<style> .reveal .slides { text-align: left; } .gray { color: #9D9D9D; } .yellow { color: #f4a7bb; } .text-center{ text-align: center; //文字置中 } table th:first-of-type { width: 50%; } table th:nth-of-type(2) { width: 50%; } </style> ## Introduction to PreDoc Yu-Chieh Kuo --- ## Motivation - Many students here are preparing for studying abroad - Academics / Industry - Environments and preparation methods vary from different fields - Some skills and mindsets are <span class="yellow">general</span> --- ## What is PreDoc - <span class="yellow">Pre-Doc</span>toral research assistant/ fellow/ professional/ associate <span class="yellow">aiming at academic track</span> - Not only universities but also other private sectors, e.g., Microsoft, Walmart, FEDs - Prevalant in general economics fields in these (~10) years - Economics, marketing, accounting, finance, law, and other social science - Visa sponsorship (J1) is available ---- ## <span class="yellow">Your</span> responsibilities - Data clean, data visualization, literature review, modeling analysis, paper writing, ...  - Work for 1~4 faculties with different projects - Work for 1~? years, usually 2 years ---- ## <span class="yellow">Institution's</span> responsibilities - Visa, salary, and health insurance - Train and improve fellows - <span class="yellow">Place fellows to great Ph.D. programs</span>  - <span class="gray">Fauclty's and university's competition</span> ---- ## Why we have PreDoc - Difficulty in paper publishment - Rigorous co-authority - Long-term research procedure and journal submission R&R process - No conference paper - Data flourishment - Empirical works increase - Need <span class="gray">(low-cost labors)</span> to clean data - Faculties are too busy <span class="gray">or unfamiliar</span> to write code --- ## Predoc & NTU students - The research in general econ fields is not top in the world-class, also connectionless - Committee in top schools cannot clearly discriminate grades from non-top schools - <span class="yellow">Research experiences in top institutions,</span> <span class="yellow">recommendation and connection from top scholars</span> become more essential for the application ---- ## Pros and <span class="yellow">Cons</span> - NTU (undergrad) -> NTU (graduate) -> US Tops (Ph.D.) is harder and harder - Study MS in the US/UK - Students from top undergrad/graduate programs still have to do predocs  ---- ## <span class="yellow">Pros</span> and Cons - Easier and earlier to enter the world-class academic environment - Alternative to enter top Ph.D. programs - <span class="gray">Academic job market is another game...</span> - NTU students are excellent in the world class - Remote working is more acceptable nowadays - Contacting professors directly to seek remote work opportunities is possible --- ## <span class="yellow">Master</span> vs PreDoc - Master: - <span class="gray">Expensive tuition</span> - Few choices of master program in econ field - <span class="gray">Degrees in UK are less helpful now</span> - Focus on taking courses though some programs require writing thesis - <span class="yellow">Receive a degree and grades as a signal</span> - Helpful for the predoc application - <span class="yellow">Receive 3-year OPT visa (can be postponed)</span> ---- ## Master vs <span class="yellow">PreDoc</span> - PreDoc: - <span class="yellow">Focus on conducting research and collaborating with faculties</span> - Treated as a graduate student - Staff of the university - Salary (45~68k annually), health insurance, living stipend, opportunity to take 1~2 courses for credits, ... - <span class="gray">Require the authorization or the visa sponsorship to work</span> ---- - Stanford GSB  --- ## How to apply for PreDoc Common materials include - CV/Resume (academic style is preferred) - Cover letter - Transcript (unofficial is fine) - Writing sample (coursework is avialable) - <span class="gray">Coding sample or Github links</span> - Contact information for 2~3 references - <span class="gray">Letters of recommendation</span> - <span class="gray">SoP/BQ (rarely required)</span> ---- ## How to apply for PreDoc Common materials <span class="yellow">are ALL included in this course</span> - CV/Resume (academic style is preferred) - Cover letter - Transcript (unofficial is fine) - Writing sample (coursework is avialable) - <span class="gray">Coding sample or Github links</span> - Contact information for 2~3 references - <span class="gray">Letters of recommendation</span> - <span class="gray">SoP/BQ (rarely required)</span> ---- ## Qualification - <span class="yellow">Bachelor's</span> or master's degree - <span class="yellow">Quantitative ability</span> - R, Stata, Python, Matlab, ... - Statistics, Econometrics, <span class="gray">Real Analysis, ML/DL, NLP,</span> ... - Field-fitted research experience - Part-time and/or full-time RA - Writing ability, including LaTeX - Authorization to work in the US if you eager to apply for MIT and Harvard. ---- ## Timing - Start from September and continue to Feburary for most <span class="yellow">summer</span> positions starting from July - Starting date is usually negotiatable - Some positions are on-board immediately - Rolling basis or review from a specific full consideration deadline ---- ## Application process - Materials submission - Data task - <span class="gray">Current RA interview</span> - Faculty interview - Decision Processing time varies from positions - My experience: 1 ~ 3 or 4 weeks if you fit the recruitment team's preference ---- ## How to follow opportunities - <span class="yellow">predoc.org</span> - <span class="yellow">nber</span> (National Bureau of Economic Research) - <span class="yellow">**Twitter** (Strongly recommended)</span> - Faculty's personal website - University's website - Some institutions recruit assistants and match them to suitable faculties (Stanford GSB, Northwestern Kellogg, Columbia CBS, Chicago Booth, Yale Tobins center, ...) ---- - Chicago Booth Micro Team  --- ## Personal Opinions - Well-strengthen yourself in Taiwan and radiate in the world-class stage. Faculties at NTU are good - Prepare as early, nonurgent, nerveless as possible for the sake of your mental health - <span class="yellow">Connection</span> is of paramount importance - Open minds to interact with abroad scholars - <span class="yellow">Manage your Twitter</span> and LinkedIn / personal website if you intend to stay abroad for years ---- - Manage your Twitter (Thread: https://ssur.cc/wkvHedPPe)  --- ## Reference Explore opportunities - [predoc.org](https://predoc.org/opportunities) - [nber career resource](https://www.nber.org/career-resources) - [Econ RA Listings (Twitter account)](https://twitter.com/econ_ra) ---- ## Reference Guidance to PreDoc - [Code and data](https://web.stanford.edu/~gentzkow/research/CodeAndData.pdf) - [PreDoc preparations](https://www.predoc.org/about-pre-docs) - University's page ([Chicago Booth](https://www.chicagobooth.edu/faculty/research-staff/join-our-team), [Stanford GSB](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/research-fellows/academic-experience)) - [Quant Econ](https://quantecon.org) (learn computational methods in social science) --- ## Links Access to this slide | My LinkedIn -------- | -------- |  <p class="text-center">All the best to your application ʕ•̀ω•́ʔ✧!</p>