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Most Recently Selected profile:

The data below comes from testmagic forums and shows accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants for 2009 for economics graduate school. Clicking on the graph above will make the most recent profile appear to the right of the graph.

All profiles:

Acceptances:
elcapitano 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BSc Economics, University of Sussex
Undergrad GPA: ~3.9+
Type of Grad: MA Economics, UBC
Grad GPA: ~3.8+
GRE: 800Q, 720V, 4.5 AWA. Second time.
Math Courses: Not many, all (A's)

Econ Courses: A bunch, mostly (A's)
Letters of Recommendation: Will have been enthusiastic, although might not have the highest profile in the US.
Research Experience: fairly little, two years working in government, undergrad thesis.
Teaching Experience: TA for introductory courses.
Research Interests: Political Economy, Development (macro/institutions/policy), Trade, Economic History

SOP: Short, dull.
Concerns: Not much real math.


RESULTS:
Attending: LSE (MRes/PhD) ($$$)
Acceptances: LSE (MRes/PhD)

Withdrawals: Cambridge, Oxford, Cornell
Rejections: Columbia, Brown.
What would you have done differently? Not too much, LSE was one of my two target schools. Could possibly applied to more of the top ten, however given the funding and location offered there are only perhaps 5-6 schools that I might have taken ahead, and my chances at these were probably infintessimal. I think British undergrad certainly helped applications to British schools and probably hinders in the US. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
PHDism 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Business Admin and Computer Science double major. A small US University nobody has heard of. Pretty certain nobody has gone to Econ PHD from there.
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (But that was all A's and one C)
Type of Grad: Policy oriented degree in US, one of the top of its kind.
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: 790/650/5.5

Math Courses: Calculus III (A-) and Linear Algebra (B+) only by US applications deadline and before Toulouse. Taking Real Analysis and ODE in Spring, and was able to show this to LSE, UPF and HEI
Econ Courses: Some in undergrad, but not rigorous. A whole bunch during the grad school - but they count as intermediate undergrad level.
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One from econ and one from stats professor from top 10 Econ. Both very strong. Also two professional from World Bank economists, very strong.
Research Experience: Three years at the World Bank

Teaching Experience: TA for econ course.
Research Interests:
SOP: Had a lot of explanation to do for non-traditional profile. Was logical for whoever cared to read it - but I do not know if they ever do.
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances: LSE, UPF, Geneva HEI($$)

Waitlists:
Rejections: NYU, Princeton, Yale, Toulouse M2
Pending:

What would you have done differently? Many things. But mostly taken more math. I was clueless that just third semester Calculus and Linear Algebra was not enough - till I discovered this forum in December. But by then it was too late, and my US and Toulouse applications were out. I have been out of school for 4 years, but I registered as non-degree and am taking ODE and Real Analysis now in spring. That probably helped in European applications sent in February. Maybe indicated motivation. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Fig01123 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big state school; not sure how it's ranked in econ--probably mid-tier;
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: Top 10 private. It's top 5 in econ, but I did my M.A. in East Asian History.
Grad GPA: 3.94

GRE: 800Q/660V 5.0
Math Courses: Calc I-III (multivariable), Linear algebra, stats and Fortran (not a math class, I know, but several apps asked for programming classes) in undergrad (all As). Since this was more than 13 years ago, I've also been taking "brush up" math this past year-- Linear Algebra I, II, multivariable calc, diff eqs, and currently auditing real analysis
Econ Courses: intro to micro, intro to macro, intermediate micro, international trade, public economics, economics of Japan, labor economics seminar, advanced micro seminar (which I took at a second-rate state school, so was a joke) grad level micro class. All A/A+, except the grad level class, which I took pass/fail, and econ of Japan (B+)
Other Courses: I only minored in econ in undergrad, but I started out in engineering, so I have 1.5 years worth of math/science classes--mostly As except 1 class.

Letters of Recommendation: I would've gotten excellent recs from my ugrad profesors, but I lost touch w/ all of them, so I asked my grad thesis advisor (non-econ), my current boss (econ, but no PhD), and a math professor for a class I was taking in the fall to brush up on math.
Research Experience: I do some economic research at work, but it's more like compiling data, so essentially no.
Teaching Experience: tutored math subjects and have taught English abroad.
Research Interests: originally environment, but now that it looks like I'm headed to LSE, I think I will try to do this from a development standpoint.
SOP: standard.

Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances: GMU (no $), and LSE Ms Econ 1 year (no $)
Waitlists:
Rejections: pretty much everywhere I applied! I won't list them all, but think of the schools in the top 20 or so--Berkeley, Yale, Michigan, NW, NYU, Columbia, etc.
Pending: BU. I still haven't heard from them!!

What would you have done differently? First, I did not discover this board until after I applied, which was my first mistake. Clearly, being out of school for over 10 years (well, undergrad), I've been out of the loop.
Second, I waited too long. I had top grades in econ and math (often the highest in the class and had 100 avg in several of the classes), so had I applied straight out of undergrad, I think I would've gotten much stronger recs. But this renewed interest in econ is mostly due to my past few jobs, so I didn't anticipate that I'd be applying to grad school. Again. I think they really penalize you for age--and it makes sense, b/c I've forgotten a lot of my math, etc. It doesn't matter if you got top grades 10-12 years ago, if you can't remember how to run regressions now.
Third, I also didn't take my undergrad classes w/ the assumption that I'd do an econ grad degree, so my classes were very micro-heavy. If I had any inkling that I'd apply to econ grad programs, I would've taken a lot more math. In fact, I probably would've majored in math.
Fourth, related to #3-- I think my LoRs hurt me. I didn't have any strong ones from econ professors. I'm sure my work and my advisor LoRs were strong enough, but one is not econ, and the other is econ, but not well known. I probably should've asked some of my undergrad profs, but I lost touch w/ all of them, so I felt uncomfortable asking.
Fifth, I wish I had planned and coordinated this much better. Between taking classes and studying for GREs, I underestimated how much time that would take up--especially the classes. I spent a lot of time focusing on classes, b/c I knew I had to get As. As a result, the first "free" time I had to even think of apps was early Nov-- by which time it was too late to apply for NSF. Really stupid planning on my part.
Finally, I already said this, but I wish I had discovered this board sooner. I selected the schools I applied to based on what several econ profs I interact w/ at work suggested. One is even on ADCOM for our school, so I thought his assessments would be accurate. He told me to apply to top 15 schools, so I did. I think he overestimated my abilities, b/c as I noted above, I got rejected everywhere. And after looking through people's profiles, I realized that contrary to what these profs said, I really had no chance in the top 10 schools. I should've applied to various levels of schools. Anyway, it's too late for me to learn from my own stupid mistakes, but I hope someone else will. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
freecon 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.90/4.0 (gpa in math&econ 3.96) Top ranked out of 150
Type of Grad: No grad degree
GRE: 780Q
Math Courses: Calculus I-II, Linear Algebra, Math for economists, Math Analysis, Graph Theory and Networks, Probability and Statistics I-II
Econ Courses: Many...Macro and micro theories, Game Theory I-II, Growth and Development, International Trade I-II, Public Finance, Monetary, Econometrics I-II, Time Series

Other Courses: Java, Matlab, Management courses...
Letters of Recommendation: I used five different recommenders. One was a famous prof, one was department chair, others were associate profs knowing me well.
Research Experience: non
Teaching Experience: Tutoring in Econ 101&102 for two years, assisting in CS 123 for a semester
Research Interests: Game theory, Macroeconomic theory, macroeconomic policy games
SOP: I have sent a standard SOP to each school by just changing the name of institution. It is neither bad nor well-prepared, although I spent great time on it.

Other:

RESULTS:
Attending: BU ($$$)
Acceptances, declined: UMD ($$$), JHU ($$), Brown, LSE-MSc, UPF-MSc ($$$)
Waitlists: Brown funding list

Rejections: MIT, Princeton, Berkeley, Yale, UCLA, UPenn, Northwestern, NYU, UCSD
Pending: UWM

What would you have done differently? Firstly, I didn't study for GRE assuming that the quantitative part was easy. Yes, it was easy. But I should have studied to gain speed. Further, the verbal part was horrible for me as an international student. If I had studied, I may do well. Secondly, I didn't apply to Cornell, Columbia, Michigan, Chigago and Minnesota. I should have made a better combination of schools instead of applying Princeton,MIT,Berkeley,Yale and so on. Thirdly, it is the important one: I should have written more specific SOPs. But, it was impossible for me since I still haven't know exactly my research interests. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
rvalchev 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private school. First tier according to US News but dead last in that tier :p
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 - I have another 2 weeks till graduation but hopefully it'll stay this way
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a

GRE: 800Q, 530V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Real Analysis, Topology, Probability Theory, Computational Statistics, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics and Forecasting, Game Theory, Money and Banking, Public Economics
Other Courses: Assortment of Business core classes.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Letters from Econ Profs and 1 from a math prof. I think letters will be good to great, math professor has taught me for 2 years and I've conducted research for an year together with one of my econ profs.

Research Experience: Honors Thesis, RA for two summers but I wasted those summers so nothing really came out of it.
Research Interests: Metrics, applied metrics ... i am open to anything
SOP: It was weak, unfocused and not customized for schools

RESULTS:
Attending: Duke ($$$)

Acceptances, declined: Wisconsin ($$$), Cornell ($$$), Ohio State( $$$), UNC -Chapel Hill ($$$), Michigan State ($$$), Pitt ($$$), Tinbergen Institute ($$$), LSE EME (Research), Oxford MPhil, Michigan (no $), Texas(no $), USC ($$$),
Waitlists: Duke funding waitlist, BU funding waitlist, Princeton Waitlist, Texas Waitlist, Michigan waitlist
Rejections: MIT, Princeton (rejected from waitlist), Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Chicago, UCSD, Penn State, Boston College, Cambridge
What would you have done differently? First, read jeeve's thread about suggestions for people from less known undergrads (it was impossible since it was not written until a couple of days ago, but that's what future people should do). Second, apply to NYU, Columbia and Northwestern (but most probably I would have only taken Northwestern over Duke. But still, my portfolio of schools was a little unbalanced). Third, write a much, much better SOPs that would be much better tailored to different schools. You'll be surprised how much SOPs matter (heard it directly from admissions directors at TOP10 and TOP20 schools).Fourth, don't get RA positions that are in the network of your schools and professors because you are already part of this network, so it doesn't add much to your profile. Go out and work for somebody different. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Visible Hand 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Applicant: International, big continental european country.

Type of Undergrad: Good public university but with a very bad school of Economics. Student of the university honor college (more selective than Ivy) which offers courses on its own, including in heterodox Economics.

Undergrad GPA: Overall: ~3.9/4.0; Economics: 4.0(+)/4.0; Math/Stat: 4.0(++)/4.0.
(+), (++) and ~ are due to different conversion methods that can be applied.

Type of Grad: Two-years Master in Economics (attending 2nd year), best public university of the country, 2nd department of Economics in the country, best in my fields. Enrolled in the first year of run of the program: it was brand new! Also student of the university honor college (less selective and prestigious than undergraduate's).
Grad GPA: 4.0-ε/4.0 or 4.0(+)/4.0 according to different conversion methods.


GRE: 790Q 530V 5.0AWA - TOEFL: 110

Math Courses: Several courses in Math and Stat covering all the basic Calculus/Analysis/Linear Algebra/ODE/Optimization/Measure stuff up to Simon-Blume (Vol. 2) and De La Fuente level, as well as Probability/Inference/Multivariate Stats up to Casella-Berger.
All full grades with mention.


Econ Courses: All the basic undergraduate Micro/Macro/Metrics stuff plus some applied/heterodox/history/quantitative courses. At Master Level, Micro I/Macro I/Metrics I (taking II for each in the fall) plus: Topics in Economic Theory, Economics of Innovation, Competition Policy.
All full grades, often with mention, apart from graduate Macro I (~A–).

Other Courses: Undergraduate courses in Accounting, Management and Law; graduate Corporate Finance. I have lower grades on these on average.

Letters of Recommendation: 1 MIT, 1 Toulouse, 1 Louvain (from the Master program), 1 Sussex (from my undergraduate honor college). I know ex-post, they were good but not too informative (apart from the Toulouse one maybe); the Sussex one was maybe not very good in the "fill the form" part. They were not always all of them four on every place I applied to.


Research Experience: Started to work on Master Thesis in theoretical I.O.; some short dissertations and empirical projects in the past (none of them valuable).

Teaching Experience: In line of principle, not possible in my country before Master graduation. Starting this march, however, I have assisted my MIT Ph.D. recommender in the graduate course in Econometrics taught by him.

Research Interests: Industrial Organization, Behavioral Economics, Microeconometrics.

Statement of Purpose: A synthetic overview of my academic life and interests.


Other: I obtained full scholarships from both honor colleges I have been student of. Moreover, I have been awarded 2-years full funding (tuition+stipend) to attend a top PhD in Economics, by a board of economists from a prestigious private foundation in my country; most schools I applied to knew this. So basically I would have had ($$$$) in every school had admitted me, at least for the start.


RESULTS:

Attending: Berkeley

Acceptances, declined: Northwestern, Chicago, Stern, UWM, LSE, TSE


Waitlists, eventually rejected: MIT

Rejections: Princeton, Stanford, Yale, UCSD, NYU, CMU, HBS, Wharton (Mgmt), Caltech, EUI


General Comments: If you are an international applicant and the institutions you come from are not so well known, luck and connections really matter alot, even if you have good LoRs from famous economists and a brilliant CV. I know that MIT, for instance, preferred two other students with external funding from my country over me, and they both just came from the two institutions with more reputation in sending students to top Ph.D. programs (but one of them I know, she is really a genius, 780Q). External funding might help, but it depends on the school: for some it really does (MIT, Chicago) but for others it does not (Stanford, Yale). It's not easy to decline Northwestern offer! But, in the end, I am happy with Berkeley.



What would you have done differently? Definitely, attended another undergraduate institution, the best in my country, which is very well established in sending students to top Ph.D. programs. I would have not been funded as I was, at least for the first years, but ex-post I would have had definitely very good shots for Cambridge, MA. My parents had the money, I had been admitted, so I really regret it. I should have also tried to do more research with my recommenders in the first Master year: it hurted me, they did not know me enough well (they also more or less directly told it to me). Perhaps I should have worked more in the final undergraduate years to produce a good analytical working paper to be sent as a writing sample: it may help in some schools, I think; but there was not much I could do as my undergraduate institution was a mostly empirical/heterodox place (not fitting too bad with Berkeley!). Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
miaataro 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad/Grad: BSc in Economics (minors in Mathematics, Statistics and Business Studies) and MSc in Economics (+ a still unfinished MSc in Statistics) from an unknown university in Finland.
Undergrad/Grad GPA: Overall 4.90, Econ 4.94, Math 4.83, Stat 4.94 (on a scale of 1-5)
GRE: 800Q, 390V, 4AWA

TOEFL: 111 (29R, 30L, 23S, 29W)
Math Courses: Unfortunately, they don't have illustrative names. I tooks a course sequence for a minor in math that dealt with the basic areas (linear algebra, differential calculus, integral calculus, real analysis, etc.) in more of an applied fashion.
Stat Courses: A lot. Mathematical Statistics 1 & 2 and Probability Calculus A & B + courses in time series analysis, survival models, mixed models, regression models, multivariate statistics, stochastic simulation, computational statistics, bayesian statistics, robust and nonparametric methods etc.
Econ Courses: A lot. Intermediate and advanced level courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics and econometrics + courses in labour economics, regional economics, microeconometrics, applied econometrics, game theory etc. I also took the econometrics core course in the Finnish Doctoral Program in Economics during the ongoing academic year.

Letters of Recommendation: 2 economics professors and a statistics professor from my university and a research director from an economics research institute. I guess they all know me quite well and believe in me, so their letters should have been good in that sense. None of them were well-known, however (but apparently they had some important connections after all).
Research Experience: BSc and MSc theses in economics, RA for one of my economics professors for 7 months, two last summers as a research trainee in an economics research institute, two last falls as an assistant researcher in an economics research institute, a researcher in an economics research institute from January onwards.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Econometrics and empirical/applied microeconomics

SOP: Nothing spectacular. Tried to emphasize my research experience and convince the reader that my educational background in economics, mathematic and statistics is strong enough, I guess.

RESULTS:
Acceptances: MIT, Tinbergen, LSE MSc EME (Research), Tilburg MPhil (2nd year), Uppsala (it was never official, though, as I withdraw my application)
Waitlists: -
Rejections: Princeton, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, U Michigan, UCL MSc


What would you have done differently? Absolutely nothing. I'm still amazed by my outcomes and really happy that I listened to my recommenders advice to try my luck with some of the top US schools. It definitely paid off... :grad: Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
postgradecon 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc in Economics and Mathematics from a well-known but not so good in economics university in Canada.
Undergrad GPA: converts to about 3.85/4
Type of Grad: LSE

Grad GPA: not yet known
GRE: 780Q/530V/4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-II-III (A/A+'s), Linear Algebra I-II (A+'s), Real Analysis I (A+), Differential Equations (A+), Logic and Set Theory (Proofs) (B), Sampling (B+), Prob and Stats (A+), History of Logic (A).
Graduate: none
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro and Macro (A+'s), Advanced Macro (A), Advanced Micro (B+, level of grad Varian), Econometrics (A+), Labour (A), Cost-Benefit (A), Math econ (A), Development (B, abroad), Industrial Organisation I-II (A-, A)

Graduate Econ Courses: Before my masters: Time series econometrics (A), Institutional economics and China's development (A+, with a mini-thesis). Masters: econometrics, micro, macro, political economics (no grades yet).
Other Courses: A bunch of biochemistry classes before switching to econ (grades between A- and A+). Some philosophy classes as extra electives (A+ in all).
Letters of Recommendation: 3 from my undergrad, all really enthusiastic (PhDs from Princeton, Queen's and from a German university). One I wrote a mini-thesis with during a graduate class. A fourth was from my graduate program, didn't know me well, was in the beginning of the first year. I sent a different combination of 3 letters to different schools (deadlines were not at the same time and got the fourth a bit later, more on this below).

Research Experience: 2 years as research assistant in a well-respected small Canadian think tank, focusing on productivity and other welfare issues.
Teaching Experience: none.
Research Interests: Political economy, microeconomics, development.
SOP: Talked mostly about my interest in economics, my research interests, and why the school would be a good fit.. pretty standard and not that good.
Other:


RESULTS:
Acceptances: UBC PhD ($$), UPF Masters ($), LSE (no $)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Caltech, MIT, NYU, Columbia
Pending: none


Attending: UBC (did not want to do a second master's degree before re-applying next year and UPF did not recognize my masters as good enough for their PhD).

What would you have done differently?
As mentioned earlier, I have sent different sets of letters to different schools. Instead, I would have sent the 3 letters from undergrad to all schools and not bother to send a not-so-good letter from my grad teacher. At first I thought it was important, but thinking back I think this might have ruined my chances at most US schools. I was accepted at all schools that didn't receive that letter.Also, I would have applied to much more schools, but I decided late and did not have much time to think about it.

In the end, I am satisfied since UBC is well-respected in its country and on par with a lot of top30 schools in the US. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
ariel1987 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International student atbadly Ranked Canadian University - B.Sc Mathematical Economics. Highest average among all economics students in my university.
Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 730Q/560V/4.5 ; 780Q/410V/4.0

Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A+, A+,A+, A+), Linear Algebra I-II (A+, A+), Intro Probability (A+, A+), Mathematical Stats I-II (A+, A+), Ordinary DEq (A+), Topology (A-), Mathematical Econ I-II (A+,A+), Stats for Econ (A+)
Econ Courses: (All A+) All micro and Marco Sequence, Econometrics I and II, Public Finance, Research Thesis, Research Methods for Economics.
Other Courses: Lots of Arts in first year, and some political Science
Letters of Recommendation: 3 really good ones from unknown profs
Research Experience: RA for my econometrics prof. CUrrently co-authoring a paper that will be sent to a not very highly ranked journal
Teaching Experience: TA, Marker, Tutor for Econ & Math

Research Interests: Labour Economics, Economics of Education
SOP: Standard, nothing special.
Other: Undergraduate full scholarship throughout my 4 years, 3 other internal scholarships,4th best average in all university among graduating students

RESULTS:
Attending: UBC MA ($$$):grad: Acceptances: SFU MA ($$$$), LSE (MSc Econ)
Rejections: Queens (only accepted two int'l students:mad:), Berkeley, Cornell, Michigan, UCSD, Chicago

Pending: UofT (MA)What would you have done differently?
1) Taking Math earlier: Basically started taking math in 3rd year and overloaded to get my degree.
2!) Going to a better university: Couldn't get good references. But again, I have no money to pay for int'l tuition in Canada, and I was fully funded.
3) Not applying to LSE --- I don't know how I was expecting to be funded by them.
4) Not Applying to Queens: Horrible treatment towards intl' students

Overall, I am very happy with the outcome. UBC is a fantastic place for my MA and probably my PhD! Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
desemejante 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from Top 5 European
Undergrad GPA: Predicted 1st class honours
Math Courses: Courses covering: Single and Multivariate Calculus, Analysis, Statistical Theory, Econometrics
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Industrial Economics, Economic Theory (Game Theory, Information Economics, General Equilibrium, Decision Theory)
Other Courses: Finance, Accounting
Letters of Recommendation: 2, both from Tutors, should be solid!
Research Experience: none
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Micro Theory and IO
SOP: Good
Applying to: LSE MSc, UCL MSc, Oxford MPhil, potentially Bocconi & Cambridge Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Rejections:
MorgieLilly 2009: PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.A in Econ-Phil and Math. Ivy League, top 10ish in economics Uni.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85, summa cum laude.
GRE: 780Q, 510V, 3.0W
Math Courses (undergrad):
Cal I, Calc III, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Analysis and Optimization, Probability and Induction (P/F), Probability and Statistics, Advanced Logic, Independent Reading Course, (all As)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro-econometrics (A-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro/Macro(A-,B+), Advanced Econometrics (B+), Advanced Macro (A), Economic History (A-), International (C, took abroad in Ghana.)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ, both well known. 1 math, well known in math. 1 philosophy, well known in the philosophy of science.
Research Experience: REU Intern in geophysics at Lamont Earth Observatory, summer 2007 (My paper was accepted to the 2008 ASLO Conference). Full-time economics RA this year.
Research Interests: Development, Economic History, Alternative Theories in Economics, Econometrics.
SOP: Talked about why I chose interdisciplinary study, my work abroad in Ghana and my experience this year as a research assistant. I stated that I expected to change my mind about my specialization anyway, so I didn't want to state a particular one.

Applied to: LSE, MIT, NYU, Harvard, UCSD, UC Berkeley, Chicago, Stanford, Columbia, UMich, Princeton, Yale
RESULTS:
Rejected: Everywhere (LSE, MIT, NYU, Harvard, UCSD, UC Berkeley, Chicago, Stanford, Columbia, UMich, Princeton, Yale)
Waitlisted/Accepted: Nada
What would you have done differently? I dunno. Feedback from my home institutions admissions committee (where I was also rejected) says that I should have taken more econ (at the expense of my philosophy and science courses) but I would not give that knowledge and my resulting world outlook up for an admit to this discipline, because I feel that this will inform my research abilities more so than having taken much more economics. I have to do a lot of thinking now about whether I belong in this discipline, seeing as the adcoms don't seem to think so. Today is sad.

Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
LagrangeJames 2009: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. econ, B.A. math, large state university, EconPhD top 60
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 4.5AWA

Math Courses: Calc III (A+), Linear algebra (A+), Differential equations I, II (A-, A), Introductory probability theory (A, fall), Math modeling (A, fall)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Optimization theory (A-, fall), Econometrics II (spring)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All of them, including two econometrics courses and game theory; A- in intermediate microeconomics, A's otherwise
Other Courses: Spanish minor
Letters of Recommendation: Four economics professors -- nobody famous, but I had collaborated on research projects (that I had initiated) with three of them

Research Experience: Two working papers co-authored with faculty
Teaching Experience: Teaching assistant for introductory microeconomics, spring
Research Interests: Growth and development, specifically microeconomic development
SOP: Used a standard template for all statements but tailored last couple paragraphs to specific program, mentioning examples of faculty research I was interested in (but did not mention any faculty by name)

Concerns: No real analysis, but optimization theory provided a good crash course
Applying to: Maryland, Brown, MIT, Harvard, Yale, UCSD, Berkeley, Minnesota, Michigan, NYU, Boston, Columbia, LSE (M.Sc.)

RESULTS:
Acceptances: Yale (with funding), Michigan (no first-year funding), Boston (with funding), UCSD (with funding)
Waitlists: Minnesota

Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Columbia, Maryland, Brown, NYU
Withdrawn: LSE
What would you have done differently?
If I had discovered this forum sooner, I probably would have taken more proof-based math courses, which most likely would have boosted my chances at top top schools. However, I think research experience, letters of recommendation from faculty involved in that research and a good "fit" (in terms of my research interests) -- factors that are often overlooked, including by myself -- helped my chances at several schools. Good luck, everyone.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Ecolocomex 2009: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics top LATAM university
Undergrad GPA: 3.78

Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: 740Q, 410V 3.5 AWA
Math Courses: Throughout then whole BA studies, never knew about real analysis. Lots of Statistics.
Econ Courses: Advanced Micro, Advanced Micro, Monetary Policy, Industrial Organization, International Trade, Public Sector Economics, Econometrics

Other Courses: Environmental economics, financial markets, etc.
Letters of Recommendation: Professors of economics who also happen to be directors of the graduate school I attended.
Research Experience: Issues in international trade and industrial organization at the construction sector firm.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: International Economics, Monetary Policy, Financial markets
SOP: Application of economics in public policy issues.


RESULTS:
Acceptances: UBC MA (no$), McGill MA ($)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Yale Phd, LSE MA, Columbia Phd, Harvard Phd, UT Austin Phd.
Pending: UofT


What would you have done differently?

I’d have improved my GRE, and done more research. Perhaps that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and I’m rather into applied economics than a PhD. Perhaps I needed to improve my knowledge of economics through a MA program first, and then decide over MBA or PhD.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
canecon 2009: U-grad: UBC, Econ (Hons)
Grad: Queen's, Econ
Ugrad GPA: 3.5 (3.98 upper-econ, 3.98 math (excluding failed calc 1))
Grad GPA: 4.0? (Not sure how it works here)
GRE: 800q 480v 5.0 AWA (despite the awful verbal I am native English speaker / English background)
Courses:
Grad:
PhD Micro I (A), Econometrics MA (A), Public MA (A)
Ugrad:
Econ:
Hon micro/macro I (A+'s) Game Theory (Hon) A, Hon Macro II A+, + intro metrics I/II (A+) + lots electives (mostly A+)
Honours Thesis, Advanced Macro, Econometrics - A+'s
Math:
Calc 1 (F first time then A), Calc 2, linear, multivariable, ODE's, probability(calc based), intro proof A+'s, real analysis A
Research:
Thesis, which is being developed into a paper with Advisor (not in a publishable state yet though)
Was RA for one summer.
LOR:
2 Assistant Profs, Should be good since one is advisor/co-author, the other I took multiple classes with and was RA for.
1 Professor for PhD Micro class - 1/2 the letters will be mediocre, other half should be decent (final grades were available).
SOP: Decent?
Interests:
Political Economy, Development (Micro)
Applying To:
MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Pennsylvania, Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, Chicago, Northwestern, LSE, Oxford
My Concerns:
My first 2 years of undergrad are poor, failed calc 1.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Peruano929 2009: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, Summa Cum Laude; B.S. Quantitative Sciences (interdisciplinary math/stats), Magna Cum Laude
GRE: 780Q, 720V, 5.0AWA
Math/Stat Courses: Complex Analysis, Calculus III, Differential Equations, Probability, Statistical Theory, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis, Matrix and Numerical Analysis (ISE dept.), Regression Analysis, Stochastic Processes II, Design of Experiments.
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Game Theory, Econometrics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro, Intro Macro, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Labor economics, Public Economics, International Trade, Empirical Research Methods Seminar.
Other Courses: Physics I, Physics II, C++, Advanced Computing Fundamentals, Discrete Structures. My first two years I took many advanced Political Science and History courses, too.
Letters of Recommendation: All my referees are kind, knowledgeable and respected. 4 Ph.D.'s from Florida (two Ph.d Econ from Wisconsin, one Ph.D. Econ from Chicago, one Ph.D. Sociology. I also have access to Math Ph.D. referees from Florida and Georgia Tech.
Research Experience: McNair Scholar's Research in Regulatory Economics (presented at Maryland); research assistant to the manager of public works planning in Libertad, Peru; database assistant for public records instituion in Peru.
Teaching Experience: Offered to teach C++ and some math tutoring. Other than that, I was a Martial Arts assistant instructor for 6 years.
Research Interests: Development Economics, Poverty Research in Labor or Public Economics, Macroeconomics
SOP: I think it's exemplary. Advisors tell me that my experiences line up very well with wanting to study development economics.
Concerns: No 800 on the GRE quantitative. Won't get into Cambridge (girlfriend is going there).
Other: I would actually prefere a two-year program instead of one because it would give me more time to get aquainted with the faculty. But after that, my intetion is to apply to top Ph.D.'s. Berkeley is my dream school, they are doing all the research I'm interested in, and all other schools are secondary (sorry Harvard, MIT, et cetera).
Applying to: Duke AM, Yale IDE, Florida (Ph.D), Florida MS Statistics, UBC (MA), Queen's (MA), McGill (MA), LSE (MSE MSc), Cambridge (M.Phil), Oxford (M.Phil.), CEMFI (Master's), QEM (2-year).
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Waitlists:
Cricketer 2009: PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA Economics - Top British Uni
Undergrad GPA: First Class
Type of Grad: MA Economics - Top Brit. Uni
Grad GPA: (Exp. Distinction)
GRE: 780Q, 600V, 5.5AWA

Econ Courses: Lots of courses + Grad Micro, Macro, Metrics, Networks.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 economic professors. All know me pretty well
Research Experience: Not much - only undergrad dissertation
Teaching Experience:None
Research Interests: Micro Theory, Development

SOP: Wrote what I am interested in and who I would like to work with. Why that uni
Other: Cricket.
RESULTS:
Attending: MIT
Accepted: MIT($$) - after waitlist, LSE ($$$), Cambridge ($$$)
Rejections: Stanford, Chicago, Harvard

Comments: Was apparently very close at Stanford.

What would you have done differently? Nothing much, except apply to a few more places perhaps. Twas a tad risky only applying to four US places I guess
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists: