Webinar series: Preparing for graduate study abroad for African students

Webinar
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Línea de tiempo:
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Location:
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Students sitting at desks
Photo: Aimee Hare | J-PAL

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. 

 

The first webinar in the 2024 series took place on 21 February 2024.

Please contact Priya Nair ([email protected]) if you would like access to the webinar recording.

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. This year our webinar featured Dr Monica Lambon-Quayefio, J-PAL invited researcher and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Augustin Tapsoba, Assistant Professor of Economics at Toulouse School of Economics, Linda Maokomatanda, PhD student at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and Dr Marina Ngoma, recent PhD graduate from Tufts University and Economist in the World Bank's YPP program. 

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 2025. 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. This year's edition will take place between September and October.

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. This year's edition will take place between September and October.

 

Not sure if a PhD is right for you?

Read our blog post on what to expect from a PhD and how to navigate the PhD application process.

Want a summary of the advice our affiliates provide?

We summarized the key takeaways in this blog post capturing advice from affiliates on applying to PhD programs.

Resources

Below we provide links to a number of written resources that may be helpful in the application process. They were last updated in February 2024 and may not be comprehensive, but we hope they will serve as a useful starting point in your PhD application journey. 

  1. Application and mentoring support
  2. Guidance for writing a Masters or PhD application
  3. Pre-doctoral programs
  4. Scholarships
  5. Testimonial from a current PhD student in Germany
  6. Application Examples