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OutOfGame 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.96
Type of Grad: Part-time student at a top 5
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: Q800/ V580/ AWA 5.5
Math Courses: Calc, Modeling, Linear Algebra, Intro to Proofs, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis, Topology, Abstract Algebra, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Probability, Stats, Stochastic Processes, Math Problem Solving
Econ Courses: Principles, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Finance, Game Theory, Accounting, Econometrics, PhD Econometrics
Other Courses: Intro to CS, Data Structure, Algorithms, Data Mining
Letters of Recommendation: 3 research supervisor (top young professors in econ / finance), 1 PhD Metrics professor (department chair at top 5), 1 undergrad professor (took 3 classes with, and TAed for).
Research Experience: ~2 years full time RA at top 5
Teaching Experience: TA for intermediate macro
Research Interests: using empirical methods to answer macro / finance questions; IO
SOP: professors say it's very good
Other: rejected by all top 10 schools two years ago
RESULTS:
Attending: MIT
Acceptances: MIT, Harvard, Stanford GSB, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, Chicago, NWU, Columbia, NYU, Booth (finance / joint), Sloan (finance)
Waitlists: Penn, Wharton (finance), Michigan
Rejections: None
Never heard back after interview: Stern (finance)

UZW 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large public, top 15 econ, located on an isthmus
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: grad micro
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800/690/5.5
Math Courses: 11 proof based courses, several in analysis, probability, stochastics, measure theory, topology, math stats
Econ Courses: pretty typical, plus the one semester of grad micro
Other Courses: went fairly far in the psych major
Letters of Recommendation: the three most famous economists who I had worked with, including the grad micro teacher.  I knew one well, but my advisors really emphasized have tenured professors writing letters, so that was my top priority.
Research Experience: RA for an auction project, RA for an education project, thesis, research class
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: everything
SOP: bland
Other: extensive community involvement, top score in the grad class, a couple best in the department awards, a couple research grants, above average tennis player
RESULTS:
Acceptances: top ten minus Harvard, was waitlisted for funding at MIT
Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard
What would you have done differently?
From talking to people, it sounds like working for two years at NBER/the fed is a good way to improve your chances at the top two.  However, that is two years of your life that you won't get back, and I am pretty set on going into academics, so I'm happy with my decision to apply this year.  I'm posting this because I have not seen a profile quite like mine on here before and I think it could be a helpful gauge for people at large publics.

highlyconfused1 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 math, Top 15 econ, dual honors degrees.
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 Overall, 3.99 Math, 4.00 Econ
GRE: 690+800+4.0
Math Courses(Undergrad): CalcI,III,IV(Waived), CalcII(A), Kind of Intro Proof(A), Applied Linear Algebra(A), Topology(A), ODE(A), Differential Geometry(A), Probability(A)
Math Courses(Grad): Graduate Algebra I,II(A,A), Real Analysis I,II(A,A), Complex Analysis(B), Numerical Analysis(A), Methods of Applied Math I,II(A,A), Functional Analysis I,II(A,A), Probability and Measure (A), Stochastic Processes(A), Algebraic Geometry(A)
Econ Courses(Undergrad): Intro Micro,Macro(A,A), Intermediate Micro,Macro(A,A), A random field course(A)
Econ Courses(Grad,each is half-semester): Micro TheoryI,II,III,IV(A,A,A,A), Math Econ(A), IO(A), EconometricsI,II(A,A), a few others in the spring.
Other Courses:C++(A), Phd Asset Pricing(B+), a trivial statatistics(A), PhysI,II,III(A,A,A)
Letters of Recommendation: One Math, Two Econ. Well known within their fields I think. Very nice people.
Research Experience: Attended an NSF math REU and had a peer-coauthored publication in algebraic combinatorics. A math honors thesis, and some sort of research assistant experience in econ. Currently doing an econ thesis.
Teaching Experience: N/A (does grader count?)
Research Interests: None in particular. Pretty much open to everything: Theory, macro, IO, finance, metrics, political economy, international.
SOP: Pretty bland and short. Just stated my experience and career goal.
Concerns: Lack of econ research. LORs may not be as strong as people from top 5. I am a lazy person.
Other: A couple first places in regional math contests, top100n putnam a couple times (not that well I guess). International student. I skipped undergrad real analysis.
Applying to: Top 10 and several business schools (all econ).

hsdhz 2012:
Institution: MIT
Program: PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Fellowship
Notification date: 2/27/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No

MathEcon12 2012:
Since it seems like the season is coming to an end for some TMers, and because last year's thread was also started on the second Saturday of March, I think it's a good time to get the annual Profile and Results Thread started.
I'll take a page out of Italos' playbook and quote asquare's post from the 2009 thread:
"This thread is meant to be a reference thread only. Please fill out the information below, but post any comments or questions in a separate thread. Other comments will be deleted from this thread. Note that you can only edit your posts for about one hour after you make them. This means that if you are still waiting on admissions decisions, you should wait to post your profile on this thread. Otherwise, your profile will be incomplete."
Without further ado,
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Math Courses:
Econ Courses:
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests:
SOP:
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
What would you have done differently?

Peot 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math/Econ double major at a Top 40 Econ, top something US News... too lazy to check. We like experimental econ and college basketball.
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: Just classes
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 760Q/640V/4.0 Attempt #1, 165Q/161V/5.0 Attempt #2
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Intro to Analysis I-II, Abstract Algebra, Honors Linear Alg, Honors ODEs, Applied Stat, Probability Theory, Math Stat, Stochastic Processes, Grad Analysis I, Topology, Combinatorics, Number Theory. All A's except an A- in ODEs and a B in Grad Analysis
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I, Micro II, Political Economy, Topics in Micro Theory. All A's except an A- in Micro II
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A whole bunch
Other Courses: A bunch of English classes
Letters of Recommendation: 1 extremely well known (multiple publications in AER/'metrica/JET), 1 very well known (publications in AER, 'metrica, JET), 1 not as well known. All 3 are micro theorists and have had me for at least one grad Econ class and at least two are advising me with my thesis/research projects.
Research Experience: 2 summer research grants from my university to work on independent projects in micro theory/game theory, another grant to work on that same project during this academic year, some independent studies over the years, all of which will be aggregated into a special degree/honors thesis
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Game Theory, Mechanism Design, Formal Political Theory, Algorithmic Game Theory. How information affects games and how mechanisms can incentivize information acquisition.
SOP: Cookie cutter with one paragraph tailored to each place.
Other: Varsity letterman/spent 4 years on a perennial top 15-25 Division I team in my sport. That made this all so much harder than it needed to be!
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Caltech, Wisconsin, Kellogg MECS, UT-Austin, UCLA, NYU, Berkeley (no first year fellowship), Penn (wl for first year funding)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB Econ Analysis + Policy
Attending: Caltech
What would you have done differently?
Can't say I could have changed anything drastically. Maybe done marginally better in a course or two, or not messed up my first GRE. But those are ninth or tenth order concerns. RA or a Masters wouldn't have done anything for me. I'm thrilled and fortunate to be where I am!

laca 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Econ from top 10 US, top 5 econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.77/4.00
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 800Q 690V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Honors Calculus I-III (A,B-,A), Real Analysis I-III (A-,B+A-), Math Probability (A-), Stat Methods/Theory (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Price Theory I (B), Social Interactions and Inequality (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro (A-,A), intermediate macro (A,A-), game theory (A-), IO (A), honors metrics I-II (B+, A), macro modeling (B+), reading/research (A,A)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 econ, 1 finance, 1 accounting prof, all highly regarded in their field. I have RAd for at least a year for each, two of them have seen me in a classroom setting as well. Coauthored an unpublished working paper with two of them. They all reassured me that the letters would be strong.
Research Experience: 1 year undergrad RA, 1.5 year as full time researcher at highly ranked business school.
Teaching Experience: for a short while I tutored math to freshmen in college
Research Interests: applied micro
SOP: Nothing too exciting.
Concerns: Math grades could be stronger; GRE AWA could be better. Hoping that research experience and strong LORs will compensate for it.
Other: Some poli sci electives and required college core courses
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Chicago Booth finance ($$), Chicago ($), Stanford GSB political econ ($$), NYU Stern finance ($$), UCLA ($)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Berkeley, Brown, Columbia GSB finance and econ, Cornell, Harvard, Kellogg finance, MIT, NYU, Princeton, Stanford, Yale
Attending: Chicago Booth finance
What would you have done differently?
Overall, I am very happy with my results, although I was really not expecting the composition of the acceptances to be so tilted towards finance instead of econ - I originally applied with the expectation that I would end up at an econ program. I think that the take home point is that recommendations matter; having two biz school recs provided me with excellent results at other business schools, but possibly doomed my applications at econ departments. So in hindsight I should have added an additional econ recommender. I also wonder a bit if I somehow messed up my econ sop, despite the fact that I have much less familiarity with finance research topics.
However, I am quite excited to take a step outside of my comfort zone, and learn about a whole new field!

Blerg 2012:
Thanks, TM community for being such a valuable resource. I was a lurker, but I'll submit my results for posterity and such. All of the results below are what was put on my applications, i.e. the first 6 semesters of college.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Flagship Public (Top 5 math, Top 10 econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.63
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q/680V/5AWA
Math Courses: Intro Bus. Stats (A-)/Calc III (B+)/Linear Algebra (B)/Discrete Math (A-)/Numerical Analysis (B)/Probability (A)/Intro to Analysis (B)/Linear Algebra (B+)/Stochastic Processes (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A-)/Intermediate Macro (A)/Transition Economics (B-)/Mathematical Economics (A-)/Econometrics (A)/International Trade (A-)/Advanced Microeconomics (A)/Development (In Progress as of Fall)/International Monetary Econ (IP as of Fall)/Thesis (IP as of fall)
Other Courses: N/A
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from the guy who taught me mathematical economics/1 from a guy I was a RA for/ 1 from the guy who taught advanced micro, with whom I also wrote my thesis. All are well respected Microeconomists who are still publishing
Research Experience: Several semesters as RA for various profs, Was writing my thesis while applying
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Development, Micro
SOP: Cookie cutter, nothing special at all
Other: I had been worried about that 1 really bad grade on an econ class, as well as my rather average grades in math classes
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD (ATTENDING!) (full tuition, 25% TAship first year, 50% after), BU (Nothing first year, full tuition and ~18k TAship years 2-5)
Waitlists: UCLA (I asked to be removed)
Rejections: NYU, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Michigan, Penn, NW, Chicago, UCB, Columbia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown
Pending: N/A
What would you have done differently?
Let me count the ways...The main point would have just been doing better in classes. I don't know that I could have gotten A's in all of those classes, as the math department is very competitive and very bright, but I'm sure I could have bumped Bs up to B+s, etc. Writing a thesis was key, as I think it got my by far my best letter of rec. I also would have lowered my expectations, and applied to some lower ranked schools.
Regardless, I am ecstatic with my outcome. La Jolla is going to be glorious.

art_vandelay 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Econ/Math
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (4.0 Econ , 3.9 Math)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q 730V 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus (1-3), Probability, Math Stats, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis I , Real Analysis II. All As except an A- in Analysis 1 and a B+ in Probability
Econ Courses: Standard courses + some electives (A), Phd Micro (A) , Phd Metrics (A), Phd Math for Econ (A)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 2 well-known, pretty strong. 1 probably somewhere between lukewarm-strong, in retrospect.
Research Experience: RA'd for two summers + a few papers
Teaching Experience: TA'd a couple of courses
Research Interests: Education, IO, Health, Development ... in that order
SOP: A little too standard
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan ($), Duke ($), BU (none first year), Texas ($) , UVa ($)
Waitlists: Maryland
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, MIT, UPenn, Princeton, Stanford, NYU
What would you have done differently?
Would have started writing this paper I have due in 2 hours, last night... Apart from that, not much.
I pulled schools I expected to get into, and got shafted at places I didn't. Yale stung a bit, but I'm otherwise quite happy with how the cycle turned out.
To future generations of TMers, temper your expectations, it really makes the cycle a lot more tolerable.

backtowork 2012:
Type of undergrad: BA in Econ and Math from non-HYP Ivy
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/4.00
GRE: 800Q/710V/5.0W
Math courses: honors calc (B), honors linear (A), honors ODE I and II (A, A), operations research (A), statistical inference (B), information theory (A), real analysis (A+), grad stochastic processes (A-)
Econ courses (all undergrad): intro (A), micro (A), macro (A), health (A), int'l (A), financial institutions (A), corp finance (A), honors econometrics (A), economic growth (A), theory of general equilibrium (A), public econ (A), Labor (1st-taken at an oxbridge), Political Econ (1st-taken at an oxbridge)
Other courses: mostly random poli-sci
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from my thesis adviser (not well known). 1 from my former boss as an intern at the Fed Board (pretty well known, but I only worked there for a couple months and he didn't know me all that well). 1 from my current boss at regional fed who is somewhat well known and knows me quite well.
Research Experience: thesis, a little RA work in UG, internship at the Fed BoG, currently an RA at a Fed Bank. No publications.
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interest: Macro, labor, IO, pretty much open to anything
SOP: eh
Other: elected phi beta kappa junior year, magna cum laude, honors;
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Penn (wl for funding, asked to be removed), UCLA ($$$), Princeton($$$)
Waitlists: Minnesota (asked to be removed)
Rejections: NYU, Harvard, HBS, MIT, Stanford, Stanford GSB, UC Berkeley, Yale, Northwestern, Chicago, Columbia,
Attending: Princeton!
What would you have done differently?
I would have decided during college that this is what I wanted to do and made an effort to work with some of the big name professors at my UG institution. I was very fortunate to get such favorable results without having done so. After going through the whole admissions process, it has become abundantly clear that it's all about the letters; not just what's in them, but also who writes them. Not that your letter writers have to be famous or anything, but they need to be well-connected. Looking at my admissions results, the process looks almost random (rejected from Columbia, accepted at Princeton?), but in fact my results were quite predictable; if one of my letter writers personally knew someone on the admissions committee, I was accepted. If they did not, I wasn't. Simple as that. So my advice to the next generation of applicants is the same that has been given all over this board: LETTERS ARE EVERYTHING! If I had followed that advice a little earlier, I might have cracked the Harvard/MIT barrier, but Im certainly not complaining!

chatlunatique 2012:
Type of undergrad: BA in Econ, minor in Math, from large public school in the midwest (top 60 econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.85/4.00
GRE: 170 Q /160 V /6.0 AWA
Math courses: Multivariate calc (A), Vector calc (A), Diff EQ (A), Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (A+; taken at Ivy)
Econ courses: Econometrics I-II (A,A), Honors thesis (A), Financial econ (A), Trade (A), Development (A), Seminar in Monetary econ (A), Seminar in trade/devo (A), Statistical analysis (A), Intermediate Macro/Micro (A,C+), Intro Macro/Micro (A,A+)
Other courses: Some African studies, some French, others from across the humanities/social science spectrum
Letters of recommendation: 2 from professors who I have managed field research projects for in the past 2 years (I am co-authoring a paper with one; both are junior but fairly well known in their sub-fields and earned their PhDs from top programs). 1 from undergrad professor who I took two classes with and excelled.
Research experience: UG thesis; 6 months RA at a regional Fed; 2 years RA managing research projects in an African country; co-authoring paper with one of my current bosses.
Teaching experience: 2 semesters TA for Intro to Micro
Research interest: Development, IO, Personnel, Micro
SOP: Talked about my research interests and how they developed, and explained my grade trajectory.
Other: Phi Beta Kappa, Summa cum laude, econ departmental honors
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NSF ($$$$), HBS Bus-Ec ($$$$), Stanford ($$$$), LSE ($$$), Northwestern ($$$), UCSD ($$$), UCLA ($$$), Duke ($$), Michigan ($$), Maryland ($$)
Rejections: Harvard econ, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Stanford GSB, Chicago, Chicago GSB, Columbia, Columbia GSB, NYU, NYU Stern, Penn, Penn Wharton, UCL, Berkeley, Brown
Attending: HBS!
What would you have done differently?
Nothing? I’m thrilled with my acceptances, and managed to get into my top 2 choices, even with such high variance in outcomes. Above all else my results show that even with a shaky and unfocused first couple years of undergrad, it is possible to get into good programs. I did not take any math or serious econ courses until my fourth year of university, and ended up overcoming some poor early grades (including a C+ in intermediate micro) to finish strong in my last two years, and then go on to earn RA positions where I was able to work with top economists on research that fascinated me. Should be a fun few years ahead!

hulk86 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Econ (top 25, top 50 econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.69
Type of Grad: MA Econ (Top 20 econ)
Grad GPA: 3.81
GRE: 800Q 710V 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A, A, A), Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis I-II (A, A-)
Econ Courses (Ph.D.-level): Micro I (A-) Macro I (A-) Metrics I (A)
Econ Courses (MA-level): Time Series (A-), Micro theory (A+), Macro I-II (A, A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Typical undergrad econ major with political economy electives, mostly A-/B+ with some As
Other Courses: (All Stat Ph.D.-level) Probability (A), Stat. Inference (B), Probability and Measure Theory (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from profs that taught me, 1 from prof I RAed for
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis, 2 semesters RA + current full-time RA job
Teaching Experience: Private tutoring in math and econ
Research Interests: Political economy, growth, development, social choice, public economics
SOP: Standard
Other: n/a
RESULTS:
Acceptances: U Virginia ($$), Michigan State ($$$)
Waitlists: Duke, Johns Hopkins
Rejections: Yale, Berkeley, MIT, Wisconsin, Princeton, Maryland, UCSD, Michigan, Brown, Harvard, NYU, Cornell
Attending: Michigan State
What would you have done differently?
I would have been more careful about selecting letter writers. I expected to bag a few more admits (as did my adviser)--especially target schools like Maryland or Wisconsin--and I suspect one reason why I didn't was because one of my letters was weak. I overestimated the signalling power of good grades in hard classes and didn't fully appreciate the primacy of LORs until the process was underway. Nonetheless, I'm very pleased with my great offer from MSU, which became my top choice yesterday (without hearing about my waitlists) due to external, personal/geographic factors. Really excited to get started in August!

octane90 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Econ, BS Physics, Math minor (Large Top 25 Public)
Undergrad GPA: 3.92
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780 Q 630 V 4.5 AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Diff Eq, Intro Stat, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, Stochastic Methods, Financial Mathematics, Math Methods for Theoretical Physics I & II (all A’s)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Game Theory, Intro Econometrics, Antitrust Policy, Public Choice, International Trade, 2 Honors Seminars, Honors Thesis, Environmental Economics(@LSE Summer School) (all A’s)
Other Courses: Physics Major
Letters of Recommendation: Honors Thesis Advisor(well known, old guy), Econ Professor(Chicago grad), Physics Professor
Research Experience: Honors Thesis on empirical micro, some minor physics/material science co-authored publications
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Applied Econometrics, Sports Economics, Political Economy
SOP: standard I guess?
Other: Phi Beta Kappa
RESULTS:
Acceptances: BU($$)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: MIT, Chicago, Princeton, LSE, Duke, NSF
Pending: none
What would you have done differently? I would have applied to more programs in the 10-20 range. I also would have got a 3rd letter from an econ professor, taken Real Analysis, and perhaps retaken GRE for a perfect Q score.

unfallible 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 State School (flagship), BS Econ, BA Philosophy
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad:N/A
Grad GPA:N/A
GRE: 800Q, 760V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Intro Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Intro to Proofs, Linear Algebra, Intro Real Analysis (All As, except for A- in Linear Algebra)
Econ Courses: Intro/Intermediate Micro/Macro, Econometrics, Industrial Organization, Game Theory, Labor (All As); Grad Level: Math for Economists (B+)
Other Courses: Intro Probability
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Economics Professors I had in class + one administrator that I did something significant with (vague to protect anonymity)
Research Experience: Senior Thesis
Teaching Experience: 2 semesters TA (Intermediate Micro and Labor)
Research Interests: Labor, IO
SOP: brief, with a 'cutesy' anecdote about incentives
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT Austin ($$), Ohio State ($$), UC Davis ($), UC Irvine ($), UArizona($), UNC Chapel Hill (?)
Waitlists: Berkeley(rejected), Georgetown (declined)
Rejections: MIT, Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, UCLA,UCSD,Cornell,CMU,Maryland,Penn State
Pending: UIUC(Never responded. Maybe my application didn't fully go through?)
Attending: UTAustin

littletotoro 2012:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Liberal Arts College
Undergrad GPA: Economics Major - 3.72; Cumulative - 3.69; double Philosophy and Mathematics minor
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 660V, 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Calc 1 (A+), Calc 2 (A), Vector Calculus (B+), Linear Algebra (B), ODE (A), Probability Theory (B-), Intro to Analysis (A-), Operations Research (A-), Combinatorics (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Micro/Macro (A,A); Intermediate Micro/Macro (A-,A-); International Economics (A), Technology and Growth (A), Game Theory (B), Econometrics (A+), Labor Economics (A), Senior Seminar (B)
Other Courses: N/A
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ professors, 1 whom I co-authored a political economy paper with in a 4th tier journal
Research Experience: RA for environmental economist over a summer, co-author as mentioned above
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Behavioral Economics, Political Economy, Economics of Education, Labor Economics (Economics of Family, Unemployment)
SOP: In retrospect, not very well written, lacked direction.
Results:
Acceptances (Master's): Duke, Tufts($), UBC
Rejections: PhD - Michigan, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Minnesota, Johns Hopkins, Boston University, Cornell, Rochester, Brown, Maryland, Master's - Queen's, Toronto
Waitlists: Wisconsin (rejected)
Attending: Duke
What would I have done differently?
I really should not have been afraid of taking advanced math courses earlier, even though my comparative advantage is not in Math (because I was too obsessed with my GPA). So I should have taken Real Analysis and the Probability-Statistics sequence earlier. If I didn't do well in those courses, then it would have given me a better signal into my comparative advantage. As it stands, I'm still not sure. Should not have taken so many economics elective courses. I should also have done a computer science course (because nowadays facility with computing languages seems to be becoming more crucial for cutting edge economics research). Two words for all applicants: Mathematical Maturity. Build that up in your undergrad, while you have friends and faculty around you to help, as much as you can.
Having said that, I'm happy I got into Duke and I'm going to put myself through as many math, statistics and PhD courses as I can stomach (in the words of Greg Mankiw). My GPA has a high likelihood of tanking. But if an Econ PhD is meant to be, then taking all these technical courses will be the best preparation that I can hope for. If not, then at least I would have challenged myself and learned valuable quantitative skills in the process before heading into the private sector.

reddavies 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA/BS International Affairs and Economics, Math minor at top 50 U.S.
Undergrad GPA: 3.92
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 168Q, 164V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Proofs (A), Computing in Math (A), Math Finance (A), Real Analysis (A-), Math Stat I-II (A,A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Game Theory (A), Economics of Crime (A), Money and Banking (A); Taken Abroad: Public (1st), Econometrics (1st), Dynamic Optimization (1st), International (1st), Advanced Macro (1st)
Other Courses: C/C++ (A), plus a bunch for my international affairs major that probably aren't relevant
Letters of Recommendation: two economics professors, one stat professors. Think they were okay.
Research Experience: one semester RA, the work wasn't very technical though
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Applied Micro (education, crime, etc.)
SOP: okay, definitely could have been better
Other: Studied abroad for a year in the UK
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke ($$), Cornell ($$), UT Austin ($), Brown (no $)
Waitlists: Penn (eventually rejected off the list)
Rejections: NYU, Yale, Caltech, UCLA, Michigan, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, Berkeley, UCSD, Northwestern
Attending: Duke!
What would you have done differently?
Hard to say. I'm really happy with my results. Personally, I wish I had dropped my international affairs major and done just econ and math, but I'm not sure that would have necessarily helped my profile. I went into the process thinking it was almost all about the math background you had, but I think more and more that your letters and research background count for a lot more. I think schools look at fit as well. The schools I got into seemed to fit me really well and a few that I thought I'd get into but didn't, turned out not to fit me all that well. Also, I wish I had been more active in finding research opportunities. My results might have been better if I took a year or two offer to work as an RA, but honestly I really want to move straight into the PhD and Duke is an amazing place with great placements so I'm really happy with how things turned out.

Pburg 2012:
Type of Undergrad: US, top 30
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (3.9 econ, 3.6 math)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q 167 V 161 AWA 5.5
Math Courses: Calc II and III (A-, B+), Lin Alg (B+), Intro to Proofs (B), Math Stats (A-), Applied Stats (A), Bayesian Stats (B+), Diff Eq (A-), Nonlinear ODE (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Analysis (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles of Micro, Macro (A-, A), Hon Intermediate Micro, Macro (A, A-), History (A), Intro & Intermediate Econometrics (A-, A), IO (A), Math for Econ (A), Information (A), Regulation/Antitrust (A)
Letters of Recommendation: good to great, from Stanford, Michigan, and UCLA econ PhDs
Research Experience: summer RA, kind of light
Teaching Experience: TA 4 semesters
Research Interests: applied micro
SOP: average
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), Vanderbilt ($$)
Waitlists: UVA (withdrawn)
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Yale, Northwestern, UCSD, Cornell, Duke, Penn State, UC Berkeley ARE
Attending: Wisconsin
What would you have done differently? Better math grades. If I had developed an interest in econ sooner, I might have avoided some mediocre grades and snagged a couple more research opportunities.

dbeef 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, econ + math double major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.82 (3.83 econ, 3.58 math)
Type of Grad: 3 math field courses, and a masters/advanced undergrad micro theory course; additional econ field course at a top 10 program while working.
Grad GPA: 3.62
GRE: 163Q, 163V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: Random undergrad (calc, odes, etc... mostly As), Analysis (B), Algebra (B-), Probability theory (B+), Grad complex w/ some functional (A-), Other grad math (A,A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Labor (A), Micro(B-), Asset pricing (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro (A+,A+,A), metrics (A-), some other honors courses (As)
Other Courses: Some chem and physics + some businessy CS courses (As)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well known econ professor I took a grad course with (top 1 0EAS ranking), 2 additional strong (hopefully?), detailed letters from fairly well known economists who observed me in a research setting (one regional fed economist and one thesis advisor), a 4th letter from a math professor I took grad courses from.
Research Experience: A ton. In econ: a few undergrad RAships (over 3.5 years), a solid undergrad honors paper, and 1.5 years as an RA at a regional Fed... a couple of published papers as a coauthor in decent field journals plus a few coauthored working papers, some policy papers, and a couple self-authored (under the guidance of my letter writers) working papers. Other: was part of a math/theoretical physics research team for a while and also did some material chemistry research as an undergrad.
Research Interests: Lots, but mainly labor, health, and theory.
SOP: Standard-ish with some sections individualized for each school.
Concerns: bad math grades and a marginal GRE score
Applying to: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern (wl $), Wisconsin ($$$$), Michigan ($$$$), NSF($$$$$), Penn (off wl post NSF)
Waitlists: Penn
Rejections: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Carnegie Mellon
Attending: Northwestern

ecoetz 2012:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics with Mathematical Economics Concentration (Minor?) from Private Latin American University (Five year degree) (Not well known internationally, known locally).
Undergrad GPA: 4.8/5.0 (Graded on a 5.0 scale, but graded on a percentage basis) (~4.8/5.0 last two years) (~4.8/5.0 maths) (Ranked first in my class).
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q164 (790, 91%) / V161 (620, 89%) / AWA 5.5 (96%).
Math Courses: Differential Calculus (5.0), Integral Calculus (4.5), Multivariable Calculus (5.0), Linear Algebra (4.7), Statistics I,II (4.7, 5.0), Advanced Math for Econ (Covers Intro to Proofs, Elementary Topology and RA) (5.0), Dynamic Optimization (4.9), Stochastic Processes (4.5).
Econ Courses (grad-level): Topics in Modeling (Grad Econometrics) (4.5).
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I,II,III (4.8, 4.8, 4.7), Macro I,II,III (4.5, 4.2, 4.3), Econ History and Thought (4.3, 4.7, 4.4), International Econ (4.9, 4.9), Game Theory (4.9), Public Sector Econ (4.8), Monetary Theory and Policy (4.8), Dynamic Macroeconomics (4.7), Business Cycles and the Firm (IO) (5.0), Econometrics I,II (5.0, 4.7), Time Series Econometrics (4.7), Advanced Econometrics (Multiple Time Series Econometrics) (4.7), Applied Econ and Math Seminar (Microeconometrics) (5.0). There is some grad content in the more advanced courses, but they are still UG-level.
Other Courses: Economic Theory (Epistemology) (5.0), Financial Mathematics (4.9), Financial Analysis (4.8), Five course Politics Sequence, and some other not-as-relevant courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Harvard Prof (PhD Yale, well known), Local Econometrics Prof (PhD UCSD, Co-author, was his TA for grad macro course, former supervisor at work), Local Macro Prof (Former head of Econ Department at my UG school, was his TA for five semesters), and, where a fourth letter could be sent in, Local Summer School Prof (Recent PhD MIT, RAing for him now, TAing for his Fiscal Policy course). All should be strong (hopefully!).
Research Experience: Co-authored paper in top local Journal. RA for over a year at my UG school, with co-authored working paper. Currently RA at top local University in Econ Department. Worked as regional macro research analyst for Citibank for a year after a six-month internship (don't know if this counts towards research experience, since it is not academic. Lots of writing though!).
Teaching Experience: Intermediate Macro TA for five semesters. Advanced Macro (Grad) TA, Fiscal Theory and Policy TA (at top local University).
Research Interests: Political Economy, Comparative Development, Macro Policy.
SOP: Talked about my research interests and how a PhD would be appropriate right now. Run-of-the-mill IMHO.
Concerns: UG school is not very well known, though hopefully LORs will make up for it, since 3 of the 4 recommenders are not from my UG school, but do know it well. Very few grad courses for an international applicant (as mentioned above, while many courses do have grad content, the grad program at my UG school is not as big and, since the UG program is long, grad content is taught at UG level, which is hard to signal to adcoms).
Other: \end{anxiety}
RESULTS
Acceptances: UPenn
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, Harvard, NYU.
Attending: UPenn
What would you have done differently? Well, the plan was to apply to the top 10 (didn't apply to Chicago though) and see what happened. If I got shut out, I would have gotten an MA in my home country at a good school with good placements and tried again. As fellow TMers have said before, I just needed the one, and I got it. So, in that regard, I played my cards right. However, I went to a very unknown UG school, so in retrospect I probably should have gone to a more known school. I won't say a better school because I believe my undergrad education was very good. I had excellent classmates and I'm sure the more advanced undergrad content was at least, in part, at the MA level, so I don't regret doing my UG there. However, a better known school would have meant better LORs, although I got a very good one from a very good professor I hope to keep working with. For sure more math. I'm still dreading that one going into a PhD program like Penn's. I hope to get caught up in their long math camp though! All in all, I'm thrilled!

mar412 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 15 US ( Top 10 Econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: MA from Top 20 Econ
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 790 Q, 800 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc 3 (A), Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A), Probability (A), Analysis (A)
Econ Courses: Lots of Undergrad Econ with A/A-s, MA Level: Micro (A-), Macro (B+), Econometrics (A), Advanced Micro (A), Computer Modeling for Policy Analysis (A); Phd Level: Real Analysis for Econ (A), Micro I (A), Econometrics I (B+)
Other Courses:Phd Stats Intro Course (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from unknown undergrad prof who knew me really well, 1 from unknown MA prof who knew me really well, 1 "institutional letter" from phd profs.
Research Experience: Worked about 2 years as RA estimating tax revenues for a state agency...if that counts
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Wasn't sure..., claimed labor topics in micro and macro
SOP: Pretty standard, I'm sure. I didn't have much time to work on it due to an illness in the family.
Other: Didn't know what I wanted to do as an undergrad and after getting some work experience, I decided to pursue my Phd. Most of my math and Phd courses were taken in my MA program
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Minnesota ($), UCSD ($), Penn (w/l but got $), UNC(?)
Waitlists:UVA, Michigan
Rejections:Princeton, MIT, Yale, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Duke, Northwestern
Pending:None
What would you have done differently?
I think in terms of my research experience and grades I did as well as I could given my circumstances. To me, being there for my family during a time of stress was the most important thing, and I still feel proud of the choices I made. In an ideal world, I would've realized that I wanted to get my Phd as an undergrad and taken as many math classes as possible then. But, it didn't happen that way. Overall I am happy with what I achieved and am excited to start my studies next fall.
Attending: Penn

george 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Double major: Math/Econ from a top 50 us.
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (4.0 Math/Econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q: 170 V: 166 AWA: 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III high school, Real Analysis 1-2 (A), Linear Algebra 1-2 (A), Abstract Algebra 1-2 (A), (A), Combinatorics (A), Number Theory (A), Topology (A), Graph Theory (A), Algebraic Topology grad (A), Combinatorics grad (A), Functional Analysis grad (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): MicroTheory 1-3 (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro(A), Macro (A), Principles Micro (A), Principles Macro (A), Labor Economics (A), Crime Economics (A), Game Theory (A), International Econ (A), Research seminar (A), Econometrics (A).
Other Courses: Symbolic Logic (A).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 that are very well known, and 1 that is brilliant, all very strong.
Research Experience: Did research in both math and econ
Teaching Experience: TA for a math course
Research Interests: Micro, applied micro, risk
SOP: awesome.
Concerns: Strength of undergrad institution
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Brown, Penn off wl, Chicago off wl, UCSD, Columbia.
WL: Chicago, Duke, Penn
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Berkeley, Princeton
What would you have done differently?
I got brought in and told the reasons for my poor results at one of the schools, and he said it was all institution. All you have to do though is take a couple years off and ra with someone famous, if youre in this position but I want to head straight to grad school plus new york is pretty swanky.
Attending: Columbia

The Blueprint 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: U.S. Public University Top 50 Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 (4.0 Math, 4.0 Econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q 800V 6.0 (first time) / 170Q 170V 6.0 (retake)
Math Courses: Calc I-II (exam), Intro. Computer Science (A), Linear Algebra (A), Calc III (A-), ODE (A+), UG Real Analysis (A+), Prob. and Stats (A), Grad Analysis I (A), Numerical Analysis (A), Math. Stats I (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro (A+) & Macro, Intermediate Micro & Macro, Public Sector Economics, Game Theory, Industrial Organization (A+), Intro. Econometrics, Labor Economics (A+)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 2 well known senior faculty who advised me on research, 1 AP who taught the grad micro course
Research Experience: One year as RA, senior thesis
Teaching Experience: Math tutor
Research Interests: Theory or applied micro
SOP: Standard, but well-written
Other:
Concerns: Reputation of institution, strength of rec. letters (explained below)
Applying to: All Top 10, Some Top 20
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Penn ($$), Minnesota ($$), Duke ($), Princeton ($$$, from WL)
WL: Princeton
Rejections: Stanford, Northwestern, S. GSB, Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, NYU, Columbia, Wisconsin, Michigan
Attending: Princeton
THOUGHTS:
First of all, I am over the moon to be attending Princeton given my background. I think that for students who come from lesser-known U.S. schools, it's incredibly important to apply to a broad range of programs; I could not have predicted, when the process began, that Michigan and Wisconsin would reject me. I was unsure that my rec. letters would be strong enough to crack the Top 10not because the content was weak, but because my recommenders (who are wonderful) might not have as much influence or credibility as "famous" people from top institutions who write many letters. However, if your recommenders are willing to go to bat for you, I think that you will have a shot at most programs.
If I had realized my ambitions in economics earlier, I would have made sure to serve as an RA for a famous professor at a top department (during a summer or academic term). I had no desire to spend time after my bachelor's researching for a top professor or for a Fed in order to dress up my resume for future application cycleswhich I am sure would have helpedbut that is personal preference.
Finally, a thought about the Princeton waitlist. I kept in good touch with the department and sent them notes intended to demonstrate (1) that the program was an excellent fit for me, and (2) my writing style, which, while trivial compared to "real" qualifications for the PhD in economics, should at least set me apart from the field of candidates. While I am sure that many waitlisted candidates send notes explaining point (1), I would encourage them also to pick out some aspect about their candidacy which is unique or different, and express that as well. It just might make a small but material difference.
Also, I should have applied for the NSF. What was I thinking?

csalriv 2012:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics of a Chilean university (best in Chile, top-3 in Latin America).
Undergrad GPA: 6.1/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked 1st).
Type of Grad: MA in Economics of the same Chilean university (top-3 MA Economics Program in LatAm, probably best).
Grad GPA: 6.5/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked T-1st).
GRE: Q 170 (99%); V 148 (40%); AW 4.0 (48%).
TOEFL: 112 overall. 30 R, 30 L, 23 S, 29 W.
Math Courses: Calculus I-II, Algebra I-II, Statistics I-II, Operations Research + 4 Grad School courses + 1 courses in a Summer Exchange in a top Math Grad School in Brazil.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomics I-II, Macroeconomics I-II, Econometrics I-II, Financial Economics.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All usual.
Other Courses: Accounting and Management stuff.
Letters of Recommendation: 6 Recommenders total: 4 professors at my University (2 outstanding letters, 1 very good, 1 quite good) + 2 other research economists (1 quite good letter plus a standard one).
Research Experience: RA for a top Chilean economist (known worldwide) and for a young University economist. MA Thesis approved with honors. Currently working at the Econ Research Dept. of a top Chilean facility.
Teaching Experience: Professor of Microeconomics I at the best Chilean university, plus over 10 TAs in Undergrad School and 1 Grad School TA.
Research Interests: Game and Contract Theory, Financial Economics.
SOP: Bloody long.
Concerns: Almost no own research (but MA Thesis). Disperse interests and experience. Few years ‘lost’ working. Being Chilean.
Other: Useless but cool stuff: political leadership, a second foreign language and Math Olympics honors, among others.
Applying to: Econ PhD at 9 of the top-15 places. Social Sciences PhD at Caltech. PhD in Economic Analysis and Policy at Stanford GSB. MEDS PhD at Kellogg.
RESULTS
Acceptances: NYU, UCLA, Penn. Finance PhD at Kellogg (redirected from MEDS). Caltech (off the waitlist). All fully-funded with stipend, luckily.
Waitlists: Caltech.
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Stanford GSB.
Attending: NYU!
Random Thoughts
I am really happy with my decision, though I had a hard time deciding between NYU and Caltech. I appreciate weather a lot (and being from the Pacific coast of South America, California's climate conditions are quite similar), even more than living in THE big city. Besides, Caltech's Social Science Program is outstanding, specialized in my main Econ interests, with good placement records and close interaction between (the few) students and Faculty. Nevertheless, NYU is quite good as well and their placements are improving constantly... but most importantly, there is a rich interaction between Theory and Macro and I can have a close link to Finance just by crossing the street to Courant or Stern. Besides, I really loved the Faculty-students relationship. And all students I met were really nice and easygoing, with high social skills (maybe that's because they're living in NYC!).
My advice for all admitted, if possible: go to the visit days, without any doubt you'll have a good time and you'll collect relevant information for your decision (eventually unknown before).
What would I have done differently?
- Applying 1 or 2 years earlier instead of losing time working (in a Research unit, but still).
- Taking more time to apply: I just took the GRE by mid-October and wrote my SOP in late-November!
- Because of the latter, writing an specific SOP. I am totally sure that some features of my profile were cons in some places. You don't need (want) to lie, but sometimes you should hide some (potentially irrelevant) information. It could be misleading.
- Apply to UC Berkeley and to more Business Schools.

TA89 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Dual Major in Economics/Mathematics from Top 10 liberal arts college. Transfer from a top public after one year, Summer Coursework at an ivy, top 15 national university, and another top public.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85 (Math: 3.90, Economics: 3.85)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q:780 V:570 AWA:6.0 (second attempt)
Math Courses: Calculus I (A+), Calculus II (B+), Calculus III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Introduction to Analysis (A), Analysis & Optimization (A), Probability (Fall 2011), Principles of Real Analysis I (Fall 2011)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Microeconomics I (A), Advanced Microeconomics II (A): The first semester course used MWG and covered consumer theory/producer theory/GE topics. The second semester course used half the class to cover Gibbons' Game Theory, and the second half covered Contract Theory using Bolton and Dewatripont, as well as Berkeley lecture notes. Both were Ph.D. level courses.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles of Microeconomics (A), Principles of Macroeconomics (A), Experimental Economics (B+), Intermediate Microeconomics (A-), Intermediate Macroeconomics (A-), Economics Statistics (A), Econometrics (A-), International Trade (A),
Other Courses: Not sure what to say here, but I took a year of Chinese (A/A), and a Philosophy Seminar/Tutorial double course (A-/A-)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Adviser. TA'd his UG Advanced Microeconomics class. I will be doing my thesis under him and have spent this summer working on a research project for him.
2. Advanced Microeconomics I-II Professor. Took both my Ph.D. Micro classes and have discussed my graduate school plans with him.
3. Analysis Professor: I took intro Analysis and Principles of Real Analysis I with him.
All should have been very good.
Research Experience: Summer research project in Health Economics for adviser. Will continue this project as my senior thesis. The plan is to submit as a co-author.
Teaching Experience: TA'd undergraduate Advanced Microeconomics.
Research Interests: Micro Theory, International Trade, Applied Micro (very open)
SOP: I haven't written in yet, but will be good.
Concerns: Typical concerns of a liberal arts applicant. Not really sure what to think or expect.
Other: Again, not really sure what to put here. Unlikely it's relevant, but President of Model UN for two years, and lots of Model UN awards.
RESULTS:
Accepted: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences ($$$), Wisconsin ($$), Cornell ($$$), WUSTL ($$$), UT-Austin (?), LSE MsC Econ (-)
Waitlists: Michigan (high on WL, but withdrew), UCLA (rejected), Penn (rejected), UVA (withdrew)
Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Chicago, Yale, Northwestern MEDS, Columbia, NYU, Caltech, UCSD, Duke Econ, Brown, LSE MsC EME
Attending: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I could not be happier with the way the process turned out. I am so fortunate to have been presented with so many great offers. Thanks TM for all the guidance along the way.

TutorDude 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, Double Major Math and Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.75
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: 163 Q, 161 V, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I - III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Diff Eq (A), Real Analysis (B), PDE (A-), Algebra (A-), Math Modeling (A), Chaos Theory (B), Complex Adaptive Systems (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics (A, A, A-), Adv Micro, Macro, Econometrics (A, A-, A-), IO (A), Game Theory (B), Finance (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: Adv Micro Prof (MIT PhD) [hopefully very strong], Adv Metrics Prof (MIT PhD) [strong], Current Boss at Econ Consultancy (MIT PhD) [very strong], Math Thesis Advisor (Harvard PhD) [very strong]
Research Experience: Two term RA as undergrad, handful of advanced seminars (math and economics) with significant research components, math thesis (awarded high honors), two plus years at an economic consulting company.
Teaching Experience: Tutored and lead study groups in various math and economics courses; co-own a tutoring company focused on quantitative subjects.
Research Interests: Varied - IO, applied micro and econometrics, development, urban economics
SOP: Nothing extraordinary, tailored to research interests relevant for each program.
Concerns: Real analysis grade and some A-s, borderline GRE score.
Applying to: MIT, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, NW, UVA, NYU, Stern, Columbia, Michigan, UCLA, Brown, Duke, Yale
RESULTS:
Accepted: UCLA (off of wl, no 1st year stipend), UVA($$)
Waitlists: UCLA (admitted), Michigan ($$ if admitted - was not admitted)
Rejected: Yale, MIT, Berkeley, Northwestern, Duke, NYU, Columbia, Brown, Princeton, Stern (Econ)
Attending: UCLA
What would you have done differently?
I think I would have put forth a stronger effort towards As in some math classes along the way, and perhaps tried to take grad level courses. I also wrote an applied math thesis, and I am fairly confident that having written an economics thesis with one of my economics letter writers, or simply with an economist, would have helped substantially. Evidence suggests that the connections of your letter writers are extremely important, and I am not sure the math and economics networks overlap enough to make a letter from a mathematician count as much unless they are remarkably well-known. Either way, happy with UCLA, hopefully can find a way to earn some additional money the first year.

roadvirusss 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 Liberal Arts College
Majors: BA Math, BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/4
GRE: 800Q, 610 V, 6.0 AW
Math 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), Operations Research (A), Topology (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Macro (A-), Intro Micro (A), Empirical Methods (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International (A), Energy Economics (A), Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A), Advanced Micro (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics I (A-)
Research Experience: Departmental honors for theses in both majors; Math thesis will be published. Did econ and math research during undergrad summers.
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO
SOP: Spent no time on fluff; focused on a particular project.
Letters of recommendation: Four active Harvard PhD economists.
Concerns: Did poorly when I applied two years ago (Profiles and Results 2010).
Work Experience: Two years working as an RA at a top 5.
Results:
Accepted: Princeton, Northwestern, Chicago Booth, Columbia, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin, Duke
Waitlists (all declined): Penn (vh), NYU, Michigan
Rejected: Wharton (Interviewed), Yale, Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, GSB, Chicago, Stern, HBS, Cornell
Never Heard from: UW
Attending: Princeton
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I was very well informed about the process this time around. I'm definitely happy with my results, and in the end the decision between Princeton and Northwestern was a tough one. It was odd that the only Top 7 I got into was the one worst in IO even though my SOP was spent entirely on an IO topic. My decision to take two years off was in the end vindicated, even though I largely slacked off during this time and at one point almost gave up on the PhD route. I can't help but be an advocate of the liberal arts college -> RA -> PhD route, as the improvement in rec letters alone earned me a jump from the top 25 to the top 5.

DGSE 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Public, unranked PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Grad: same
GRE: 650V, 800Q, 6.0
Math Courses(undergrad-level): CalcII,III, IV (B+, A+, A), Intro to Proofs (A), Linear Algebra(A+), ODE(A), Probability (B+), Intro to RA (A), Stats (A), Prob. II (A), Stat II (A), RA I (A)
Econ Courses(undergrad-level): Intro Micro,Macro(A,A), Intermediate Micro,Macro(A+,A), intro stats (A+), enviro econ (A+), Labor (A), Math econ (A), Trade I (A+), Trade II (A+), Directed Research (A, A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro TheoryI,II (A-,A), Math Econ (A-), Metrics(A), Metrics II (A)
Letters of Recommendation: One was my advisor for my thesis, another was my Micro I prof, and the last I RAed with and took graduate classes from
Research Experience: RAed a summer and a semester with one professor. Did a thesis. Not sure if it helped, but I interned under a govt. economist
Research Interests: Development, risk, political economy, labor (my main interest is in development)
SOP: nothing special just communicated my research interests
Results:
Accepted: UPenn (very high waitlist for funding--declined), Berkeley ARE ($, off waitlist), Cornell ($$$), Vanderbilt ($$$$), Maryland ARE ($$$$), Georgetown ($$), USC ($$)
Waitlisted: UVA (declined)
Rejected: MIT, Princeton, JHU, PSU, Maryland Econ, Michigan, Wisconsin
Attending: UC Berkeley ARE
What I would have done differently?
I had way too many safeties (USC, Georgetown, Maryland ARE). I kind of wish I'd applied to Duke, Columbia and NYU. I have the usual, "I wish I knew when I was a freshman", but my results are nothing to complain about, and if I'd really wanted to shoot for the top 10 I could've been more patient and done a European/Canadian masters.
Comments:
My interests also changed even during the short time while I was applying (I lost interest in growth and grew interested in political economy). I was surprised I got into UPenn, but not even a waitlist from places like PSU or Wisconsin, which should be easier than its ranking indicates since it has such a large class size. UPenn apparently with its large class size and tough comps doesn't mind taking chances on people from nowhere like me.

vcb 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. in Economics in one of the best universities in a small EU country
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: research masters in economics in the same university
Grad GPA: 3.7
GRE: Q: 170, V: 159, AW: 4.5
Math Courses: Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Mathematics I and II, Advanced Mathematics, Probabilities, Statistics
Econ Courses (grad-level): - Microeconomics, Microeconomic Theory I and II, Game Theory I and II, Macroeconomics, Macroeconomic Theory, Macro Theory I and II, Development Economics, Tools for Applied Policy Analysis.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I-III, Macro I-III, Global Economy, Information and Games, European Economic Policy, Comparative Political Economics
Other Courses: -
Letters of Recommendation: Should be strong.
Research Experience: R.A. for 3 professors.
Teaching Experience: 3 years as T.A.
Research Interests: "Applied" Macroeconomics, Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Debt Management and Internacional Finance (pretty much open to everything).
SOP: Standard.
Other: -
Results:
Accepted: Duke ($), Rochester($$), LSE (EME Program, no funding)
Waitlisted: JHU (declined)
Rejected: Harvard, MIT, NYU, Chicago, Northwestern, Yale, Michigan
Attending: Duke!
What I would have done differently?
I would have taken a B.Sc. in Mathematics and I would have gone for a masters in economics (research track) in a major european program such as the Barcelona GSE or LSE.

snowyday 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA magna cum laude in Econ and History from top 30 US undergrad, top 30 econ dept
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q / 800V / 6.0 AWA
Math Courses: AP BC Calculus 5, AP Statistics 5, online courses in Linear Algebra and Multivariate Calculus, both As
Econ Courses: Honors Micro Theory A-, Honors Macro Theory A-, Econometrics B+, Game Theory A, Money Banking & Financial Markets A-, Capital Markets A-, Monetary Theory & Policy B+, Senior Thesis A
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Thesis adviser (econ professor, not well known), director of economics honors program for undergraduates (economics professor), senior administrator at another University (PhD in social work)
Research Experience: Received thesis prize for best economics thesis senior year
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Various, capital markets, Monetary Theory, Macro - subject to change
SOP: Discussed my current situation, and how I came to be seriously interested too late in my undergrad career to pursue more math
Other: Working for last two years in finance job.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke (tuition remission for 1st year), Brown (MA offer w/ no funding), Wisconsin (no funding 1st year), UCSB (waitlist for funding), BU (no funding 1st year)
Waitlists: Minnesota
Rejections: Yale, MIT, Berkeley, UCSD, Stanford, Caltech, WUSTL, UVA, Michigan
Pending:
What would you have done differently? No regrets, and am extremely pleased with my results all things considered. I had been thinking about applying to RA jobs to beef up the profile, but am not sure with offers from some top 20 schools if it would be worth another 2 years of my life. If I had been thinking of this possibility during my formative years in undergrad, I would definitely have taken more math, and probably some grad econ classes / pursued other research opportunities, but I didn't really become interested in econ until my junior year. Take heart all those with little formal math preparation! Some admissions committees will be willing to take a chance!
Attending: Duke (!!)

whatdoido 2012:
I think its time to start the Roll Call for 2012. After reading last year's roll call introduction, it seems as though it is easiest for untitled to scrape the profiles for analysis if all three sections of the GRE are reported here, and the GPA is reported as first on a 4-point scale, and then in your native scale. So, let's get it going, here's the template.
EDIT: Also, let's do our best to keep this thread clean of everything except profiles.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Math Courses:
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests:
SOP:
Concerns:
Other:
Applying to:

smartcookie 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Quantitative Economics (summa cum laude) with minors in Mathematics and Political Science from a large state university (top 100 university)
Undergrad GPA: 3.7 (overall), 3.9 (econ), 3.5 (math)
Type of Grad: PhD- and MA-level non-degree-seeking coursework
Grad GPA: 3.7
GRE: Q800/V570/A5.5
Math Courses: Calc I, II, and III, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, Statistics, Abstract Math, Real Analysis; 1 semester of MA-level Statistics (Casella and Berger) for credit (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): PhD-level Microeconomic Theory (MasColell, Whinston and Green) for credit (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro and Macro, Intermediate Micro and Macro, International Finance, International Trade, Development Economics, Mathematics for Economists, Econometrics (I & II), Honors Thesis Seminar (I & II)
Other Courses: lots of Political Science (honors) and Spanish
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Department chair and honors thesis advisor;
2. PhD-level Microeconomic Theory professor;
3. Current employer (prominent health economist).
Research Experience: Senior honors thesis (summa cum laude), 6 m as an undergraduate RA for NBER project, 3 yr as Senior Research Assistant for the federal government, and 1.5 yr as Research Associate for health economics think tank
Teaching Experience: undergraduate tutor in Economics and Mathematics
Research Interests: Applied micro with an emphasis on behavioral economics, health & nutrition, and agricultural economics
SOP: need to write my SOP
Concerns: I graduated from university 4 years ago and will be somewhat older (27) than most applicants; relatively low GRE Verbal score; could have taken a few more math courses (Topology, Differential Equations, Number Theory, etc.)
Other: Economics publications (including some under review at peer-reviewed journals)
Applying to: Yale, Stanford, Berkeley & Berkeley ARE, Harvard, Cornell, Maryland, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Chicago, and others (likely 15-18 programs)

mdecon 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Basic Medical Sciences (in the top medical school in our country [SE Asia])
Undergrad GPA: I'm not sure how to convert it but I graduated cum laude and the 2nd in our batch
Type of Postgrad: Doctor of Medicine (yes I'm a doctor)
Grad GPA: Again, not sure how to convert it but I'm in the top 250f my class
Type of Grad: MA Economics (top Econ department in our country, not strongly ranked in Asia though)
Grad GPA: Unsure how to convert it (maybe B+/A- level)
GRE: 160 V (around 600 in the old scheme based on a comparison of the percentiles), 164 Q (around 790 in the old scheme based on a comparison of the percentiles), 5.5 AW
TOEFL: 118/120
Math Courses: Calculus/Elementary Analysis I-III, Linear Algebra, Elementary Differential Equations, Elementary Statistics, Intro to Proving (all taken alongside by grad econ courses)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomic Analysis I-III, Macroeconomic Analysis I-III, Math Econ I-II, Econ Statistics, Econometrics I-II, Health, Labor, International I-II, Monetary, Environmental
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Elementary Macro, Math Econ, Introductory Econometrics
Other Courses: Lots of sciences (bio, chem, physics), medicine
Letters of Recommendation: PhD from Yale, PhD from Northwestern, PhD from Columbia and PhD from my university
Research Experience: Did some scientific research (unpublished) in physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry during med school, RA in the Asian Development Bank's Economics and Research Department
Teaching Experience: 2 sems TA (Intro to Econ, Intro to Micro), 2 1/2 years in the Health Sciences Program of the country's second-ranked university
Research Interests: Health, Health and Development, Behavioral, Experimental, Neuroeconomics
SOP: Addressed my not so stellar math grades, highlighted my unique background, discussed my potential strength in health, experimental and neuroeconomics research because of my MD
Concerns: Not so stellar math grades (only around ~B+), lack of economic research papers, admissions committees might see me as better off in a public health PhD or a health policy/health econ PhD rather than an econ PhD program
Other: Got awarded as an outstanding student in my country in 2008
Applying to: Many of the top 25 schools (especially those with Neuroeconomics labs like NYU, Duke, Berkeley, Stanford), some in the 30-60 like UCSB, UCR, USC, Georgetown, WUSTL, Claremont (because of their neuroecon program), some MPP programs in public policy schools (Princeton, Chicago), Harvard PhD Health Policy

superman0916 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Major in Math and Econ at a Large State University. Top 40 Econ. Program
Undergrad GPA: 3.94, 4 for math
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800/V650/AW3.0
Math Courses: Cal I，II,III; LA(I,II); ODE; Real Analysis(I,II); Statistic(I, II); Discrete math; Abstract Algebra; All 4.0 for these courses
Econ Courses: Advanced Micro(4.0), Macro(4.0) two Econometric courses(4.0) some other basic undergrad econ classes
Other Courses: Math for Econ. PhD (Right now); PhD Micro(Right now) Phd Econometrics(Right now)
Letters of Recommendation:
One from a famous Economist(I'm doing a research with him), strong be stroong;
Professor for PhD econometrics class, very famous, I did well on the first midterm, talked about my current research with him couple times, not sure how strong it is;
Professor for the PhD micro class
Math Professor I'm TAing for. I also took one class with her two years ago, and I think I was the top student...
Research Experience: RA this summer.(with funding) We are writing a program for STATA. Still doing it now, but it seems like noting will be published before the end of the year.
Teaching Experience: TA for the Math department for almost two years. TAing Linear Algebra now.
Research Interests: Econometrics, Time series analysis
SOP: I would say its just ok...
Applying: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, U of Chicago, Berkely, Yale, Northwestern, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown, Duke, BU, OSU, U of Maryland.
Good luck for everyone!

UWGrad09 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BMATH from Top Math University in Canada, Minor in Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.6 (Roughly since they grade on a percentage basis)
Type of Grad: Masters at Top 5 Canadian School
Grad GPA: A
GRE: 800Q, 540V, 4.0 AW
Math Courses: Calculus I,II,III,IV; Algebra; Linear Alebra I,II; Probability; Statistics; Differential Equations; Introduction to Combinatorics; Applied Real Analysis; Applied Complex Analysis; Introduction to Computational Mathematics; Linear Optimization; Mathematics of Finance; Corporate Finance; Introduction to Actuarial Mathematics; Introduction to Casualty Insurance
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I,II (PhD Level) Macro I,II (PhD Level) Econometrics I,II; Health Economics; Topics in Public Economics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I,II,III,IV; Macro I,II,II; Public Economics:Expenditure; International Economics; Econometrics I
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
1) PhD Princeton - VERY Strong - Taught Public Course in Grad School and am currently working for as an RA for the year between my Masters and my PhD
2) PhD Toronto - Strong - Taught first grad level Micro and he requested me to TA a class for him the following Spring
3) PhD U British Columbia - Strong - Took Micro IV with him in undergrad and got a 99%, and I know him very well
Research Experience: One semester as an RA for Chair of the Department as well as currently doing a 1-year RA/Data Technician job at the University
Teaching Experience: Taught a tutorial during Masters but none other than that
Research Interests: Public, Micro Theory
SOP: Standard
Concerns: Was super lazy in years 2&3 of undergrad, so some of my courses have low 70's grades
Other: I'm planning on staying in Canada, unless there's an offer from one of the top US schools (hence my bizarre looking list of applying to)
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, U Toronto, U British Columbia, McMaster

econobot 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics at a top LA University
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics, same institution
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: Q: 800, V: 480, AW: 3.5
Math Courses: Calc. I-III, Algebra, Probabilities, Statistics, ODE, Introductory Real Analysis.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomic Theory I, Macroeconomic Theory I, Econometric Theory I-II, Asset Pricing, Financial Economics, Financial Econometrics, Applied Macroeconomics.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro., Micro. I-II, IO, Intro. Macro, Macro. I-II, International Economics.
Other Courses: Finance I-II, Seminar of Finance.
Letters of Recommendation: Should be very strong. Several Professors from Chicago, MIT, UCLA, Cornell.
Research Experience: 1 year as R.A. in different projects + 1.5 year doing applied research in the public sector.
Teaching Experience: Several years as T.A. (grad and undergrad. courses), two semesters teaching Introductory Microeconomics.
Research Interests: Behavioral Finance, Financial Economics, Asset Pricing.
SOP: Partially tailored for each school.
Concerns: GRE: low Verbal and AW scores (although a pretty decent TOEFL), solid but not stellar grades.
Other: Unpublished co-authored paper.
Applying to: Ph.D. Econ: Top 10 + BU, UCLA, Cornell, Duke, Brown, JHU. Master Econ: Toulouse, LSE, Toulouse, PSE

Hubble 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in economics and BS in mathematics from top undergraduate institution in my country (Double degree)
Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4.0 (ranked first in my class)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 (just took a few classes)
GRE: 690V, 800Q, 4.0AW
Math Courses(undergrad-level): Cal, Vector Cal(A+,A), Linear Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Abstract Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Applied Algebra(A+), Real Analysis 1,2,3(A,A+,A), Topology(A+), Intro/Diff eq,Ordinary Diff eq1,2, Partial Diff eq1(A+,A+,A+,A), Probability theory(A+), Stochastic Processes(A), Set theory(A+), Mathematical Reasoning(A+), Scientific Computing(A+)
Math Courses(grad-level): Stochastic Processes(A), Mathematical Statistics(A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro1(A+), Topics in Macro(A+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): a whole bunch
Other Courses: a few programming classes with all A+
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors
Research Experience: summer research internship at top 15 Econ program in the U.S., 2 working papers
Teaching Experience: TA for an undergraduate math class
Research Interests: applied macro, time-series analysis
SOP: standard. I talked about how my previous research experience led me to have current research interest.
Concerns: didn't take graduate micro classes
Other:
Applying to: MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, Upenn, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin-Madison, Brown

Anon1 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 1st BA in French (Minors in Russian and Spanish) from Top 10 US Liberal Arts College; 2nd BA in Economics and Management from Oxford
Undergrad GPA: 3.87/4 in US. Formal Oxford examinations in May/June.
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 760Q, 690V, 6AW
Math Courses: Mathematical Methods (covers Lin Al., Differential Equations, Probability and Multivariable Calculus - not Real Analysis or Proofs)
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Game Theory, Quantitative Econ, Econometrics, Microeconomic Theory
Other Courses: Typical liberal arts stuff; a ton of languages in my first degree
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from Oxford professors (not super well-known, but quite respectable), 1 from US Liberal Arts Professor/Thesis Advisor in French Department
Research Experience: Independent Research Fellowship in Mali on Literary Topic. Published translation. Nothing in economics.
Teaching Experience: TA in French and Tutor in Russian
Research Interests: Game Theory, Time Inconsistency, Bounded Rationality
SOP: Short and direct. Research focused, with some customization for each program.
Concerns: 760Q was done a couple of years ago, and I'm confident I'd do better now. That said, it might hurt. Lack of research in Econ another big issue. Can they be sure that I have the mathematics and passion necessary for economics PhD? I do, but that might not be self-evident from the application.
Other: I thought I was a pretty atypical candidate, but looking at other profiles, I've noticed that many have non-standard paths to PhD in Econ
Applying to: PhD: Carnegie Mellon (SDS), Caltech (Social Science), MIT, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan; MA: Queen's, UBC, UWO

nickilla 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc. in Economics at Top 3 German University, 2 semesters exchange at Top 2 Canadian University.
Undergrad GPA: 1.2 ~ 3.9 (if counted by ECTS grades); 94% avg in Canada.
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 170Q 162V 4.5A
Math Courses: Probability and Statistics I and II (A, A), Linear Algebra I (A), Analysis I (B), Differential Eqs. (A), Maths for Economists (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (A), Advanced Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (A), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (B), Trade Theory (A), Labor Economics (A), Game Theory (A), Development Economics (A), Capital Market Theory (A), History of Economic Thought (A), Optimization and Economics Theory (A), Public Finance (A), Taxation (B), Political Economics (A).
Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Game Theory (A), Experimental and Behavioral Econ (A), Advanced Maths for Economists (A)
Other Courses (undergrad): Bunch of Commerce classes (compulsory for my degree - mostly As, one B), some soft skills stuff (also compulsory, A and C).
Letters of Recommendation:
1 - Advanced GT Prof. Worked for him for almost 2 years, also had im in undergrad advanced micro. Well known in his field, some top 5 pubs.
2 - Behavioral Econ Prof. Started working for him this fall. (Well) known in his field, some top 5 pubs.
3 - Theory of Capital Markets Prof. Relatively unknown, was post-doc at #1's chair.
Research Experience: Two years with letter of recommendation writer 1, 6 mths with letter of recommendation writer 2. I work however almost exclusively with their PhD students. Wrote a long seminar thesis and recently a honors thesis.
Teaching Experience: Two semesters Intermediate Macro.
Research Interests: Information Economics, Game Theory, Networks, Labour, Experimental.
SOP: Solid, slightly adjusted for different schools (whom I would like to work with, which courses interest me).
Concerns: Coming from Europe w/o MA, B in Analysis I (first semester at uni) and Advanced Econometrics; don't know how well letter of recommendation writers are connected at US universities.
Other: Grad courses don't show on transcript (university policy), however hope that the letter of recommendation writers whom I took the courses with mentioned my relative performance.
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Yale, UCBerkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, NYU, NYU Stern, Columbia, UPenn, Chicago, Princeton, Caltech, U Toronto [MA], UPF (BGSE) [MA], BonnGSE

umeconapplicant 2012:
PROFILE: umeconapplicant
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 US, in the Big Ten
Undergrad GPA: 3.83
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800 Q, 650 V, 5.0 A
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A's), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (B+), Probability (A), Advanced Theoretical Statistics (A), Abstract Algebra (B+), Real Analysis (A-), Grad-level General and Differential Topology (W for Early Withdraw)
Econ Courses (grad-level): none
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Standard major requirements (all A's), Econometrics (B+), Honors Seminar in Microeconomic Modeling (A), Honors Thesis Research (A)
Other Courses: Minor/Fluency in German
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Very Strong from UPenn Prof, very well known, 1 Average from thesis advisor from Stanford (younger professor), 1 Average from Real Analysis professor who probably wrote a very enthusiastic letter
Research Experience: 1 year of writing undergraduate honors thesis; very well-liked by my econ letter writers
Teaching Experience: n/a
Research Interests: Microeconomics, Industrial Organization, Energy/Natural Resource Economics
SOP: Not sure about... my thesis advisor told me it was fine
Concerns: W in Topology, B+ in Econometrics, letter of recommendation from a math professor, limited research experience
Other:
Applying to: U Chicago, MIT, Princeton, Northwestern, U Penn, Columbia, NYU, U Wisconsin, Carnegie Mellon, U Maryland, Johns Hopkins

emanuele 2012:
Institution: California Institute of Technology
Program: Social Sciences PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition waiver + 28k Stipend
Notification date: 1/28/2012
Notified through: Phone
Posted on GC: No
Comments: ​​

Anexpor 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: First year fellowship followed by TAing
Notification date: 2/9/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Yay, cool to know that after all this time/effort I really will be going to grad school!

lebatin 2012:
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Full Tuition Scholarship with Fellowship (26K stipend)
Notification Date:2/15/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Thank You.

lexeg 2012:
Institution: WUSTL
Program: Econ. Ph.D
Decision: Waiting Listed
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/15/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: not what i expected, still better than being rejected

treddi 2012:
Institution: Harvard Kennedy School
Program: PhD in Political Economy and Government
Decision: Accepted
Funding: coming in mail
Notification date: 2/16
Notified through: email
Posted on GC:no
Comments: feels good

salatariov 2012:

Institution: LSE
Program: MSc in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/17/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment:.... Unexpected... waiting for 16 more...

chechyccc 2012:
Institution: Harvard Kennedy School
Program: PhD in Public Policy
Decision: Wait-listed No.1
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Hopefully!

bperry12 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/22
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No

econger 2012:
Institution: UC Berkeley
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification: 2/24/12
Notified through: Such a humorous double E-mail as well
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Sad - and it destroys my hopes for the other ones.

ivanspartakfan 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Wait-listed
Funding: $34K per year if admitted
Notification date: February, 23
Notified through: E-mail to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Stanford GSB
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: February, 23
Notified through: E-mail to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Berkeley
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ~$25K per year, maybe more
Notification date: February, 27
Notified through: Phone call from Yuriy Gorodnichenko
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: MIT
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: March, 1
Notified through: E-mail to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Northwestern
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ?
Notification date: March, 2
Notified through: No e-mail, checked the website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $34K per year
Notification date: March, 2
Notified through: No e-mail, checked the website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:

LUDuckling 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Well-respected liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.99 Economics/Maths
GRE: 730/800/4.0
Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, ODE, Probability, Math Stat, Real Analysis
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, IO, Economic Thought, Development, Money Banking
Letters of Recommendation:professor of grad micro class; econ prof; math thesis advisor
Research Experience:REU; RA; math thesis
Teaching Experience: TA math & econ for 2 years
Research Interests: micro, behavioral, not really set
Applying to: H, HBS, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Stanford GSB, MIT, Columbia, NYU, JHU, UMD, Brown, UCLA, CIT, Cornell, CMU, Berkeley, NW, Chicago

wuna 2012:
Institution: NYU
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlisted
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 03/15/12
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: Definitely NO
Comments: OMG!!!! My Top Choice!!! I might not be shut down by Top10!! I hope all admits also get admitted by Harvard/MIT/Stanford/Yale/Chicago!!