The chart will appear within this DIV. This text will be replaced by the chart.

lovecon 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A-Econ Math double major at large public univ. (top 15ish econ,math dep.)
Undergrad GPA: Math 3.98/4.0; Econ 3.86/4.0 Overall: 3.94/4.0
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 660V 800Q 4.5AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level): Cal 1-3, Discrete, Math Stat 1-2, ODE, Linear Algebra, Prob Theory, Advanced Cal 1-2, Elem. Top, Stochastic Processes
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): lots and lots... loved' em..
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro Theory(A)
Other Courses: NA
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (2 NWU PhD, 1 UMN PhD); 1 from ph.d micro course instructor(well known labor econ prof.), 1 from research supervisor(known in relative field), 1 from undergrad course instructor(not sure)
Research Experience: Independent Research on unemployment(empirical)
Teaching Experience: NA
Research Interests: labor(unemployment, job search, etc..)
statement of purpose: typical format(?)- why decided to go to grad school, challenges, experiences, etc..pretty much focused on research interests. just 1 page.
Concerns: No master's degree & International Student >> Funding.....?
Other: just thankful to my family for their support and trust along the whole process(I am a late starter), wish I could give them all a big happy smile. Also, best wishes to all econ-committed people out there.
Applying to: UCLA, BERKELEY, DUKE, MIT, YALE, COLUMBIA, UPENN, UM-AA, UW-M, UMN, NYU, CHICAGO, HARVARD, PRINCETON, NWU, BU, STANFORD, UCSD, CMU, PSU (now, that's a lot..)

econslave 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics from top 15 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.7ish
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q / 630V / 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I/II, Intro to Statistics, Probability Theory, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Discrete Math, Ordinary Differential Equations, Real Analysis (Note: Some grades were good, but most were not.)
Econ Courses (Undergraduate): A lot of basic field courses, but also econometrics and advanced theoretical econometrics
Econ Courses (Graduate): N/A
Letters of Recommendation: (1) RA-ed for 2.5 years; (2) RA-ed for, co-authored decent article with, advised for thesis, and took two courses with; (3) Took an advanced economics course with as an undergraduate and did very well in the class (Note: None of the letter-writers are well-known, but all went to top 10 PhD programs.)
Research Experience: 2.5 years RA for one professor, 1 year RA for another professor, undergraduate thesis (ranked best), summer RA at prestigious policy think-tanks, 1 year full-time RA position with top 10 school professor
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Behavioral/experimental, decision theory, micro theory, applied micro
Concerns: Lacking in math (not many classes and less-than-stellar grades). Didn’t graduate with any honors or anything.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD (TA $), Michigan (no $), Boston University (no $)
Waitlist: Minnesota
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Northwestern, Penn, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, Wisconsin, Caltech, Brown, Cornell, Duke, CMU, Maryland, Texas, PSU, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth
What would you have done differently? Besides getting better grades as an undergraduate, not much. I applied to all of the top 20 and several others, and got into a few great schools. Perhaps I would’ve taken a different RA position, but it seems to have worked out anyway.

eigenman 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BS Economics/Biochemistry from US R1 school, Top 10 economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.59
Type of Grad: Non-degree math/stats coursework
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800V/800Q/5.0W
Math Courses: Undergrad-level: calc 1-2; multivariable calc; linear algebra; "applied" linear algebra; differential equations; series, sequences, and foundations (proofs intro). Grad level: stat theory I-II, applied linear regression, analysis II, time series analysis I, advanced linear algebra. Even mix of As and Bs.
Econ Courses: Intermediate macro/micro, econometrics, Latin American economics, + honors in: macro policy, quantitative macro, international trade, game theory, urban economics, money and banking. As and Bs.
Other Courses: lots of biochemistry and cellular/molecular biology, intro physics, physical chemistry, organic chemistry. As and Bs throughout.
Letters of Recommendation: Varied. Two from regional Fed economists, one from Analysis professor were generally used. For more behavioral places had letter from coauthor; for programs requiring a letter from an undergraduate instructor, tapped my quantitative macro graduate instructor. I'm sure they had nice things to say about me but perhaps they were not so influential.
Research Experience: First author on an experimental animal behavior paper published in medium-tier journal. Unpublished undergraduate thesis in behavioral neuroscience. 1.5 years (as of now) RAing at a regional Fed, one publication (another pending) in our in-house journal. Two semeters in a biochemistry lab.
Teaching Experience: Nil
Research Interests: At the time I submitted my applications, behavioral economics and evolutionary game theory, but I'm leaning toward econometrics and computational economics lately
SOP: Mostly addressed my background and suitability for graduate study
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT-Austin (wl-$), OSU(wl-$), UW-Seattle(wl-$), Duke (MA), NYU (MA)
Waitlists: UMN, UW-Madison (bad waitlists in both cases)
Rejections: UCSD, Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, UPenn, U-Michigan, Caltech, PSU, LSE(MRes/PhD Track 1), CMU-Tepper
Pending: LSE(MSc-Research)
What would you have done differently? I probably should have bothered another Fed economist rather than asking my math prof, but I was worried about my mediocre math GPA. I also ought've interacted more with professors as an undergraduate, but nearly all of my economics courses were taught by graduates, and I made a decision to go to econ school fairly close to graduation. All of this considered I'm perfectly satisficed and looking forward to relaxing over the summer before putting my shoulder to the wheel in September.

Norsker 2010:
PROFILE: (At time of Application)
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, minor mathematics (At a 'middle' UC)
Undergrad GPA: 3.38
GRE: 790Q / 720V / 4
Math Courses: Linear Algebra, Single variable/vector calc, ODEs, Intro to math proofs. (Listed RA 1 and 2 and probability theory as remaining college coursework). Math Grades averaged to about B+
Econ Courses: A few more UG courses than required, average falls between B+ and A-
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: "Strong" letters from an assistant professor I TA'd for and talked with a decent amount about research and a lecturer I TA'd for, and a favorable but likely 'nondescript' letter from another assistant professor.
Research Experience: Worked a little bit for a labor economist, acquired funding for and ran a pilot experiment
Research Interests: Experimental, assorted micro topics
SOP: I wrote my essays a couple days before they were due; slightly modified SoP for later applications
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCI($$, TA), Pitt(?), Arizona(No $)
Waitlists: Caltech(eventually rejected)
Rejections: University of Zurich(This one was a complete surprise), UVA, NYU, CMU
What would you have done differently?
Applied to a slightly wider range of schools , started taking math a lot earlier(my biggest regret), procrastinated much less, studied more than 4-5 hours for the GRE, worked harder to get a paper published, put more care into crafting my SoP, gotten more exercise. It probably would have helped if my letter of recommendation writers were more established.
The usual.

amber4e86 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Unranked small university in NY, but I am an Honors College student
Undergrad GPA: 3.8, 4.0 in Econ and Math
Type of Grad: BA, majors in Economics and International Studies. Minors in Spanish and Political Science
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 590/800/5.5
Math Courses: Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Intro to Statistics, Math Methods for Economists (Had not taken Linear and Calc II at the time of application)
Econ Courses: Micro I and II, Macro I and II, Environmental, Development, Systems of Political Economy, International Political Economy, Industrial Organization, Money and Banking
Other Courses: a lot of International Relations and Poli Sci, a lot of Spanish, Honors College liberal arts and social science seminars
Letters of Recommendation: three econ professors who teach at my school. Two of them know me very well so Im sure they wrote amazing recommendations. They are not well known and are all heterodox, so I got mostly into the schools that they graduated from + schools where people from my school and similar background got accepted last year
Research Experience: summer internship with an environmental research agency in Australia last summer
Teaching Experience: tutor in Econ for the past 3 years at my school, GRE math tutor, writing center tutor
Research Interests: development, international political economy, environmental
SOP: I wrote about development and why I think it is important to relate human rights to the eradication of poverty
Other: Im involved in my school's student government and Ive held exec board positions in 2 organizations, attending Model UN conferences in Mexico and in the US. I like to be very active and do things, rather than sit by myself and contemplate. I guess schools recognized that and sensed that I will be reluctant to do hardcore research because I am more interested in executive positions in government, rather than in a research university once I graduate.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: American ($$), UMass ($), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ($$), Fordham (2nd on waitlist for $$), George Washington (no $), Rutgers (no $)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: too many! NYU, BU, UCLA, UCSD, Cornell, CMU, UPenn, MIT and Columbia (for different programs, not econ)
Pending: Georgetown (that's a no, but I havent gotten the letter yet), CUNY (also probably a no or an unfunded offer)
Attending: I haven't been able to decide yet.
What would you have done differently?
If I had known earlier that I wanted to study Econ, I would have taken more math. I am taking the classes I should have had now and I know that I am really good at them, but there was no way for the adcoms to know that if they only saw my grade from Calc I. I also should have applied to International Political Economy PhD programs, rather than Economics PhDs, because I am much better prepared for those with numerous internships and publications at government organizations and NGOs. A reality check was very necessary, but unfortunately, I had nobody to turn to and had to figure it all out on my own. On the other hand, I got accepted to all of my safeties and to schools that match my research interests. If I didn't care about location and I had external funding, I would have been super-happy.

shy_student 2010:
Type of Undergrad: One of the top universities in economics in my country
Undergrad GPA: 3.3
GRE: 770Q/450V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, game theory, differential equations, dynamic optimization, linear programming, stochastic calculus
Econ Courses: Too many actually. Vast majority of them being applied, but standard intermediate micro-macro and econometrics present. I've also taken time series and discrete choice models, though they were very introductory. A lot of introductory field courses: IO, Public, Labor, Financial Markets etc.
Grad degree: Best MA in economics program in my country, intended as a step to PhD
Graduate courses: Math for Economists, Advanced Macro, Advanced Micro, Intermediate and Advanced Econometrics, Contract theory, IO. Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors of my school, including my adviser.
Research Experience: I worked in a think tank for a year, but was doing policy project. Also joined a University Economics Lab for several projects as an undergrad
Teaching Experience: Worked as an instructor in basic micro at evening school for bright high school students. Also was TA at my MA program.
Research Interests: Applied microeconomics and econometrics, labor, contracts
SOP: Quite standard I suppose. I describe development of my ideas, touch some skills gained and explain, why I'd like to do empirics.
Concerns: low GPA, not perfect quantitative GRE. Worried that my SOP was not impressive enough.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke (attending), Boston University (no $), Boston College, Rutgers (no $)
Waitlists: UCLA
Rejections: Maryland, Northwestern, NYU, Cornell, Michigan, CMU

tm_guru 2010:
Type of Undergrad: University College Dublin, Ireland, BSc in Economics & Finance (Final Year Concentration - Mathematical Analysis) Undergrad GPA: First Class Honours - converts to a 3.74 GPA according to WES conversion, higher grades in Math and Econ, boring but required Finance/Tax/Accounting classes dragged me down
Type of Grad: National University of Ireland, Galway MSc in Economic Science (Concentratiion - Planning and Policy Evaluation), essentially it was an MPP/MPA degree but we don't really have that in Ireland
Grad GPA: 4.0 (1st out of cohort of ~50 students across 3 concentrations with a lot of common classes)
GRE: 780Q, 630V, 5.0AWA
Math/Stat Courses: 3 semesters of Linear and Matrix Algebra, 2 semesters of calculus (although very little if any multivariate calculus), courses called 'Analysis and Calculus', 'Complex Analysis', various Math for Econ/Finance classes, 3 semesters of Math Stats/Probability... I honestly have no idea if I am prepared for core classes adequately... all A's except one B and one awful grade which I explained in my SOP.
Econ Courses: 3 semesters of Macro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Micro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Econometrics (1 MS-level) 2 semesters of International Econ, 2 semesters of Public Econ, 3 semesters of Game Theory, Economics of Innovation, Economics of Education... tons really... I hope this will help me get started with research
Other Courses: Tax/Accounting/Finance/Management, nothing useful
Letters of Recommendation: All were strong but mainly graduated in the 1960's or 1970's, 1 has a UCI PhD, 1 LSE, 1 UMD CP (Math), and one had a PhD from Edinburgh but who has an impressive CV and was a visiting professor at Berkeley last year... I used different combinations of three for different schools. I will speak more about this below.
Research Experience: Central Bank internship, MS Thesis (my adviser awarded me the highest grade he has given to a student in 30 years at that University)
Teaching Experience: lots, 3 semesters as a TA, 6 years giving private tutorials to groups of 1-10 students amounting to probably over 200 students in over a dozen different subjects from math to stats to econ
Research Interests: Applied Micro - health, education, labor, public policy, etc.
Statement of purpose: I had too much to explain for it to stand out, I spent the entire 1000 words explaining the holes in my profile (more on this below)
Concerns: Everything...
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Rutgers (no funding), PSU (generous TA funding), UPitt (top fellowship),
Waitlists: BC, UMass-Amherst
Rejections: CMU, Rochester, Syracuse, Cornell, Wharton, Georgetown, UVA, Duke
What would you have done differently?
As many know, this is my second time around, the mistakes I made in last year's applications are embarrassing when I think about them so I will only say this about it - I was blissfully ignorant of the entire process, how many schools to apply to, what a US PhD program entailed, what to say in a SOP, how I would compare to other students... you name it, I messed it up! Seriously, I applied to schools that suited me geographically, no other criteria, I had no idea what I was doing or about the research strengths of different schools... then I found this forum! I am also fortunate to have a fiancee who eventually helped me understand the US education system.
I have ended up at this point in my life not because of careful planning or organization, but through sheer luck and good fortune. I picked my UG degree ten years ago on a whim, and I am lucky that it covered the required analysis, calculus, and algebra courses... We have denominated degrees in Ireland, so you have to decide which one to pursue at age 17 before graduating from 'secondary' school and then apply through a centralized application system. I was going to do Electrical Engineering, but the dot.com crash in 2000/2001 made me change my mind literally an hour before the deadline... only for that decision I would be in a very different place in my life.
I also pursued a Master's degree in Ireland with the intent of 'lecturing' at a community college-type institution but as soon as I returned to the classroom something just changed, I suddenly found myself devouring journal literature, participating in class, loving my TA duties, and acing all my exams... I can only think that the change in my attitude towards classes and college was maturity. As an undergrad I was rarely even in class, never mind an active participant.
Other mistakes - I hurriedly took the GRE as I had no idea how important it was (I took one - paper - practice exam). I decided not to retake as I was worried about not getting an 800 and the signal that might send. I probably could have gotten an 800 with one day of genuine preparation...
In terms of LORs, the three schools I got accepted to, and one of the waitlists were a particular combination of letters, I used that combination for Duke too, but not anywhere else. I know it is a small sample size, but of 5 schools with that specific combination of letters I got 3 acceptances, and 1 waitlist. I got 1 waitlist and 7 rejections when I didn't use that combination of letters. Interesting, very interesting.
However, I can say with all honesty that I am delighted with how things have worked out for me, I am sure I will be very successful and more than intellectually satisfied at UPitt.
Lastly, I am a prime example of the noise associated with applicants coming from unknown schools/countries. I received the top fellowship from 400 applicants to UPitt this year, received full funding at PSU, but was rejected by Syracuse. It is bizarre!
If any forum members, and especially applicants coming from unknown universities, have any questions please feel free to PM me!

papertherapy 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small American liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4.00
Type of grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q/630V/4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I (A), Calculus II (B+), Calculus III (B+), Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (B), Statistics I (A-), Complex Variables (B+), Topology (IP), Linear Algebra (IP)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Econometrics, Game Theory, International Trade and Development, International Finance, Public Finance, Experimental Economics
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ. professors, all undergrad
Research Experience: some data analysis and sorting, regression analysis project, Senior Thesis
Teaching Experience: Tutoringg
Research Interests: Game Theory, Econometrics, Trade and Development
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA (No $), Indiana ($$), Pittsburgh ($$), West Virginia ($$), Lehigh ($)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, Ohio State
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Nothing,
Attending: Pittsburgh

Fantiki 2010:
Type of undergrad:
1. B.Sc. Finance from the best business school in a mid-size European country. In terms of financial research output the school is usually ranked as Top 10 European/Top 100 worldwide
2. (concurrently) B.Sc. Systems Science from the best university in the same European country
Undergrad GPA: not obvious to translate, somewhere between 3.6 and 3.9, Top 5%
Type of Grad:
1. M.Sc. Finance, same business school as above
2. (concurrently) M.Sc. Computer Science, same university as above
Grad GPA: again hard to translate, I would say between 3.8-4.0, Top 5%
GRE: 800Q, 570V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses (undergrad): Introductory mathematics I (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Analytical Geometry) (B+/A-), Introductory mathematics II (Theory of continuity, Measures and Integrals) (A), Introductory mathematics III (Functional analysis, DE) (A), Introductory mathematics IV (PDE, IE), Introduction to optimization (A), Introduction to statistical inference (A), Time series analysis (B+/A-)
Math Courses (grad): stochastic processes (A), optimization theory (B), mathematical investment theory (B+/A-), game theory (A), decision making (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad): Introductory, Intermediate micro, Intermediate macro, International economics and finance, Money & Banking - A:s
Other Courses: Finance & Computer Science (theory courses may be relevant), LSE summer school (A)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Finance full professor, thesis advisor, many A publications
2. Computer science full professor, thesis advisor, many A publications (in comp science)
3. Circulating weakly positive letters from semi-famous full professors in finance and economics
Research Experience:
1. B.Sc. thesis in finance
2. B.Sc. thesis in systems science
3. M.Sc. thesis in finance - on decision making under information asymmetries in finacial markets (game-theoretical model+empirical evidence)
4. M.Sc. thesis in computer science - empirical part (as a chapter in an article) accepted in a top general interest journal, but the publication is not related to economics/finance (biology), I am a coauthor, but there are many others
5. RA for the computer science professor
6. Research internship at an internationally well-known company, also 1 paper from there, but published in a professional journal
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Information economics, financial economics (theory + empirical)
Statement of purpose: http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/119180-post-your-statement-purpose-sop-here.html#post789723
Other: graduated in advance, some good awards (placed third nationwide in math competition, scholarship for publishing thesis etc.), strong technical skills (Assembler and similar hardcore stuff)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Columbia finance ($) -> accepted this offer, LBS finance ($), UNC-CH finance ($), UBC finance ($), LSE finance (external EU funding)
Rejections: Stanford finance, UCLA finance, Stern finance, Wharton finance, Haas finance, Kellogg finance, CMU finance, INSEAD finance, MIT economics, Penn economics (out of the waitlist)
What would you have done differently?
Probably not much, may be would establish better relationships with a couple of professors at my school. The application process to US universities is difficult for European applicants because information asymmetries are pretty large. I would recommend to establish good relationships with professors who have strong ties to schools you are applying (e.g. coauthoring, previous academic positions etc.). Also if you are coming from a less known educational system/school try to get short but informative course descriptions for the key courses as an attachment to your transcripts (e.g. course names like Math I-IV are not very helpful for admissions commiteas). I have received the feedback from some schools that these two things helped my case.
Overall I did much better than I expected.

walt526 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Political Science from UC Davis (started at a well-regarded LAC in the Midwest)
Undergrad GPA: 3.50/4.00 (combined)
Type of Grad: MA in Economics from lower-tier public university
Grad GPA: 3.92
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 6.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (high school with AP, plus C from Fall 1998), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Statistics (A), Math for Economists (A), Intro to Formal Math (A-), Numerical Analysis (A), Axiomatic Set Theory (B+), Real Analysis (in process), Mathematical Statistics MA-Level (in process), Operations Research (Spring 2010), Applied Linear Algebra (Spring 2010)
Econ Courses (MA-level): Advanced Micro Theory (A-), Advanced Macro Theory (A), US Economic History (A), Cost-Benefit Analysis (A), Applied Econometric Analysis (in process), Econometric Theory (in process)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Economics (B+ from spring 2000), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (D), Public Microeconomic Theory (A+), Economics of Development (A-), US Economic History (A-), World Economic History (A), Economics of Education (A), Econometrics (A), History of Economic Thought (Spring 2010)
Political Science Courses:
- High School: AP American Government, AP Comparative Government
- LAC: International Relations (A-), American Political Thought (B+), Central European Politics (A), Russian Politics (A-), Soviet and Russian Foreign Policy (A)
- UC Davis: Systematic Political Science (A-), The Legislative Process (A-), The Politics of Interdependence (A-), National Security Policy (A), Intro to Judicial Politics (A), Judicial Politics: First Amendment (A), Judicial Politics: Equality (A-), Seminar in American Political Behavior (A+)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 WUSTL, 1 UC Davis ARE, 1 Stanford)
Research Experience:
- Research assistant to LAC political science professor (developing new course in environmental international politics)
- Research assistant to UC Davis political science professor (judicial politics--read a sample Supreme Court decisions and classified the argument type of each paragraph)
- Masters Thesis: Does State Support for Public Four-Year Universities Decrease as Minority Enrollment Increases?
Teaching Experience: TA to Intermediate Micro
Research Interests: My research interests lie along the intersection of political science and economics. I am interested in Public Choice (Law and Economics and Institutional Factors), Industrial Organization, and Miscellaneous Applied Microecomics
Statement of Purpose: Should be strong
Concerns: The D in Intermediate Macro came in a semester wherein I received incompletes in my other courses (personal issues) in winter quarter of 2004). I completed the two lower-division courses that I needed to fulfill the BA in Political Science at community college (statistics and history of western civilization). No topology, possibly weak advanced math grades.
Other: Have a career certificate in Accounting from a community college, worked for 2 years as an accounting administrator and 3 years as a purchasing agent for an electrical contractor.
Applying to: UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Stanford, Michigan, UPenn Wharton (Applied Econ), WUSTL, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Texas, UIUC, Maryland, Virginia, UC Davis, George Mason, Vanderbilt, Rochester, Michigan State, Georgetown, UC Irvine, UMass-Amherst, Arizona, Colorado, Syracuse, Kentucky (might whittle down the list some)

sappy 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc (hons) Theoretical Physics from a top 10 university in the U.K (all Physics modules and some masters courses as well)
Undergrad GPA: high 2:2 (According to my uni it converts to a B in GPA terms) Type of Grad: MSc Economics from same university as undergrad
Grad GPA: Merit (According to my uni it converts to a A- in GPA terms)
GRE: V-440, Q-790, A-5.0
Math Courses: Advanced intergration and differention, real analysis , Matrix Algrebra, Tensors and Econometrics (done during MSc)
Econ Courses:Graduate: Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Game Theory and Industrial Organisation, Growth and Development, Experimental Economics
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One from Theoretical Physicist that will be postive, two from Economics Professors (one graduated from Oxford and the other from Bonn), the Oxford one should be very positive because he wanted me to stay at the uni i did my masters in to do my phd and the other was my dissertation supervisor and i got a good mark for it.
Research Experience: Dissertations for both degrees, their combined marks would give me a 1st (GPA Phys: 4, GPA Econ:3.9)
Teaching Experience: Private tutoring for Physics and Maths at College level
Research Interests:Game Theory and Experimental Economics
statement of purpose: Just about how i enjoy applying maths to problems, a little on some economic experiments i ran during the year and how i want to get a bigger exposure to Economics
Other: 23yr old male who is also British
Concerns: I applied to a lot of high places last year with limited success (waitlisted at UBC, Boston U and Cornell. But eventually didn't get in). So now i'm concerned because it's been a year out with no more experience bar private tutoring.
Applying to: Tilburg, Tinbergen, SSE, PSE, TSE, BSE (Berlin), Bonn, Mannheim, Autonoma Barcelona, PSU, OSU, Maryland, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, UCSB, Indiana, Purdue, Virginia

econlaw 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Math and Econ from a large state univeristy
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 540V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I II III, Advanced Calculus I II, ODE, PDE, Real Analysis I , Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, Mathematical Statistics, Numerical Analysis, all A or A+
Econ Courses (PhD-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Econometrics, Game Theory, Intermediate Micro and Macro Theory, Advanced Micro and Macro Theory, Mathematical Economics (in progress) All A's and A+
Other Courses: None
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (1 very good from a well-known economist, 1 fairly good from a junior economist) 1 very good from a Math professor
Research Experience: Except for term papers and thesis, none.
Teaching Experience: TA in Math Department
Research Interests: Not sure but currently Micro Theory
statement of purpose: Standard
Concerns: I don't know. I have studied hard and done everything that I can but feel that I'll have a lot rejections.
Other: None.
Applying to: Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, Berkeley, UPenn, UCSD, NYU, Cornell, UCLA , Penn State, Maryland, Minnesota, UW-Madison, Carnegie Mellon, Arizona State.

blackwhite 2010:
Institution: Georgetown
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: Mail
Posted on GF: yes
Comments:
Institution: Pittsburgh
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Decision is still being made
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: yes
Comments:
Institution: Carnegie Mellon
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Waitlisted
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Personal email
Posted on GF: No
Comment: Those who were admitted to CMU please tell them that you don't wanna got there asap if you have better option. Many thanks...

jito32 2010:
Institution: Boston College
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Admit
Funding: Tuition + 16k
Notification date: 2-27-2010
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments: w00t!

nse 2010:
Institution: Arizona State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No Info!
Notification date: 04/03/2010
Notified through: Checked the website.
Comments: Sort of a relief, first admit. But no info on funding is making me nervous.
Out: Duke, Michigan

shadowprice 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 undergrad; top 15 graduate econ program
Undergrad GPA: 3.46
Type of Grad: some master-level classes
Grad GPA:
GRE: 780 (1st time 690 - yikes!), 620, 5.0
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra, Analysis and Optimization, Real Analysis 1-3, Probability, Statistical Inference, Stochastic Processes, Sample Surveys
Econ Courses (PhD-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Development, Public, Poverty and Inequality, International Monetary Theory, Intro to Econometrics, Microeconometrics, Advanced Micro
Letters of Recommendation: 1 U Chicago - took class, very strong; 1 U Chicago - RA for three years at regional Fed; 1 UCLA - RA for one year in undergrad
Research Experience: 5 years - 2 in undergrad , 3 years at a regional Fed. Extensive programming, coauthoring 2 papers (although not at the time of applying)
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Applied micro - public and IO.
Statement of purpose: 2 pages double-spaced (~650 words). Did not tailor to schools.
Concerns: Very low undergrad GPA with a few B's and B+'s in important classes
Other:
RESULTS:
Attending: University of Wisconsin ($$)
Acceptances: University of Wisconsin ($$), Boston University (none), Boston College ($$), Johns Hopkins (tuition - off of waitlist), UC-Davis (none), University of Pittsburgh ($$), University of Washington (could have if wanted), University of Colorado ($$), Georgetown (wl funding)
Waitlists: Carnegie Mellon (econ)
Rejections: Columbia, NYU, Brown, Chicago Booth, Michigan, Maryland
What would you have done differently?
Definitely do better as an undergrad. I went to a prestigious university that typically sends students to MIT (and NSF), so I feel like I let an amazing opportunity slip by. That being said, I am ecstatic with my admits and think that Wisconsin is a great fit for my interests. I know for a fact that one of my letters played a HUGE role in getting funding, so for anyone who does not have a stellar GPA - if you forge a great relationship with your professors, your chances of landing a top 20 admission are completely possible. Good luck all future classes!

blackwhite 2010:
Institution: Georgetown
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: Mail
Posted on GF: yes
Comments:
Institution: Pittsburgh
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Decision is still being made
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: yes
Comments:
Institution: Carnegie Mellon
Program:PhD Economics
Decision: Waitlisted
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Personal email
Posted on GF: No
Comment: Those who were admitted to CMU please tell them that you don't wanna got there asap if you have better option. Many thanks...

Mutal 2010:
Institution: UCLA
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: waitlisted
Funding:
Notification date: 3/17
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: A long shot for me. I'm even honored to be waitlisted there. Hoping for the best.
Accepted: UC-Davis (TA $), USC ($$) (declined), TAMU (no words on $)
Waitlisted: UCLA
Rejected: UCSB, MSU, UMich, NYU, JHU, CMU, U Iowa
Yet to be notified: UT-Austin, Georgetown, UW-Seattle, UBC