a successful application, Europe and UK edition
The third and final instalment of the Pre-PhD webinar series targets prospective African students who are preparing to apply to Masters or PhD programs in Europe starting in the fall of 2024. Hosted by J-PAL affiliate, Kate Orkin, in 2023 it featured a panel of admissions faculty from Paris School of Economics, University of Louvain, NOVA School of Business, Trinity College, Tinbergen Institute, Queen Mary University of London, ETH Zurich and University of Oxford. At the end of the webinar, breakout sessions gave attendees a chance to ask questions directly of admissions faculty.
Resources
Below we provide links to a number of written resources that may be helpful in the application process. They were last updated in September 2023 and may not be comprehensive, but we hope they will serve as a useful starting point in your PhD application journey.