Index of Schools AnalysisAbout the Site 2012 20112010 20092008 2007all years
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Most Recently Selected profile:

The data below comes from testmagic forums and shows accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants for 2010 for economics graduate school. Clicking on points in the graph above will make the most recent profile appear in the space below the graph.


Acceptances:

econphp06 2008:
Type of Undergrad: Business Major, Economics Minor
Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.33 (bad freshman year, excluding freshman it is 3.55)
GRE: 800Q, 330V,AWA 4.0
Math Courses: Math for Econ I-II (AA)Calculus I-II (CB), Differential equations (CB), Linear Algebra (The GRE Big Book), Operations Research (AA), Decision Support Systems( AA)
Econ Courses: Int. Micro-Macro, Econometric, Financial Markets Institutions etc..
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ prof and 1 math prof
Research Experience: RA for 3 months.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Financial Economics, Financial Econometrics, Econometrics.
SOP: ok.
Concerns: Not having great grades and math courses
RESULTS:
Attending: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$)
Acceptances: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$), University of Houston Economics Phd, North Carolina State University Econ Phd, Washington State University Econ Phd($$), UPF Msc Finance, Vanderbilt GPED, Central Michigan MA Economics
Rejects: University of Virginia Econ Phd, Boston College Econ Phd, Purdue Econ Phd, Carlos III MA
What would you have done differently? Studied in freshman year, applied only masters programs...
Accepts:
    Attending: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$) Acceptances: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$), University of Houston Economics Phd, North Carolina State University Econ Phd, Washington State University Econ Phd($$), UPF Msc Finance, Vanderbilt GPED, Central Michigan MA Economics
Rejects:
    Rejects: University of Virginia Econ Phd, Boston College Econ Phd, Purdue Econ Phd, Carlos III MA
Waitlists:

lightyears 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Laurea in Economia e commercio
Undergrad GPA: 26,5/30
Type of Grad: Laurea specialistica in scienze dell'economia (2-years)
Grad GPA: 29,5/30
GRE: 800/550/3,5
Math Courses: Math analysis 1/2, Math for economists (optimization, ODE), financial math (up to some stochastic calculus), Stochastic Processes, Probability theory, Statistics
Econ Courses: usual stuff, a lot. No int. micro. A lot of int. macro, monetary, banking etc.
Other Courses: History of economic thought, Modern history etc.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Math PhD profs, 1 Econ prof, pretty standard and positive I think.
Research Experience: no
Teaching Experience: no
Research Interests: Macro, monetary, international
SOP: Boring but standard I think
Other: Nothing special.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: CEMFI (attending), UPF, Tinbergen I, ULB.
Waitlists: none
Rejections: EUI
Pending: Toulouse
What would you have done differently? Nothing. Since when I realized I wanted to do a PhD (middle of my first year of Msc!), I was already in the wrong university (unknown), with no time, and with an Erasmus period starting in few months. Given that, I did all I could. I didn't apply in the UK for economic reasons, and I wanted to stay in quite a warm place. At the end of the process, I'm very satisfied.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: CEMFI (attending), UPF, Tinbergen I, ULB.
  • Institution: Tinbergen Institute Economics MPhll/PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification date: 3/6 Notified through: E-mail from Judith Comments: No funding and rain? Mmmh
  • Institution: CEMFI Programme: 2-year Master in economics and finance Decision: Accepted (e-mail and snail mail) Notification Date: 25/2/2009 Funding: Tuition waiver Comments: i'll go there
  • Institution: Tinbergen Institute Programme: Mphil/PhD Decision: accepted (e-mail) Notification Date: 04/03/2009 Funding: No Comments: Great, but too rainy
  • Institution: Universitat Pompeu Fabra Programme: Economics Msc Decision: Accepted (e-mail) Notification Date: 30/03/2009 Funding: None Comments: Nice for self-esteem, less for my wallet
Rejects:
    Rejections: EUI
  • Institution: European University Institute Programme: Phd Decision: Rejected (e-mail) Notification Date: 16/01/2009 Funding: None Comments: Too bad
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: none

confusedgrad 2009:
Institution: Duke University
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Accepted
Notification date: 03/02
Notified through: E-mail
Funding: Will be informed by the department
Comments: Will decline soon.
_ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _
In: Minnesota (fellowship), UCLA (no 1st year funding), Boston College (TA), Duke($?), CEMFI (10K)
Out: Yale
Pending: Many many....
Accepts:
  • Institution: Duke University Economics, PhD Decision: Accepted Notification date: 03/02 Notified through: E-mail Funding: Will be informed by the department Comments: Will decline soon. _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ In: Minnesota (fellowship), UCLA (no 1st year funding), Boston College (TA), Duke($?), CEMFI (10K) Out: Yale Pending: Many many....
  • Institution: University of Maryland Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: 18K fellowship Notification date: 3/5 Notified through: E-mail _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ In: Minnesota, UCLA, Duke, Maryland, Boston College, CEMFI Out: Yale, Northwestern Pending: A lot more
  • Institution: Tinbergen Institute Economics, MPhil Decision: Accepted Funding: Full scholarship Notification date: 3/9/2009 Notified through: E-mail Comments: Even though amsterdam is an appealing city, I have to decline the offer...
  • Institution: Goethe University, Frankfurt Economics, PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: Tuition+stipend Notification date: 3/12 Notified through: Email Comments: I do not even know why I ever applied...
Rejects:
  • Institution: Northwestern Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/4 Notified through: Website Comments: i knew it from the very beginning... _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ In: Minnesota, UCLA, Boston College, Duke, CEMFI Out: Yale, Northwestern Pending: many more...
  • Institution: Princeton Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/5 Notified through: E-mail Comment: Totally expected... _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ In: Minnesota, UCLA, Duke, Maryland, Boston College, CEMFI Out: Yale, Northwestern, Princeton Pending: A lot more
  • Institution: Columbia Economics PhD Decision:Rejected Notification date:March 6 Notified through:E-Mail Comments: My dream school and my dream city has gone. It hurt for the first time... _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ In: Minnesota, UCLA, Duke, Maryland, BC, CEMFI Out: Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Northwestern Pending: A lot more...
  • Institution: UPENN Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/6/09 Notified through: E-mail Comments: I am really not sad. The only thing to upset me is the fact that I could not receive even a single acceptance from the top of my list.
  • Institution: Johns Hopkins University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: March 11 Notified through: e-mail Comments: Now this one was really suprising for me...
  • Institution: London Business School Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: March 11 Notified through: e-mail Comments: Two surprising rejections at one night... God, I was at least expecting an interview....
  • Institution: University College London Economics, MPhil/Phd Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/17 Notified through: Postal service Comment : seems like i am not type of london...
  • Institution: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/18 Notified through: Website Comments: i never wanted this school indeed...
  • Institution: UCSD Economics, PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/19 Notified through: E-mail Comments: already expected...
  • Institution: London School of Economics Economics, Mres/Phd (Track 1) Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/30 (?) Notified through: Website... Comments: No e-mail. Just checked the website. This is how far you can go with a pretty weak research proposal. No London for me...
  • Institution: NYU Economics, PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 4/15/2009 Notified through: E-Mail Comments: Finally good to know...
Waitlists:

daniel.k 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Brazilian BA Econ
Undergrad GPA: 8.4/10 (2nd in my cohort so far - graduating in June)
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 800Q, 460V, 3.5AWA (Toefl 113)
Math Courses: Calculus I & II, Mathematical Econ I & II, currently auditing Linear Algebra, Stat I & II, Econometrics I, II & III (A's or A+)
Econ Courses: many, Micro I & II, Game theory, Info & Corporate Governance, Macro I & II, Monetary Econ, Economic history, Brazilian Econ history I & II, Financial Math, International econ, Institutional Econ, Development
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Very good, I guess. One got his PhD at UCLA (my thesis supervisor) and the other did his Post Doc at LSE (did pretty well in his class and kept in touch since then)
Research Experience: Currently writing undergrad thesis
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Development, Info, IO, Financial Econ (Corporate Governance)
SOP: Standard, I suppose.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: LSE MSc Econ, Tilburg MSc Econ, Barcelona GSE MSc Econ (half TAship), Toulouse M2 Eco-Math, CEMFI Masters ($$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: None
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? At the beginning I care nothing about grades. The first year is supposed to be the easiest at my uni and I didn't take advantage of that. Had no idea I'd be willing to get a masters or PhD. It's particularly easy/simple to take more math because math courses are offered by another department and I wouldn't get fully accredited for that. Anyway, should have taken more. At least Linear Algebra and maybe Analysis. Other than that, I think it's almost impossible to go straight from undergrad to top PhD's coming from a Uni which is outside the Europe-US axis. Most of the people from Brazil that go to top PhD's did their masters at a top school at home.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: LSE MSc Econ, Tilburg MSc Econ, Barcelona GSE MSc Econ (half TAship), Toulouse M2 Eco-Math, CEMFI Masters ($$)
Rejects:
    Rejections: None
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: None

icebear 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, Colorado State University
Undergrad GPA: 3.89 (magna cum laude)
Type of Grad: courses during UG: Foundations of Quant Econ Analysis, Political Economy 1
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790/560/6.0 (2009), 750/570/4.5 (2006)
Math Courses: Calc 1 (A), Calc 2 (B+), Statistical Methods (A), Matrices and Linear Equations (A), Foundations of Quant Econ Analysis (8 week grad math-econ course which covered Simon & Blume) (A+)
Econ Courses: Micro Prin & Inter, Macro Prin & Inter, Econometrics, Independent Study x 2, Comparative Economic Systems, Recent Economic Thought (i.e. History of Academic Economics), Transformation of Central and Eastern European Countries, Privatization and Foreign Capital (B), Globalization - Social and Economic Aspects (B), Games and Decisions (B), Senior Seminar on Globalization and Trade, Political Economy I (graduate level) [Note: all A's except where noted].
Other Courses: Java Programming, freshman year of Electrical Engineering sequence (A's)
Letters of Recommendation: PhDs from MIT, Cambridge, Harvard, Kansas. 1 is a Lead Economist at a international organization, other three are professors; two recent and enthusiastic (regarding research), two enthusiastic but dated (regarding coursework, especially math ability).
Research Experience: Consulting in the private sector and international organizations for ~ 2.5 years, always in close collaboration/supervision with PhD economists.
Teaching Experience: ~1 year teaching English.
Research Interests: International (trade/finance/macro)
SOP: Standard, with a few lines on my grad econ-math course and how my working experience shaped my interests
Other: Intermediate level Chinese, strong experience/knowledge of Chinese development and trade policy, international trade policy, international organizations.
Knew my chances were almost zero at top 10s, but was strongly encouraged to apply to some anyway, given the relatively low costs of additional apps.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: CEMFI ($$), UBC MA ($), Barcelona GSE MSc, Toulouse M2, Carlos III MA ($$)
Waitlists: -
Rejections: Duke PhD, Columbia PhD, JHU PhD, Harvard PhD, UVa PhD, UCSD PhD, NSF GRFP
Pending: Georgetown PhD
Attending: CEMFI
What would you have done differently?
I probably should have taken grad micro/metrics following my grad math-econ course (as typical grad students did), as that signal would have been much stronger than Political Economy 1. More formal math, of course, but I didn't realize that in UG and have never found a schedule complimentary with my working hours since then (I've lived in non-English speaking countries since graduating, so math courses taught in English are pretty limited). Those two things would have done the most to improve my profile, although I wasn't too concerned about it at the time and am happy with how my UG and professional experience has been since then.
That said, I've had talks with my LORs and done some soul searching and am not exactly certain that sinking 5 years into a PhD is the best way to get me where I want to go. Academia is one interesting career path to me, but economic policy research (government, international orgs) or working in China again (in consulting or similar) also hold my interest, and for the later two a MA coupled with 3 more years of working experience and/or language training make more sense. I initially was set on UBC, unfunded, over UC3M, funded, for reputation issues and a better fit with regards to research interests (plus a bad feeling on UC3M's faculty responsiveness from my interactions with them and students), but had a last minute change...
...long after assuming CEMFI had implicitly rejected me I received a invitation to Madrid for an interview in early May to clear up some question marks in my profile (several years of professional experience and goals with pursuing the MA). Apparently I made a good impression, because I was admitted with the standard (?) CEMFI scholarship and stipend. CEMFI made a great impression on me also, with the faculty very warm, responsive and expressing a genuine interest in and support for my several competing career goals and providing clear examples of how CEMFI is well placed to get me there. I was really impressed with the detail they could provide on professional and academic placements relative to most other master's programs' vagueness at this question. So, the main take away is that it isn't over till its over and I'm very pleased to be moving to Madrid next fall!
Accepts:
    Acceptances: CEMFI ($$), UBC MA ($), Barcelona GSE MSc, Toulouse M2, Carlos III MA ($$)
  • Institution: Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (B-GSE) MSc Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification date: January 26 2010 Notified through: E-mail Comments: Notified within several days of all supporting documents being received. 500 Euro deposit required by late February to maintain offer/status. Good to have a 'safety' as the next six weeks of waiting come; hoping for a better funded option in the meantime (although going elsewhere will be a hard decision - I'm a huge, huge fan of the city).
  • Institution: Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) MSc Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: - Notification date: January 26, 2010 Notified through: E-mail Posted on grad cafe: Yes Comments: Wouldn't mind a year there at all :whistle:
  • Institution: Toulouse School of Economics M2 - Economic theory and econometrics (ECOMATH) Decision: Admitted Funding: - Notification date: February 25, 2010 Notified through: Mail Posted on grad cafe: Yes Comments: More affordable than BGSE... but I'm not sure about spending a year in France...
  • Institution: Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (BGSE) MSc Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: - Notification date: January 26, 2010 Notified through: E-mail Posted on grad cafe: Yes Comments: Wouldn't mind a year there at all
  • Institution: UBC MA Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: Partial Tuition Waiver Notification date: 03/18/10 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Great!
  • Institution: Universidad Carlos III Masters in Economic Analysis Decision: Admitted Funding: $$ Notification date: 03/20/10 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance Decision: Accepted Funding: $$ Notification date: Notified through: Posted on GF: No Comments: Killer
Rejects:
    Rejections: Duke PhD, Columbia PhD, JHU PhD, Harvard PhD, UVa PhD, UCSD PhD, NSF GRFP
  • Institution: Duke Econ Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 02/16/2010 Notified through: Email Posted on Gradcafe: (yes or no) yes
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: February 16, 2010 Notified through: E-mail Posted on grad cafe: Yes Comments: -
  • Institution: Columbia Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 03/04/2010 Notified through: Email to check website Comment: Not at all surprising.
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: February 16, 2010 Notified through: E-mail Posted on grad cafe: Yes Comments: -
  • Institution: Columbia Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 03/04/2010 Notified through: Email to check website Comment: Not at all surprising.
  • Institution: John Hopkins Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 3/12/2010 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: yes Comments: -
  • Institution: Harvard Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: - Notified through: Post Posted on GC: No Comments: Shocking
  • Institution: U Virginia Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 3/22/2010 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments: -
  • Institution: UCSD Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 3/22/2010 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments: -
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: -

teddypicker 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from a somewhat-known non-US, non-EU university, (ranking 100+ in Times Higher Education)
Undergrad GPA: 3.89/4.0 (Class Rank:5)
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: none
GRE: Q800 V450 AWA4.5
Math Courses: Calculus I&II (A, which is the highest grade you can get), Mathematics for Economists (A), Introduction to Linear Algebra (A), Probability and Statistics I&II (A), Programming for Social Sciences (A)
Econ Courses: Macro-Micro Theory (A), , International Economics I&II (A), Econometrics I&II (A), Transition Economics (A), Theories of Growth and Development (A), Institutions and Development (A), History of Economic Thought (B+, A), Finance (A), Principles of Accounting (A-), Fiscal Economics (A), Monetary Economics (A-), World Economy in 20th Century (A), Analytical Writing for Economists (A), Game Theory I (A), Advanced Economic Theory (A), International Political Economy (A), Political Economy of Natural Resources (A), International Money (A-), Seminar in Macroeconomic Policy (A)
Other Courses: Selected Topics in Law (C+ basically why my GPA got lower), Social Transformation and Political History of my country (both A), History of Civilization (B-), Sociology and Social Psychology (both A)
Letters of Recommendation: All three are macro-economists. One got his PhD from Princeton (among top 6ited economists), one from Minnesota (considered to be the top economist of my country) and one from Maryland.
Research Experience: Currently conducting one with the professor who got his PhD from University of Minnesota. (A proposal on the Brazilian capital controls). I also wrote some papers for my previous professors; the most "credible" one is something I wrote for Sweder van Wijnbergen when I was an exchange student in the University of Amsterdam.
Teaching Experience: Worked as a TA for Introduction to Economics and Macroeconomic Theory classes over the summer.
Research Interests: Macroeconomics, Growth and Development, Political Economy
SOP: Talked about my previous research, my extra-curricular activities and my interests. Took 3 pages. It might have been shorter.
Others: TOEFL ibt: 114 (26R, 30L, 28S, 30W)
Concerns: Math courses are not sufficient.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: LSE (MSc Economics -Research-), BGSE (MSc Economics), Warwick (MSc Economics), CEMFI Madrid (MSc Economics and Finance), King's College London (MA International Political Economy), University of Bristol (MSc Economics, Management and Finance), University of Edinburgh (MSc Economics)
Waitlists: UCL (MSc Economics)
Rejections: Warwick (MA International Political Economy)
What Would You Have Done Differently?
I like the outcome of my results, as my only rejection is from a program I considered to be of low priority. Still, I would have
-taken more math courses during my undergraduate
-wouldn't be so scared of getting a rejection so maybe applied for some US Universities as well as Oxbridge
-would have pressured my professors for an RA position.
-would have studied more for the verbal section of GRE
Accepts:
    Acceptances: LSE (MSc Economics -Research-), BGSE (MSc Economics), Warwick (MSc Economics), CEMFI Madrid (MSc Economics and Finance), King's College London (MA International Political Economy), University of Bristol (MSc Economics, Management and Finance), University of Edinburgh (MSc Economics)
  • Institution: BGSE MSc Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Partial Tuition Waiver (half) Notification date: 2/27/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: Will consider if rejected from LSE and Cambridge.
Rejects:
    Rejections: Warwick (MA International Political Economy)
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: UCL (MSc Economics)

gkhn 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:Econ (one of the top state universities in my country) and Math
Undergrad GPA:Econ CGPA:4/4, math CGPA:3.86/4
Type of Grad:n/a
Grad GPA:n/a
GRE:780Q 550V AWA(3.5)(rescore 3.0),First try was 760Q 530V 3.5 AWA
Math Courses:Calculus 1-2,Advanced Calc.1-2(all AA except Adv. calculus 1 CB) linear algebra 1-AA,Basic linear algebra AA,Differential equations AA, Real Analysis BA,point set topology(AA),Lebesgue Integral(AA)
Econ Courses (grad-level):n/a
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):Mathematical economics 1-2,intermediate macro,micro, Mathematical statistics for economist 1-2,Intro to Econometrics 1-2,International Trade courses(1-2),and other standard courses all AA
Other Courses:-
Letters of Recommendation:1 from stanford phd,1 from upenn phd,1 from university of manchester.
Research Experience:No experience.
Teaching Experience:TA-intermediate micro,and econometrics
Research Interests:Micro theory,Game theory,Mechanism design
SOP:ordinary.I described my research interests and some papers I appreciate.
Concerns:GRE score,and no research experience.
Other:
RESULTS:
Attending: Minnesota
Acceptances: Toulouse M2(ecomath)($$), UBC MA($$), CEMFI($$),
Waitlists: UCLA(rej), Uminnesota($$,eventually)
Rejections: Yale, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern(on hold,rej afterwards), Upenn, JHU
Comments:
(i) I do not know which school got which GRE score as I rescored my AW, and ETS did not send my second scores to some places.(UCLA got my first try scores).In the nutshell, I can say that GRE destroyed me completely. First, my classmate with less stellar math grades, similar econ grades got into places where I was wait-listed. In such a case, it is important to make yourself known to DGS. After an inquiry regarding my rejection, UMN put me on short-list for admission(they said they had made a clerical mistake). Northwestern put my application on hold for a while although I was rejected eventually. So, GRE myth is true in some sense.
(ii) For internationals, having a master's degree is very important. This is what I heard from the ad-com member working at Top10 after his seminar.
(iii) Initially, my plan was to apply only top places and master programs in order to have a chance to strengthen my profile for the next cycle. However, this process turns out to be too long and stressful. For this reason, I avoided attending master program to improve my profile.
Accepts:
    Attending: Minnesota Acceptances: Toulouse M2(ecomath)($$), UBC MA($$), CEMFI($$),
  • Institution: Toulouse school of economics M2 ecomath Decision: accepted Funding: Eiffel candidate Notification date: 17 december Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: UMinnesota Ph.D. Economics Decision: accepted from the waitlist Funding: TA Notification date: April 12 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:
Rejects:
    rej), Uminnesota($$,eventually) Rejections: Yale, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern(on hold,rej afterwards), Upenn, JHU Comments: (i) I do not know which school got which GRE score as I rescored my AW, and ETS did not send my second scores to some places.(UCLA got my first try scores).In the nutshell, I can say that GRE destroyed me completely. First, my classmate with less stellar math grades, similar econ grades got into places where I was
  • Institution: Yale Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: Feb 16 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comments: first official rejection...I feel that attending a master program will be the final result of this cycle for me..
  • Institution: Upenn Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: UCLA(
  • Institution: UCLA Economics Decision: Waitlisted Funding: ? Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: University of Minnesota Economics Decision: waitlisted Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: First, they posted rejection on the website, but after e-mailing them regarding why they rejected me, they say they have made a clerical mistake, and I am on the waitlist, they can make an offer..Strange

philecon 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Business Economics, relatively unknown university in Southeast Asia
Undergrad GPA: no idea how to convert it, but I graduated magna cum laude (Rank: 7/150)
GRE: 800Q, 590V, 5.0AW
TOEFL:112/120
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis and Math Stats
Econ Courses: the standard Econ courses, nothing special
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Northwestern PhD, 1 Ohio State PhD, 1 PhD from my uni
Research Experience: undergrad thesis (won an award, forthcoming in local journal), RA for six months
Research Interests: Health Economics, Industrial Organization
SOP: Pretty standard
Concerns: I shifted from Accounting to Economics, and I took a leave for a year to take a break; first to apply as an undergrad from my school (never been done ever)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Georgetown, LSE EME, BGSE MS Economics, CEMFI MSc Economics and Finance, PSU (from waitlist)
Waitlists: PSU (eventually admitted, but without funding), Michigan (rejected off the WL though)
Rejections: Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Penn, Virginia, Stanford, Duke, Singapore Management
COMMENTS:
I wasn't an economics major when I entered college, and I left school for a year after sophomore year (since something happened to me) to evaluate myself, and the direction I was going. I accidentally stumbled upon economics, and I found out that I loved it. Like the previous poster, however, I decided to do a PhD only around my junior year, so I had to cram a lot of math during my last two years, plus take the economics classes. I knew it was a huge risk, applying with only an undergrad degree, as most students from my university had at least a year of graduate coursework before applying to even European masters. I am very pleased with my results, though, and I look forward to attending the program that I chose. The only things that I probably would've done differently are: (1) I would've probably majored in math when I first thought about it (since my Math average is significantly higher than my Business average), or that I would've done my undergrad in the US when I had the chance and (2) I would've probably applied to mainly masters programs.
I guess I'll be back again for Fall 2013 PhD admissions.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Georgetown, LSE EME, BGSE MS Economics, CEMFI MSc Economics and Finance, PSU (from
  • Institution: UPF MSc Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification Date: 2/25/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: I wish I had funding. Haha.
  • Institution: Georgetown Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification Date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: I don't think I will attend Georgetown, even if I can sweet talk my parents into funding me.
  • Institution: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance Decision: Accepted Funding: tuition waiver, plus 10,000 euros per academic year Notification Date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: first admit with funding! Yay! And I think I'd love to go to CEMFI.
  • Institution: LSE MSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics Decision: Admitted Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Happy, but I didn't get funding though. Have to talk it out with the parents.
  • Institution: Penn State Economics Decision: Accepted Notification date: 03/15/11 Notified through: E-mail Comments: WTF. No funding for the first year though.
Rejects:
    rejected off the WL though) Rejections: Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Penn, Virginia, Stanford, Duke, Singapore Management COMMENTS: I wasn't an economics major when I entered college, and I left school for a year after sophomore year (since something happened to me) to evaluate myself, and the direction I was going. I accidentally stumbled upon economics, and I found out that I loved it. Like the previous poster, however, I decided to do a PhD only around my junior year, so I had to cram a lot of math during my last two years, plus take the economics classes. I knew it was a huge risk, applying with only an undergrad degree, as most students from my university had at least a year of graduate coursework before applying to even European masters. I am very pleased with my results, though, and I look forward to
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification Date: 2/26/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: I knew I was a long shot.
  • Institution: Penn Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification Date: 2/25/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: One of the schools I was hoping to get into, but okay.
  • Institution: Columbia Economics Decision: Rejected Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: as expected.
  • Institution: Northwestern Economics Decision: Rejected Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: This broke my heart.
  • Institution: University of Virginia Economics Decision: Rejected Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: last minute application
  • Institution: Stanford Economics Decision: Rejected Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: as expected.
  • Institution: Brown Economics Decision: Rejected Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: as expected.
  • Institution: Singapore Management University Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 05/03/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: If the thread on highest ranked admit vs. lowest ranked rejection is still around, I'll probably win the award. Hahaha. But no worries, I think I'm all set for September. All I have to do is post my profile.
Waitlists:
    waitlist) Waitlists: PSU (eventually
  • Institution: Michigan Economics and Public Policy Decision: Waitlisted Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Should I even try to wait and see if I'll eventually get an admit?

moonwalker 2011:
Institution: LSE
Program: MRes/PhD Econ
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date:
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: no
Comment: I thought I had a shot there...
Institution: Essex
Program: MPhil/PhD Econ
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No
Notification date:
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: no
Comment: Hope I can get into a better program anyway...
Institution: CEMFI (Spain)
Program: Master in Econ & Finance
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Yes
Notification date:
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: no
Comment: Seems like a backup...
Waiting: BU, UCL & Warwick
Accepts:
  • Institution: Essex MPhil/PhD Econ Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification date: Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: Hope I can get into a better program anyway...
  • Institution: CEMFI (Spain) Master in Econ & Finance Decision: Accepted Funding: Yes Notification date: Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: Seems like a backup... Waiting: BU, UCL & Warwick
  • Institution: Essex MPhil/PhD Econ Decision: Accepted Funding: No. Notification date: Notified through: e-mail Comments: Mmm...
Rejects:
  • Institution: LSE MRes/PhD Econ Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: I thought I had a shot there...
Waitlists:

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.
Accepts:
    Accepted: UPenn, Maryland ($$$), Oxford, CEMFI ($$$)
  • Institution: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance Decision: Accepted Funding: 10 K euros per academic year + full waiver of the tuition fees + health insurance Notification date: 2/24/12 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comments: Nice!!
  • Institution: University of Maryland, College Park Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: TA/RA 19.5K-4 years. Waitlist for first year fellowship Notification Date: March 2 Notified Through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: Oxford Economics MPhil Decision: Accepted Funding: Nope Notification date: 03.14.2012 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: No money, no deal :S
  • Institution: UPenn Economics PhD Decision: Admitted off the waitlist Funding: First year unfunded Notification date: 4/02/12 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: Mmm....
Rejects:
    Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, Toronto
  • Institution: Yale Econ PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 02/22 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: yes Comments: Sad but expected
  • Institution: UC-Berkeley Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification 2/24/12 Notified through: 2 emails!!!! -.- Posted on GC: No
  • Institution: Northwestern Econ PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: NA Notification Date: February 29 Notified Through: Checked website Posted on GC: No Comments: Running out of patience :S
  • Institution: UCLA Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: NA Notification Date: 03/02/12 Notified Through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments: Bye, bye California
  • Institution: Columbia Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: --- Notified: 3/13 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: Expected
  • Institution: Michigan Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/16/12 Notified through: E-mail Comments: Seems I'll probably be accepting UMD's offer.
  • Institution: Harvard. Economics. Decision: Rejected. Funding: Notification date: March 23. Notified through: Mail. Posted on GC: No. Comments: Letter dated March 9.
  • Institution: Toronto MA Doctoral Stream Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 3/28/12 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No
Waitlists:
    Waitlisted: Penn State (declined)


Rejections:

Gouverneur 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, minor in Mathematics (Rutgers: >50 econ department)
Undergrad GPA: 2.9 (cumulative of four colleges); 3.7 (school I will graduate from)
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 161Q, 159V, 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Intro Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Intro to Proofs, Probability Theory, (Abstract) Linear Algebra, Intro Real Analysis
Econ Courses: Intro/Intermediate Micro/Macro, Econometrics, Industrial Organization, Financial Economics, Market Discipline, Development, Game Theory
Other Courses: intro stats
Letters of Recommendation: All 3 from econ professors who I took 1-2 classes with
Research Experience: none
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: game theory, io, labor, development
SOP: brief
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Warwick, Oregon, Western Ontario ($), Cornell ($$)
Waitlists: Washington
Rejections: Tilburg, Queen's, Cemfi
Attending: Cornell
What would you have done differently?
For undergrad studies, not failing out of college twice would've been better. Also, it would've been nice to have taken more than two econ classes before the spring semester of my junior year. For the application process, I should've applied to more schools. But I am very pleased with the school I will be attending.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Warwick, Oregon, Western Ontario ($), Cornell ($$)
  • Institution: Warwick MSc Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification date: 2/15/12 Notified through: email Comments: Nice to be accepted but with 17k tuition I can't see myself attending My profile (Roll Call 2012)
  • Institution: University of Oregon Ph.D. Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: TBD Notification date: 3/6/12 Notified through: email Comments: Might not hear about funding until May... My profile (Roll Call 2012)
  • Institution: University of Western Ontario MA (PhD stream) Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: tuition + 13k Notification date: 3/12/12 Notified through: email Comments: Western is mostly macro-labor/structural-labor; I wonder how tough it would be to do micro there. I also wonder if it's possible to live on 13k. My profile (Roll Call 2012)
  • Institution: Cornell Economics Ph.D. Decision: Accepted Funding: "five-year financial aid package" Notification date: 3/19/12 Notified through: email Comments: I wonder how much funding has been in past years.
Rejects:
    Rejections: Tilburg, Queen's, Cemfi
  • Institution: Tilburg MRes Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 3/20/12 Notified through: email Comments: Less decisions to make.
  • Institution: Queen's MA Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 3/30/12 Notified through: email Comments: It seems I was on a waiting-list.
  • Institution: Cemfi Master in Economics and Finance Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 4/16/12 Notified through: email Comments:
  • Institution: University of Washington Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 4/26/12 Notified through: email Comments:
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: Washington


Waitlists:
Admit summary statistics:
As submitted and recoreded from Test Magic:
There were 10 accepted out of 11 applicants.Of those accepted, average GPA was 3.75, average GREQ was 798.6.
No link to department posted statistics has been added, please let me know if these exist and I will add them.

Links:
Test Magic Econ Forums
econphd.econwiki.com
Last Updated: 14:58:27, Fri May 11, 2012