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daffyack 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification Date: 2/8/2012
Notified through: email to check web
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First rejection...... but kinda expected.

youngsam 2012:
Institution:Penn State
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: TAship
Notification date: 2/26/12
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Unexpected on Sunday. And it is a BIG birthday present for me today.

unreal analysis 2012:
Institution: UPenn
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 24K
Notification Date: February 24
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: First Admit
Institution: Penn State
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 30K
Notification Date: February 27
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Nice dept for theory.
Institution: Caltech
Program: Social Sciences
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification Date: February 24
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Who cares.

Kevs 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ/Math BS double major. Small private Midwest university. Unknown econ dept.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85
GRE: 164 Q, 156 V, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (A), Calc III (A), Discrete I (A-), Discrete II (A), Differential Equations (A), Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (A), Probability and Statistics (A), Statistics (A), Abstract Algebra (A-)
Grad Math Courses: Game Theory (in progress)
Econ Courses: standard UG sequence with econometrics
Letters of Recommendation: Nobody famous. Thesis adviser and guy I was an RA for, was very strong. Another econ prof I had a few classes with, was strong. Math prof w/ phd from Berkeley who taught me calc III and real analysis.
Research Experience: RA, did a senior thesis that applied game theory to IO. Theoretical paper.
Teaching Experience: tutored econ and calc for 3 semesters. Was a TA for diff eq and calculus.
Research Interests: At time of application, game theory and IO. Now I've added behavioral and experimental.
SOP: It was an SOP alright.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD ($--will attend), UT-austin
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Kellogg MECS, Caltech, HBS, NYU, Boston U, Maryland, Penn State
Pending: Funding decision from UT, but I don't care what it is. EDIT: No funding at UT.
What would you have done differently? Applied to significantly more schools because I'm from an unknown and small econ program. We do not even have a PhD program. For anyone in a similar situation who doesn't wish to transfer, here is some advice. If you want to breach the top 25, you have to get very good grades. This isnt enough though. When your good grades are compared to the same grades from someone from Yale, guess who theyre going to choose. So you need something that separates you from the pack. For me, I think that was my thesis and my LORs were very strong (despite coming from nobody famous). Apply to a lot of schools as the variance for someone with this background will be high. Just look at my case--outright rejection from Penn State, but got into UCSD. I got lucky.

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

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.

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.

EconBeach 2012:
Profile.

gemmy 2012:

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 undergrad, top 40 in Econ, top 30 in Math
Undergrad GPA: 3.84 (Econ 3.85, Math 3.85)
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 670 V, 800 Q, 4.0 W
Math Courses: Cal I-III (A, A, A-), Differential Equations (B+), Linear Algebra (A-), Linear Analysis (A), Math Reasoning (Intro to Proof) (A-), Multivar Cal I-II (A, A), Real Analysis I (A), Discrete Modeling (A), Statistics (A), Prob Theory I-II (A, A), Stochastic Cal (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A-), Macro I (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): a lot
Other Courses: Computer Programming (Java)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Grad Macro Prof: Ph.D from Harvard, very very well-known. I did well in the class, and he knows me well. The letter should be strong.
2. Econ Prof: Ph.D from Chicago, very well-known. I did well in his undergrad class and talked to him a lot about this whole process. Hi is really enthusiastic and supportive. The letter should be very strong.
3. Research Advisor: Assistant Prof, Ph.D from Harvard. I have been working with her for more than a year. She knows me very well. The letter should be strong.
4. Econ Prof: Ph.D from Columbia, well-known. I did well in his undergrad class, but he doesn't know me that well as compared to the other Profs.
Research Experience: RA'd for more than a year.
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: International Macro (Trade and Finance), Macro
SOP: Standard, about two pages long.
Concerns: I'm not sure how strong the letter from recommender 4 will be. No grad-level Math classes.
Other:
Applying to: Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley, Northwestern, UPenn, Columbia, Minnesota, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown, Duke, Maryland, BU, JHU, Penn State.

northpaw 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 40 undergraduate university, not real well known for econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 overall/3.88 econ
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA:
GRE: 770Q, 750V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-II (A), Multivariate Calculus (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Math Reason (A), Real Analysis (A), Mathematical Statistics I (A), Mathematical Statistics II (Spring)
Econ Courses (grad-level): ​N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Introduction to Microeconomics (A), Introduction to Macroeconomics (A), Advanced Microeconomics (A), Advanced Macroeconomics (A), Econometrics (B), Labor Economics (A), International Economics (A), Development Economics (N/A), Senior Thesis (A)
Other Courses: International Political Economy (A, technically an international affairs course), Spanish minor
Letters of Recommendation: Senior Thesis advisor (International Affairs professor), Fed Economist, Analysis professor (not from my undergraduate institution). On the whole, they should be strong, but not well known. In terms of well written vs. well known references, I am heavily skewed to the well written side (hopefully).
Research Experience: Three years as a research assistant at a regional Fed
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: macroeconomics, development economics, labor economics...really hoping to crystallize my interests after my first year
SOP:I spent a lot of time on it...does that mean anything? I had some help from people who know a fair amount about the process, so it should be fine.
Concerns: Not enough math, could have had a more rigorous undergraduate experience in econ, recommendations are not well known, less than stellar gre.
Other: I wish I would have taken more math in undergrad. I have learned a lot through this process about how little I know, which is both daunting and exciting
Applying to: Penn, UCLA, Cornell, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Duke, Maryland, UBC, Toronto, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Arizona State, UWO

ASManess 2012:
Good morning, everyone. I figured it couldn't hurt to register for this forum. I hope you all are well.
Good post? |

Marshall 2012:
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N.A.
Notification Date: 3/7/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: It's a strange world we live in when this rejection actually comforts me. I didn't really want to go there since I'd heard about their attrition, and after getting in with funding elsewhere this only helps set my mind at ease that I didn't apply to too few high ranking schools.

econcr 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics at a large LA University
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (First in my class)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: Q: 800, V: 450, AW: 3.0
Math Courses: Math for economics I-IV (A). Calc. I-III (A+,A,A+), Algebra (A-), Probabilities (A+).
Econ Courses (grad-level): -.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I-IV (A, A+, A+, A). Macro I-IV (A, A, A+, A). International economics I-II (A+, A). Development Economics (A+). Monetary Theory (A-)
Other Courses: -
Letters of Recommendation: VERY strong. Two well-known (in the USA) economists (Berkeley and UPenn).One well-known (but only in my country) economist (UCLA).
Research Experience: 2 years as a R.A.
Teaching Experience: 3 years as T.A.
Research Interests: International economics, Macroeconomics.
SOP: Decent.
Other: 3 published co-authored paper. One of them published for the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies.
Results:
Accepted: UPenn, Maryland ($$$), Oxford, CEMFI ($$$)
Waitlisted: Penn State (declined)
Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, Toronto
Attending: CEMFI
What I would have done differently?
I think that never had taken grad level courses in my live is what hurt me the most. From UMDs flyout I learned that nowadays more and more people are doing a masters degree before their PhDs. Besides that I think the poor reputation of my school hurts me too. So, I consider that if do a masters I would have more chances at the Top10. Because of that, I accepted CEMFIs offer.