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LAecon 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International Student, Joint Econ and Math + Computer Science double major at a top US Econ PhD granting school. (Transferred in Junior Year from no name east coast business school)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA:N/A
GRE: 790 Q, 590 V, 3.5 AWA / 740 Q, 610 V, 3.0 AWA
Math Courses: At business school: Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Calc I-III, Intro to Prob and Statistics (All A's). At PhD school: Analysis I (A), Probability and Statistics (B), Topology (A), Scientific Computing (A), Analysis II (Current Semester)
Econ Courses: At business school: Intro Micro/Macro, Intermediate Micro/Macro, Money and Banking (All A's). At PhD School: Intro to Econometrics (A-), Public Econ (A), Africa in the world Economy (A), International Econ (A), Advanced Macroeconomics and Finance (A).
Other Courses: Whole Computer Science Major (As(, Plus Honors Thesis (A and Current Semester)
Letters of Recommendation: Great (I expect) one from a really well known economist who I've taken classes and worked for. Great one from political scientist I've worked for and are currently trying to get a paper published with. I have no idea one from the chair of my department who didn't know me that well.
Research Experience: Worked the whole summer for my main letter writter, a really well known economist, also for my number two letter, will end up coauthoring a paper with him. Writing my own honors thesis.
Teaching Experience: Nothing.
Research Interests: Macro, DSGE, Finance, Development and International.
SOP: Pretty bland, just changed Universities and sometimes faculty I'm interested in. One page and a half. Actually sent a couple in with a small grammatical mistake. Talked about my research experiences, a little bit about my interests, and about my thesis.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UPenn ($$$), Minn ($$$), UCLA ($$), Duke ($$$).
Waitlists: Carnegie Mellon
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Northwestern, Chicago, Booth, Stanford GSB, Brown, NYU, Princeton, Stern and Yale.
Pending:
What would you have done differently?
The only thing in my opinion that could have gotten me into higher ranked places in my opinion would have been to get a better third letter of recommendation, which is something that I could have done in my department in retrospect; or a master's abroad. This last one IMO, is not worth my time, as I got into great schools.
I will make a post in the Getting into PhD's from low ranked schools thread, but I hope my example here shows that if you care about the two years you will invest in a masters and will not get funding, if you have the grades try to transfer to a department with a good PhD. From my previous department I wouldn't have been able to enter a top 50 place. My money / time was better invested in an undergrad where access to great economists is commonplace.

tcttc 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University in China ranked between 3-5. Econ department is not so famous.
Undergrad GPA: 3.79 overall, 3.92 last 2 years
Type of Grad: Master of economics in US university with top 20 econ department
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: V640+Q800+AW3.5
Math Courses (undergrad-level): calculus, linear algebra, ODE, probability, statistics, complex analysis, functions of real variables, stochastic process, intro to topology, abstract algebra, measure theory, numeric analysis, dynamic programming
Math Courses (grad-level): measure and probability, linear models, Functional analysis
Econ Courses (PhD-level): RA for economists , Micro 1 & 2, metrics 1,2, Metrics 3.a & b
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): primary + intermediate micro, macro and metrics sequence, several math econ courses
Other Courses: Finance 1 in B-school
Letters of Recommendation: 1 young Associate professor from UCSD (know me quite well, took class with him),
1 new hired assistant professor from Northwestern (took class with him and get an A+),
1 young associate professor from Univ of Florida (took class with him and get an A),
1 senior full professor from Harvard (my director, know me well, work with him).
None of my references are famous economists. But they are all very kind persons. Two of them think I am strong. I didn't talk with the other two too much.
Research Experience:1. undergraduate thesis (excellent thesis award),
2. 2 course projects in my first year in US.
3. worked with my director on a conference project. And finally he converted it to a working paper and put my name on it. not published and not theoretical. I feel very grateful for him to put my name on it but I didn't talk it too much in my sop.
4. Now RAing for a professor in Law school. mainly coding in R and run all kinds of regressions.
Teaching Experience:none in english, undergraduate metrics in Chinese
Research Interests: metrics theory
SOP: Pretty good I guess. Although my AW is low, I ask for help from my friend who is good at writing proposals and my directors.
Concerns: Low AW, funding
Others: TOEFL 110
Applying to: (all econ PhD) USC, U Washington, UC Davis, UT Austin, BU, Duke, NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, UCSD, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT
Results:
Acceptances: Duke($$), BU(waitlisted for 1st year/$$ from 2nd year), UT Austin($$), USC($$$),UC Davis(?), U Washington Seatle(asked about my other offers, then withdrew),
Rejections: NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, UCSD, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT.

aliceav23 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, Latin American University
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 cumulative, 3.9 Econ, 4.0 Math
Type of Grad: M.A. Economics, same university as undergrad
Grad GPA: 3.7
GRE: 800Q, 560V, 4.0AW
Math Courses: CalcI (A+), CalcII(A+), Linear Algebra (A), Probability (A), Statistics (A+), Numerical Methods (A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomics I (A) Microeconomics II (A) Macroeconomics I (A) Macroeconomics II (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Microeconomics (A+,A,A) Macroeconomics (A,B+,A), Econometrics (B+, A), Finance (A+,A+)
Other Courses: Statistics packages (A+)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 UCLA PhD, 1 LSE PhD, 1 Minnesota PhD, 1 T&A M.A. (head of the economics department)
Research Experience: RA in research center, currently research analyst in governmental institution
Teaching Experience: TA of Microeconomics II (Undergrad) for 3 years, TA of Econometrics II, TA of Microeconomics I and II (graduate level), currently part-time teacher Mathematics for Economists
Research Interests: micro theory, applied micro, IO, game theory
SOP: Standard
Concerns: LORs and the fact that my university is not that known
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke, Maryland, BU, Toulouse M2
Waitlists: Brown
Rejections: NYU, Northwestern, Minnesota, UCSD, Carnegie Mellon, CalTech, Cornell, UPenn
Attending: Duke
Comments:
If i had known I wanted this from the start that I wanted a PhD, I would've taken many more math courses in a university close to mine. I actually enjoy math but my university didn't offer RA until last year when I was out. That said, I probably would've applied to a more well known masters, however the students that are coming out of my program now know that they can get into a top 20 US school so that makes me happy.

Economics Dude 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S.B.A. Economics from Top 15 public, Top 50 Econ (considered public Ivy for whatever that's worth)
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/4 (Summa cum laude - Won Outstanding Scholar Award, sort of equivalent to Valedictorian)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA:
GRE: 800Q/630V/4.5AWA (Not a native speaker of English)
Math Courses: Calc sequence, Sets and Logic (Intro to proofs), Diff Eq, Linear Algebra, Intro to Prob, Intro to Stats Theory, Regression Analysis, Advanced Calc, Modern Analysis (All A's, no A+ at my school, except for 1 B+ on the easiest class, Diff Eq.)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Theory
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Usual stuff plus Empirical Research seminar (All A's)
Other Courses: AEA Summer Training Program: Econometrics, Micro Theory, Applied Micro, Research - 5 A's 2 A+'s and 1 A- (Only 3 professors gave A+'s - I missed one)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 director of AEASTP (Ph.D. Chicago), 1 professor (Ph.D. Chicago), 1 professor and current boss (Ph.D. Yale), 1 professor and current boss (Ph.D. Florida). Should all be strong. My office is on the same hallway as virtually all econ professors. I run into them every day and chat with them often (usually about random things besides econ, though).
Research Experience: RA'ed as an undergrad. Won a grant to conduct research as undergrad. Presented replication and extension of a paper at the AEASTP. Currently work as a Associate Research Economist at a research center in the university where I got my degree from.
Teaching Experience: TA'ed for almost 2 years for 1 introductory and 1 intermediate econ course.
Research Interests: Labor, Econometrics, Public Econ/Choice.
SOP: Long (about 2 pages).
RESULTS:
NSF Honorable Mention
Acceptances: Duke MA(some $),BU (no 1yr$), BC($$), UT-Austin ($$), Rochester($$$), UCSD($)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Berkeley, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, and Michigan.
Attending: UCSD
What would you have done differently?
I guess I could have moved to the US for high school and gone to a better undergrad institution, but I was having too much fun in Brazil at the time. I guess I could also have had more math (isn't that almost always the case?) In any case, I will be attending one of my top choices, which also happens to be right by the ocean.. I couldn't ask for much more.

beeconomist 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math and Economics double major at Maryland
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 overall, 4.0 math, 3.7 economics
GRE: 770Q, 730V, AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Calc II (A+), Calc III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Differential Equations (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Number theory (A), Probability and Statistics (A), Advanced Calculus (A-), Math of Finance (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Advanced Calculus II (A), Advanced Linear Algebra (A) , Numerical Analysis (IP)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A-), Intro Macro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Econometrics I (A+), Development (A), Honors Thesis I (A), Risk and Uncertainty in Economics (IP), Mathematical Economics (IP), Econometrics II (IP), Honors Thesis II (IP)
Other Courses: C Programming (A), Writing for Economics (A+)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 very strong from assistant professor I've RA'd for a year and a half, 1 very strong from distinguished professor I've RA'd for a year, 1 semi-strong from professor who is director of the econ honors thesis program
Research Experience: RA for macro professor (1 and a half years), RA for environmental economics professor (1 year), received a grant to complete a math research project, 2 summer research programs for women in mathematics, honors thesis
Teaching Experience: Tutored math for a semester
Research Interests: When I applied, it was macro. Now I'm interested in learning more about public, health, environmental, and agricultural and food policy.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland (graduate assistantship), NYU (fellowship), Penn (waitlist for funding), UVA (fellowship), Duke (1st year tuition), GW (fellowship)
Waitlists: Columbia, Johns Hopkins
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, UNC, Georgetown
Attending: Maryland

taurenchieftain 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BAS in applied math and economics from Stanford
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: MS in statistics from Stanford
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 800 Q, 610 V, 5 AWA
Relevant Courses:
Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus (A+)
Multivariable Calculus (A+)
Ordinary Differential Equations (A)
Function of Real Variable (credit)
Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory (A+)
Theory of Probability (A+)
Statistical Inference (A)
Partial Differential Equations (A+)
Fundamental Concepts in Analysis (A+)
Linear Regression and Analysis of Variance (A)
Introduction to Stochastic Processes (A-)
Lebesgue Integral and Fourier Transformation (A)
Microeconomic Theory I (A-)
Microeconomic Theory II (A)
Macroeconomic Theory (A)
Introduction to Econometrics (A-)
Advanced Topics in Econometrics (A+)
Risk and Insurance (A+)
International Finance (A)
Financial Economics (A+)
Economics of Innovation (A)
Introduction to Optimization (A-)
Introduction to Stochastic Modeling (A)
Discrete Mathematics For Computer Scientists I (A)
Discrete Mathematics For Computer Scientists II (A)
Programing Methodology (A-)
Programing Abstractions (A)
Imperfect Competition (Pending)
Phd Micro I (Pending)
Financial Statisics (Pending)
Letters of Recommendation: one from chair prof in finance, one from assist prof in finance, one from assist prof in economics. Worked as RA for all three, knows me well and should be glowing.
Research Experience: 1 year each as an RA in economics and in finance. Doing honors thesis on a finance topic
Teaching Experience: ABSOLUTELY NONE
Research Interests: financial economics, corporate finance, IO, applied econometrics.
SOP: starting to write it
Concerns: I feel that I am prepared. My 3.9 GPAs are due to a few Bs in required humanities and writing courses (I am an international student).
Other:
Applying to: Top 15 finance and economics programs, but mainly in finance.

2011applicant 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 US liberal arts college (Economics and Political Science double major). Graduated more than 2 years ago.
Undergrad GPA: 3.87 (3.9 in majors)
Type of Grad: Math Certificate Program
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: 790 Quant. 800 Ver. 5.5 Writing
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (Pass), Multi-Var (Pass), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A-), ODE (A-), Masters Level Math Stat I (B+), taking Masters Level Math Stat II
Econ Courses (grad-level):n/a
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): all the basics, except only intro to econometrics. Took advanced IO seminar (A) and advanced Micro theory seminar (B+/A-)
Other Courses: Lots of Political Science, History, and Philosophy courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Professors: One MIT graduate and UMD graduate, who both know me well, but only from classes. One Penn State professor who doesn't know me well. Supervisor at work (economic consulting firm) who has a PhD in Econ from UVA.
Research Experience: research position at think tank, analyst/associate position doing antitrust work at economic consulting firm, 1.5 years doing non-quant research for political science professor.
Teaching Experience: TAed three economics classes.
Research Interests: Industrial organization and Public Finance. Plan to do joint JD/PhD.
Concerns: Letters of Recommendation, Lack of academic research experience, inadequate econometrics background.
Decided to apply to no safeties for PhD programs (all schools I would definitely want to go) and Masters programs as my backups. I also may consider taking econometrics and doing research over the summer and going to a law program next year (since I want to get the law degree too), and then reapply next year from law school.
Applying to: Berkeley, Stanford GSB (Political Economics), Harvard Political Economy, Yale, Michigan, Maryland, Duke, Minnesota, Northwestern, Chicago; Cambridge MPhil, Oxford Mphil, LSE Msc EME, U Toronto Mphil (Doctoral track), UPF/Barcelona GSE + many associated law schools.

kida 2011:
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: email to check site
Posted on GF: no
Comments: sad to start with rejection..
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: accepted
Funding: yes
Notification date: 02/22/2011
Notified through: email to check site (yesterday department also sent email with funding details)
Posted on GF: no
Comments: soooo happy
Institution: Northwestern
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: accepted
Funding: yes /edit: called them and apparently my first email with details on funding got lost... /
Notification date: 02/23/2011
Notified through: no notification, checked site after seeing post here
Posted on GF: no
Comments: yay!

coffeefanatic 2011:
Throwing my results so far into the mix...
Institution: Wharton
Program: PhD in Applied Economics
Decision: Interview
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/15/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Who knows how many they interviewed...
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Unsurprising.
Institution: Stanford GSB
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/18/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Super long-shot/terrible match for my research interests, anyway.
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: university-wide fellowship
Notification date: 02/21/2011
Notified through: Email from department
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Nice.
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: graduate school fellowship
Notification date: 02/22/2011
Notified through: Email to check website, follow-up email from department
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Very nice.
Institution: Penn
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment: Ouch.

lkpkhk 2011:
Institution: Northwestern University
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/4/2011
Notified through: Website
Posted on GC:Yes
Institution: UCSB
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/4/2011
Notified through: Website
Posted on GC:no

oikomaniac 2011:
I am a new member. My results below (all funded offers):
Institution: Stanford GSB
Program: PhD in Finance
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Northwestern
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Harvard
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Maryland
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: MIT
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Chicago
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Institution: Columbia
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes

Marketforlemmas 2011:
Finally want to stop lurking and make some posts:
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Wait Listed
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Really hoping this one works out
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Excited
Institution: UCSD
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Would love to live there, but don't know about funding.
Institution: Maryland
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Ok!
Institution: MIT
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Wait Listed
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Hope to win the NSF.... I hear that will help me out?
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Sooooooooooo happy.
Institution: Northwestern
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Bad day.
Institution: Berkeley
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Ok, not for me.
Institution: Princeton
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Oh well.
Institution: Columbia
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: yes
Comments: Yay!

EconOldGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 75 U.S. Public
Undergrad GPA: 3.68
Type of Grad: Top 50 U.S. Public
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 780(Q)/610(V)/4.5(AW)
Math Courses: Calculus I-II
Econ Courses: Undergrad -- Micro (2), Macro (1), Environmental (2), Development(1)
Grad -- Micro, Macro, Metrics, Game Theory, Environmental, Int'l Trade
Other Courses: SAS, Logistic Regression
Letters of Recommendation: 2 solid Env. Economists and 1 Trade Prof.
Research Experience: 2 years RA, 3 co-authored papers to be submitted soon
Teaching Experience: 1 semester undergrad Env. Econ. Solid review from students
Research Interests: Environmental: land use policies, climate, energy
SOP: Laid out future research/career plans, summarized research experience
Other: 6 yrs work experience btw undergrad and grad.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NC State Econ ($$), Oregon St. Applied Econ ($ pending), Colorado Econ (No $)
Waitlists: Cornell AEM ($$ and acceptance could happen this week)
Rejections: Harvard, Duke, UC Santa Barbara, Arizona State(implicit), Berkeley ARE
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Since my MS is in applied econ, maybe work my comparative advantage by applying to more applied programs. Take more MATH period -- don't even bother applying top 20 Econ with as little math as I have. Overall, first funding came today so very relieved. Good Luck to all.

thegunners 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Engineering. Top university in my country (Asia) and quite reputed worldwide.
Undergrad GPA: 7.73/ 10
Type of Grad: MS in Economics from a very well-known institution in my country.
Grad GPA: 82% (class rank 2)
GRE: Q800, V620, AWA 6.0
Math Courses: Math 1 & 2 (Consists of calculus, vector calculus, numerical methods), Transform calculus, ODE and PDE, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro, macro, econometrics, stats, game theory etc etc.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):
Other Courses: none relevant
Research experience: Worked with a professor at a reasonably well-known European university over the summer of 2009. Worked on political economy. Produced a writing sample.
Working as an RA since June, 2010. Working on experiments.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Game theory profs - very well known. Very famous. 1-from the prof I worked with over the summer of 2009. He is quite famous too.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Micro theory, political economy, social choice theory.
SOP: standard
Concerns: Low undergrad GPA. Less math courses in undergrad.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UPenn (with 1st yr funding waitlist), LSE, Penn State
Waitlists: Princeton, NYU
Rejections: Yale, Duke
What would you have done differently? If I had known long ago, the importance of math courses, then I would have taken more at the undergrad level. But apart from that there is very little that I think I did wrong. However, if there was something that I could have done to counter some unfortunate events that affected my application (I can't talk about them here), tough though it was, I could have worked a bit harder on producing a research material of a better quality. I think if your recommenders are well connected, impressing them with a stunning research work would boost your chances significantly. That's a very subjective thing though.

SASsy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small Public U (~12K UG & G) comparable to liberal arts college; top 5 party school
Undergrad GPA: 3.38 overall, 3.81 econ, 3.76 Spanish, 3.35 intl studies
Type of Grad: same as UG
Grad GPA: 3.50
GRE: 800Q/760V/4.5W (12/2010)...but 700Q/700V/3.5W (11/2010 - obviously I had to study harder)
Math Courses: Cal I (B), Cal II-IV (As), Foundations (B), Linear Algebra I (B), Intro to Stat Methods (B), Differential Equations I (A), Intro to Math Stats (A), Advanced Cal I-II (As)
Econ Courses: Honors Principles Micro (A), Honors Principles Macro (A), Int Micro (A), Int Macro (B), Honors Global Econ (A), International Trade (A), Game Theory (A), Managerial (A), Econ for Engineers (B), Econ Stats II (A)
Grad Econ Courses: all taken with PhD students, Micro I (A), Macro I (B), Econometrics I (A), Price Theory (A), Managerial (A), IO (A), Math Econ (A), Econ History (A), Math Methods for Econ (B), Stat Methods for Econ and Business (B), three Econ seminars, and a course that I failed 5 years ago due to very odd circumstances...hence the low grad GPA.
Other Courses: 6 senior history courses, 2 senior sociology courses, 1 law school course, several heterodox courses (polisci/history/sociology/philosophy/law) for intl studies; lots of language courses, including graduate level spanish (but other languages as well)
Letters of Recommendation: I used a mix of 5 professors, to reduce the burden on them. 1 prof recommended me to all schools with what I assume was a very strong letter of recommendation. I asked all of my grad-level theory professors (micro, macro, metrics) plus the two professors I had written research papers for (and who had taught many electives to me). None were extraordinarily well-known (to my knowledge) but knew me very well and knew my understanding of applications of econ.
Research Experience: My Formal experience was very limited; At time of application I had just accepted RA job at a university, in an unfamiliar field. Otherwise, had collected my own data for papers and had done all research independently.
Teaching Experience: TA for campus-wide service during MA, more like a math tutor; tutored for 8 years
Research Interests: micro/labor/health, IO, public finance, behavioral, development...isn't it all related on some level?
SOP: It was ever-evolving. The "best" SOP (the one that yielded my Chicago acceptance) was very professional, very direct, and discussed all research papers I had written previously. The others talked more about my one big idea. I also took a more "persuasive" tone in them. All mentioned that I want to teach.
Other: I have won several scholarships and fellowships in the past, for which I think I provided a pretty good ROR on the investment. I also worked 40 hours/week for the last 3 years while bringing my grades up significantly. During this time I made sure to be one of the top, if not the top, students in each class. (Except macro. Damn.) Also my Chicago writing sample was a paper in which I disproved my undergraduate thesis.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Chicago with level one fellowship
Waitlists: Rice
Rejections: Harvard, NYU, Princeton, Northwestern, UT-Austin, Rochester, Georgetown, Duke, Maryland, Cornell, Brown, UVA and LSE
Incomplete: Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Melon, American, George Mason
What would you have done differently?
This is a difficult topic. Obviously I did something right. I also did many things wrong. Points (1) and (2) are changes that would've made me an entirely different person. These are more like life lessons, that required trial and error with my own life to discover. On the other hand, I like to think that if I had only enacted (3) and (4) from below, I would have had a much better application season in spite of my past.
(1) I would have taken my academic destiny into my own hands years ago. I let my course load and academic interests be chosen by well-meaning advisers instead of determining what I actually wanted to learn. Thus I was disinterested in many of my courses, and I underperformed. I also let exogenous factors affect my grades too much. I would have been more mature about accepting life's hardships rather than taking a few semesters to mope about it. I would not have partied so much.
(2) I would have been proactive about research with professors. This problem started with my undergrad thesis. I continually chose "interesting" rather than "executable" topics. My adviser at the time encouraged me to be intellectually curious. I should have asked to continue research under his specialty so the paper would have been easier. Instead, I spent the past 6 years chasing down data about a seemingly irrelevant topic. It makes me unique to have this expertise, but it also makes me OLD.
(3) I would not have experimented with my SOP. Really, what the hell was I thinking? I could've been shut out entirely this year. Clearly I am a strong candidate, but I really shot myself in the foot with the changes I made to my SOP at the end of December. While the SOP may not help an applicant, it surely can hurt him/her; I am a good example. I should've been professional, straightforward, and commanding in all of the SOPs.
(4) I would have planned to rock the GRE by mid fall. I cut it really close by taking the GRE in November and then again in mid December. If I had given myself a little more study time between the two exams, I think I could've aced the verbal and significantly improved my AWA. I took the exam late because I didn't expect to do so well, preventing myself from the possibility of applying to many excellent schools. I applied to Harvard at the last minute, and it was the only Dec. 15 deadline I met. I like to think that if I had taken more time to prepare that application, I'd be going to Cambridge in the fall.
Note: I would not have changed my initial course of study or UG institution. I believe that my background gives me a true appreciation for economics, and without it, I'd be a physicist (true story). I tried out the other social sciences first, as I chased down my interests in foreign cultures and varying governance systems. Writing research papers for other social science courses left me utterly frustrated because I could never prove what I said. My senior thesis left me utterly dissatisfied. Enter economics. It was a natural fit for my data and research. I am proud to say that I am passionate about economics.

The MAN 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Economics, minor in Bus. Admin. at Illinois State Uni
Undergrad GPA: 3.38 overall, a little better in econ.
Type of Grad: MA in Applied Economics from Illinois State Uni
Grad GPA: 4.0 (still have 1 year left, but I don't expect this to change)
GRE: 800 Q, 560 V, 4.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I (C), Calc II (C) [both taken a decade ago when I was a freshman and not too mature], Calc III (A+), Advanced Probability Models (A), Linear Algebra (A+), Real Analysis (in progress)
Econ Courses (grad-level): MA level Micro, Macro, Econometrics (3 courses), and a few electives that probably won't factor into my admission decision (All A's)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Pretty much everything I could take: Econometrics I, II (A, A), Telecom Econ (B), Managerial Econ (A), Micro (B), Macro (A), Law and Econ (B), Money and Banking (B), Labor Econ (B), Organizational Econ (A), Enviro & Natural Resource Econ (B)
Other Courses: Standard classes needed to get a bachelor's
Letters of Recommendation: 3 that should range from good to outstanding from econ professors who's PhDs are from: U of Houston, U of Chicago, and UC-Berkley.
Research Experience: A little over a year of RA work. This includes co-authoring a paper submitted for publishing (no word back on acceptance or denial yet)
Teaching Experience: Some TA work done while in the masters program. Also, I have some tutoring experience from undergrad.
Research Interests: Health, Applied Micro, IO, maybe experimental, maybe Labor, maybe metrics (If I start thinking about a topic long enough I end up generating interest in it)
SOP: Should be pretty good. I'm going to talk about my past (since I have a little bit of an unusual profile having left school for 5 years to work), why I want a PhD, why school X fits me, and why I fit school X.
Concerns: My undergrad grades range from terrible to okay, but there is nothing outstanding. I lack some math courses (although I have killed all the recent classes I've taken).
Other: Between my undergrad and master's I spent 5 years working. Most of that time I was a Financial Consultant for a large regional bank (at the time it was the 8th largest bank in the U.S.).
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Kentucky ($) and Michigan State
Waitlists: North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Rejections: Duke, UIUC, Cornell, Iowa, Arizona, Texas-Austin,
Pending: None
What would you have done differently?
If I had known that I would ultimately go for a PhD in economics as an undergrad I would have taken more math and applied myself more in all of my classes to carry a higher GPA. But since I didn't decide to do a PhD until after I had graduated, I can't say that I would have changed much in what I did. I loved doing my master's at ISU and feel that it helped me significantly (better LORs, more math, and great GPA somewhat answered the questions my undergrad/age generated). I probably would not have applied to University of Iowa (I didn't realize how poorly I matched with the school when I was applying because I focused more on their recent placements) and applied to a different mid-ranged PhD program.

wheretogo1 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big 10 School - top 50 undergrad
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 800Q/550V/4.5Writing
Math Courses: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, probability theory, real analysis (2 semesters), abstract algebra, topology
Econ Courses: intermediate micro, intermediate macro, econometrics, game theory, labor, international
Other Courses: java programming
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from institution (one advised me during research paper), 1 from current boss (who is a professor at a top 5 program)
Research Experience: junior year research project, 3 years at a public policy thinktank
Teaching Experience: tutored calculus at college.... does that count?
Research Interests: applied micro, labor, public econ, but open to anything really
SOP: Not great, not terrible
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland, Virginia, Texas
Rejections: Berkeley, Yale, nwestern, columbia, mich, wisconsin, cornell, carnegie mellon, penn state, illinois, duke, UCSD
Wait lists: BU, Uwashington, Upenn, Minnesota
What would you have done differently?
Build closer relations with economics faculty at my undergrad institution. My rec letters were not as strong as others.

Integral 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Math & Econ, top-30 US undergrad
Undergrad GPA: 3.7 overall; 3.5 in math; 4.0 in econ, or near enough
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q 640V 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-II-III, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability, Advanced Calculus, Real Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Topology
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, lots of field courses, PhD Micro I
Other Courses: nothing special; a few programming classes
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from thesis advisor; 1 from honors director & RA supervisor; 1 from a course instructor. All quite good, I think. Two of the three are reasonably well-known.
Research Experience: Honors thesis (money/macro), RA for one summer (trade), RA for a private research firm for one summer
Teaching Experience: Six semesters of teaching Intro Micro, Intro Macro, and Intro Stats.
Research Interests: Social Choice Theory, Mechanism Design, Monetary Economics, Macroeconometrics, Nonparametric Econometrics (it's a weird combo, I admit)
SOP: Nothing special.
Other: Some schools got my grades for Micro I, Algebra, and Topology; others didn't. I took those three in the fall.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Iowa State ($$), UC-Davis, Boston College ($$)
Waitlists: Wisconsin-Madison
Rejections: Columbia, NYU, NWU, Penn, Brown, Duke, WUSTL, Penn State, Carnegie-Mellon
Attending: Boston College
What would you have done differently?
Two things stand out:
1) Gotten better grades in math. I had B's in several key math courses which I'm sure torpedoed my chances at more than one school. On the other hand, I am fortunate enough to have a control: a friend of mine, at the same institution, who had a far better math record than me, was rejected across the board at the top 10. So who knows?
2) Taken the GRE earlier and gotten an 800Q. I doubt it would have made much of a difference, but I think the GRE cutoff is near 800, if not exactly 800, at the very top. At the very least, getting an 800Q would have put off one dimension of uncertainty.
In terms of undergrad institution and letters, I did about as well as I possibly could have. I started teaching very early; while that didn't affect admissions one iota, teaching was one of the things that opened doors for me in the department and got me the letters of rec I needed. I did all the research I could within the constraints that I had.
It's been a wild ride; I have no true regrets about any of it. I'm incredibly excited to join BC in the fall.

goose88 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 15 undergrad, Top 30 Econ PhD
Undergrad GPA: 3.5/3.76 for econ
Type of Grad:n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 620V, 4AW
Math Courses: Calc(I-III: B+,B-,B-), Linear Algebra(B+), Intro to proofs(A-), Real Analysis(A), Lebesgue Integration (In progress with an A so far)
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, IO, Property Rights, Intro and Applied Econometrics, Game Theory etc. (all A-/A's except for one B)
Other Courses: MATLAB(in progress)
Letters of Recommendation: All econ PhDs...2 well Known professors (one Stanford and another from Rochester), and one ok recommendation (Stanford)
Research Experience: Award winning Honors thesis, summer fellowship
Teaching Experience: Teaching Assistant for a intro level macro class
Research Interests: Development econ, Applied Micro/IO
SOP: Good but didn't bother to customize it for each school...highlighted my diverse background
Concerns: Weak GPA and Math grades...I was not the best student for the first two years of my college career and my grades suffered...hopefully they can also see the radical change in my grades from B's to A's
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern($$), WUSTL($$), ASU($$), UWO-PhD stream MA($$)
Rejections: Brown, Duke, Georgetown, Michigan, NYU, Queens, Rochester, Stanford, U Minnesota, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, U Wisconsin, Yale
Withdrawn: Columbia, Purdue
Attending: Northwestern
What would you have done differently? So, so many things. I think I was ridiculously lucky given how marginal my profile looks (but I promise, I am not as bad as I look on paper)
i) I would have started out as an Econ major instead of waiting till junior year to switch out of the Business school (no offense to business majors but that place drained my soul and made me super lazy)
ii) I would have taken my Calculus classes seriously or at the very least attended them for more than the first week
iii) I would have taken some more stats classes than the basic courses such as Stochastic Processes or Probability Theory
iv) I would have done more research/get to know more professors but then again, this is tied to (i)

hzzhangyu 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ from a top-tier Chinese university; Exchange at a top-15 econ department in U.S.
Undergrad GPA: overall 91.3/100 (1/48, but the program includes people doing sociology and political science); Exchange GPA 4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: V700 Q800 AW4
TOEFL: 119 (iBT)
Math Courses: Single Variable Calculus (90), Multivariate Calculus (92), Linear Algebra & Analytical Geometry (91), Probablity Theory & Math Stats (97) -- (mandates of my program, these four appear in transcripts as College Math for Social Sciences 1, 2, 3, 4: really bad course names which need explaining in the SOP) -- , Real Analysis (96, rank 1st), Stochastic Calculus(92).
Econ Courses (grad-level): Phd Micro I (A), Math Econ I (A). both at the exchange department and top in both classes.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): typical econ major requirement at home university (all but one are above 90/100); International Finance (A), Game Theory(A), Econometrics (A) at the exchange department, top in all three classes.
Other Courses: lots of typical mandates required in China.
Letters of Recommendation: all come from professors in the exchange department, two senior faculty from grad micro and undergrad international finance (both relatively well-known in their respective fields), one AP from grad math econ course (should be very enthusiastic).
Research Experience: Virtually none. Started to write a Honor Thesis only after applying.
Teaching Experience:No
Research Interests: Macro theory and behavioral macro. likely to change after 1st year.
SOP: talks about my love for math, however I have no solid research experience to write about.
Concerns: lack of research experience (also all three letters are supposed to talk about not much more than performance in class); bad names for math courses.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: MIT(wl for $ -> unfunded), Stanford($$$), Princeton($$$), Minn, UCLA, PSU
Waitlists: UPenn(-> rej), UMich
Rejections: Harvard, Chicago, Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, Duke.
Withdrawn: UCSD, Wisc.
What would you have done differently?
My lack of research experience partly results from some family reasons and an unexpected health incident; I guess I couldn't have done much differently.

FromTheHip 2011:
Well, time to throw out my profile, which I suspect will make my results a source of hope for many with mediocre undergraduate GPAs.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS in a science field at a highly-ranked U.S. university
Undergrad GPA: 3.34/4
Type of Grad: Part time classes at a top-5 econ program
Grad GPA: 4.0/4
GRE: 800Q, 700V, 4.5AW
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calculus (A), Vector Analysis (B), Differential Equations (A-), Real Analysis (B+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Two semesters of core micro (A/A), both grades near the top of the class
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A-), Intro Macro (A-), Intermediate micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A-), Two term theoretical econometrics course (B/B+)
Other Courses: A lot of very quantitative science courses.
Letters of Recommendation: All three were economists with tenure at a top-5 econ program and PhDs from top programs. One was a professor from my core micro who talked about my coursework, while another was my long-time boss (see below). The third worked as my advisor on an independent project.
Research Experience: Two years as an RA and an independent research project (still ongoing).
Research Interests: Resource/environmental, development, game theory, IO. Statement focused on resource, game theory, and development.
SOP: Fairly long. I’ve spent some time outside of undergrad and was not an econ major, so I spent a bit of time explaining how I’d come to be interested in economics and putting my non-economics accomplishments into context.
Other experience: Several years work experience before starting my economics career
Concerns: Non-economics background, low undergraduate grades
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Cornell (no $), Georgetown ($), Iowa State ($),LSE ($), Penn State ($), Rochester ($), UC-Davis ($), UC-San Diego ($), UC-Santa Barbara (no $), University of British Columbia ($), University of Colorado ($), UPenn (initially wl for $, then $), University of Wisconsin ($), Yale ($).
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, Brown, Caltech, Chicago, Chicago Booth, Duke, Harvard, Minnesota, NYU, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, University of Maryland, University of Michigan
Waitlists: BU (withdrew), Columbia (withdrew), MIT (eventually rejected)
Withdrawn: University of Wyoming
Attending: Yale
What would you have done differently? Gotten better undergraduate grades and started as an economist sooner.
Other Comments: Given where I was coming in, I’m pretty ecstatic about my results. There was a lot of variance in my admits, and I’m grateful to all the programs which were willing to take a chance on me.

Potica 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA econ and psych from top 10 liberal arts college. Post-BA math classes in continuing studies program at top 20 University
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 (overall), 3.4 (BA institution), 3.8 (post-BA), 3.6 (econ classes), 3.6 (final two years of UG at liberal arts college)
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q780, V650, AWA 5.0
Math Courses: Calc I-III (C, A, A), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Game Theory (A-), Probability I-III (A, A, A-), Real Analysis I-III (B+, A, A-), Math Stats I (B-). All but Calc I taken post BA.
Econ Courses: Intro Micro (B+), Intro Macro (B+), Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (B+), IO (A), Decision Making (A-), IO Seminar (A), Trade (B+), Managerial Econ (A-), Law and Econ (P)
Other Courses: lots of psychology courses, a few history classes.
Letters of Recommendation: Two young (well known) economists at top 10 econ PhD program for whom I had a 1.5 year RA job. One economist who previously had a senior position at the FTC who supervised me at a consulting firm for 5 years. Letters were clearly strong.
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis (both econ and psych), work at econ consulting firm (5 years), full time RA job at top 10 university (1.5 years), co-authored working paper with supervisors at RA job, and a little bit of very preliminary work on a couple of my own ideas
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 quarters of intro micro and 2 quarters of intro macro
Research Interests: Applied micro (changed the fields a bit from school to school)
SOP: Probably strong. Good argument for why I want to study econ and why I am prepared. Wrote extensively about two research ideas. Customization varied from school to school.
Concerns: Relatively old, weak undergraduate grades, no grad classes.
Other: Presented co-authored paper as a poster at a conference in late March (a mention that the paper was accepted for the conference made it onto about half of my apps)
RESULTS
Acceptances: UW Madison ($), Cornell ($), UT Austin ($), UVA ($), OSU (unclear), Vanderbilt ($), UC Davis ($), UC Irvine ($), Notre Dame ($)
Waitlists: U Chicago Booth econ (accepted), U Michigan Ross econ (accepted), Brown (accepted), U Maryland (accepted, no $), U Michigan (withdrawn, prob could have gotten in at last minute), UNC (withdrawn), U Minnesota (rejected)
Rejections: Yale, Harvard PEG, Berkeley ARE, Stanford, Princeton, UPenn, Wharton Applied Econ, U Chicago, Northwestern, Columbia, NYU, CMU, Duke, JHU, Rochester, University of British Columbia, UCSD, Wash U
Attending: U Chicago Booth econ
What would you have done differently?
Not much. Would have changed my mix of schools slightly and not applied to UBC (with its $150 application fee). Obviously I could have done better as an undergrad, but at the time I had no interest in graduate school. I think the RA job was hugely beneficial (for a number of reason). My results would have been much worse without it. The last five months have been very busy and stressful, so I'm happy it's done even, especially given how well it turned out.

kevinp123 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BS Econ; Top 30 public, not highly ranked in econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.94
Type of Grad: MA Econ, same school as undergrad
Grad GPA: 3.92
GRE: 780Q, 610V, 4.5AW
Math Courses: Multivar Calc (A), Math for Econ (A), Adv. Calc I (A), Lin. Algebra (A), Probability (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro/Macro, Development, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Econometrics I,II, Game Theory (A), Corp. Finance (B)
Grad Econ Courses: Micro I,II, Public Finance (A), IO (B)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Chicago, 1 Princeton, 1 Stanford; 1 somewhat famous
Research Experience: Master's Thesis
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT-Austin, Maryland
Waitlists: Initially Maryland
Rejections: Harvard, Chicago, UPenn, Northwestern, Yale, NYU, Stern, UCLA, Michigan, Duke, CMU-Tepper, UVA, VanderbiltWhat would you have done differently? I would have started taking math courses before my junior (and mostly senior) year, especially statistics courses. I think not having any calculus based statistics courses really hurt me (other than probability). I also would not have withdrawn from an honors research course to take and LSAT prep class.

HealthEconGirl 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Econ from top-30 U.S. university
Undergrad GPA: 3.76 / 4.0, magna cum laude
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800, V720, AW5.5
Math Courses: Calc I&II (AP), Multivariable Calc (A), Diff Equ (A), Intro to Proofs (A), Upper-level Probability Theory (A), Lin Alg (A), Intro to Analysis (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Regular econ major courses (mostly A's, one B+ and one B), IO (B+), African Development (A-), Econ Reforms and Corruption (A-), Pol Econ of Growth, Redistribution and Poverty (A-), Intermediate Econometrics (A), Senior thesis seminar (A)
Letters of Recommendation: Senior thesis advisor (Columbia Ph.D.), one Assoc Prof (Foreign Ph.D.), one Epidemiologist (Berkeley Ph.D.), one former supervisor
Research Experience: Senior thesis, RA for epidemiologist since August 2010, Paid Internship where I basically do standard RA work (data cleaning, analysis) since June 2010
Teaching Experience: none really, but LORs talked about my potential for teaching
Research Interests: economics of global health, specifically HIV and sexual behavior in developing countries
SOP: Highlighted my senior thesis, significant time working in a developing country, and well defined research interests; customized to each school
Concerns: While I have extensive work experience that is relevant, it's not the standard econ RA work; no graduate econ classes despite being in a research univ.
RESULTS:
Attending: UCSD
Acceptances: UCSD ($), UBC ($$$)
Waitlists: U Mich (Withdrawn), UCLA (Withdrawn)
Withdrawn: BU, U Toronto
Rejections: UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Harvard, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, UPenn, UMD College Park, NSF (Honorable Mention)
Comments:
Overall, I am very pleased with this result. Even though I had a lot of rejections (and that was hard), you only need one good admit, and I am extremely excited about UCSD. I applied to all of the top ten on the advice of my undergrad advisor, but I knew that cracking the top ten was a long shot.
The best thing I did was apply for the NSF GRFP. The application process, and particularly the process of developing a research proposal, really helped me crystallize my objectives and research interests, and I believe the experience made my SOPs that much stronger.
Taking my choice of undergrad institution, GPA, GRE, and work experience as given, there isn't much I would have done differently. However, writing the SOPs took me much, much longer than I expected. If I could do it again, I would start drafting SOPs over the summer.
A note about my LORs: a lot of people say that LORs from non-economists are useless. But I decided to go with an letter of recommendation from an epidemiologist who is extremely well know both within and outside her field, knows me really well, has a good sense for my research ability, and wrote me a glowing recommendation. I believe that if they are relevant to your research interests, LORs from disciplines that are close to econ, such as math, poli sci, or epidemiology, can be acceptable, and may even be preferable to letters from econ profs who barely know you.
I'm so glad the waiting is over!

AREStudentHopeful 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in economics from a satellite state school
Undergrad GPA: 3.35, 3.7 in econ
Type of Grad: M.A. Agricultural and Resource Economics from a large state school
Grad GPA: 3.45 (health problems in fall semester dropped from 3.6 to 3.45)
GRE: 780Q, 590V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (C, B, B+), Linear Algebra (A), Axiomatic Systems-Intro to Proofs (A), Intro to Stats (A), Advanced ODE (B)
Econ Courses (masters-level): Micro, Math for Econ, Applied Metrics, Agricultural Production, Water Economics, Research Methods in Economics, Natural Resource
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to micro, intro to macro, intermediate micro, intermediate macro, advanced macro, environmental, natural resource, comparative systems, developmental, money and banking, econometrics
Other Courses: Many environmental science courses
Letters of Recommendation: 5 econ professors (1 Davis ARE, 1 U Colorado, 1 Berkeley ARE, 1 NC State, 1 U Chicago) depending on what school I'm applying to based on their connections
Research Experience: RAed for an econ prof in undergrad, worked as an RA both years of my masters including one project that I'm getting published in a low-tier journal, masters thesis
Teaching Experience: TA for intro to micro and natural resource econ
Research Interests: Environmental is the main one, plus behavioral, urban and game theory on the side. I'm actually one of the few ARE-type people who enjoy theory (and macro).
SOP: Pretty standard plus very detailed paragraph individual to each school
Concerns: Not as stellar math grades as many of you, low undergrad GPA, no RA (a sin on this forum!)
RESULTS:
Attending: UCSB
Acceptances: UCSB ($?)
Waitlists: Wyoming
Rejections: UCSD, UCLA, Berkeley ARE, Davis ARE, U Colorado, U Arizona, ASU, NC State, Rutgers, Duke, Maryland ARE, Georgetown, NSF
Comments:
I'll stress how much letter of recommendation's matter. Just one unfortunate letter of recommendation seems to have diminished my results greatly. I would think that an acceptance from Colorado, Davis, Arizona and NC State would be likely without that letter of recommendation problem. That being said, I would pick UCSB over any of them so I am very happy with my result. I could probably have been on the borderline for ASU as well, and possibly Rutgers or Georgetown, but no regrets! For more insight into my comments on the process see here: http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-econo...n-process.html (Advice from a 2 1/2-Year Application Process)

philecon 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Business Economics, relatively unknown university in Southeast Asia
Undergrad GPA: no idea how to convert it, but I graduated magna cum laude (Rank: 7/150)
GRE: 800Q, 590V, 5.0AW
TOEFL:112/120
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis and Math Stats
Econ Courses: the standard Econ courses, nothing special
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Northwestern PhD, 1 Ohio State PhD, 1 PhD from my uni
Research Experience: undergrad thesis (won an award, forthcoming in local journal), RA for six months
Research Interests: Health Economics, Industrial Organization
SOP: Pretty standard
Concerns: I shifted from Accounting to Economics, and I took a leave for a year to take a break; first to apply as an undergrad from my school (never been done ever)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Georgetown, LSE EME, BGSE MS Economics, CEMFI MSc Economics and Finance, PSU (from waitlist)
Waitlists: PSU (eventually admitted, but without funding), Michigan (rejected off the WL though)
Rejections: Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Penn, Virginia, Stanford, Duke, Singapore Management
COMMENTS:
I wasn't an economics major when I entered college, and I left school for a year after sophomore year (since something happened to me) to evaluate myself, and the direction I was going. I accidentally stumbled upon economics, and I found out that I loved it. Like the previous poster, however, I decided to do a PhD only around my junior year, so I had to cram a lot of math during my last two years, plus take the economics classes. I knew it was a huge risk, applying with only an undergrad degree, as most students from my university had at least a year of graduate coursework before applying to even European masters. I am very pleased with my results, though, and I look forward to attending the program that I chose. The only things that I probably would've done differently are: (1) I would've probably majored in math when I first thought about it (since my Math average is significantly higher than my Business average), or that I would've done my undergrad in the US when I had the chance and (2) I would've probably applied to mainly masters programs.
I guess I'll be back again for Fall 2013 PhD admissions.

ryanmagic 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Rank 3 University in China (Fudan), B.A. of econonmics, with one semester exchange experience in UC Davis.
Undergrad GPA: 3.57 in Fudan, top 10%; 4.0 in UC Davis (courses with * below).
Type of Grad: N/A.
Grad GPA: N/A.
GRE: 800Q 540V 3.0 AWA, TOEFL 105.
Math Courses: Advanced Math (differential calculus, integrals, a little differential equations)(B&A-), Linear Algebra(B+), Probability Theory(A), Statistics(A-).
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Political Economics(A), Micro(A), Macro(B+), International Trade(B+), History of Economic Thoughts(A), Econometrics(A+*), Macro Development(A*), Money and Banking(A+*), Financial Management(A-), Industrial Economics(A), Investment(B), Economic History of China(A), Accounting(B), Contemporary Chinese Economy(B+), Theory on Capital(C+).
Other Courses: C programming(A).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from UC Davis, 1 from Fudan.
Research Experience: RA for a term, one independent project and one team project in progress.
Teaching Experience: Representative for a course.
Research Interests: Labor, Development, IO.
SOP: So so.
Other: Awarded the National Scholarship in China (for top 1tudents).
RESULTS:
Acceptances: BU MA, UC Davis ARE MS.
Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Northwestern, UPenn, Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Duke, CMU, Rochester, Maryland, Berkeley AREC, BU, JHU, UC Davis, Georgetown, U Colorado - Boulder, UC Davis ARE PhD.
Pending: Syracuse, Columbia QMSS.
What would you have done differently?
I would apply to Canadian master programs, Duke master and Tufts master.

fj217 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BBA Applied Economics/Applied Mathematics (minor) from a mid-sized university in Hong Kong
Undergrad GPA: 3.76/4.00 (#1 in the program)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: Q800 V530 AW4.0
Math Courses: Calculus & Linear Algebra (A); Mathematical Analysis I (A); Mathematical Analysis II (B+); Linear Algebra (A); Statistical Methods & Theory I (A-); Differential Equations (A-); Real Analysis (B); Numerical Methods I (A-); Mathematical & Statistical Modeling (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Microeconomics (A); Principles of Macroeconomics (A); Intermediate Microeconomics (B+); Intermediate Macroeconomics (A); Mathematical Economics I (B+); Applied Econometrics (A); Money & Banking (A-); International Economics (A); Industrial Organization (A); Aisa-Pacific Economies (A-); Public Finance (A); Money & Finance in China (A)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One professor from another local university (Stanford PhD); one regionally well-known professor (UW Madison PhD); one statistics professor with a PhD from Germany. At least the latter two letters are very strong.
Research Experience: Summer research at another local university; honors degree project
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Macroeconomics, International Economics
SOP: I put much effort into writing it; mainly explaining my interest in economics and my past learning experience
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: IUB PhD ($$, attending), Albany PhD ($$), Simon Fraser MA ($$)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Cornell PhD, PSU PhD, UPitt PhD, USC PhD, Notre Dame PhD, etc.
Pending: CUHK MPhil
What would you have done differently?
I think Id have done better had I picked Mathematics as my major and Economics as minor. That way not only could I have taken more math courses, but I also could have taken them systematically. Now I often had to taken advanced math courses early on without the basic courses. If I could have taken them systematically I would have better math grades.

EnvDep2011 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Econ with honors, Top 5 US
Undergrad GPA: 3.7 overall, 3.75 Econ
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 740V, 6.0 AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable (B+), Linear Algebra (B+), Stats (A), Probability and Stochastic Systems (A), Currently taking Real Analysis at local public college
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Macro, Metrics (A-, A-, B+), Public Finance (A), International Trade (A), Finance (B+), Environmental/Resource Econ (A), Game Theory (A),
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: All Econ. Thesis advisor and 2 very well-known profs. Should be strong.
Research Experience: No RA-ships, but completed independent research as junior and senior. My primary responsibilities at work don't involve economic research, but I've had the chance to work on a paper that I will present at a conference in November.
Teaching Experience: Head tutor at university writing center (undergrads don't TA at my college).
Research Interests: Environmental/Resource Economics, Development
SOP: Conservative, straightforward, to the point.
Concerns: Math background could be better (why I'm taking Analysis now), and though I have a decent amount of research experience but nothing outstanding to show for it at the end of the day.
Other:
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Stanford (long shots, but why not?), Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, UCSD, Northwestern, Duke, Michigan, Wisconsin, Brown, UBC, UCSB

weatherdilem 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Management Science (Honors), BA International Relations @ top 20 Econ school
Undergrad GPA: 3.75 overall, 3.82 Econ
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 740V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable, Linear Algebra, Applied Linear Algebra, Intro to Higher Math
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Decisions Under Uncertainty, Financial Markets, Game Theory, International Monetary Relations, Econometrics (full year), Developmental Economics
Other Courses: Political Economy, A ton of Political Science courses w/international slant
Letters of Recommendation: 1 strong from well known econ professor, 2 fairly strong from good professors, 1 very strong from lecturer in econometrics.
Research Experience: Independent research starting in 2nd year, no RA positions, senior thesis in progress
Teaching Experience: 1 semester of TA
Research Interests: Game theory, Behavioral, Public finance, International Relations
SOP: ?Haven't written
Concerns: Math and grades are so so, I'll be taking Analysis after I apply
Other: Double majoring was a poor choice, should've focused on math/econ and had the time to take grad courses
Applying to: Not sure yet, definitely Berkeley and a bunch more from different tiers

pestivendeglo 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college. B.A Economics. B.A. Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.92/4.00
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 720V, ?AWA
Math Courses (undergrad/level): Real Analysis I (A), Topology (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Abstract Algebra I (A), Intro to Stats Inference (A-), Probability Theory (not measure-based, A), ODE (A), Number Theory (A), Linear Algebra (A)
Econ Courses (masters-level):N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to micro (A), intro to macro (A), intermediate micro (A), intermediate macro(A), econometrics(will get it soon), behavioral econ (A), labor econ (A), game theory (A-), IO (B+)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (2 both from my college) 1 math professor. All three graduated from top phD in their fields.
Research Experience: RAed for an econ prof till now// independent study- senior thesis on labor economics
Research Interests: Labor economics, Behavioral economics, health economics.
SOP: Writing now.
Concerns: Not much significant research experience.
Other: N/A
Applying to: UCLA, Duke, Berkeley ARE, U MN, NWU, U Chicago, CMU, Caltech, NYU

anfield 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 Liberal Arts College. Big econ department for a school of its size (but i have no clue about its research reputation though). Econ and Math double major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.69 overall, 3.93 Math, 3.83 Econ
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: 800Q 620V 4AWA
Math Courses: Calc 2, Calc 3, Linear Algebra, Number Theory, Abstract Algebra, Probability (all As), Topology (A-), taking now: Numerical Analysis, Real Analysis, Differential Equations (I expect As, or at least A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Labor Economics (A), Applied Econometrics (B+), International Econ I (A), International Econ II (A-), British Economy (A-), European Economy (A-)
Other Courses: A bunch of liberal arts type of courses (but not relevant to economics by any means).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ Prof (one is my thesis advisor and one I RA'ed for a year), 1 Math Prof.
All are senior professors and sort of the most known within my school. I think the two Econ recs will be good, but the Math one is questionable.
Research Experience: 1 year RA for Econ prof in labor, and doing my honors thesis in labor as well.
Teaching Experience: Tutor some Maths for Calc students, but does that count?
Research Interests: Labor and Development
SOP: Just typical I guess, I talked about how I developed my research interests.
Concerns: Low grade in Econometrics (one of my letter of recommendation writer said she would address that in her letter, but that's my only hope)
Other: I definitely need funding in order to attend.
Applying to: Far Reach: MIT, Michigan, NYU, Columbia, Yale, Princeton
Less Reach: Maryland, BU, WUSTL, Penn State, Brown, Duke
Realistic: BC, UVA, Canergie Mellon

liamc 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics (Quant. Track), Top 30 liberal arts college, minors in Math & CogSci
Undergrad GPA: 3.77
GRE: 800Q 730V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Honors Calc I-II (A+), Honors Calc III (A-), Honors Lin Alg (A), Probability (A), Real Analysis I (A), Real Analysis II (A-), Mathematical Neuroscience (A), Grad Analysis (B+), Statistics (IP)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro Theory I (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Inter. Micro Theory (A+), Quant. Inter Micro Theory (A-), Statistics (B), Quant. Econometrics (A-), Quant. Game Theory (A), Behavioral Economics Seminar (A), Senior Honors Thesis (IP)
Other Courses: Newton's Principia (A)
Letters of Recommendation: All (supposedly) strong from thesis advisor and econ professor, both somewhat famous, and well-known math professor
Research Experience: Worked in a psych lab 2+ years, presented posters at conferences. Did a theory paper independently and presented it at a conference this year.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Game Theory, Neuroeconomics
SOP: Bold statement of an ambitious research project, and general ode to the economics profession
Concerns: Not looking forward to moving
Other:
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern U, Brown, CalTech, Cornell, Duke, Wash U St Louis, BU, BC

blueser 2011:
Type of Undergrad: One of the Lower Ranking Big 10
Undergrad GPA: Cumulative 3.84 Econ 4 Math 3.81 (PhD course grades not counted)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800 V720 AW4.5
Math Courses: Cal 1,2,3 (all A's) ODE (A+) Linear Algebra (A) Linear Algebra-Proof (A) Honors Real Analysis (B)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro 1 (B+) Micro 2 (B) Math for Economists (B)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Standard basic courses + IO + Game Theory + International Finance + Econometrics + Honors Thesis (All A's and A+'s)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 professor- MIT PhD (strong), 1 assit prof - Stanford PhD (strong), 1 assit prof - Stanford PhD (not strong), 1 associate prof - Northwestern PhD (not strong)
Research Experience: Honors Thesis in IO, 1 independent research in labor econ - paper just submitted to a journal, 1st author
Teaching Experience: UTA for 1 semester in the department of English (probably not gonna help...)
Research Interests: IO, Game Theory, Labor
SOP: Nothing special
Concerns: I really shouldn't have taken soooo many PhD Econ courses this past fall... bombed all of them... I was simply too busy too keep up with everything...
Other:
Applying to: 18 schools ranging from Harvard to UC Davis with a very significant emphasis on schools ranking in the 10th to the 30th, which I think is more realistic for me.

Refused 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 undergrad, top 10 econ - Physics and Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: Top 10 math, non-degree
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800q 680v 5.0aw
Math Courses: Real analysis, ODE, PDE, stats, probability (grad)
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Advanced micro, econometrics, &c.
Other Courses: physics
Letters of Recommendation: 2 top 10 profs and one 1 top 5 PhD now in industry
Research Experience: RA one summer, economics research group at investment bank since college, 1 working paper
Teaching Experience: no
Research Interests: Macro
SOP: yes
Concerns: B- in real analysis
Other:
Applying to: NYU, NYU Stern, Wisconsin, UCLA, UCSD, Boston University, Duke, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Washington University in St. Louis, Johns Hopkins, UC Davis, Georgetown, Boston College, Penn State, UC Santa Barbara, University of Southern California, University of Washington, Virginia, Duke MA, UBC MA, Oxford MSc in Economics for Development

2011applicant 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 US liberal arts college (Economics and Political Science double major). Graduated more than 2 years ago.
Undergrad GPA: 3.87 (3.9 in majors)
Type of Grad: Math Certificate Program
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: 790 Quant. 800 Ver. 5.5 Writing
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (Pass), Multi-Var (Pass), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A-), ODE (A-), Masters Level Math Stat I (B+), taking Masters Level Math Stat II
Econ Courses (grad-level):n/a
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): all the basics, except only intro to econometrics. Took advanced IO seminar (A) and advanced Micro theory seminar (B+/A-)
Other Courses: Lots of Political Science, History, and Philosophy courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Professors: One MIT graduate and UMD graduate, who both know me well, but only from classes. One Penn State professor who doesn't know me well. Supervisor at work (economic consulting firm) who has a PhD in Econ from UVA.
Research Experience: research position at think tank, analyst/associate position doing antitrust work at economic consulting firm, 1.5 years doing non-quant research for political science professor.
Teaching Experience: TAed three economics classes.
Research Interests: Industrial organization and Public Finance. Plan to do joint JD/PhD.
Concerns: Letters of Recommendation, Lack of academic research experience, inadequate econometrics background.
Decided to apply to no safeties for PhD programs (all schools I would definitely want to go) and Masters programs as my backups. I also may consider taking econometrics and doing research over the summer and going to a law program next year (since I want to get the law degree too), and then reapply next year from law school.
Applying to: Berkeley, Stanford GSB (Political Economics), Harvard Political Economy, Yale, Michigan, Maryland, Duke, Minnesota, Northwestern, Chicago; Cambridge MPhil, Oxford Mphil, LSE Msc EME, U Toronto Mphil (Doctoral track), UPF/Barcelona GSE + many associated law schools.

Mellow13 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top university in the Middle East
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Type of Grad: MA Econ
Grad GPA: 3.88
GRE: 770Q 530V 5AW
Math Courses: calculus (I,II,III), linear algebra, ODE, Stat
Econ Courses (grad): Econometrics, Macro, Price Theory, etc....
Econ Courses (u/g): Too many
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Princeton (very personal), 1 UCSB (also personal), 1 from Chairman of department (good)
Research Experience: 2 conference presentations (also in conference proceedings), RA for 3 teachers, Undergrad and MA theses
Teaching Experience: Graduate assistant (TA) for intermediate macro, taught intro to macro at local university
Research Interests: Development, Labor, Growth
Concerns: low undergrad GPA and GRE
Applying to: MA: BGSE, Queen's, Tillburg, Tinbergen, PhD: UCSB, USC, UT Austin, Duke, OSU, UW-Seattle, UVA, Georgetown, Syracuse, UC Irvine, McGill, ASU

riskaverse 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. Economics at Top10 South American university; B.A. International Relations (not the same university as Economics)
Undergrad GPA: 7.5/10 for Economics (Top 5%); 8.46/10 for International Relations
Type of Grad: M.A. Economics at Top10 South American university (not the same as undergrad).
Grad GPA: 7.98/10
GRE: 800Q/540V/4.0A (2nd try)
Math Courses (undergrad): Calculus I and II
Math Courses (grad): Real Analysis, Measure Theory, Linear Algebra (audit)
Econ Courses (undergrad): a lot of them
Econ Courses (grad): Micro Theory I to IV (entire MWG), Macro Theory I to III, Econometrics, Microeconometrics, Corporate Finance, Empirical Microeconomics, Mathematical Economics I and II (some chapters of Stokey&Lucas).
Other Courses: lots of them too because of International Relations
Letters of Recommendation: A total of 4 letters, all from my MA professors. I think all of them like me, but I'm pretty unsure about the strenght of the letters. Two of them are somewhat well known, specially in their fields. I sent the letter from my advisor to all universities and rotated among the other recommenders.
Research Experience: My MA Dissertation. I have some works from undergrad published (co-authored), but not in academic journals (they were mainly directed to policy makers in my country - only one of them written in English).
Teaching Experience: TA for Microeconomic Theory II and Statistics II at the graduate level; TA for International Finance and IO in MBA courses; TA for Micro and Trade for undergrads.
Research Interests: Microeconomics, Contract Theory, Corporate Finance
SOP: very honest. I liked it in the end.
Other: TOEFL 106, but a low grade in the speaking portion. Although I applied to all parts of the US, I have very strong personal reasons for wanting to be in the East Coast.
Concerns: my first GRE try was a disaster, the second try was in December 2010, which made me really afraid of my results getting to the universities very late. My profile seems sometimes a Frankstein for me and I'm really concerned about my letters of recommendation. I don't have the minimum score for the TOEFL speaking portion that many universities require. I'm not the strongest applicant from my country this year, which makes me very pessimist about my dream schools. Also, I worked some time before entering my MA, so I'm kind of older I think... well, lots of concerns!

blackwhite 2011:
Institution: USC
Program: PhD Economics
Decision:rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 1/15/2011
Notified through: Postal Mail
Posted on GC : No
Comments: Disappointing

notafraid 2011:
Institution: UC Irvine
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: fellowship/taship/no details
Notification date: Feb 09
Notified through:Email
Comments: happy happy joy joy

DrStrangelurker 2011:
Institution: Rice
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition Waiver + ~$18,000/yr
Notification date: 2/11
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: no
Comments: Excited! First school to hear from and one of my highest preferences, this also makes the next few weeks much less stressful!

Sushi 2011:
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: Feb 16
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: no
Comments: 12 more... hoping I didn't shoot too high.

Exodus 2011:
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: yeah, right..
Notification date: Feb 16
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: nope
Comments: Nothing surprising... I never had a date with a supermodel either..
11 more to go!!

kekecib 2011:
Institution: Rice
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: Feb 13
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Terrible news for me. 1st decision I got. It was one of my safeties. I do know what is wrong with my profile according to their ad. committee's view.
Institution: UIUC
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: Feb 17
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I started to freak out. I am wondering what will happen to the rest of my applications. This one did hurt and made me pretty sad.
In: None Out: Rice, UIUC Waiting: 19 Econ PhD

conger 2011:
Institution: Northwestern Kellogg (MES)
Program: PhD
Decision: Interview
Funding:
Notification date: 2/19/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: no
Comments:

growth 2011:
Institution: UPenn
Program: Phd in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: Website
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Expected result. I still don't know why I applied there in the first place.
Institution: LSE
Program: MSc Economics (research)
Decision: Accepted (conditional offer)
Funding: No
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Happy but I can't fulfill all the conditions. Have to negotiate with the admittion committee.

Pinkee 2011:
My apology for posting late too.
Institution: Penn State
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Full fellowship
Notification date: really early
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comment: One of the earliest decisions.
Institution: UC Berkeley
Program: PhD in ARE
Decision: Recommended for admission
Funding: Nominated for competition
Notification date: 02/04/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Email saying a more formal letter would follow, but haven't received it yet.
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comment: My top choice, perfect match for my research interests (development and political economy). I thought I had a shot, but got to know the sad result about a week before the official notification, so kinda prepared for it.
Institution: Stanford GSB
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/18/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Super long shot. I actually regret applying...
Institution: Penn - Wharton
Program: PhD in Applied Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/22/2011
Notified through: Email to check the website
Posted on GC: No
Comment: I think my research interests do not really match.
Institution: Penn
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Waitlisted
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comment: One of my top choices. Hoping for the best.

treddi 2011:
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/25/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: no

nnweconphd 2011:
Institution: Duke University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/25
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GF: No
Comments:expected

buddycat 2011:
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 02/28/2011
Notified through: via email
Posted on GC: no
Comment: None

econfin2011 2011:
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: email to check letter on the website
Posted on GC: no
Comment: First result. First rejection. This hurts!
Institution: UC Davis
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: to be decided before the end of march.
Notification date: 02/17/2011 (unofficial) and 02/28/2011 (official)
Notified through: unnoficial email (at first) and then email to check letter on the website
Posted on GC: no
Comment: First acceptance! Feels good not to be rejected...
Institution: Arizona State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 5-year Assistantship (TA/RA) + insurance
Notification date: 02/22/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comment: My two safeties worked out. Hoping for a TOP 20 offer now...
Institution: U Penn
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: email to check letter on the website
Posted on GC: no
Comment:
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 02/28/2011
Notified through: email to check letter on the website
Posted on GC: no
Comment: Hurts so much! I really liked their department...
Waiting for more 14 results...

FIFTHlee 2011:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/25/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: no

kautro 2011:
Institution: UC Irvine
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: TA some semesters, Fellowship others
Notification date: 2/23/2011
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: First acceptance! Great location.
Institution: Virginia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted!
Funding: Didn't say
Notification date: 2/26/2011
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: Now I have a choice to make.
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/1/2011
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC:
Comments: Thought I'd get in. Oh well.

austrianecon 2011:
After visiting as a guest for a few weeks, eventually, here is my results:
Institution: George Mason University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Decisions will be made later this month according to the program coordinator
Notification date: 3/24/11
Notified through: E-mail from College of Humanities and Social Sciences and also from the Department
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: The best program in the world!
Institution: Rutgers
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No
Notification date: 2/23/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: was my last choice
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Waitlisted
Funding: Yes if accepted
Notification date: 3/7/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: no comment
Institution: NYU
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 3/19/11
Notified through: Unofficial email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: So wanted to work with Mario Rizzo there!
Institution: Duke University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 2/25/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: So wanted to work with Bruce Caldwell and study at HOPE center.
Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 3/14/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: no comment, just applied!
Institution: Northwestern University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 3/4/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: no comment, just applied!
Institution: Penn State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 3/11/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: no comment, just applied!
In: Rutgers (-), George Mason (?) Waitlisted: Texas at Austin ($) Out: NYU, Duke, UIUC, Northwestern, PennState Waiting for: McGill

beeconomist 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math and Economics double major at Maryland
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 overall, 4.0 math, 3.7 economics
GRE: 770Q, 730V, AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Calc II (A+), Calc III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Differential Equations (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Number theory (A), Probability and Statistics (A), Advanced Calculus (A-), Math of Finance (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Advanced Calculus II (A), Advanced Linear Algebra (A) , Numerical Analysis (IP)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A-), Intro Macro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Econometrics I (A+), Development (A), Honors Thesis I (A), Risk and Uncertainty in Economics (IP), Mathematical Economics (IP), Econometrics II (IP), Honors Thesis II (IP)
Other Courses: C Programming (A), Writing for Economics (A+)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 very strong from assistant professor I've RA'd for a year and a half, 1 very strong from distinguished professor I've RA'd for a year, 1 semi-strong from professor who is director of the econ honors thesis program
Research Experience: RA for macro professor (1 and a half years), RA for environmental economics professor (1 year), received a grant to complete a math research project, 2 summer research programs for women in mathematics, honors thesis
Teaching Experience: Tutored math for a semester
Research Interests: When I applied, it was macro. Now I'm interested in learning more about public, health, environmental, and agricultural and food policy.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland (graduate assistantship), NYU (fellowship), Penn (waitlist for funding), UVA (fellowship), Duke (1st year tuition), GW (fellowship)
Waitlists: Columbia, Johns Hopkins
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, UNC, Georgetown
Attending: Maryland

onetime 2011:
Institution: UPenn
Program: Phd in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/24/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Institution: Yale
Program: Phd in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2011
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No

obsequious 2011:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics MA
Decision: Wait Listed
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/09/11
Notified through: email
Posted on GF: No (what does this mean?)
Comments: Better than I expected