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zurich_econ 2010:
PROFILE:
Degrees Licentiate (=MA+BA) in economics, summa cum laude, GPA 5.8/6; B.Sc. math, GPA 5.7/6 both from large Swiss university
GRE: First go: 770Q 510V 5.5 AWA, Second go: 800Q 610V 4.5AWA
TOEFL 119
Math Courses: Analysis I-III (equivalent to real analysis, plus measure theory, integration on manifolds etc.) linear algebra I-II, abstract algebra, probability theory, measure theoretic probability theory, differential geometry (fall), topology (fall), functional analysis (fall)
Econ Courses: Micro I-IV (III and IV used Jehle/Reny and MWG), Macro I-IV (III used Obstfeld/Rogoff, IV used Romer), Growth and distribution theory, public economics, money and credit, monetary economics, behavioral economics, behavioral macroeconomics, behavioral finance (used Shleifer), experimental economics, statistics, econometrics (used Wooldridge), analysis of microdata, mathematical statistics and time series analysis, environmental economics, microeconomic theory of the firm, topics in international finance, finance and the macroeconomy, business economics.
Other Courses: Motivational psychology, psychology of perception, social psychology I-II, social neuroscience
Letters of Recommendation: 1 famous econ, 1 well known econ, 1 less well known econ, one math
Research Experience: RAing for 2 years, two theses (developped a game theoretic model in each of them)
Teaching Experience: Teaching exercise classes in undergrad micro, undergrad macro, public economics
Research Interests: Micro, behavioral, game theory, experimental, public econ
Other Fulbright
Concerns Adcoms not knowing how to interpret Swiss grades, relatively unknown university (though we got a handful of visiting profs from the top 5 every year here), the IIE handling some of my applications (but I'll be happy if they assessed my chances correctly!), ...and of course the insane competition
Applying to Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Chicago, NYU, NWU, Caltech, Cornell, CMU SDS, LSE, Oxford, UCL, Zurich (so much for the hypothesis that we international applicants choose our safeties at home)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Yale, Stanford, NYU, Berkeley, Chicago, Caltech, Northwestern, Oxford (PhD, PRS), UCL (PhD), all with good or great funding
Waitlists: None (great!)
Rejections: Cornell, Tilburg, Harvard
Pending: LSE, Carnegie Mellon SDS
What would you have done differently? Not much, really. Maybe I should have applied to Princeton, but I certainly can't complain! I think two things boosted my application: 1. The fact that I showed commitment by getting a BS in maths after finishing my MA in econ to do econ theory, and 2. the fact that I did independent research for my MA-thesis and spent sufficient time and energy on it to impress my advisor

slightlyconfused1 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 overall, top 20 econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.99/4.00
GRE: 800Q, 740V, 5.5 AW
Math Courses: Topology (A), Algebra I (A), Analysis II (A+), Math Modeling (A+)
Math Courses (Grad): Ordinary Differential Equations (A+), Real Analysis (A), Functional Analysis (A), Complex Analysis (A+), Algebraic Topology (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Econometrics (A+), Random Field Course (A+), Research Seminars (A+ and A)
Econ Courses (Grad): Micro I (A), Micro II (A+), Macro I (A+), Macro II (A-), Econometrics I (A), Econometrics II (A)
Other Courses: 4 additional PhD courses in compsci and physics. (A+s and As)
Letters of Recommendation: One from very well-known prof (research), one from decently well-known prof (research + did an independent study with him), one with younger associate prof (took a 2nd year grad module with him + unofficial adviser)
Research Experience: Financial econometrics research for senior thesis; micro theory + cs research earlier. Nothing too extraordinary, although my advisors want me to submit the financial econometrics work to a top field journal.
Teaching Experience: Various TA gigs over the years.
Research Interests: Everything. Applied micro and econometrics if I had to narrow down a little.
Statement of Purpose: Pretty bland (except for the Berkeley SOP, which was the first one I wrote and included lots of details about papers I liked, etc.). Narrated my interest in econ, advanced coursework, research, etc.
Other: Various awards in math/programming contests. Some "best academics in university" awards given to 2-3 students.
Concerns: Undergrad research was not focused and had little to do with my actual interests?
RESULTS:
Acceptances: MIT ($$), Harvard ($$), Yale ($$$), Princeton ($$), Stanford ($$), Berkeley ($$), Chicago ($$), Northwestern ($$), Duke ($$)
Rejections: None

sperner's lemma 2010:
Type of Undergrad: Top 3 Canadian University (in economics)
Undergrad GPA: 95 cumulative, ~97 for math/econ courses
Type of Grad: Taking first year PhD Micro
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800,V730,W5.5
Math Courses: Calc I-IV , Lin Alg I-III, Differential Eq, Metric Topology, General Topology, Real Analysis I-II, Intro. to Probability and Stats
Econ Courses: standard honors sequence in Micro/Macro/Metrics, and some Math of Econ
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One well known in his field, Two semi-known. I have taken classes from the two semi-known ones. I have RAed for the well-known one for the summer. They all know me well.
Research Experience: RAed during third year summer. Did matching/social network stuff.
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Applied Game theory, IO
SOP: Spent a lot of time on it. Looking back now, it was probably too much (I didn't know about TM back then). But I think it may have helped, especially for getting me admission from Chicago since I mentioned I am a Libertarian and big fan of Friedman (both are true statements).
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: (Full funding): Stanford, NWU, UPenn, NYU, UMN, UMichigan (Partial Funding)Chicago
Waitlists: MIT
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley
What would you have done differently?
Nothing really, other than taking more math courses (especially in Probability theory). I am very surprised by my result. My letter of recommendation writers must have gone all the way for me. I am very very grateful for their help.

mifx 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Brazilian University
Undergrad GPA: 9.0/10 (highest honor)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: 790Q, 500V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III , Operational Research, Mathematical Economics, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses: Macro, Micro, Estatistics I and II, Econometrics I and advanced, International Econ, Environmental Econ, Public Econ, Game theory, Agrobusiness, Development Economics, Latin America Economics.
Other Courses: Management, International Business, Finance, Adv. Finance
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Harvard, 1 Stanford, 1 University of Illinois, 1 LSE (pos-doc)
Research Experience: Award for my undergrad thesis on health economics, Joint Research for an international non-profit organization (published), Individual Research (orientated by a Harvard PhD econ professor)
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Development, International Economics, International Finance, Macroeconomics, Public Policy
Statement of purpose: Standard
Concern: GRE AWA
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Stanford, LSE, University of Illinois
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale
Pending: none
What would you have done differently? I would have studied more for GRE verbal. But, unfortunatly, I didnt have time enough.

wobuffet 2010:
Profile
Type of Undergrad: top 15-ish US national university, econ PhD program is top 20-30
Undergrad GPA: 4.00 (easier to attain than at other schools)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 790V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Honors Multivariable Calculus (pass/fail option); Essential Stats; Honors Linear Algebra; Statistical Inference I; Abstract Algebra; Probabilistic Models; Real Analysis (single-variable)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Macro; Intermediate Micro; a bunch of field courses (Int'l Finance; Public Econ; Econ Growth; Health Econ; Econ Analysis of Institutions; Econ and Psychology; Theory of Econ Growth; Labor Economics); Econometrics I; Econometrics II; Game Theory; grad core Micro I (mandatory pass/fail); grad core Micro II (mandatory pass/fail); grad applied econometric methods course (graded, in progress when I applied); grad class on economic theories of inequality (graded, in progress when I applied)
Other Courses: two intro comp sci classes
Letters of Recommendation: one reasonably well-known prof I RA'd for, took 2 classes with (1 undergrad, 1 grad), and planned to write a thesis under; one somewhat less-known prof I had an undergrad class with and planned to TA for; one well-known prof I took two grad-level courses with (including Micro II, in which I internally got an A); and another well-known prof I RA'd for for a year or so. [I mixed and matched somewhat for schools that only accepted 3 LORs]
Research Experience: RA'd for 2 semesters + 2 summers (under 2 diff profs)
Publications: Nah.
Teaching Experience: none at time of application, although I was planning to in the spring
Research Interests: applied micro (especially public and labor)
Statement of purpose: Tried to be honest; it probably ended up sort of dry.
Comments: Going in, I had basically no idea how most of my letters were going to turn out; I was only reasonably confident about one of them.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Berkeley ($$, attending), Stanford ($$$), Yale ($$$$), UMich (no $), Chicago (waitlisted for $), Northwestern ($$), NYU ($$$)
Waitlists: MIT (eventually rejected), Princeton (eventually rejected)
Rejections: Harvard, UPenn, Columbia
What would you have done differently? On the margin, I guess having done some research on my own would have done the most good, or perhaps getting to know a few professors better. (But ex post, I wouldn't change a thing! In particular, attending a well-regarded private research university for my undergraduate studies definitely worked out well for me.)

greeneggs 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Triple Major (Econ, Math, Stat - all B.S.) from UMN
Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 570V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-IV, (HS,HS, B+, B+), Intro to Stat I-II (A,A-), Linear Algebra (A-), Intro to Proofs (A-), Real Analysis I-II (A-,A), Prob & Stat I-II (A,A), Math Modeling (A), Prediction & Filtering (A), Multivariate Stat (A-), Numerical Methods (A-), phd Real Analysis (B,B), phd Time Series (A-), phd Probability & Measure theory (B), phd Commutative and Homological Algebra (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Micro (A), Principles of Macro (A), Game Theory (A-), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A-), International Trade (A), Macro Policy (A), Mathematical Econ (A), phd Micro I-IV (A,B,B,A-), phd Macro (A-,Spring), phd Trade (A,Spring)
Other Courses: C/C++ (A-), Algorithms & Data Structures (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 amazing letter from a very well known researcher, 1 really good from a newer tenure track prof, and 1 not sure from a decently well known researcher - may change this last one though; I have a lot of options and I haven't talked to him for 2 years...
Research Experience:
Summer research and honors thesis in international trade (working with the Melitz model)
Teaching Experience:
None
Research Interests: Trade, Macro, Growth
SOP: Standard
RESULTS:
Attending: University of Minnesota ($20k)
Acceptances: NYU ($23k+), Princeton ($28.5k), Chicago ($21k), Northwestern ($21k), Stanford ($32k)
Waitlist: Yale (Accepted - $37.5k), MIT (rejected)
Rejections: Harvard, Berkeley
What would you have done differently?
Not sure. People are going to think I'm crazy but I'm confident I made the right decision. Mind you it wasn't easy; I gave up going to a school with a fancy name (my family is taking it surprisingly well), I gave up thousands of dollars in funding, I gave up living with my girlfriend (she's got into a school near Stanford and one near Chicago - and we don't plan on breaking up), and I gave up seeing someplace new; but at the end of the day I know that Minnesota is the place for me. I still think it was important that I visited all of the departments of the schools I got into, so I don't feel like I just wasted my time and money staying where I am.
One thing I would have done differently is I wish I hadn't started slacking off after I got my decisions now that I'm going to take the prelims right away this spring...

heraclitus_junior 2010:
It won't let me edit my previous post (on page 3), so I'm reposting this. My profile isn't coming up on untitled's website though. I don't know how to get it to be picked up.
Profile
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Double Major in Math/Econ. Top 3 university in a very small, isolated country. (<300 in the world)
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 out of 4.00 (converted)
Type of Grad: 1st class honors degree
Grad GPA: 3.92 out of 4.00 (converted)
GRE: 780Q, 750V, 4.5AWA (only took once)
Math Courses: First year math, second year multivariate calculus and differential equations, second year linear algebra, second year inference, second year probability, second year real analysis, third year dynamical systems, third year complex variables, third year matrix algebra, third year analysis, third year multivariate stats, honours measure theory, honours probability theory, honours mathematical economics, honours combinatorics (matroids), honours topology (point set topology).
Econ Courses: second year macro, second year micro, third year micro, third year econometrics, third year game theory, honours macro, honours welfare economics, honours empirical macroeconomics.
Other Courses: first year computer science done informally.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 professor of pure mathematics (chaired), 1 econ senior lecturer (associate professor) from my uni. They knew me very well, so their letters should've been good. 1 world-renowned economist who isn't from my university and didn't know me as well as the others.
Research Experience: Paid summer math project. Paid summer internship at my country's central bank with their research team. An honours dissertation on mathematical economics.
Publications: one single author publication in a mid-tier North American Journal (accepted for publication mid-feb 2010). one working single author paper on cooperative game theory.
Teaching Experience: Tutor for first year math and third year microeconomics.
Research Interests: Economic theory (Micro and macro).
Statement of purpose: I talked about my research experience and my goals.
Concerns: My GRE score was a real worry; I was concerned my application would not even be looked at. Also, I did a 4 year degree in 3 years so I didn't have any breadth. I also applied straight out of undergrad at a relatively young age.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Princeton, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, San Diego, Harvard (After waitlist).
Rejections: Yale, NYU, MIT (after waitlist), UPenn (withdrawn).

nobigdeal 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.F.A (!) dbl major in acting and economics (from one of the top acting programs, and a top (15) econ department.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85/4 over all, 3.9 econ; received the senior year econ dept. award.
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-II (AP). Only linear algebra (A) in undergrad. Since then, calc III (A), real analysis (A+), math stats (A+), probability (A)
Econ Courses (undergraduate): two intro classes plus micro, macro, international trade, labor, public, development, statistics, econometrics, thesis. All A's, except an A- in my first intro course.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (worked for one over a summer, co authored a paper with the other -- top marks in their classes), one economist at a fed (he does more academic research than policy work).
Research Experience: A senior thesis, which grew into a paper that was recently accepted into a top (sub)field journal. Over 2 years at a fed working pretty closely with an economist with who I coauthored a paper we submitted to an interdisciplinary policy journal.
Teaching Experience: Very little. Worked in a statistics lab in college where I gave a lesson on STATA.
Research Interests: Labor, behavioral
Statement of Purpose: Discussed my background and research experiences. Also wrote two paragraphs outlining my research interests in applied microeconomics, labor, and behavioral. So, fairly specific. Hardly addressed the school's strengths at all--only mentioned the school's name once, in the last paragraph.
Concerns: I have a B.F.A, and I didn't take much math in college.
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Yale, Penn, Duke, Cornel, NYU, Brown, Northwestern, Stanford, U Chicago, U Michigan

xyz621 2010:
Institution:Penn
Program: Econ Phd
Decision: Accepted
Notification date: 03/02/2010
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: Relieved
Institution:Yale
Program: Econ Phd
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 02/18/2010
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: I am just too old to get in.

jackie21 2010:
Institution: UCLA
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: being considered for fellowship
Notification date: feb 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Michigan
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: none
Notification date: march 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: LSE
Program: MSc Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: none
Notification date: feb 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: MA
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 25000
Notification date: march 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Cornell
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 22000
Notification date: 08/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 32000!!
Notification date: 11/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Rejected: Yale, Princeton, Chicago, Berkeley

murofcigamtset 2010:
Institution: Stanford
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: admitted
Funding 32K for five years
Notification date: 3/11
Notified through: email with pdf-attachment

Morxjez 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University of Chicago
Undergrad GPA: 3.83
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: Q800 V540 W4.0
Math Courses: Analysis in Rn 1,2,3 , Abstract Algebra 1,2 , Numerical Analysis, Complex Analysis, Theory of ODE (involved use of complex variable) All A's except complex analysis (A-)
Stat Courses: Mathematical Statistics (A-), and mathematical probability (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro and Macro (all A's), International trade and finance (A-,A), Econometrics (intro and advance) (A, B+,A), Advanced Macro 1, 2 (A+,A+), Auction Theory (A), Game Theory (A), a graduate class in numerical methods in economics (A)
Other Courses: Computer Science (A,A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Harvard, 1 Minnesota, 1 Princeton (They are all pretty strong)
Research Experience: 1 Year part time RA, 1 Summer RA at central bank in my country
Teaching Experience: TA for math and econ
Research Interests: Asset pricing and macro
SOP: normal with customized to each program
Other: I am currently a junior year student.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Chicago($), Northwestern (WL), UPenn ($$), Columbia($$), Minnesota ($$), Wisconsin($$), Boston U($$)
Waitlists: MIT
Rejections: Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, UMich
Pending: nothing
What would you have done differently? I should not apply this year. I should instead work as an RA for a year or two and then apply. I think then I would have a clear shot at top 5 schools. But well, graduating in three years save me 50,000US worth of tuition fee and now I am happy with Penn, which is very good at Asset Pricing.

saucyapples 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college, majored in Math and Econ (class of 2008)
Undergrad GPA: 3.69
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 630V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: The usual , plus some high level statistics classes. Mostly As, some B's.
Econ Courses: 12 or so, mostly A's and some A-'s.
Other Courses: Some random classes, several about law since when I got to college I wanted to be a lawyer. A's and B's.
Letters of Recommendation: Only from people who know me well and (I think) like me. Two from econ professors with PhD's from top-5 places and one from a reasonably famous math prof.
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis (won an award), RAed for two summers including once abroad, and did field research in Latin America for almost two years after graduation
Teaching Experience: TAed and tutored a couple of math and econ courses. I've also tutored at an underachieving elementary school near my house (which is remarkably similar to tutoring underachieving college students, actually)
Research Interests: Development, IO, Game Theory, Education
SOP: Had it vetted by various economists, they said that it was fine. I wrote about three pages and then for each school only kept the 1-1.5 pages that were most relevant to that program. I'm not really sure how much it matters
Concerns: Had no idea what my LORs actually said.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: HBS($$$, pretty sure that I'm going to take it), Harvard ($$), Cal($$), Michigan ($), BU($), Maryland()
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Duke, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford GSB, Columbia, NYU, Stanford, MIT
What would you have done differently? I got into my dream school, so I'm ecstatic.

tommyg28 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top UK BA econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.85(ish) equivalent
Type of Grad: MA econ, same uni
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 800Q, 720V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: The usual (real analysis I, II, Topology, functional analysis, linear algebra, ODE I, II, advanced statistics and probability theory, etc.) Mostly As, one A-
Econ Courses: Many: Micro I-IV; Macro I-IV; Econometrics I, II; Economic theory; IO, etc. All As, some A+
Other Courses: None, econ all the way
Letters of Recommendation: From people who knew me well, but alas, few people know them. Nice letters though.
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis and Grad dissertation - they were OK.
Teaching Experience: Coached various sports, but pretty sure this counts for squat
Research Interests: Everything. Probably IO, stock-flow macro dynamics and labour if I had to narrow it down.
SOP: Bland
Concerns: Interpretation of UK grades
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke ($$), U Washington-Seattle ($), Georgetown ($$)
Waitlists: UCLA
Rejections: A lot: MIT, Princeton, Stanford, NYU, Columbia, Michigan, Yale, Penn, etc.
What would you have done differently? it's been said many times before, but I didn't pay sufficient heed: LORs matter! Unless you have Slightlyconfused's profile you need to get well-known profs to write decent enough LORs. I'm a little disappointed with my outcome. My faculty is pretty weak at the mo, so I don't think I could've done much better. But I should've done my MA elsewhere to get access to better letter of recommendation writers. Shucks.

dale_albo 2010:
Type of Undergrad: Economics, Top South American University.
Undergrad GPA: 6.02/7 (Highest in my Class)
Type of Grad: MSc, Economics, Top South American University.
Grad GPA: 6.5/7 (Highest in my Class)
GRE/TOEFL: 790Q/780V/5.5AWA. 120 TOEFL.
Math Courses: Calculus I-III, Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Inference, Mathematics for Economists (Linear Algebra, some Dynamic Optimization), Advanced Calculus (Should be Real Analysis I), Real Analysis. All A's, except for Calculus I.
Econ Courses (u/g): Intro Micro, Intro Macro, Micro I-II, Macro I-II, Industrial Organization, International Economics, Econometrics. All equivalent to A's or A+
Grad courses: Macro Theory I, Micro Theory I-II, Econometric Theory I-II-III. In my university, I is a joint M.Sc. and Ph.D. course, while the others are Ph.D. courses. Also, Industrial Organization, Public Economics, Enviromental Economics. All equivalent to A's or A+, except for IO, B+.
Letters of Recommendation: All strong, I believe/hope. I moved them around according to the program, but the summary is 2 MIT, 2 Chicago,1 Harvard, 1 UCLA, 1 Georgetown.
Research Experience: Honors thesis, won the poster contest in the annual meeting of my country's economic society. A co-authored working paper, with a classmate, that I have presented a few times and has been submitted for publication. Also, a couple of other co-authored working papers, including one with a professor from my university. Also, a year and a half of being a research assistant for that professor.
Teaching Experience: Been a TA since 2nd year of undergrad for a bunch of courses. Of note, TA for a core Ph.D. econometrics course and for a graduate enviromental economics course. Also, have been teaching Introduction to Economics for a year.
Research Interests: IO, mostly empirical work.
Statement of Purpose: The usual, I talk about my research, what I have done and what I want to do.
Concerns:
No published or in the pipeline research. Just submitted one working paper to a journal, but I haven't heard back from them so I decided not to mention that I had submitted it.
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, UPenn, Northwestern, UCLA, Yale.
RESULTS:
Will Attend: MIT.
Acceptances: Chicago, Northwestern ($?), UPenn ($$), UCLA. All declined.
Waitlists: Yale, declined.
Rejections: Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, NYU.
What would you have done differently? Wouldve tried harder to get published last year. Still, I got into my top choice, which is all that matters.

triple_sec 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: MA in Econ in a small country in Eastern Europe; univ is among the best in the country but has little, if any, international renown
Undergrad GPA: 4.92/5.00, 1st out of 182
Type of Grad: MPhil Econ at another, English-speaking, univ in the same country
Grad GPA: 3.94/4.00
GRE: 800Q, 660V, 4.0AWA (Nov 2007); 800Q, 630V, 4.0AWA (Nov 2009)
TOEFL: 112/120 (30R, 27S, 27L, 28W)
Math Courses: Calculus (actually, it was more like real analysis; 5/5), Linear Algebra, Linear Programming, Multivariate Analysis (4/5, the last three went under the same course), Probability Theory (5/5), Operations Research (5/5), Advanced Math (A, actually Measure Theory)
Econ Courses: Micro (A,A,A), Macro (A,A), Metrics (A,A,A-,5/5), Monetary Theory (5/5), Recursive Macro (5/5), Time Series Analysis (A,5/5), Intl Macro (5/5), Game Theory (5/5), Public Econ (A), Behavioral (A), Metrics Intro (5/5), Public Econ (5/5), Labor (5/5,4/5), IO (5/5), Micro (5/5,5/5), Macro (5/5,5/5), Corporate Finance (5/5)
Other Courses: Statistics minor, plus some Political Science, Accounting, Law (the first two years of my undergrad were rather a joint social sciences—business—econ program before specialization to econ)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (1 MIT PhD, 1 Harvard PhD), 1 math prof; I guess they were solid
Research Experience: MA thesis (mainly a survey but contains also a standalone RBC model) plus a preliminary project for a series of research seminars
Teaching Experience: a lot, TA for 7 courses altogether (4 math, 1 grad macro, 1 undergrad micro, 1 undergrad macro) and much, much tutoring
Research Interests: econ of information, mechanism design, macro
SOP: Enthusiastic as it should be, emphasizes eagerness for research
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Yale, Berkeley, NYU, Northwestern, Duke (declined)
Waitlists: Princeton, UPenn (asked them to take me off)
Rejections: MIT, MIT Operations Research, Harvard, Chicago, Columbia, Stanford
What would you have done differently? I don't know. What could I have done differently to get into my absolute, unsurpassable dream school, MIT? Probably nothing. I have to come to terms with the fact that either I'm not *that* good or this year has been unusually competitive (or both). Anyways, I'm extremely delighted with my actual offers—I would be a moron if I weren't, of course.

askua 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. (honours)-Econ and Math, large Canadian University
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.85, excluding first year: 4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 780Q 580V 6.0AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level): Calc 1-4, Math stats 1-2, analysis 1-2, linear 1-2, analysis for econ, math for econ 1-2 (if this counts?); All A's or A+
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro 1-4, macro 1-4, econometrics 1-2, IO 1-2, international trade 1-2, money and banking; All A's or A+
Econ Courses (PhD-level): IO (A)
Other Courses: a few German courses
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ profs (1 Berkeley, 1 Minnesota, 1 Toronto) ... all taught me one or more courses.
Research Experience: Barely any ... just one paper for the grad IO.
Teaching Experience: tutor for 4 years
Research Interests: applied micro (health, IO)
statement of purpose: Preparation, goals, research interests
Concerns: reputation of undergrad
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis (no first year funding), UW Madison (no first year funding), UBC (PhD, $$) Toronto MA (doctoral stream, $$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Yale, Columbia, Michigan, Berkeley, Stanford, UCSD
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? I would have only gone to a different undergrad if I had known four years ago that I wanted to do a PhD in Economics. However, in retrospect, I might have tried to get more RA experience and done a double degree in Math and Econ rather than just a minor in math. Although I am pretty happy with my results given what type of a student I was in high school (not good). I am very lucky and not complaining. I think out of most of the top 20s, UBC and Madison are the best two fits for me so I think I was appropriately placed. Good luck to everyone in future cycles!

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.

decision09 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 overall, top 15 econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4.00 Graduated High Honors Economics
GRE: 760Q, 580V, 5.0 AW (last year 740Q)
Math Courses: Analysis I (B)(blew first 2 exams but aced final to save myself), Modern Algebra (B+), Probability Theory (A-), Ord Diff Eq (A), Combinatorics(Winter 2010), CalcI,II,II,LA(A)
Math Courses (Grad): Intro Topology (Winter 2010)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A-), Random Field Courses (A), Research Seminars (B+(due to ULWriting) and A), Game Theory (A), Time series Analysis (A-)
Econ Courses (Grad): Micro I (B+), Micro II (B), Econometrics I (B), Math for Economists (B)
Letters of Recommendation: Well-known senior professor from research seminar
The other from a younger associate prof, said he wrote me an A+ letter (took game theory with him + unofficial adviser)
Research Experience: Financial econometrics research for senior thesis(publication: in process); experimental micro theory research. Labor research paper that will likely become my third year paper for my PhD, it caught the interest of a Senior person at my undergrad institution.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Everything but Theoretical Econometrics.
Statement of Purpose: Much better the second time around but still about 1800 words, I had a few things to write about my career outside of econ and how it will influence my research.
Other:
Concerns: Poor performance in critical math classes, test jitters!
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin Madison, Cornell
Rejections: Umich, Penn, Yale, Texas, Penn State, BU, Maryland, Mich State, Princeton, Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, CalTech, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke

whoisdg 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Math and Economics, Tufts U
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 Math, 4.0 Econ (Summa/PBK)
GRE: 800Q 780V 5.0 AWA
Math Courses (UG): Standard lower level curriculum, all A/A+; Real Analysis (A); Abstract Alg (B+); Complex Variables (A-); Probability (B – explained in SOP); Math Stats (A)
Econ Courses (UG): Principles of Economics (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Quant. Intermediate Macro (A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Financial Economics (A), International Trade (A), Quant. International Finance (A), State and Local Public Finance (A)
Letters of Recommendation: Michigan PhD, Stanford PhD, Duke Math PhD (two were advisors, both of whom know me very well; none are especially well known)
Research Experience: Theoretical-Empirical term paper in international trade; RA at policy research organization. **No THESIS. No academic RA.**
Research Interests: Diverse. Mostly applied micro.
Statement of purpose: Don’t have any standard for comparison...but I actually think it mattered, contrary to popular opinion. More on that below.
Other: Worked in management consulting for six months after college; a couple of national scholarships in college (e.g. NMSP); solid programming background.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Berkeley ($$), Michigan ($$), Penn (Waitlisted “very high” for $$), UCSD ($$), Wisconsin (withdrew before funding offer made), UT (withdrew before funding offer made)
Waitlists: MIT, awaiting rejection
Rejections: Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Chicago, Yale, NWU
NSF: Honorable mention (Intellectual Merit: 2 Excellent, 1 Good; Broader Impacts: 2 Excellent, 1 Very Good. Argh!)
What would you have done differently? Lots to say here. First of all, a THESIS. The one reviewer that submarined my NSF proposal clearly wanted to see more independent research experience. I’m pretty sure that was the deal breaker. Even though undergraduate theses (or “first papers”, more generally) are usually pretty bad, they are (1) an important signal of interest in and ability to do independent research, and (2) a significant learning experience. It might have been useful to take grad-level core courses, but I don’t think they’re necessary – the math courses convey the necessary skill set. Similarly, it might have been useful to RA as an undergrad, but again, from what I understand those roles are usually menial unless you have good programming/data skills.
I've also spent two years in the working world. For me, this experience was incredibly valuable. It's not for everyone, but I think it has a lot to offer - exposure to lots of interesting situations and questions, confirmation of your interest in research career, personal growth, big dollar.
Important note: I think the adcoms took the SOP more seriously than I had anticipated. Several possible explanations for this observation. The increase in applications probably leaves marginally admissible candidates indistinguishable from one another, and the statement might therefore be used as a second- or third-order criterion. Or maybe they really do sort applicants according to fit. Or maybe I’m just imagining things! In any case – I called out my interests in applied fields more than theory, and in some more specific topics that interest me (e.g. tournaments, peer effects, evaluation), and the decisions I got seemed to sort themselves accordingly. If I could change anything, I'd probably shift a little weight from applied to theoretical micro.
Overall, I’m thrilled with Berkeley. Ex-post,it’s my third-most desired program, behind the Cambridge contingent. My only disappointment is NSF – I really thought I could snag it. In any case, I now have a well-developed idea to embark upon this summer, so the process is valuable in and of itself.
Good luck to all future applicants. I hope this information is helpful!

backtotheUS 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. Economics and Mathematics, non-Oxbridge/LSE UK university; exchange year at top-20 US university
Undergrad GPA: 18.2/20.0 (top 1%), GPA 3.87 during exchange year
GRE: 800Q, 490V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Mathematical Methods & Calculus (20.0, 19.0), Statistics (18.0, 16.6), Algebra (19.0, 19.0, A+), Real Analysis (16.9, A at graduate level), Game Theory (A), Elementary School Teaching (P), Linear Algebra (A), Topology (B+), ODEs & PDEs (16.3), Number Theory (17.2), FORTRAN Programming (17.5), Dissertation (?)
Econ Courses: Microeconomics (16.9, 18.8, 19.0), Macroeconomics (19.6, 16.7, ?), Mathematical Finance (A), Probabilistic Models (A+), Rationality (A+), Game Theory (B+ at graduate level), Econometrics (A+), Econometrics Seminar (A+)
Other Courses: 2 Management, 1 Political Science
Letters of Recommendation: 1x junior UK professor and co-author, 1x senior UK RA-supervisor, 1x junior US professor and independent research supervisor, 1x senior US professor
Research Experience: 1.5 years RA at the LSE, independent research project, co-authoring journal article (work in progress), mathematics dissertation
Teaching Experience: 1 year (Mathematical Methods for Economists)
Research Interests: Contract theory, auctions, rationality
SOP: focused on research experience
Other: assisted in editing an article for the Royal Economic Society, co-founded and organized national economic forum
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Princeton ($), LSE MRes/PhD ($), Oxford ($?), Munich University ($)
Rejections: NYU, Northwestern, Berkeley, Chicago, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, MIT
What would you have done differently?
Ex-post: not much, since I am extremely happy with this outcome. I was warmly welcome at Europe's top places. Princeton appears to be a lucky outlier. I am not sure if I would trade the amazing experience I have had as an undergraduate for the more rigorous education offered at Oxbridge/LSE.
I should have placed more emphasis on grad coursework during my exchange year and secured a stellar reference from that.

blablabla 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A in Economics, top South American University
Undergrad GPA: 7.9/10.0
Type of Grad: M.A in Economics, same University
Grad GPA: 3.95 (converted). 8 A's and 1 B
GRE: 800Q 490V 3.5 AWA
TOEFL: 103
Math Courses: Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Math Economics I and II, Math Economics (grad level: sort of a real analysis course)
Econ Courses (undergrad level): A lot.
Econ Courses (grad level): Micro I and II, Macro I, Econometrics I and II, Microdevelopment I and II, Contract Theory
Other Courses: NA
Letters of Recommendation: 1 PhD UCLA and 1 PhD BU (probably very good ones), 1 PhD Yale and 1 PhD Chicago (probably not so good ones)
Research Experience: Nothing special. 1 year in a research foundation
Teaching Experience: 1 semester as TA for grad Econometrics I, 1 semester as TA for undergrad Econometrics II
Research Interests: Development Economics, Microeconometrics
SoP: Standard, I think.
Other: NA
RESULTS:
Acceptances: A few. Wisconsin-Madison (no $ 1yr), Maryland ($), Brown ($), LSE MRes/Track 1 (no $)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: A lot. MIT, Yale, Northwestern, Berkeley, NYU, Duke, Michigan, BU, UCL, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago, Cornell
Pending: None
Attending: Brown
What would you have done differently?
1. Get higher grades as an undergrad.
2. Lack of math. I would have taken real analysis/measure theory
3. One of the probably-not-so-good letter of recommendation is my currently advisor. HUGE mistake.
Anyway, I am happy with my outcome! Good luck to all future applicants!

in_limbo 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ and Math from a top U.S public with a good Econ PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 640V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses(undergrad): Calculus(I-III), Linear Algebra, Diff eq, Discrete, Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Chaotic Dynamical systems, Probability, Topology
Math Courses(grad): Analysis, Measure Theory
Econ Courses(undergrad): standard, including Econometrics and Advanced Macro
Econ Courses (grad): Quant Methods, Macro I and II.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ, 1 Math. Did some good RA work for one of them
Research Experience: RA for about a year and currently doing an honors thesis
Teaching Experience: Principles, Intermediate Micro
Research Interests: Macro theory and public finance
statement of purpose: pretty standard
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Minnesota($$), LSE-EME(no$)
Waitlists: UCLA (Withdrawn)
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, Penn, NYU, Northwestern
Attending: Minnesota
What would you have done differently?
I am extremely happy with my outcome. Minnesota was always a top choice for me given my research interests and I probably would have chosen to go there over most of the other schools I applied to. That being said, in retrospect it was probably a good idea to apply to some safeties given the tough admissions season. Also, my grades in some classes weren't stellar which is probably why I was rejected at many of the other top places. My advice to those applying in the future is to really concentrate on getting As in important math classes. The margin for error is minimal and the difference between a B+ and an A is larger than you might think. I think its also extremely helpful to have a good idea of what you might want to study as you can then apply to schools that may not be top 5 overall by have fantastic programs in your chosen field. However, the most important part of your application are your recommendation letters and these can very often make up for other parts that are lacking.

roadvirusss 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Liberal Arts College.
Majors: BA Math, BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.93/4 (3.93 math, 3.97 econ)
GRE: 800 Q, 610 V, 6 AW
Mathematical Courses: Linear Algebra (A-), Vector Calculus (A), Cryptography (A-), Combinatorics (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A), Probability Theory (A), Statistical Theory (A), Complex Analysis (A), Abstract Algebra I (A), Deterministic Ops Research (Spring), Topology (Spring)
Econ Courses: Intro Macro (A-), Intro Micro (A), Empirical Methods (A), Econ Stats (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International Econ (A), Energy Economics (A), Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A), Advanced Micro (Spring)
Other Courses: Took five semesters of Chinese (didn't have time for the minor), though I doubt this will help.
Letters of Recommendation: One econ prof (did research with, took three classes with), chair of math department (took several classes with, academic advisor), math professor who was director at summer REU (worked with for two months). None are particularly reputable, but all three I know fairly well and will write solid recs.
Research Experience: Summer grant for econ research, math REU in graph theory (I'm continuing both projects for senior theses right now)
Teaching Experience: None aside from grading
Research Interests: Micro Theory
Concerns: No graduate level courses offered at my school, lack of big-name recs.
Work Experience: "Head Statistician" for the school's football and basketball teams, tutoring calculus, four semesters of grading (calc, multivariable, prob theory, real analysis), and those two research positions.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: BU($$), UW($), Cornell(no$)
Rejections: Yale, Kellogg, Berkeley, Princeton, NYU-Stern, Stanford, Harvard, Penn, Caltech, UCSD
Waitlists: UCLA (rejected)
Attending: None. A tough decision, but for a number of reason's I'm going to take a year off. Has just as much to do with wanting to make certain of what I want to do with my life, as with increasing the number of options.
Done differently?: Perhaps I could have spent more time researching schools and individualizing my essays. Going way back, I should have been more active finding research opportunities, or maybe chosen to attend a more prestigious school

Springsteen 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. Management, European university
Undergrad GPA: 17/20 - ranked 2nd out of 116
Type of Grad: M.Sc. Economics, same university
Undergrad GPA: 17/20
GRE: 800Q, 410V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses(undergrad): Mathematics I, Mathematics II, Mathematics III, Statistics I, Statistics II (covers linear algebra, calculus, ODE, probability theory, etc...)
Econ Courses(undergrad): Microeconomics I, Macroeconomics I, Microeconomics II, Econometrics
Math Courses(grad): Advanced Mathematics (covers topology and optimization theory)
Econ Courses(grad): Microeconomic Theory, Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Econometrics, IO, Regulation, International Money and Finance, Game Theory, Information and Uncertainty, Microeconometrics
Other Courses: Some Management courses that I hated
Letters of Recommendation: 1 senior econ (phd MIT), 1 senior econ (phd Chicago), 1 junior econ (phd MIT)
Research Experience: graduate thesis (completing)
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Micro theory: Game Theory, Contract theory, Mechanism Design, Auctions
SOP: standard
Concerns: Low AWA,
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NW (waitlisted for first year funding), UPenn (waitlisted for first year funding)
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, UW-M, UMichigan, LSE, Cornell
Comments: I am extremely happy with this outcome!! But, since I have been rejected at 13 universities out of 15, and many universities ranked lower than NW rejected me, I guess I was lucky to ge in NW!
What would you have done differently? Take real analysis (although it was not offered at my university...), RA to get stronger LORs
Attending: Northwestern University!

dauntilus 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in econ & math at top 10 econ dept
Undergrad GPA: 3.88
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA: 4
GRE: 800q, 660v, 5w
Math Courses: Linear algebra (A), Real Analysis (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Numerical Analysis (A), Complex Analysis (A-), Probability (A)
Econ Courses: Undergrad: Intermediate Micro, Macro (A, A), Game Theory (A), Financial Econ (A), Metrics (A)
Grad: Micro (A), Game Theory (A), Psych in Econ (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 great letters from good economics faculty with a record of putting students into top schools. 2 knew me very well, 1 not as well.
Research Experience: 2 years RA experience for 1 professor, no publications
Research Interests: Applied micro, Behavioral econ
SOP: More or less polished, minor changes for each school. I found 1 small typo in 1 school's SOP after submitting.
RESULTS:
Attending: MIT
Acceptances: Berkeley, Yale, Chicago, MIT, Caltech, UCSD, Cornell (no funding), NYU Stern Waitlists: NYU
Rejections: HBS, UPenn, Columbia, NYU, MIT GSB, Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford, Brown
What would you have done differently? I would have started taking grad classes my third year- I thought they would be harder than they are.

dsdoodle 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Econ/B.A. Math from large state/30ish ranked Econ PhD program in US
Undergrad GPA: 3.72/4
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 760Q, 500V, 6.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III, Multivariate Calc I, II, Linear algebra, Differential equations, Math reasoning, Linear analysis, Real analysis (I, II), Linear optimization, discrete modeling (avg gpa 3.71, upper level classes 3.9)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro I, II (B) (skipped undergrad version of micro theory and first micro class since Freshman year... which is somewhat of an excuse for the poor grade)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Monetary (2 classes), Econometrics, Biological resources, International trade, International macro, Applied econometrics.. all As
Letters of Recommendation: My honors thesis adviser (Harvard PhD), prof whom I am RAing for right now (Harvard PhD), prof whom I took two monetary classes from who thinks I'm one of his best student in the last few years (Rochester PhD), prof whom I took an applied econometric class and will be RAing for starting in January (Yale PhD)
Research Experience: Summer internship at non-profit economic research organization, Honors thesis that won an award, RAing with a professor in macro - did work on two papers and coauthoring on a third, RA'd for two professors in labor, editing a macroeconomics textbook for a new edition
Teaching Experience: Grader for econometrics and international trade classes
Research Interests: Environmental, monetary, macro
Statement of purpose: Discussed how I'm taking a year off to do research, made a slight mention of my lower GRE score but high math grades
Concerns: Too much competition!! And maybe the fact that I didn't do well in my grad level micro classes.
Other: Thy will be done.
Applying to: Stanford, Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, NYU, Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, UCSD, UC-Irvine, Washington, WUSTL, Hong Kong University, Boston College, Virginia
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Hong Kong University, UC-Irvine, Texas-Austin, Minnesota (off the long waitlist)
Rejections: Everywhere else (was withdrawn at UW because I work there and the DGS found out I got a better offer and thus withdrew me..oh well)
Attending: University of Minnesota (TA-ship funding)
What would you have done differently?
Section in bold is my updated response after getting an offer from Minnesota on 4/20.
Wow! I am so, so thankful and am so blessed to have a chance to go to my first choice school. I think what made a huge impact was getting the top professor at my school to send a quick note about me to the department and Minnesota. Why do I think this? Because the DGS actually responded and thanked him for recommending me! It's amazing... so if you are in a similar situation as I am where you are on a long waitlist, there are things you can do to get a shot at the incoming class. These things are (these are things that I did):
1) Have a few professors vouch for you. In my case, I had a lot more stuff going on with research after I've applied... and the professors I was working for could send in a note about what I'm doing now or have done for them. Let them know about the waitlist situation and see if they can email or call the department on your behalf. Anything for them to look at your profile again is good.
2) Visit the school. They probably won't pay for your visit, but going there is helpful to first see whether this is the place you want to go and to show that your interest is more than just talk. Obviously anyone can say a school is their first choice school but not everyone will back that up with the money and time it takes to make a visit.
3) Keep in close contact with the school. Don't overdo this... I wouldn't send one email everyday but keep the contact going. I sent two emails that were not responded to asking about the waitlist, but I sent one today (the 20th, so it was after the deadline) and I think it made the DGS look at my application one more time - because he mentioned that he looked at my application again and their situation this year and decided to make me an offer.
4) Pray! I don't presume everyone to believe in the Christian God as I do, so this may not apply to you. But from the beginning, I've prayed that God will send me where I can be best used. Honestly, the morning I got the email accepting me to the program, I thought to myself that everything so far has seemed like God is calling me to Minnesota... from my interests, things I was doing in my RAships, talks with current students, and so on... everything pointed to UMN. Like I said, I trusted that God will bring me where He wanted me to be... and whether that's Texas or Minnesota, I was completely at peace with it. In fact, my interest in Minnesota started out with the reason that there's a pastor, whom I respect very much, who had a church very close to the UMN campus. But I can't stress the importance of prayer and can't fully comprehend God's grace in all of this.
I'm not positive about this, but I may have jumped over some people on the short waitlist (or maybe they all already got offers to come, who knows?). Regardless... I'm very happy to have a chance to get my PhD at Minnesota. Please PM me if you are in a similar situation and need some help.
Now below is the stuff I wrote before I got into UMN... which I'm going to keep here since there are still some good (I hope) information in there.
I am pretty pleased with the results. I think my GRE score and a low grad micro score probably kept me out of most places, as people in the forum said. I don't think a GRE score of 760 will mean you are automatically out, but because there are many others with the exact same grades and research experience (and even better) than you, you really don't want to have a disadvantage in anything. So I guess I may have tried to do better on the GRE (I did, but got the same score) and probably either not take grad micro or know that it was a bad idea to take grad micro when the last micro class you had was 3 years ago in freshman year.
I also may have looked into applying to more target schools instead of reaches.
My first choice was Minnesota, so I am grateful to have been waitlisted and I actually went to visit and had a few professors contact the department to vouch for me. Texas is a great place as well so I am blessed to have that as my "backup", when having it as a first choice would have been more than exciting.
I would also want to repeat what my professor said about applying for econ phd programs - that it's a random process and the only way to increase your chances is to increase the number of trials. Apply to more schools! If you are thinking about applying to less schools to save like 500-1000 dollars, then think about this: $1000 is nothing compared to getting full funding from a school for 5 years. You really, really don't want to miss out on a school that might have given you full funding just because you wanted to save $100. I would recommend everyone to apply to at least 12 programs - 2 reaches, 8 targets, 2 safeties... but it's probably better to apply to 4 reaches, 8 targets, and 4 safeties.
Don't be shocked if a safety school rejects you. It happens.. and in my case those schools were probably very borderline safety schools.
And the most important advice: There's still time to network with professors. It goes a long way if you have good connections with the professors at your school. They are willing to help those they know and think is capable. So look for research opportunities and attend departmental events!
In the end, God provided me with a great place to go and a great experience visiting schools... I'm very happy with the results.

kimbanator 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Business Economics, B.A. in History from top 50 overall undergrad, top 40ish econ phd program
Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00 (same for both majors)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 670V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I (A), Calculus II (A-), Intro Stats (A+), Applied Stats for Econ (A+), Linear Programming (A), Calc III (taken in fall, A), Vector Analysis (winter), Linear Algebra (winter), Intro Proofs (winter), Advanced. Calc (i.e. RA I) (spring), Probability Theory (spring)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles Micro (A+), Principles Macro (A+), Intermediate Micro I (A+), Intermediate Micro II (A+), Econometrics (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Corporate Finance I (A), Corporate Finance II (A+), International Trade (fall, A), Applied Econometrics (Master's level, fall; A)l
Other Courses: Financial Accounting (A+), Managerial Accounting (A+), Federal Tax Accounting (A+), Operations Management (B+), Business Law (A+); lots of history courses; primarily modern US/Europe, some Latin American
Letters of Recommendation: 3-5 per school; at least 2 were very strong; others strong. one letter of recommendation is very well known but he didn't know me that well at the time.
Research Experience: Senior Thesis (International Trade), RA beginning in fall
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: International Trade, Industrial Organization, Economic History, applied micro in general...
Statement of Purpose: Probably a bit long. Justified the history degree and explained I'd have all the requisite math done.
Work Experience: Two summers of work in treasury (private sector), one summer in corporate finance.
Applying to: MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago, UCLA, UCSD.
Other: Lots of awards/scholarships won within the department. Applied to NSF unsuccessfully.
RESULTS:
Attending: {}
Acceptances: {}
Waitlist: MIT
Rejections: everywhere
What would you have done differently?
At the time of my application, I only had completed Calc II. That's it. My advisors pressured me to apply in this cycle, and with a great job offer in my pocket, I could afford to be very risky. And it didn't pan out, as expected. Interestingly, MIT waitlisted me and I received very positive feedback from their adcom. Yes, the lack of math killed me. I imagine my argument for my history background might have been a bit polarizing too, I don't know (but NSF liked the diversity, and I think MIT did, too). The bottom line is that I will apply next fall to a much broader portfolio of schools with the math all done and I'm confident the results will be much better.

48chec 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics Latin American University
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Type of Grad: M.A. Economics Latin American University
Grad GPA: 3.5
GRE: 800Q 570V 3.0 AWA
Math Courses: Multivariate Calculus, Mathematical Statistics
Econ Courses: Game Theory, Grad Micro, Grad Micro, Grad Econometrics
Other Courses: Lots of History Courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Berkeley who teaches at my Uni, 1 Michigan who teaches at my Uni, 1 MIT who teaches at an Ivy League Uni.
Research Experience: R.A. since I was a third year undergrad. Last two years I was a full time instructor working on three papers.
Teaching Experience: I have been a full time instructor for the last two years. I have been teaching Probability and Econometrics.
Research Interests: Labor, information, applied econometrics.
SOP: Made emphasis on my love for academia and my teaching and research experience.
Other: Highest national grade on an economics exam.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCLA($), British Columbia
Waitlists: UPenn, Brown
Rejections: Stanford, Princeton, Berkeley, NorthWestern, Columbia, LSE, Michigan, Texas Austin.
Pending: None
What would you have done differently?
I would have taken more math courses. I would also have taken more care of my GPA. I wish I had realized that I wanted to be an academic earlier in my undergraduate studies.

PerfectMarkets 2010:
Profile
Type of Undergrad: BS in Econ, minor in math at MIT
Undergrad GPA: 4.7/5.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 790V, 5.5AW
Math Courses (+/- grades aren't recorded): Multivariable Calculus (Pass) Probability/Statistics (B); Differential Equations (B); Linear Algebra (B); Advanced Statistics (A); Real Analysis (A); Discrete Applied Math (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Macro (B); Intermediate Micro(A) ; a bunch of field courses (all A's); Econometrics (A); Economics Research/ Paper writing (A); Game Theory(B); grad labor (A);
Other Courses: Some computer science classes, some finance
Letters of Recommendation: 1 senior lecturer who had worked on a project with me, 1 senior prof who I RA's for back in freshman year, 1 senior prof who I took grad labor with, 1 senior prof who I took two classes with.
Research Experience: RA'd for freshman summer and 2 semesters in junior year
Publications: None.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Applied micro and central bank policy
Statement of purpose: Uninteresting, talked about how I like applied micro and was good at Stata. Didn't really mention the macro interest at all.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern ($$) (Attending), Cornell ($$$), NSF fellowship
Waitlists: MIT (eventually rejected, got so close)
Rejections: Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, Chicago, Michigan, NYU, Princeton
What would you have done differently? Ouch, lots of rejections. I would have done better on my math classes, and moved the order I took them around. I should have taken analysis earlier and linear algebra later to free up my schedule. I could maybe have taken some of the intro grad sequence, but I feel like I would've just gotten a B against the grad students here and it would just look worse, so hard to say. My recommenders were very well known, and I think the letters should have been solid, if not completely glowing. I don't know if this helped or hurt me; certainly they have been very supportive throughout this process, but maybe I would have been better off working with a junior faculty and getting a very effusive review. I pinned a lot of hope on the NSF award, but it didn't reverse any decisions, even though it got me much closer to getting off the MIT waitlist. So, the NSF isn't magical. Though money is nice. I also spent two summers working in consulting, which was bad in terms of apps but good in making me realize that I wanted to apply to grad school. I have to chalk up my results to an insanely competitive year and spotty math grades in important classes.

msu2010 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big Ten School
Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4.0
Type of Grad:-
Grad GPA:-
GRE: 790Q 550V
Math Courses: I did a math major, the typical math courses
Econ Courses: Game Theory, Grad Metrics, nothing else outstanding
Other Courses: Some science courses (physics)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 very well known, 1 well know, 1 newer prof (all econ)
Research Experience: Wrote and presented paper at a conference, no publications or anything outstanding
Teaching Experience:TA for intro econ
Research Interests: Labor/Micro/Metrics
SOP: Very odd statement
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston College ($), University of Virginia ($), Ohio State ($$), Illinois ($$), Boston University, Arizona, UCSB, UC Davis, George Mason
Rejections: Too Many
Stanford, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, a lot more, I really am drawing a blank...
What would you have done differently? Gotten a better GPA. I guess a few things, but its over and I am happy, two years ago I didn't think I would be here. I am happy to be going to Boston College in the fall. Its not Stanford, but it suits me

helpzwouldbenice 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.79/4.00
Type of Grad:-
Grad GPA:-
GRE: 800Q 710V 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable Calc (A); Linear Algebra (P); DiffEq (A-); Intro Proofs (A-);
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (B+), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econ Stats (A), Econometrics (A), Trade (A-), Public Econ (A-)
Other Courses: Took a year of physics, lots of random courses. Lots of A's in courses an econ student typically wouldn't take, like Religion and Chinese.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Math Dept. Prof, 1 Econ Dept. Prof, 1 External Prof who I RA'd for
Research Experience: Fair amount in health services research. Have a paper up for submission, and another one that my supervisor and I are working on.
Teaching Experience:None
Research Interests: Health, Labor
SOP: Very tailored to my interests. Definitely proved to be hit or miss with regard to schools.
Other: Rejected from NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: University of Virginia ($$), Rice University ($$), UNC ($$), Michigan ($$)
Rejections: Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Texas, WUSTL, Duke, Caltech, Berkeley, Northwestern, Wharton Applied Econ, Maryland
Never heard from: Wharton Healthcare (interviewed, then never heard back)
Atttending: Michigan
What would you have done differently? Taken more math classes and pushed harder for A's instead of A-'s. My school doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to elite grad schools but the teachers are really supportive. I did pretty well here and there's no telling what would have happened if I had gone to a different school.

TeaMania 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 liberal arts college but the econs department is at least top 10 among LACs. BS in Econs, Physics and Maths
Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00
Type of Grad:-
Grad GPA:-
GRE: 800Q 720V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Linear Algebra, Multivariable calculus, Intro to Abstraction, Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Maths Method for Physics, a few more senior year.(all As
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro , Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, Advanced Econometrics, Advanced Macro, Game Theory, International Finance, Labor Econs, (all As)
Other Courses: Physics Major, Japanese Minor
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econs professors, of which two are well-known, at least by liberal arts college standard. One knows me very much, and said extremely good things about me. Another said something like " the best in the past 15 years". Not sure about the last one.
Research Experience: for a professor, since summer of sophomore year. Coauthor a paper. R&R at the time of application (I only said "submitted" in the applications, because I didn't know the distinction.) Now forthcoming at a top field journal.
Teaching Experience:None
Research Interests: Development, Labor
SOP: Standard and did not customize
RESULTS:
Acceptances: University of Maryland($$, off the waitlist), BU(no $)
Rejections: Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Northwestern,Rochester, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Upenn
Atttending: Maryland
What would you have done differently? I would have applied to more and a wider range of schools. I was ignorant of the process, and didn't spend enough time researching schools, partly because I was taking a lot of classes. I overestimated where I stood in the competition, because I underestimated the importance of grad classes and undergrad/letter of recommendation reputation. Nevertheless, I am glad to make it and will make the most out of my education at UMD. Hope my case will serve as a warning to top students from LACs: this game is very difficult to play, even after taking my warning into account.

keano 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ, top 5 UK university
Undergrad GPA: First (not sure how this translates)
Type of Grad: MSc in Competition Economics, part-time UK university
Grad GPA: On course for distinction
GRE: 800Q, 790V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Maths for economists courses: calculus, linear algebra etc
Econ Courses (Ma-level): A lot of micro-based + econometrics: mostly As
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Lots
Letters of Recommendation: 2/3 econ professors (not well known) Current Employer (Economic consultant with Econ PhD). Hopefully v.positive but names probably won't be known in US.
Research Experience: 3.5 years in economic consultancy
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Micro theory, IO
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Caltech (from waitlist), EUI, LSE (MSc), Oxford (MPhil), BGSE (MSc), Toulouse (M2)
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Kellogg, Wharton (Applied Econ), MIT, UCSD, Berkeley, Wisconsin-M, PSU, Chicago, NYU
What would you have done differently? At the time of the applications process not sure I could done have lot a lot more. Looking at my results, I was a lot more successful in Europe which I would speculate is due to a lack of formal maths courses. So going back a few years, I would have tried to address that somehow.

asdfjkl 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from a Public University, top 10 Economics Department
Undergrad GPA: 3.77 overall, 3.94 Economics GPA
Type of Grad: 1 second-year field sequence in the Economics Department
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: Q: 800, V:640, AWA:4.5
Math Courses: Analysis (B), Linear Algebra (Pass), Multivariable Calculus (A-)
Econ Courses: Advanced Micro (A), Advanced Macro (A+), Game Theory (A), Auction Theory (A-), Advanced Econometrics (A-), along with Econ History, International Monetary Economics, Research Economics (all As), also Psych and Econ, Behavioral Corporate Finance
Letters of Recommendation: 2 very strong letters from Professors from the Economics Department at my undergraduate university (with a history of sending undergraduates to top Economics departments), 1 from the Business School, 1 from the Federal Reserve Board
Research Experience: Summer RA/Intern at the Federal Reserve Board, RA for a Professor at the Business School and RA to another professor in the Economics Department at my university, also worked for a graduate student in the Economics Department
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Applied Micro - beyond that Labor? IO? Development? Psych and Econ?
SOP: nothing special and I did not bother making it specific to the schools I applied to
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UMichigan (attending! no funding initially, $$$$$ at the end), Northwestern (waitlist for funding, ultimately would've received a tuition waiver), UCSD ($$), UCLA ($$)
Waitlists: UPenn Wharton - Applied Economics (would've been accepted to the program off the waitlist with $$)
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Berkeley, UPenn, NYU, Columbia, Yale, ChicagoWhat would you have done differently? A LOT more math. My letter writers had told me I had sufficient math to competitive at all schools; however I think that my lack of strong math background really hurt me on the margin. I think I may have gotten into better schools if I'd taken more math and done better, but I preferred to work on research projects for professors and graduate students throughout my undergrad - so I can't say I regret my decision for get more research experience at the expense of a stronger math background.

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.

cluelessness 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Ivy league, major in economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 800Q/780V/5.0Writing
Math Courses: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, statistics, optimization, introductory real analysis, probability
Econ Courses: intro+intermediate+1semester of grad micro, intermediate macro, econometrics, law and econ, an applications course, public finance
Other Courses: a few in hard sciences, engineering, humanities
Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors from undergrad institution (took classes from them, one was my thesis advisor)
Research Experience: undergrad thesis and a junior year research project
Teaching Experience: none at college level (tutored a middle school kid though)
Research Interests: uncertain
SOP: was probably on the weak side
Other: I didn't apply directly from undergrad; spent some time working after graduation
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NYU, Berkeley
Rejections: Yale, Penn, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern, MIT
What would you have done differently?
I think stronger evidence of research potential would have helped (an RAship maybe). I also think my SOP was on the weak side.

hotfuss 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 4 year Honours degree in economics at a major Australian university
Undergrad GPA: First Class Honours (ranked first in Honours class)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q
Math Courses: First and second year advanced maths courses, differential calculus, integral calculus, discrete mathematics, first and second year linear algebra, vector calculus, PDEs
Econ Courses: Game Theory, Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, International Trade, Applied Economics, Industrial Organisation, Mathematical Economics
Other Courses: First year psychology
Letters of Recommendation: One Fellow of the Econometric Society and two other economics professors with US PhDs (these LORs knew me very well; two of these had marked my thesis, including one who was my adviser, and I had taken one course with one letter of recommendation and two courses with another letter of recommendation (coming first in everything (including thesis), except one course))
Research Experience: Honours thesis and one other game theory paper
Teaching Experience: TA for undergrad economics courses, including intermediate microeconomics
Research Interests: Microeconomic theory and its applications, behavioural economics
SOP: Standard
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern ($$), Wisconsin Madison ($$), Penn State ($$), Maryland (?), Oxford (MPhil in Economics), LSE (MSc in Economics (Research))
Waitlists: Boston
Rejections: Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UCSD and many other places
Attending: Northwestern
What would you have done differently? Not much. I think I should have applied earlier (I worked for a few years after my undergraduate degree) or done more maths courses at university. I would have also applied for a few business schools and a couple more top 10 places.

Gecko 2010: Roll Call Fall 2010 
For all applicants gunning for the 2010 Fall admissions :D
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Econ from university in Southeast Asia
Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 790Q, 500V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Real Analysis I and II, III (in progress) , Linear Algebra Math for Economists, Measure Theory (in progress), Mixture of A and B
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro (B+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): IO, Development, Econometrics, Monetary, Labour, Information Economics Game Theory, Micro and Macro Theory- All A's and A+
Other Courses: Irrelevant.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 Princeton PhD, 1 Columbia PhD) 3rd one pending
Research Experience: Except for term papers and thesis, none.
Teaching Experience: Intermediate Micro, Introduction to statistical theory, developmental economics
Research Interests: Institutional economics and decisions making under uncertainty.
SOP: Standard format - refer to a thread by Italos.
Concerns: My math sucks.
Other: Praying awfully hard.
Applying to: MIT, Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, Berkeley, Michigan, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, WUSTL, and others.

2010app9357 2010: Profile:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Econ, Politics top 15 US LAC
Undergrad GPA: 3.92 = probably top 2 or 3 % at my school
Type of Grad: None
GRE: 800Q, 740V, 6.0 AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level): Real I, Real II, Linear, Calc 1-3, ODE, Probability Theory (calc based) ~ all A or better
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro and Inter Micro and Macro, Trade, M+B, Comparative Labor, Mathematical Econ (simon + blume), Game Theory (gibbons), IO, Honors Thesis, ~ all A or better. Econometrics B+
Letters of Recommendation:3 econ professors from LAC, all actively researching, popular probably only in select circles but they know me well and will probably say nice things
Research Experience: RA one year during undergrad, honors thesis (the department liked it & was impressed), currently RA at regional fed
Teaching Experience: volunteered as peer tutor for econ, stats, politics
Research Interests: micro theory, political theory
Statement of Purpose: Working on one.
Concerns: No graduate courses, average amounts of math, from LAC
Schools: mit, princeton, stanford, berkley, yale, NW, UCSD, U Mich, caltech,wisconsin, duke, MD, rochester, UVA, ohio, UC-Irvine

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)

yougotaparabola 2010: PROFILE:
type of undergrad: B.A. Econ top 10 public university, no grad econ
undergrad GPA: 3.69/4, econ 3.95, math 3.74
type of grad: NA
grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 5.0AWA
math courses: Calc 3 (A-), ODE (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Real Analysis I (A), Game Theory (A-)(through the math department)
econ courses (undergrad-level): intermediate micro, advanced micro (economics of incentives), intermediate macro, advanced macro (international finance), econometrics, time series econometrics, mathematical economics (all A)
econ courses (grad-level): sadly, none.
other courses: Irrelevant.
letters of recommendation: 3 econ professors
research experience: Minimal.
teaching experience: None
research interests: The role of micro incentives in development.
statement of purpose: Pretty standard, nothing substantial.
other: on the bright side you really only need one admit.
concerns: Potentially weak recommendations, no idea how I stack up against the competition, no idea how my undergrad will be perceived,
applying to: Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, Berkeley, Michigan, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, WUSTL, Rochester, UCLA, UVA, Duke, Wisconsin, BU, BC, etc....

lycinsg 2010: well, since everyone is doing this. here goes. kinda embarrassing
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ B.S from Top 30ish Econ department
Undergrad GPA: cum 3.78/4 Econ 3.78/4 Math 3.58/4 >.<
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 780Q, 500V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I,II,III, Multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, math reasoning, real analysis I, probability
Econ Courses (PhD-level): N/A undergrad equivalent
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): International trade, international macro, advanced micro, advanced macro, 2 econometrics, money. in progress: game theory, public finance
Other Courses: Not worth mentioning
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors all fairly well know i guess
Research Experience: Nada. Term papers and honors thesis in progress
Teaching Experience: Nada.
Research Interests: International economics, trade
statement of purpose: The usual
Concerns: Weird grades. It oscillates a lot. I didn't bother to explain in my statement. bad decisions, got destroyed by flu or just plain evil teacher etc.
Other: Why so much supply so little demand for econ applicants? Makes me pale in comparison to others. Most schools turn to reach schools after seeing this forum
Applying to: Stanford (just for fun), Wharton applied economics (praying real real hard), Columbia, U Minn, NYU, Michigan, UCSD, Brown, Maryland, Penn State, UW

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.

confusedgrad 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Economics (one of the best universities in the country but not known extremely all over the world. still, it is recognized at some schools).
Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4 - 1st rank among 145 students.
Type of Grad: M.S. in Economics from the same university.
Grad GPA: 3.95/4.0 - 2nd rank
GRE: Took it three times: Q:800, 800, 800, V:430, 350, 390, AWA: 5.5, 3.5, 4.5,
TOEFL: IBT:110 (R:29, L:29, S:24, W:28)
Math Courses: allmost no math. Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Mathematics for Economists, Mathematical Statistics I and II, Econometrics I and II, Econometric Theory I an II, Time Series Econometrics and only auditing RG Real Analysis this semester. All AAs (no grade for real anal.)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Microeconomic Theory I and II, Macroeconomic Theory I and II,, International Macroconomics. All AA except for one BA.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A lot of courses with straight AAs.
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors (mostly 3 or only 2 of them were used). All from my university. They tried to write strong letters but none of them are knon actually.
Research Experience: Several years in Research department of the Central Bank. However, nothing published in good journals. Only some empirical work.
Teaching Experience: TAship at my ug university for the Statistics courses.
Research Interests: Macro including Int'l macro, monetary economics...
Statement of purpose: Not well tailored for each university. A standard one for all.
Concerns: 1. Almost no math. No advanced calculus, no differential equations, no real analysis. 2. letters from unknown profs and no special efforts from the referees, 3. not enough research experience, 4. age (i'll be 29) 5. that stupid visa issue.
Other: One positive concern: My employee might support 1st year expenditures so I can go with an unfonded offer for the first year.
Applying to: 3 types in US: 1) The ones I got accepted before: UMN, BC, BU, UCLA, UMD. 2) The ones I got rejected last year: Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCSD, 3) The ones I am applying for the first time (mostly dream school, just a fantasy): MIT, Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Brown. Also some European schools in case the visa becomes a problem again: LSE, LBS, Oxford, TI, UPF, CEMFI, EUI. Seems like I am a professional applicant. I made 51 applications so far. (6 in 2003, 23 in 2009, 22 in 2010). God, so much money, so much effort. Best luck, everyone...

far 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Econ and Math, History minor from a large public university
Undergrad GPA: 3.71/4.0 Econ: 4.0/4.0 Math: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 620V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: A lot
Econ Courses (PhD-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Econometrics, Economic Stats, Game Theory, IO, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, International Macro, Principles
Other Courses: Intro to programming
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ professors (1 very well known senior the other a tenure track, both should be excellent) and 1 Math professor
Research Experience: Two years RA-ing for well known recommender, Econ REU internship (other econ recommender was my mentor)
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Industrial Organization, Game Theory, Environmental Economics
Statement of Purpose: General template modified for each school. Talked about my background and interests, reasons for applying, mentioned specific faulty members
Concerns: 3rd recommendation probably isn't that good.
Other: None
Applying to: Arizona, Berkeley, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, Yale

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...

Caroline_x 2010:
Institution: University of Michigan
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Admitted
Funding: Tuition Waiver + Health Coverage. 17.5K for the first year. 16K stipend guaranteed after first year, conditional on good standing.
Notification date: 02/28 (the attached letter was dated March 1st)
Notified through: Email with pdf attachment
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments: So Excited! Good luck to all TMers!

Arash2060 2010:
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: 3/11/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Not expected at all before applying, totally expected recently
Institution: Penn State U
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: 3/11/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Disappointed. I'm really sorry that I grew up in a country where there aren't any schools ranking lower than 1000. Not my fault, I will do another masters in math or econ, make a paper out of my great thesis, build my profile and reach the places that I truely deserve. However at the moment I hate it that there are not standardized tests to show what I'm really capable of and that they have to ignore my GRE 800 and TOEFL 105 and fabulous LORs.

Econg 2010:
Institution: UC Davis
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No
Notification date: 1/15/2010
Notified through:Personal e-mail
Posted on GC:No
Institution: OSU
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Fellowship, 20K stipend
Notification date: 1/15/2010
Notified through:E-mail
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 1/19/2010
Notified through:E-mail to check site
Posted on GC:No
Institution: UPitt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Fellowship, 15K Stipend
Notification date: 3/5/2010
Notified through:Letter
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Harvard
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 3/8/2010
Notified through:Letter
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 3/8/2010
Notified through:Letter
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Wyoming
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Assistantship, 15K stipend
Notification date: 3/9/2010
Notified through:E-mail
Posted on GC:No

yes_no_maybe 2010:
Institution: USC
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 21k, 5 years
Notification date: 2/26/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC:Yes
Institution: Boston College
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Wait listed
Funding: Yes if out
Notification date: 3/1/2010
Notified through:E-mail
Posted on GC:No
Institution: UC Berkeley
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/3/2010
Notified through:E-mail
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Maryland, College Park
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 18k, 4-5 years
Notification date: 3/3/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Institution: Columbia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/5/2010
Notified through: E-mail to check the website
Posted on GC: No
Institution: Brown
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Wait listed
Funding: Yes if out
Notification date: 3/8/2010
Notified through:E-mail
Posted on GC:No
Institution: Princeton
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/9/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Institution: MIT
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/11/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/12/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Institution: UPenn
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 3/13/2010
Notified through: E-mail to check the website
Posted on GC: No