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Most Recently Selected profile:

The data below comes from testmagic forums and shows accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants for 2007-2009 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:
mtjsvc 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 3rd-tier LAC
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: straight from undergrad
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 4.0AWA

Math Courses:
calc I-III (A-/A-/B), linear algebra (A), ordinary & partial diff eq (A), complex variables (A), topology (A-), real analysis I-II (A/IP), prob & stats (A), interest theory & financial math (IP)
Econ Courses:
micro/macro principles (A/A), intermediate micro/macro (B+/A), advanced micro/macro (A/A), econometrics (A), game theory (A), experimental econ (A), int. trade (A), int. finance (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ profs (thesis advisor, advanced micro/macro prof), 1 math prof (real analysis/topology prof)

Research Experience: senior thesis (experimental/labor), summer RA for experimental economist at a different university
Teaching Experience: tutor and grader for micro/macro principles, tutor for advanced macro
Research Interests: experimental econ, micro theory
SOP: I talked about my experience with experimental econ (course, thesis, RA)
Other: My undergrad school is small and not very good overall, but the econ training is focused on preparing us for PhD programs. About half of the econ majors here go for a PhD after graduating, with a good success rate in actually completing the degree.


RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Ohio State (fellowship) <attending>
Purdue (fellowship)
Arizona (TA-ship)
Penn State (TA-ship)
Texas A&M (RA-ship)
Virginia (TA-ship)


Rejections:
probably Carnegie Mellon, Indiana, and Pitt since they haven't admitted me yet

What would you have done differently?
I would have applied to a few higher ranked schools and not applied to a few lower ranked schools. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
anothereconstudent 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 research University with unknown econ dept.
Undergrad GPA: 3.97 cumulative
Type of Grad: Straight from undergrad
Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: 780Q, 690V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses:
Calc I-III (A/A/B+), Linear Algebra (A-), Diff EQ (A), Time Series & Spatial Analysis (A), Prob & stats (A-), Real Analysis (current)
Econ Courses:
Intermediate Micro/Macro, Adv Micro, about 12 subject courses and econometrics. (4.0)
Letters of Recommendation: Econ profs - senior thesis advisor, 2 profs I had TA'd for and had in at least 2 classes. They were pretty strong.

Research Experience: Senior thesis, research assignments at work
Teaching Experience: TA for Intro Micro/Macro
Research Interests: Applied Micro, applied IO
SOP: Fairly generic
Other: Won award for best thesis, best econ student. Extensive programming experience in SAS and stata. Economics-related job.


RESULTS:
Acceptances:
UIUC (attending)
OSU
Georgetown

all funded

Rejections:

MIT
Berkeley
Chicago
Columbia
Northwestern
Maryland
UT Austin

What would you have done differently?

Applied to more schools, especially schools in the 5-20 range. Taken real analysis sooner. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
rdblots 2007:
Profile:

Gre: 800 Q, 570 V, 6.0 A
GPA: Overall: 3.86. Math: 3.96, Econ: 3.94 (Econ major with math minor)
Classes:
Math: Calc II, Multivariable, Intro Lin Alg, Diff Eq, Math Stat, Intro Proofs, Linear Algebra (A's), Advanced Calc (A-)

Econ: all the usual undergrad courses (A's). PhD Math Econ (A), PhD Micro (B+).

Type of Undergrad: Virginia Tech
Research Experience: this past summer and fall I RA'd for a professor at my school, I only did minor tasks, but it was still a pretty good experience
Teaching Experience: 3 semesters of tutoring economics (principles and intermediate micro)
LORs: All of my letter writers were encouraging and thought my choice of schools fit me well, so I am taking that to mean the letters should be decent. 1) Assoc. Prof/Head of Undergrad (PhD Stanford) who I tutored for and with whom I took a class, 2) Assist. Dean/Assoc. Prof who I worked with on my RA project (PhD Northwestern), 3) Prof., tutored his intermediate micro course, took intermediate micro and PhD Math Econ with him. (PhD Minnesota)

SoP & Interests: I talked about being interested in applied micro research. I named some professors from each school who had research that I found interesting.
Other: male/white/american. Boring.

RESULTS:
Acceptances: Funding- Duke (attending), Cornell, Boston College, UNC, UVA, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Georgetown
No funding- Maryland, Boston U.

Rejections: Brown
What would you have done differently? I would have only applied to Duke. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
stupidolive 2007:
Profile:
Gre: 800 Q, 550 V, 5.0 A
GPA: Overall: 3.87 Double Major: Econ and Math (BA's)

Classes: (all undergrad)
Math: Calc I through III, Linear Algebra, Abstract, Real Analysis, two semester sequence in Probability and Statistics, Independent study in ODE (current), Complex analysis, Operation research
Econ: Int Micro, Int Macro, Econometrics, bunch of others
Type of Undergrad: 30th LAC
Research Experience: departmental honors thesis...unfinished as of application time. Research assistant for 3 professors for the last 3 years

Teaching Experience: TA for calc, econ

LORs: One math, 2 econs

SoP & Interests: my SOP was nothing special. interested in development or international. said i want to work in the bank. but i think i can change now :D

Other: Female international. Applying as a senior in college. Graduating with departmental and college honor


Admission Decision Results:
Admitted: UMD (no $), GWU (18k), OSU (15k)
Rejected: Cornell, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley
Probably going to OSU

I wish I had applied more! Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
TruDog 2007:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top-five public LAC
Undergrad GPA: 3.69, cum laude and with general honors
Type of Grad: None
GRE: Q800, V610, A5.0
Math Courses: Calc I/II/III (B/A/C), differential equations (pass), linear algebra (C?), nonparametric stats (B), two semesters of graduate probability (C/C?)
Econ Courses: Intermediate micro/macro (A/A), mathematical economics (B), econometrics (B), numerous electives (3.7 major GPA)

Letters of Recommendation: Strong, but from unknown professors (one each in economics, finance, and statistics--all familiar with my research)
Research Experience: Presented finance research at American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences' annual conference, also submitted to professional journals. Also interned at US Treasury's Office of Economic Policy in Washington.
Research Interests: Public (higher education, pensions)
SOP: Fairly general--highlighted my writing and research experiences

RESULTS:

Acceptances: Wisconsin (no $), Ohio State (deferred one quarter)
Rejections: Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Emory, Duke, WUSTL, Iowa, Virginia

What would you have done differently?
My problem was that my institution never emphasized the quantitative aspects of economics, so I had to overload on math courses late in the game after discovering econphd.net. That hurt my GPA, which certainly hurt the strength of my application.

Advice: Take math courses early on, and do lots of research and writing. My writing background was the only reason why I got accepted anywhere. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Andronicus 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Regional state university in North Carolina
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: Same as undergrad

Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0
GRE: 760Q / 720V / 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calculus I-IV, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Introduction to Topology, Probability and Statistics I, Advanced Calculus I. Taking Probability and Statistics II and Advanced Calculus II this spring.
Econ Courses: All the basic micro, macro, and econometrics for BS and MS, plus electives in mostly applied micro fields.
Other Courses: Logic

Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ professors (Ohio State, Iowa, South Carolina), 2 of whom I have done research with. One more from the math professor (Michigan State) who taught my topology and advanced calculus courses.
Research Experience: I did a master's research project on dividend taxes. A further paper on this topic, coauthored with several professors (including one of my letter writers), is currently under review. I worked with another letter writer on a project examining the impact of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment on surrounding residential housing values. I've also worked with a professor in the geography department on a study of public transportation cost-effectiveness in North Carolina and another study of traffic congestion relief.
Teaching Experience: During my MS program I was the economics department tutor for managerial economics. I've also tutored and/or TA'd for many other courses at the undergrad, MBA, and PhD Public Policy levels. Last semester, I taught micro principles at the local community college. I'm teaching macro principles this semester.
Research Interests: Public, Urban/Regional, Experimental
SOP: Mostly talked about my coursework and research experience, with the last paragraph customized to the school.

Other: American male, 26, married (no kids)

RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT-Austin ($?), Ohio State ($?), Pittsburgh ($), Vanderbilt ($$$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Northwestern

Pending: UIUC, Indiana, Houston, Georgia State

What would you have done differently?: Worked extra hard to improve my GRE Q-score. Applied to a couple more top-20 programs instead of Houston and Georgia State. Applied to Wharton Applied Economics instead of Northwestern. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
ward 2008:
PROFILE:
School: Oklahoma State University
Type of Undergrad: Economics (Honors) and Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (4.0 Econ, ~3.8 Math)

Type of Grad: none
GRE: V 530, Q 790, A 5.0

Math Courses: Calculus 1-3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Calc. of Several Variables, Intro. to Modern Algebra, Intro. to Modern Analysis, Mathematical Statistics 1 & 2, Mathematical Modeling, Advanced Calc 1.

Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Public Finance, History of Economic Thought, Econ Development, Econometrics (undergrad), Grad Micro Theory, Grad Math Econ.


Other Courses: Computer Science I, SAS Programming

Letters of Recommendation: not from well known professors but must have been fairly strong. Two tenured Econ professors and my Intro. to Analysis prof
Research Experience: honors thesis, but nothing substantial
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Applied Micro, Micro Theory, Behavioral and Experimental

SOP: I put some time into it but it was essentially the same for each school; I just changed a few sentences here and there.
Other:

RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Duke($$) <attending>
Wisconsin (no$)
Ohio State ($$)

UIUC ($$)
Arizona ($$)
Waitlists:
NYU
Rejections:
Harvard
M.I.T.
Northwestern
UCSD

Penn State
RA position at NYC Fed

What would you have done differently?
I would have tried to pick programs that fit my interests better and probably would have applied to more schools - especially in the 10-25 range. That's really about all I would have changed. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
needeconhelp 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: large US public university(SUNY-SB), Econ and applied math Major

Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.79; eco: 3.89 ; math:3.88.


GRE: 800Q, 510V,AWA 4.0

Math Courses: Calc 1-3 (A), differential equations(A),Logic, Language and Proof (B), Introduction to Real Analysis (A), Mathematical Statistics(A), Data Analysis(A), Finite Mathematical Structures (B+),Applied Linear Algebra (A), Linear Algebra(fall), Real Analysis(fall),

Econ Courses: A's: Intro, Micro, Macro, Strategic thinking, Regional, Mathematical Statistics, Applied Microeconomics, Financial; Econometrics (A-), Money and Banking (B+)

Grad classes: Graduate Data Analysis (A), Introduction to Probability(B-), Microeconomics(fall)

Other Courses: Intro to comp. sci.(A)


Letters of Recommendation:
4 strong letters(Yale, Stanford,LSE )
Research Experience: Independent research(fall) with Economics honors thesis
Teaching Experience: Grading assistant for intro to economics.
Research Interests: economics of education, family ( i guess labor, developement), applied microeconomics

SOP: probably below standard.
Other: I have been part of a scientific research on arsenic in drinking water in bangladesh. Thus, I have been co-authored in a few science publications. I can get some very strong recommendations from some of these professors who are really well-known in their fields.

RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA($$), Ohio state($$),Duke (no stipend), Wisconsin(no $$ or tuition), Pittsburgh(no $)
Rejections: Berkeley, Columbia, Michigan, yale, brown, harvard, stanford, wharton, Upenn, UCLA, Maryland


What would you have done differently?
-more Pure math classes and actually work harder
-not send my Honors thesis to some school, because it was not that great.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
bertthepuppy 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 private university by US News
Undergrad GPA: 3.61

Type of Grad: a couple semesters of non-degree courses, medium-sized, well-ranked state school
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790/500/5.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Lin Alg, Real Analysis, 3 semesters of Stats
Econ Courses: Int Micro & Macro, Money and Banking, Public Finance, Int'l Trade, Int'l Finance, Thesis Course, Econometrics...

Other Courses: many policy-related analytical courses
Letters of Recommendation: solid, all knew me very well one Yale, one Johns Hopkins, one Berkeley, and one Northeastern (but ironically, probably the most well-known)
Research Experience: RA in undergrad and currently RA for one of my letter writers
Teaching Experience: TA for Econ for Public Affairs and Macro
Research Interests: Labor, Applied micro

SOP: well-tailored to each school, and given emphasis on my drive, with comparisons to running the two marathons I did

RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin (short list for $), Texas (w*it list for $), UNC-CH($), Ohio State (no $), Iowa ($), Colorado (?), Illinois ($), Cornell (no $), Vanderbilt ($), Kentucky ($)
Waitlists: Georgetown (then given fellowship)
Rejections: Duke, Michigan, MarylandWhat would you have done differently? I wish I would have realized that April 15th seems like this magical day when everything will be done. However, this is not always the case, especially if you are near the middle of the pack at some good programs. Even though I've been formulating preferences for months, I feel like they have all changed within the past week. I'll probably go to Wisconsin if I get off the wait list for $, otherwise I think I will go to Texas, perhaps unfunded. Ask me tomorrow and I will change my mind again. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
ephyou 2008:
Type of Undergrad: top 10 liberal arts

Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Type of Grad: none
GRE: 790/630/6.0
Math Courses: multi, linear alg, real & complex analysis, diff-e-q, stat+prob
Econ Courses: metrics, math-econ, history of thought

Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ profs, 1 math prof from top 10 uni's
Research Experience: RA at university, govt agency, private sector
Teaching Experience: TA, math/stats/econ/stata&sas tutor
Research Interests: "inequality," metrics
SOP: spent 5 min on it


RESULTS:
Acceptances: osu, virginia, jhu, ucsd (attending), boston uni, brown
Rejections: chicago, berkeley, mich, columbia

What would you have done differently? i graduated in '07 and took a year off. would have tried to do one of those full-time academic research assistanships Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
MNGoon 2008:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics and Political Science with a Math Minor from large state University top 25ish in general, top 20 in Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.07/4.0
Type of Grad: Master of Regional Planning
Grad GPA: 3.8/4
GRE: 780Q, 710V, 800A
Math Courses: Calculus (multi variate), Linear Algebra, Differential Equations

Econ Courses (PhD-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Public, Input-Output, IO, Urban, Housing, Game Theory, Micro and Macro Theory
Other Courses: A whole pile of Economic Development and GIS courses for Masters
Letters of Recommendation: 3 economic develoment professors (1 UC-Berkely PhD, 1 Cornell PhD, 1 Rutgers PhD), all extremely solid.
Research Experience: RA for Econ Development Prof, thesis, and cited extension work
Teaching Experience TA for Masters level Urban and Spatial Econ

Research Interests: Public Finance, Urban Econ, Spatial Modeling, Community Economic Development, Extension
SOP: Critiqued by Econ Profs
Other: Been out of school for a while, Former Peace Corps Volunteer, Currently working for a non-profit loan fund

RESULTS:
Attending: UW-Madison (Agricultural and Applied Economics)
Acceptances: Applied/Ag Econ Programs: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia State, Clemson

Waitlists:
Rejections: Econ Programs: Brown, BU, UMass-Amherst, UConn Applied: Cornell, Wharton, UNC
What would you have done differently? Maybe not have waited until I turned 30 to accept an offer. In all seriousness, as far as the application process goes, I would not have done anything differently. I spent last summer talking to former professors and asked them to introduce me to the people they know in departments that they thought would be a good fit for me. I also talked to them extensively about my interests and the work I had done with them in the past so that they would have more information to draw upon when writing the LORs. As a result, I got into more, and better programs than my profile may have suggested. I am though going to get my *** handed to me at Madison. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Andronicus 2008:

Quote:







Originally Posted by Andronicus
(Post 556865)

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Regional state university in North Carolina

Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: Same as undergrad
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0
GRE: 760Q / 720V / 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calculus I-IV, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Introduction to Topology, Probability and Statistics I, Advanced Calculus I. Taking Probability and Statistics II and Advanced Calculus II this spring.
Econ Courses: All the basic micro, macro, and econometrics for BS and MS, plus electives in mostly applied micro fields.

Other Courses: Logic
Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ professors (Ohio State, Iowa, South Carolina), 2 of whom I have done research with. One more from the math professor (Michigan State) who taught my topology and advanced calculus courses.
Research Experience: I did a master's research project on dividend taxes. A further paper on this topic, coauthored with several professors (including one of my letter writers), is currently under review. I worked with another letter writer on a project examining the impact of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment on surrounding residential housing values. I've also worked with a professor in the geography department on a study of public transportation cost-effectiveness in North Carolina and another study of traffic congestion relief.
Teaching Experience: During my MS program I was the economics department tutor for managerial economics. I've also tutored and/or TA'd for many other courses at the undergrad, MBA, and PhD Public Policy levels. Last semester, I taught micro principles at the local community college. I'm teaching macro principles this semester.
Research Interests: Public, Urban/Regional, Experimental

SOP: Mostly talked about my coursework and research experience, with the last paragraph customized to the school.
Other: American male, 26, married (no kids)

RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT-Austin ($?), Ohio State ($?), Pittsburgh ($), Vanderbilt ($$$)
Waitlists: None

Rejections: Northwestern
Pending: UIUC, Indiana, Houston, Georgia State

What would you have done differently?: Worked extra hard to improve my GRE Q-score. Applied to a couple more top-20 programs instead of Houston and Georgia State. Applied to Wharton Applied Economics instead of Northwestern.






UPDATED RESULTS:
Acceptances: Ohio State (Fellowship, Attending), UT-Austin (TAship), Pittsburgh (Fellowship), Vanderbilt (Huge Fellowship), UIUC (TAship), Houston (Fellowship Nomination), Indiana (Unfunded, Didn't hear anything until mid-July!)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Northwestern
Application Withdrawn: Georgia State Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
EnviroEcon 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.A. Mathematics and Economics; UCSD, Top20 Econ/Top10 Public University
Undergrad GPA: 3.73 Overall, 3.67 Major
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 770Q, 620V, 5.0AWA (5.5AWA the first time I took it, like they care)

Math Courses: Calc I,II (B+, A-) Mutil-Var Calc (A+), Diff Eqs (A-), Linear Alg (A), Real Analysis I,II (B,C), Math Stats I,II (A-,A), Probability (B), Adv Linear Alg (A+)
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (A), Inter. Macro I,II (A,A), Inter. Micro (A,A+), Game Theory (A-), Public Policy (A), Metrics III (A), Econ of Oceanic Resources (A)
Letters of Recommendation: Not "A" list profs, but I'm sure enthusiastic: Math prof (UCSD PhD) who I RAed for, History prof (Harvard PhD) from minor in Hebrew Lang and Lit, Senior Analyst from consulting firm
Research Interests: Environmental and Resource Economics

SOP: Relatively strong I'm told, then again, who's to judge but the adcoms.
Teaching Experience: None at the university level, but tutored for two years during BA at local elementary (math/reading/kickball).
Research Experience: Summer RA in Math dept studying mathematical transformations, Independent Research on Economic Sanctions
Work Experience: Research Analyst for 1+ year at consulting firm doing market/econometric research for the housing industry.


RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland AREc, UCSB, Oregon St. ARE, Ohio St. AED, UArizona, Colorado @ Boulder, Riverside, Cornell AEM MS, Davis ARE MS
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, UCLA, UCSD
Pending: USC (don't care)
What would you have done differently?
Applied to some Top15-20 pure Econ programs. Gotten close to Econ profs for LORs (had 0 among my 3). Relieved at the time, my C in RA II killed me. Taken PhD Micro/Metrics in undergrad. Analogous to the job market, two people concurrently aiming for PhDs in different disciplines while wishing to wind up at the same school is beyond sanity. On a brighter note, I believe my SOP was essential at the margin as many programs noted its strength and appeal to their adcoms. Only found this forum after I sent in most of my apps. Glad I obliviously chose Math/Econ major, otherwise I'd be screwed. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
IrrationalActor 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private research university, USNWR undergrad ranking around 70, econ PhD program not highly ranked
Undergrad GPA: 3.9, 3.99 in econ, 3.85 in math
Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q 560V 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-IV, Linear Algebra, Advanced Calculus, Probability, Math Stats, Regression, Grad Math Stats I II (In Progress), Real Analysis. A's in everything except Calc III and IV.
Econ Courses: Many
"Important" Courses: Intermediate Micro, Advanced Macro, Mathematical Economics, Econometrics. Also a Masters level research seminar in transition economies. All A's except for an A- in advanced macro
Letters of Recommendation: I used 4 letters: the Department Chair, I wrote an independent research paper for his class (PhD Stanford), an econometrician I'm doing research with (PhD Berkeley), a statistics professor, and my thesis supervisor. All are full professors, and the econometrician is very well known, though in a somewhat esoteric subfield of econometric theory.

Research Experience: RA on an applied econometrics project, wrote a senior thesis.
Teaching Experience: One semester as a TA for principles of microeconomics
Research Interests: Applied Micro (Labor, Urban, Education), Econometrics
SOP: Not really sure how to judge. I spent a decent amount of time on it and used the same basic outline for each school and changed the last paragraph.
Other: Transferred from a very low-ranked school after my freshman year.
RESULTS:
Attending: Wisconsin ($)

Admitted, Declined: UVA (No$), UT-Austin (No$), OSU($$), MSU($)
Rejected: Maryland, Michigan, Yale, Duke, WUSTL, Berkeley ARE, UCSD, UChicago
Never Heard From: Cornell
What I would have done differently: I would have attended a more well-known undergrad and built stronger relationships with my letter-writers. I was also considering taking an additional year of courses like PhD Micro, Econometrics, and Measure theory and shooting for the top 10s, but I am quite happy with Wisconsin. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
bigleaguechew 2009:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ / B.S. Math from a top 100 econphd.net public school
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 Overall, 4.0 Econ, 4.0 Math
GRE: 790Q, 610V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: One year of real analysis (A+'s); two quarters each of theoretical linear algebra (A+'s), numerical analysis (A+'s), math prob stat, nonlinear dynamics and chaos; one quarter each of PDE's, abstract algebra and complex analysis

Econ Courses: applied metrics (A+'s), public finance (A+'s), labor, game theory (A+), and a few others in addition to intermediate micro/macro
Letters of Recommendation: It seems as though I had one very respected letter writer, and other letters were more or less ignored at many schools (just what I gathered from my conversations with grad directors where I was accepted)
Research Experience: Virtually none. Started an undergrad research project that was never finished
Work Experience: 2 years in consulting (business, but not econ)

Research Interests: Applied micro, IO
SOP: Talked about how my experiences and coursework have influenced my research interests. Tailored last paragraph to each school I applied to. I cannot say this with enough emphasis... THE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE DEFINITELY MATTERS AT SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF THE TOP 10. IF YOU DO NOT COME FROM AN IVY AND YOU DON'T HAVE A SPOTLESS MATH/ECON RECORD WITH SOLID RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO SPEND SOME TIME ON YOUR SOP AND START WORKING ON IT EARLY!
Concerns: I had about a year straight of abysmal grades (yes, we're talking about F's and W's here people) in my sophomore year of college due to some family issues. I think it was important that this occurred when I was an english major, and I made up for it by excelling in all of my econ and math courses. So, if you have screwed up and permanently marred your transcript like I did, HOPE IS NOT LOST! It just means that you have to work extra hard to outperform your classmates from here on out.

RESULTS:
Attending: UCSD ($)

Admitted, Declined: Stanford GSB Marketing ($$$$$$$$), Penn State ($$), WUSTL ($), UNC ($/2), UVA ($), Texas ($$), ASU ($$), Arizona ($$), Pittsburgh ($), Ohio State ($), U of Washinton ($), Maryland (stiffed me)
Waitlists: Minnesota, BU
Rejections: Top 10, NYU, Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, JHU, Wharton (but it doesn't count in my mind cuz I hardly showed up for the interview)
Never heard back from: USC (not that I care anymore, but seriously WTF?)

What would you have done differently?

Nothing really. I had a huge black spot on my record with that one atrocious year, and nobody knew how that would affect me. My letter writers were extremely supportive in helping me apply to as many places as I could afford, and cover a broad spectrum of programs. I thought UCSD was a long shot heading into this process, and I am thrilled to be going there. I can honestly say that I would have been happy at just about any of the programs that I was accepted to, and it was incredibly difficult for me to turn down so many attractive offers. Obviously, this is a problem that I am happy to have, but you'd be surprised how gut wrenching it is to turn down a fellowship offer from a school that you had been day-dreaming about attending just a few weeks earlier. Still, I would advise everyone who isn't a superstar with stellar LOR's to adopt a similar strategy and apply to as many places as you can afford. 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:
EconJames 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International students. Good university in my home country but not well known.
Undergrad GPA: Major in Econ, minor in Math, GPA 3.8
Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q 570V 4.0A
Math Courses: Mathematical analysis, Advanced algebra, Numerical analysis, Analytical Geometry, ODE, Real analysis, Complex analysis, Functional analysis, Probability theroy, Mathematical statistic, Dynamic optimization, Stochastic process
Econ Courses: many, all basic courses including intermediate marco,micro,metrics.
Grad Econ Courses: Advanced macro, Game theory, Advanced finance
Letters of Recommendation: Not famous professors, but know me well

Research Experience: Two papers published in domestic journals
Teaching Experience: No
Research Interests: Macro

RESULTS:
Acceptances: UMN, JHU, OSU, UBC, IOWA, IUB, ASU
Waitlists: Princeton UPenn (rejected on April 15)

Rejections: UCLA, UCSD, Michigan, Cornell, WUSTL, Rochester, Duke, CMU

What would you have done differently? Perhaps attend a MA first. Or maybe should prepare a paper with a DSGE model.

Comments: The undergraduate school's reputation matters a lot. If you cannot change this, try to get strong LOR then. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
EcoBd 2009:
PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad/Grad: BSS and MSS in Economics in a South Asian University.
Undergrad/Grad GPA: 3.7/4.0 in Undergrad and 4.0/4.0 in Grad
GRE: 790Q, 380V, 3.5AWA
TOEFL: 106 (29R, 29L, 23S, 25W)
Courses: Lots of econ courses. PhD level micro and econometrics. Calculus, probability theory, linear algebra, real analysis etc.

Letters of Recommendation: 3 economics professor from my University. 1 got his PhD from Harvard and taught me Microeconomics. Another did her PhD from MIT and taught me Econometrics. The last one got his PhD from Manchester and taught me International Economics. I am sure that they all gave me excellent recommendations.
Research Experience: Currently working in a research institute in my home country. I also have 2 RA positions in two different organizations previously.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Econometrics

SOP: Traditional. Emphasized my interests in economics.
RESULTS:
Attending: Texas A & M University
Acceptances: TAMU ($$), FSU (no $), OSU AEDE: (no$: informally)
Rejections: UCSD, UIUC, UNC, UF, Vanderbilt, IUB,

No word: USC
What would you have done differently? I think I should really do well on GRE verbal and AWA. And I should be more focused on my SOP. Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
allinwonder 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ B.S. Math from top 5 university in PR China
Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 620V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I,II(including multivariable one)linear algebra for two semesters, math stats, optimization, Analysis I, II, Complex Analysis, ODE,PDE, Abstract Algebra
Econ Courses (PhD-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (2 of them are mentees of Nobel Laureate)
Research Experience: RA for Econ prof
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Experimental Economics, Game Theory
SOP: Focus on research
Concerns: Low grade on PDE
Other:
Applying to: Harvard, Caltech, UMichigan, Pittsburgh, OSU, ASU, UArizona, UVirginia, Purdue, George Mason U Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Rejections:
SMH 2007: Type of Undergrad: No one knows my university outside my country (which is a third world country).
Undergrad GPA: 3.78; Econ:3.81, Math:4.0
GRE: Quant : 800, Verbal : 570, AWA : 5.0
Math Courses: Cal 1-3 (A/A+/A), linear(A),prob(A),stats(A), ODEs(A), numerical solutions to ODEs (A+), Partial diff eqs (A+), Discrete Maths (A+), Quantitative and Computational finance(A)

Econ Courses: inter'l finance, monetary econ., dynamic econ,dev econ,IPE,econometrics1-2, Applied econ, macroeconomic analysis, public econ, (apart from all the regular micros and macros and a couple more)

Recommendation: 2 econ people and one math prof, no big names. i know all of them were full of praise for me in their letters like they are for everyone else
Research Experience: RA for a year
Teaching Experience: TA for ODEs, stats, elementary formal logic, microeconomic-II, econometrics & research methodology (grad level course)

Research Interests: econometrics
SOP: nothing special
Other: a substantial part of my CV and personal statement was only to show my achievements in sports, i know it doesnt count much but i cudnt just leave it out


RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA, Rice, Rochester, Wisconsin-Madison, UNC (UNC funded from univ, rest funded via a scholarship)

Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Chicago
(did not hear from U florida and ohio state)

What would you have done differently? if the econ dep at my univ had not made it mendatory for us to take stupid univ core courses (50 units of that) in SS like politics and sociology then i wud have taken courses like real analysis and functional analysis

overall it was pretty difficult to choose between wisconsin and rochester first and then after that i got a funded offer from UNC so another difficult decision, but i wud probably stick to my original decision of going to rochester

Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
EconCandidate 2007: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small, relatively unknown private university in the northeast.
Undergrad GPA: 3.65 (3.83 in Econ and Math)
GRE: 800Q/550V/4.0A
Math Courses: Intro Calc (A), Calc of Single Variable I (A-), Calc of Single Variable II (A-), Calc of Several Variables (A-), Integral Calc and Differential Equations (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Numerical Analysis (A-), Advanced Calculus (A), Intro to Real Analysis (A), Math Stats and Probability I (A), Math Stats and Probability II (In Progress)

Econ Courses: Honors Principles of Micro (A), Honors Principles of Macro (A), International (B+), Money & Banking (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Law & Economics (B+), Public Finance (A-), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (In Progress), Advanced Public Policy Thesis (In Progress)
Letters of Recommendation: From 3 professors who knew me extremely well. I can't imagine they could have been any stronger.
Research Experience: Completed a summer research project about the term structure of interest rates. Currently working on a senior thesis about funding for public education.
Teaching Experience: Certified Level III Tutor. Math and Econ tutoring experience. Teaching Assistant for Intro Calc and Calculus of a Single Variable II.
Research Interests: Public Finance, Game Theory, Applied Micro.

SOP: Discussed my math preparation, research project, teaching/tutoring experience and my goals.

RESULTS:
Acceptances:
University of Wisconsin-Madison ($) (Attending)
University of Virginia ($)
Waitlists:
Boston College

Rejections:
University of Chicago
Yale University
Northwestern University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Rochester
Duke University
University of Maryland-College Park

Brown University
The Ohio State University
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign

What would you have done differently?
My experience suggests that this process is incredibly random. I ended up with funding at a program that is clearly top 12- top 15, and got rejected outright by many programs that were not ranked as highly. Don't rule out any programs that you have been admitted to, because you never know what can happen, even at the last minute! Overall, I should have tried to improve my overall undergradaute GPA and scores on the other sections of the GRE, because coming from an unknown university probably hurt my applications some. Additionally, I would have tried to complete more research as an undergrad. A combination of these factors might have made my applications considerably less random. The best advice I can give people is that a high GPA, high GRE Math, and an extensive math background are the norm for applicants, and they are minimum preparation to be an appealing candidate. These do not seperate you from the pack any more. In the end though, no regrets at all.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
stupidolive 2007: Profile:
Gre: 800 Q, 550 V, 5.0 A
GPA: Overall: 3.87 Double Major: Econ and Math (BA's)

Classes: (all undergrad)
Math: Calc I through III, Linear Algebra, Abstract, Real Analysis, two semester sequence in Probability and Statistics, Independent study in ODE (current), Complex analysis, Operation research
Econ: Int Micro, Int Macro, Econometrics, bunch of others
Type of Undergrad: 30th LAC
Research Experience: departmental honors thesis...unfinished as of application time. Research assistant for 3 professors for the last 3 years

Teaching Experience: TA for calc, econ

LORs: One math, 2 econs

SoP & Interests: my SOP was nothing special. interested in development or international. said i want to work in the bank. but i think i can change now :D

Other: Female international. Applying as a senior in college. Graduating with departmental and college honor


Admission Decision Results:
Admitted: UMD (no $), GWU (18k), OSU (15k)
Rejected: Cornell, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley
Probably going to OSU

I wish I had applied more!
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
whitewinghk 2007: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: A School in HK, statistics major, no analysis

Undergrad GPA: 3.66, first class honors
Type of Grad: A school in HK, MA (Econ)
Grad GPA: Grade A average
GRE: Q800, V570, A5.5
Math Courses: no rigorous math courses, but some hard statistics courses, e.g. Statistical Inference A+, Stochastic Inference A+, Nonparametric testing (A+), linear model and forecasting (A-), Stochastic calculus (A-), Risk theory (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate macro (A+), Micro theory I, II (A+), Macro analysis (A+), Econometircs (A), International trade (B+)

Letters of Recommendation: all strong, two from econ and one from statistics
Research Experience: 2 year RA experience, working on trade and economic development of Mainland China
Research Interests: Development and micro theory
SOP: very general indicated my research interest and RA experience at university and United Nations

RESULTS:

Acceptances:
Wisconsin ($), Boston University ($), MSU (no $), PSU (no $), UC Davis (no $)
Waitlists: ever w*iting, Uni. of Toronto and UBC
Rejections: A long list, Minnesota, UCLA, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, Brown, OSU, Cornell

What would you have done differently?
I think I have tried my best or may be I should have applied to some applied econ programs as I have strong interest in development. Yet, I am happy with the results.


Advice: Apart from Math, RA exp really helps a lot, it may make up weak math background. There would be lots of RA opp at any university. The job may be very simple like formulting Excel sheets, collecting data or plotting charts, yet it shines in your application.

For international students, the process can be quite random especially for some are from unknown schools like me. Try to apply as many as possible, certainly you need to take into account money and how willing your referees are to write so many letters for you. Yet, if you can, try to apply as many as possible and do have a super safe one as a back up. I have seen a lot of Chinese students transfer to another school in one to two years.

All the best and good luck
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
wajihc 2007: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 nat'l univ; ECON & PSCI dbl major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.0
GRE: 770 Q, 520 V, 4.0 W

Math Courses: Calc I & II (B+), Econ Stats (A), and Social Sci Stats (A-).
Econ Courses: Intermed micro (B) and macro (C+), Int'l Trade (C+), Open Economy Macroecon (B-), US Econ History (B), Financial Instrmts and Mkts (B-), and Money and Banking (C).
Other courses: Financial Acctg (A), Int'l Political Econ (B), and Capitalism and Democracy (A-).
Letters of Recommendation: One from visiting professor who is well known in economic history, and another from new political science professor.

Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Economic development and int'l trade.
SOP: Spoke about first-generation background, and briefly about interests.
Other: Male, 21.


RESULTS:
Acceptances (MA): Northeastern, UDelaware, Tulane, N Texas ($8000).
Rejections (MA): American and Miami of Ohio.

What would you have done differently?

Taken more math classes, and been more serious.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
baconos 2009: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ/Math from good LAC (~50)
Undergrad GPA: 3.71, 3.90 math, 3.80 econ

Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-II (A-), Discrete(A), Probability and Statistics I-II (A,A), Lin Alg (A), Diff Eq (A), Abstract Algebra (A-), Real Analysis (A-), Real Functions and Measures(B), Complex Functions (A), Financial Mathematics (A), etc.
Econ Courses (PhD-level): -

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Macro (A), Micro (A-), Statistics, Econometrics(A), American Economic History (B+), Ind. Study on Criticisms of Economic Thought (A)
Other Courses: some philosophy, history and religion
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors, all full professors - 2 from Chicago, 1 PSU - solid but nothing too spectacular
Research Experience: Best econometrics paper of the semester, some research on financial mathematics published in undergrad math journal

Teaching Experience: TA for Calculus I-II, Principles of Micro, Macro for a couple semesters
Research Interests: Anything and everything, Applied Micro, Development, International trade, and some political economy
SOP: it's an SOP, not looked into too much
Concerns: Lack of research, undergrad reputation/connections
Other:


RESULTS:
Attending: UColorado!!!
Acceptances: UWisc (no$ first year), UWashington (no$), UColorado ($$)
Waitlists:
Rejections: UMich, Cornell, OSU, PSU
Pending: None

What would you have done differently? Not really sure. I definitely did not make a huge effort to get to know professors (skipped classes a lot, no participation or visiting office hours too much) but I did well in their classes and they liked me, so that could've been better. Recommendations matter! I also applied when I was in a different country away from my home institution so I don't really recommend that - it's hard to get things done. Maybe applied a year earlier? hah.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
decide_aposteriori 2009: PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Large State School in the US
Undergrad GPA: 3.69 (overall including math and econ majors)
Type of Grad: MA Economics (Canadian Uni)
GRE: 760 Q, 670 V, 5.0 W
Math Courses: Calc III, Intro to Proofs, Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis I&II, Differential Equations, Analysis, Probability, Linear Algebra

Econ Courses: Micro (grad), Macro (grad), Econometrics (grad), IO, Topics in Micro, Econ history
Other Courses: Java
Letters of Recommendation: Math PhD Duke, Econ PhD LSE
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None

Research Interests: Experimental, Labor, Neuro, applied econometrics
SOP: Standard

RESULTS:
Acceptances: Uni Arizona, Uni Hawaii
Waitlists:

Rejections: MSU, Purdue, OSU, Pittsburgh, UCSC
What would you have done differently? I would have started the process earlier. Since I couldn't make any December deadlines I was constrained on the places I could apply to. I'm really happy with Arizona, it fits my interests really well.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
tmdruie 2009: So I can get on the shiny charts!


PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Physics and Economics from a top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.14/4.0
Type of Grad: One stats class
Grad GPA: 3.3

GRE: 790Q, 600V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III(I took them in high school, I really don’t remember and nor do my transcripts), Linear Algebra (B), Mathematical Probability and Statistics (B-, B), Real Analyst(A, at a different school then my undergrad), Stochastic Processes (B+, grad course, at a different school then my undergrad)
Econ Courses: AP Micro and Macro (A, in high school), European Economic History (B+), Law and Economics (B), Intermediate Price Theory (B), Intermediate Macro Theory (B), Econometrics (B), Contemporary British Economy (B), Industrial Revolution-Britain (A-), Econ of Multinational Corps (A-), Thesis (labor econ)
Other Courses: Physics, which I put in my math lists. Quantum Mechanics I, Partial Differential Equations (B+), etc. I only did the bare minimum for a liberal arts major
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (my thesis advisor and the person who led my study abroad), 1 physics professor (thesis advisor), 1 economist who is my supervisor

Research Experience: RA for 2.5 years at ‘a central bank’
Teaching Experience: Tutored, graded and lab assisted for two years for physics in college
Research Interests: All over the place. Labor, policy, experimental, applied micro, development, etc.
SOP: Intro, I did physics I can do math!, I wrote a thesis in economic and liked doing research, I’m working as an RA and like doing research, I took extra math and can write proofs, I was part of an econ paper reading group and like reading papers, interests (changed a bit depending on what the school had, and more policy oriented for ag econ schools). Also a few sentences about things I did that I removed or added depending on the school. The 500 word schools were hard, the 1000 word schools were easy. I also had a Personal History Statement about being a female doing math for the schools that wanted it.
Other: Applied for the NSF. I tried not to say anything to risky, and not say much about interest in policy to non policy/ ag econ schools. I like Aikido.


RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston University (waitlist for $), Michigan State(no $), University of Essex (ISER), Ohio State (Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics) ($-Fellowship), Indiana University ($-TA), Iowa State University ($-TA)
Waitlists: University of Minnesota
Rejections: MIT, Harvard (Econ and Political Economy and Government), Yale, Berkeley (Agricultural & Resource Economics), Northwestern, NYU, U Penn (Econ and Wharton), University of Wisconsin – Madison (Econ and Agricultural and Applied Economics ), Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Caltech, University of British Columbia , Ohio State, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Econ and Public Policy and Economics), University of Maryland (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Boston College, Johns Hopkins, University of Minnesota (Applied Economics), University of California – Davis (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Duke, University of Essex, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Carnegie Mellon (Econ, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Public Policy and Economics)
Pending: Toronto MA, Queen’s MA


What would you have done differently?
Gotten better grades in undergrad. When I really started understanding what the things I need to do for a PhD I think I did the best I could, took real analysis, applied for the NSF (if only to write a SoP for them), read papers etc. I probably could have gotten more research experience at my job (co-author), and I defiantly could have gotten better grades and taken more math as an undergrad. But over all I’m happy.

Attending:
Boston University
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
DreamFactory 2009: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BBA (minor Econ), International applicant, not top but one of the best schools in my country.
Undergrad GPA: 3.83/4.00 after rescale, summa cum laude (within 2% of the graduates, but the transcripts doesn't offer the rank anymore)

Type of Grad: Same school, MA econ - major:Economic theory (expected aug. 2009)
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 after rescale
GRE: 800Q, 670V, 4.0AWA
Math/Stat Courses:
Calculus I (B+),II (A), Intro to Probability (A+), Differential Equations I (B+), Linear Algebra I (Aced all exams, A+), II (A+), Analysis I (A+), II(A+), Topology I (A+), Stochastic Processes (A+), grad Real Analysis I (A)
Econ Courses: undergraduate - Principles I (A+),II (A), Biz Econ (A), Monetary (A), Financial (B+), Micro (A+), Macro (A), Metrics (B+)/ graduate - Micro I (A+) II (A), Macro I (A), II (A+), Metrics I (A+), Financial Economics (A), Micro Seminar (A+), Public Sector Economics II (A+)

Other Courses: Bunch in biz. especially in finance (mostly A's or A+'s in finance)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ (both micro), 2 biz (both finance), 1 math (analysis 1,2, topology 1), all very strong but not so famous
Research Experience: RA for 2 semesters (participated in a project), 1 working paper, conference participation etc.
Teaching Experience: grad Micro I (MWG) - 2 semesters
Research Interests: Behavioral Finance/Economics/Experimental, Market Microstructure, various topics in Micro Theory......actually almost everything in Finance and Economics since most of them are interesting (I'll choose them after I get to know more)

SOP: no idea how it look like to the adcoms.
Other: External fellowship.(5 years of tuition+health+18k)

RESULTS:
Acceptances/Attending: U of Chicago (Econ, very late admission!)
Waitlists: none

Rejections: 4 econ (actually I was rejected from Chicago econ in March) - Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia
17 finance - Booth, Kellogg, Wharton, Stanford GSB, Sloan, Stern, Haas, Fuqua, Tepper, Simon, Anderson, UIUC, OSU, UMinn-TC, Eli Broad, Wisc-Madison, Johnson
Pending: LSE MSc Finance and Economics (Applied after all those dings)

What would you have done differently?
I would've concentrated more on my SOPs. Should've had different major in my undergrad (changing major is not allowed in my alma mater, and Biz major had toooooooo many required courses back then). Also, I should have gone for exchange student in the U.S. when young...get some LORs from famous faculties there...BUT I DON'T CARE ex-post, I got into one of my favorite school!
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
Waitlists:
Luckykid 2008: Undergrad Institution: UW-Milwaukee
Major: Economics/Math Minor

GPA: 3.4 (3.6 Econ) (3.6 Math)(3.6, 3.75, 3.8 The last 3 semesters)
GRE: 770q 460v 4AWA
Tofel: I am an American but my verbal suggests otherwise...
Courses:
301 Int. Micro B
302 Int. Macro A

325 Money B
353 Devlop A
413 Stats B
351 Intro Int A
447 Labor A
513 Econometrics B

454 Trade A
404 Game Theory B
506 Math Econ I A-
Spring: Math Econ II

Math:
Business Calc A

Calc I B
Calc II A
Intro to Proofs B+
Spring: Calc III, Linear Algebra

Research: Working on undergrad research two semesters...nothing special.
LOR: 1 should be stellar Associate prof(U-Mich)., 2 others pretty good-good one assoc. one tenured.


Interests: Experimental, Applied Micro, Labor

Results: Admissions:
Michigan State University ($0)
University of Arizona ($0)
University of Kentucky ($12+3)
Florida State University ($16+3)
University of Georgia ($p*nding)

University of Houston ($9.5+6)
University of Tennessee ($14)
University of Connecticut (MA)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MA-spring)

Rejections:
University of Michigan Ann-Arbor
University of Virginia
University of Iowa

Pennsylvania State University
University of Indiana-Bloomington
Vanderbilt
Arizona State University
Iowa State University
North Carolina State University
Rice University
University of Oregon
University of Massachusetts


Waiting:
Ohio State University (Long Shot)
Texas A&M University (Perhaps)
Purdue University (Probable)
Virginia Polytechnic and State University (Probable)

Goals: Tenure track at a Ph.D. Granting research institution. To live comfortably(upper middle), like my job, and be able to spend ample time with my family.


What I Learned: Applying to all of these school was worth it by far; if I was not getting married I would go to MSU in a heart beat. I think my profile is weak for that institution but the probability jump of many applications has paid off in the upper level schools. Almost all if not all of the schools I got accepted to are top in the areas I mentioned in my sop. I strongly believe that your SOP is a YES OR NO qualifier in the admissions process. It is hard to gauge what schools are good in what field so I think I should have asked my professors before I applied to better position my SOP and eliminate schools that are not fits and add schools that are.
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists:
tmdruie 2009: So I can get on the shiny charts!


PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Physics and Economics from a top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.14/4.0
Type of Grad: One stats class
Grad GPA: 3.3

GRE: 790Q, 600V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III(I took them in high school, I really don’t remember and nor do my transcripts), Linear Algebra (B), Mathematical Probability and Statistics (B-, B), Real Analyst(A, at a different school then my undergrad), Stochastic Processes (B+, grad course, at a different school then my undergrad)
Econ Courses: AP Micro and Macro (A, in high school), European Economic History (B+), Law and Economics (B), Intermediate Price Theory (B), Intermediate Macro Theory (B), Econometrics (B), Contemporary British Economy (B), Industrial Revolution-Britain (A-), Econ of Multinational Corps (A-), Thesis (labor econ)
Other Courses: Physics, which I put in my math lists. Quantum Mechanics I, Partial Differential Equations (B+), etc. I only did the bare minimum for a liberal arts major
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (my thesis advisor and the person who led my study abroad), 1 physics professor (thesis advisor), 1 economist who is my supervisor

Research Experience: RA for 2.5 years at ‘a central bank’
Teaching Experience: Tutored, graded and lab assisted for two years for physics in college
Research Interests: All over the place. Labor, policy, experimental, applied micro, development, etc.
SOP: Intro, I did physics I can do math!, I wrote a thesis in economic and liked doing research, I’m working as an RA and like doing research, I took extra math and can write proofs, I was part of an econ paper reading group and like reading papers, interests (changed a bit depending on what the school had, and more policy oriented for ag econ schools). Also a few sentences about things I did that I removed or added depending on the school. The 500 word schools were hard, the 1000 word schools were easy. I also had a Personal History Statement about being a female doing math for the schools that wanted it.
Other: Applied for the NSF. I tried not to say anything to risky, and not say much about interest in policy to non policy/ ag econ schools. I like Aikido.


RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston University (waitlist for $), Michigan State(no $), University of Essex (ISER), Ohio State (Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics) ($-Fellowship), Indiana University ($-TA), Iowa State University ($-TA)
Waitlists: University of Minnesota
Rejections: MIT, Harvard (Econ and Political Economy and Government), Yale, Berkeley (Agricultural & Resource Economics), Northwestern, NYU, U Penn (Econ and Wharton), University of Wisconsin – Madison (Econ and Agricultural and Applied Economics ), Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Caltech, University of British Columbia , Ohio State, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Econ and Public Policy and Economics), University of Maryland (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Boston College, Johns Hopkins, University of Minnesota (Applied Economics), University of California – Davis (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Duke, University of Essex, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Carnegie Mellon (Econ, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Public Policy and Economics)
Pending: Toronto MA, Queen’s MA


What would you have done differently?
Gotten better grades in undergrad. When I really started understanding what the things I need to do for a PhD I think I did the best I could, took real analysis, applied for the NSF (if only to write a SoP for them), read papers etc. I probably could have gotten more research experience at my job (co-author), and I defiantly could have gotten better grades and taken more math as an undergrad. But over all I’m happy.

Attending:
Boston University
Accepts: Rejects: Waitlists: