Diego Lamé, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh, shared his experiences as a student at Universidad ORT Uruguay in Universidad ORT Uruguay abroad.
-How did you end up pursuing your Ph.D. in Pittsburgh?
-A few years ago, I decided I wanted to pursue a career in research, so pursuing a graduate degree in my field of interest seemed like a logical and natural step toward achieving that goal.
Every university has its own areas of strength within the field of economics, so when I began this process, I focused on learning more about what each one had to offer. I applied to 10 universities based on this criterion. Finally, after receiving their responses, I decided to pursue my Ph.D. at the University of Pittsburgh.
-What is your area of specialization in that doctoral program?
-I am currently in my first year of my Ph.D. program, and we won’t have to choose our areas of specialization until the second year. In any case, my main interest is behavioral economics, and that is the area I plan to specialize in in the future.
-What are your career goals once you complete your doctorate?
-My goal is to pursue a career in academic research. In particular, I would like to do this at a university, as I believe that such institutions offer greater freedom when it comes to choosing research topics.
In turn, this usually involves teaching, which I had the opportunity to do at Universidad ORT Uruguay would like to continue doing.
-Do you think the academic training you received in college prepared you for this graduate program?
-Absolutely. I always thought the academic training I received in college was excellent, but when I started my Ph.D. and saw the background that people from all over the world in my same situation had, I was pleasantly surprised by the training I was fortunate enough to receive.
-What similarities did you find between the undergraduate courses and those in your doctoral program?
-All things considered, I think the biggest similarity is the rigor. While most graduate courses aim for rigor and a logical and formal foundation for concepts—and will therefore always be a step ahead of undergraduate courses in this regard—I believe that the courses in the Bachelor’s in Economics program also aim for a significant level of rigor, considering that it is an undergraduate degree program.
-What was your experience like as a student at Universidad ORT Uruguay?
Excellent. I’ve always found the environment here to be very conducive to academic growth, where students only have to worry about studying and learning. The university is organized in such a way that students rarely have to deal with administrative or other issues.
-How would you describe your Bachelor's degree in Economics, both in terms of what you learned and on a personal level?
I believe the Bachelor’s Degree in Economics is designed to be a program with a very clear focus, one that emphasizes specialization in economics. It aims to minimize the number of courses that do not make a significant contribution to the training of an economist. In my case, that was exactly what I was looking for when I decided to pursue this degree.
I think it's an excellent option for anyone interested in studying economics.