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applying07 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large Private
Undergrad GPA: 3.81 (Econ: 3.9, Math: 4.0)
GRE: 800Q, 560 V, 6.0A
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Lin Alg, Prob Theory
Econ Courses: Principles, Intermediate Theories, Stats, Intl. Econ, Econ Thought, Environmental Econ, Econometrics, Intl. Econ Relations, Senior Thesis
Other Courses: A bunch of other International Studies class (poli sci, sociology, etc.)
Letters of Recommendation: Associate Prof. (Ph.D. MIT) thesis advisor and teacher, Assistant Prof (Ph.D. BC) Econometrics Teacher, Associate Math Prof. Lin Alg Teacher
Research Experience: Senior Thesis, summer of consulting as an RA
Teaching Experience: Tutoring
Research Interests: Trade and Development
SOP: Probably nothing too special, described career goals, why wanted to study econ and bits about each school
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Duke
Michigan State
Boston College
UNC-CH
Colorado
Rejections:
MIT
Northwestern
Brown
UMich
Columbia
What would you have done differently? Maybe waited a year and taken more math or worked doing a research job to fill in those gaps. Pretty happy with how turned out though

kartelite 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Graduated Top 20 liberal arts college, after 2 years at Top 30 University
Undergrad GPA: 3.79 both schools
Type of Grad: Top 50, MS in Applied Mathematics
Grad GPA: 4.00 (at time of application)
GRE: 800Q, 640V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses:
Undergrad Math: Linear Algebra (A), Multivariable Calc (A-), Applied Stats (A), Probability (A), Operations Research (B+), Foundations of Mathematics (A-), Combinatorics (A), Number Theory (A), Abstract Algebra I/II (A/A), Real Analysis I/II (A/A-), Graph Theory (A), ODE's (A)
Grad Math: Abstract Algebra (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Cryptography (A+), Functional Analysis (IP), Probability (IP), Combinatorics Seminar (IP)
Econ Courses:
Undergrad Econ: Intermediate Micro Theory (A-), Intermediate Macro Theory (A), Econometrics (A-), Int. Trade (A), Int. Finance (A), Econ Stats (A), Comparative Economics (B), Game Theory (A), Experimental Econ (A), Money and Banking (B), Mathematical Econ (A)
Grad Econ: Phd-level Econometrics (IP)
Letters of Recommendation: All math professors, 2 from undergrad (real analysis prof + adviser), 1 from grad (thesis adviser/probability prof)
Research Experience: Summer REU program in mathematics, research assistant for a couple summers
Teaching Experience: Calculus 2/pre-algebra/geometry instructor, Linear Algebra TA
Research Interests: Decision theory, perhaps financial or international econ
SOP: Yes
Other: Cross country captain, NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, lots of sports awards; one publication from REU program, hoping to get thesis published in good journal; applied for NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Virginia ($19,000)
Duke ($17,000)
UNC ($14,400)
UCSD (none)
Rejections:
Princeton
Kellogg MEDS
Columbia
Cornell
What would you have done differently?
Gotten recommendation from econ professor, sent master's thesis to someone at programs, applied to Stanford

econchick06 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large, not highly ranked public university
Major: Economics Minor: Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.96, Econ: 3.98, Math: 3.85
GRE: 780 Q, 600 V, 5.0 A
Math Courses: Calc I through III, Diff Equations (A+), Discrete Math (A+), Foundations of Math (Intro to Proofs) (A-), Matrix Algebra (A+), Linear Algebra (A), Probability (A), Advanced Calc (A, only A in the class)
Econ Courses: Undergrad:
Int Micro (A+), Int Macro (A), IO (A+), Urban/Regional (A+), Public Choice (A+), Math Econ (A), Econometrics (A+), Development Econ (A), International Economics (A), Money and Banking (A+)
Grad (taken as an undergrad):
Macroeconomic Theory (A), Mathematical Economics I (A-)
Other Courses: Intro Stats I and II (A+, A+), Intro to Comp Statistical Packags (SAS) (A+)
Letters of Recommendation:3 econ profs- 1 who I RA'd for and co-authored w/, 1 from grad macro prof, 1 from department chair.
Research Experience: RA for 1 year for one of my professors/TA this
Two sort-of publications (co-authored with professor,1 empirical paper in non-peer reviewed journal, and one study funded by a think tank)
Completed a thesis-type paper (we don't have a formal thesis program), will be submitting for publication shortly (and I did submit this paper to the schools I applied to as evidence of my research aptitude)
Teaching Experience: TA one semester
Research Interests: mostly applied micro
SOP: talked about my experiences with and passion for research, first para was tailored to each school
Other: founded economics club
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
full funding:
Chicago (Will be attending )
Rochester
Duke
University of Maryland
University of Virginia
Johns Hopkins
no funding:
UCLA
University of Pennsylvania (accepted off waitlist)
Waitlists:
Stanford
Rejections:
Harvard, Berkeley, UCSD, Michigan, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, MIT
What would you have done differently?
Hmm.. I think it turned out pretty well, I probably applied to too many schools but I am happy with the outcome and wouldn't really change anything. At least I don't have any "what ifs"!

macrotime 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Third world country (unknown to most)
Undergrad GPA: 76/100 (math 90/100)
Type of Grad: Third world country (well known top program)
Grad GPA: 6/7
GRE: 780Q/500V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calculus, Linear algebra, ODE, Dynamic prog., optimization, probability, econometrics
Econ Courses: micro, macro, just as many courses an econ major should take
Letters of Recommendation: 1 (MIT), 2 (NYU), 1 (Duke), 1 (UCLA) all of them really strong. 4 of them publish or have published in top journals, one less known.
Research Experience: 2 years as an RA in a well known research institute, 2 years working in an interntional organization but in a more policy oriented position
Teaching Experience: TA ecometrics grad level, TA international macroeconomics, instructor undergard macro, TA while undergrad macro, an intro courses to economics
Research Interests: Macro, econometrics
SOP: Honest, just described my research interests
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Duke ($$)
Georgetown (no $$)
Rochester ($$)
Waitlists:
NYU
Rejections:
MIT
Harvard
Northwestern
Columbia
BU
What would you have done differently?
First, I would have resaerched more the universities I wanted to apply. Probably, that would have led me to apply to other set of universities. I would have worked less, and I would have taken more math classes.

rdblots 2007:
Profile:
Gre: 800 Q, 570 V, 6.0 A
GPA: Overall: 3.86. Math: 3.96, Econ: 3.94 (Econ major with math minor)
Classes:
Math: Calc II, Multivariable, Intro Lin Alg, Diff Eq, Math Stat, Intro Proofs, Linear Algebra (A's), Advanced Calc (A-)
Econ: all the usual undergrad courses (A's). PhD Math Econ (A), PhD Micro (B+).
Type of Undergrad: Virginia Tech
Research Experience: this past summer and fall I RA'd for a professor at my school, I only did minor tasks, but it was still a pretty good experience
Teaching Experience: 3 semesters of tutoring economics (principles and intermediate micro)
LORs: All of my letter writers were encouraging and thought my choice of schools fit me well, so I am taking that to mean the letters should be decent. 1) Assoc. Prof/Head of Undergrad (PhD Stanford) who I tutored for and with whom I took a class, 2) Assist. Dean/Assoc. Prof who I worked with on my RA project (PhD Northwestern), 3) Prof., tutored his intermediate micro course, took intermediate micro and PhD Math Econ with him. (PhD Minnesota)
SoP & Interests: I talked about being interested in applied micro research. I named some professors from each school who had research that I found interesting.
Other: male/white/american. Boring.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Funding- Duke (attending), Cornell, Boston College, UNC, UVA, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Georgetown
No funding- Maryland, Boston U.
Rejections: Brown
What would you have done differently? I would have only applied to Duke.

kanishka 2007:
Type of Undergrad: International India, Top in country (I mean the college, not my performance)
Undergrad GPA: 3.6 (using the WES conversion guide)
Type of Grad: International India, Top in country (ditto qualification as above)
Grad GPA: 4.0 (using the WES conversion guide)
Note most students perform better in the undergrad than the grad. I ran the other way.
GRE: Q800 , V650, A4.5
Math(s) courses: Real analysis, concepts in linear algebra and calculus: linear independence; bases and dimension; subspaces and vector spaces; eigenvalues, continuity; differentiability; implicit function theorem, static optimization: unconstrained optimization; optimization with equality and inequality constraints; Envelope Theorem, dynamics and dynamic optimization: difference and differential equations, optimal control theory.
Econ Courses: My undergrad was wholly an economics course, as was my grad degree. Took the introductory micro, macro, econometrics (trix) courses in my grad. The material covered in these intro courses is pretty similar to what is done as introductory coursework in the US.
Significant electives: Game Theory, Law and Economics, Environmental Economics, Environment and Development. Also took an advanced macro course Open Economy Macroeconomics, but I wont be doing any more macro. I enjoyed this course, though it was very hard.
Letter of Recommendations: 4 in total. One has a phd from an (arguably) Top 10 US school. The next two were PhDs from LSE; the last is an Indian Phd, with loads of work experience and masters degree from a Top-20 to 25ish US school.
Research experience: One year as a Research Analyst with the Institute of Economic Growth, the leading research institute in environmental economics in India. Also wrote two papers during my masters, which were okay. Not really worth being published, but who knows? I never really tried. A couple of internships during previous summers also one with ICICI Banks Social Initiatives Group (this involved significant field work) and the other with the National Council of Applied Economic Research.
Also worked a year in General Electric Money, the consumer finance division. It taught me two things (a) handling huge databases; and (b) the private sector is not for me.
Research interests: Environment and development; applied work in this area. Would love it if I could do something in India, somewhere in the Himalayas where the scenery is spectacular. If youre going to be doing field work for months on end, might as well do it in a nice place.
SOP: Focused only on a very business-like description of the work I was doing in the Institute of Economic Growth and what I had done in GE; described my term papers and wrote a paragraph on what I would like to do. Did not claim to be touched by the hand of Adam Smith.
Results:
Accepted by: University of Maryland AREC (20K$ first four years) , University of Wyoming Econ (15K$ five years) and University of Minnesota APEC (no funding). Received a note from the Nicholas School of Duke University saying there was interest in my file but not enough funding. Dont know where to place this. Logically I got rejected but my vanity will not allow this.
Rejected by: UCSD, UCSB, Yale, ASU, Wisconsin Madison.
Ignored by: UIUC ACES program.
What would I have done differently?
1. Yale and UCSD were poor fits to my profile + interests. Probably was an immediate reject at these schools, and their apps were expensive, so it was a waste of time and money, which RAs have in limited amounts. Would apply to UC Davis and maybe OSU. That said I got into the program I was aiming for, so it turned out well, which I didnt think likely at the time of application. 2 of my recos were most likely weak to indifferent, but theres nothing much I could do about that.
2. Would erase my last paragraph in my SOP describing in a shallow manner why Im applying to that particular school. I would say, only if there are very strong reasons why you think youd fit with the dept (such as a strong correlation with your research work and some profs main area of research), then include such a paragraph.
Advice:
1. Please get some research experience if you want to do applied work. It helps immensely, apart from adding to your application.
2. For any Indians who are reading this, since we tend to do this when writing SOP, dont describe your love of economics, just say what you have done so far in life in a very objective manner. No phrases like I believe economics to be the true saviour of mankind. I cannot stress this enough. I dont know how much weight an SOP carries, but write it objectively please.

ward 2008:
PROFILE:
School: Oklahoma State University
Type of Undergrad: Economics (Honors) and Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (4.0 Econ, ~3.8 Math)
Type of Grad: none
GRE: V 530, Q 790, A 5.0
Math Courses: Calculus 1-3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Calc. of Several Variables, Intro. to Modern Algebra, Intro. to Modern Analysis, Mathematical Statistics 1 & 2, Mathematical Modeling, Advanced Calc 1.
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Public Finance, History of Economic Thought, Econ Development, Econometrics (undergrad), Grad Micro Theory, Grad Math Econ.
Other Courses: Computer Science I, SAS Programming
Letters of Recommendation: not from well known professors but must have been fairly strong. Two tenured Econ professors and my Intro. to Analysis prof
Research Experience: honors thesis, but nothing substantial
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Applied Micro, Micro Theory, Behavioral and Experimental
SOP: I put some time into it but it was essentially the same for each school; I just changed a few sentences here and there.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Duke($$) <attending>
Wisconsin (no$)
Ohio State ($$)
UIUC ($$)
Arizona ($$)
Waitlists:
NYU
Rejections:
Harvard
M.I.T.
Northwestern
UCSD
Penn State
RA position at NYC Fed
What would you have done differently?
I would have tried to pick programs that fit my interests better and probably would have applied to more schools - especially in the 10-25 range. That's really about all I would have changed.

needeconhelp 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: large US public university(SUNY-SB), Econ and applied math Major
Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.79; eco: 3.89 ; math:3.88.
GRE: 800Q, 510V,AWA 4.0
Math Courses: Calc 1-3 (A), differential equations(A),Logic, Language and Proof (B), Introduction to Real Analysis (A), Mathematical Statistics(A), Data Analysis(A), Finite Mathematical Structures (B+),Applied Linear Algebra (A), Linear Algebra(fall), Real Analysis(fall),
Econ Courses: A's: Intro, Micro, Macro, Strategic thinking, Regional, Mathematical Statistics, Applied Microeconomics, Financial; Econometrics (A-), Money and Banking (B+)
Grad classes: Graduate Data Analysis (A), Introduction to Probability(B-), Microeconomics(fall)
Other Courses: Intro to comp. sci.(A)
Letters of Recommendation:
4 strong letters(Yale, Stanford,LSE )
Research Experience: Independent research(fall) with Economics honors thesis
Teaching Experience: Grading assistant for intro to economics.
Research Interests: economics of education, family ( i guess labor, developement), applied microeconomics
SOP: probably below standard.
Other: I have been part of a scientific research on arsenic in drinking water in bangladesh. Thus, I have been co-authored in a few science publications. I can get some very strong recommendations from some of these professors who are really well-known in their fields.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA($$), Ohio state($$),Duke (no stipend), Wisconsin(no $$ or tuition), Pittsburgh(no $)
Rejections: Berkeley, Columbia, Michigan, yale, brown, harvard, stanford, wharton, Upenn, UCLA, Maryland
What would you have done differently?
-more Pure math classes and actually work harder
-not send my Honors thesis to some school, because it was not that great.

crutchboy3 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 Private University
Undergrad GPA: 3.81
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q/600V/5 A
Math Courses: Honors Calculus I-IV (A's), Honors Linear Algebra I,II (B+,A-), Intro to Probability (A), Honors Algebra III (A), Honors Analysis I (A-), Graduate Topology (A-), Graduate Optimization (A), Measure Theory (B), Functional Analysis (B+), Galois Theory (B+), Number Theory (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro/Macro (A), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (A), Graduate Econ Prob and Stats (A), Grad Micro I (A),
Letters of Recommendation: Two professors that had taken several classes from and had done research with, One that had just taken classes from, all econ
Research Experience: Math REU, Summer REU to begin work on thesis project, Honors thesis, 2 years of RA
Teaching Experience: Some tutoring
Research Interests: Micro theory, game theory
SOP: Nothing Special
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern ($)(Attending), NYU ($), Duke ($), UIUC ($), Caltech($), Chicago (Tuition Waiver + Health), Wisconsin (No $), Penn (No $)
Waitlists: Penn (Eventually Accepted, no $)
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Princeton

wcd123 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 American research University
Undergrad GPA: 3.97
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: none
GRE: 800/510/6.0
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A's), Linear Algebra (A), Probability and Statistics (A), Introduction to Math Reasoning (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A), Math for Economists (A--graduate course), Public Economics (A), Health Economics (A), and a bunch more
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 assistant prof that I RA for, 2 senior faculty that I was in class with. All 3 are actively publishing, and both senior faculty are well established in their fields
Research Experience: 1 year RA, Honors essay
Teaching Experience: Tutoring
Research Interests: Applied micro--more towards public/labor/health than IO, but I generally like empirical research and applied econometrics.
SOP: I thought it was pretty good. Don't know if it helped or not. Talked about why I like empirical work, some current research I'm working on, and tried to signal that I know what I'm getting into.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Yale (going there), Michigan, Columbia, Duke, Brown, Maryland, Wisconsin
Waitlists: Chicago
Rejections: MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley
Pending: none
What would you have done differently? Not much. I would have liked to have gotten in to Princeton or MIT, but I am extremely happy with my outcomes.

tm0 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 3yrs, unfinished first degree in Europe, Business/Econ, at **** school.
Undergrad GPA: good
Type of Grad: Top 5 UK Master in Econ
Grad GPA: high
GRE: 800q, 670v, 4.5w (two years before that: 780q, 630,v, 4.5w)
Math Courses: one term of math for soc science in 1st year undergrad, one term of math for econ during masters.
Econ Courses: Enough though not too extensive either.
Letters of Recommendation: grad prof, thesis supervisor, undergrad prof.
Research Experience: 1 year part-time RA during UG, 6 month RA in research institution in Washington DC, one working paper (=master thesis)
Teaching Experience: TA micro & econometrics one semester each in UG
Research Interests: dev econ, applied micro, microeconometrics
SOP: Ok
RESULTS:
Attending: UMich
Acceptances: Duke ($ but no 1st year stipend), Brown ($$), Cornell (no $), UMich ($$), LSE (no $), UCL ($$), Oxford ($?)
Rejections: Yale, MIT, Stanford, UCLA
Other: Never heard from Boston U
What would you have done differently?
Dunno. Work harder. Make connections to get good recomm from more well-known people.
More math before surely wouldn't have hurt. But when? Given the little I had, the marginal benefit should have been high.
Think about location harder before applying.
Spend more time (>> 3 days of reading plus 1 night of writing) on Res Proposal at LSE to get funding.
Alternatively: Relax. Not try to get into good schools. Be happy with less.

mamama 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Engineering-best university in my country
Undergrad GPA: 3.31/4.00
Grad GPA: 3.7/4.00 same university economics department
GRE: 800q, 400v, 3.5w
Math Courses: Calculus I,II linear algebra, differential eq. real analysis
Econ Courses: master courses and many micro courses
Letters of Recommendation: from economics department/ applied to some without master thesis advisors letter of recommendation
Research Experience: 2 years, a published article in native language and 2 ongoing
Teaching Experience: TA for a couple semesters in UG and G
Research Interests: micro,io
SOP: standard
RESULTS:
Attending: Austin
Acceptances: Austin ($$), Boston College ($$), Duke ($$), Rochester ($$), Rutgers ($$), UIUC ($$),Pompeu Fabra($$), Tinbergen ($$), Tilburg($$), Wisconsin Madison
Rejects: Upenn,Nyu,Columbia,NW
What would you have done differently? have chose another university for master

Chess is life 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Public University BA
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/ 4.0 Math/ Economics
Type of Grad: Public University MA
Grad GPA: 4.0/ 4.0 Economics
GRE: 670 V 800 M 5.0 Writing (I took it when I was 19 to get a job at Kaplan and it worked!)
Math Courses: Topology, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Calculus 1-3, Differential Equations, Probability and Statistics, Numerical Analysis, Econ Courses: International Economics I and II (MA), Math for Economists (MA and PhD), Microeconomics (MA and PhD), Urban Economics (MA), Econometrics (MA and PhD), Health Economics (MA), Macroeconomics (MA), Intro. to Econometrics, Statistical Methods, Intermediate Micro and Macro, Industrial Organization (Best Class ever), Seminar in economics, Money and Banking, several independent studies,
Other Courses: Physics 1 and 2 (I seriously considered majoring in it). Computer science 1.Letters of Recommendation: Math and Economics professors. I did research with the economics professors.
Research Experience: A lot. Washington, DC think tank work for almost a year now, mainly immigration and trade issues. However, I am currently doing research on state policies that effect economic growth and presented at the CATO Institute on microcredit. I also have done research on child abuse, social capital, fed policy and housing prices, a senior thesis on NAFTA's effects on Mexico, municipal government efficiency (Global Perspective), and the fed challenge (Rutgers won our district).
Teaching Experience: Tutor for my University 2 years and tutor/teacher for Kaplan test and prep.
Research Interests: Probably Microeconomics, most likely something very game theoretical. This is subject to change given that I have yet to take a PhD level economics course in Macroeconomics.
SOP: General but adapted to each university I applied to.
Other: I think being affiliated with the CATO Institute (libertarian think tank) hurt me. Also, Rutgers has a tendency of sending students to programs and watching them promptly fail the qualifier. This couldn’t have helped me.[/font]
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Rochester (24k Fellowship), Duke (17k fellowship), Washington University, St. Louis (TA/ RA 20k), Rutgers (30k Presidential Fellowship), Michigan (Nada), UCLA (Nada), Wisconsin (Nada), Georgetown (Wait-list for funding), UCSD (TA and after a complicated formula 7k), Cornell (Nada)
Waitlists: Minnesota, NYU (High whatever that means), MIT (later rejected)
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Chicago, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, Northwestern,
Pending: Nothing
Concerns: My letter writers are not very well-known
What would you have done differently?
Maybe take more math? I really don’t know what else I could have done. I think I will regret not taking more computer science courses.

2008applicant 2008:
Undergrad: Top three liberal arts college in US
GPA: 3.75/4.0 Econ (Econ major)
Math:Calc I-III, Linear Algebra
GRE: 790Q/710V/5.5AW
Teaching experience: TA in college for Intermediate Macro and Econometrics
Research experience: Senior thesis, since turned into co-authored paper w/ advisors, submitted for publication. RA job since college (3 years) supervising big field experiment in Latin America. Started (no results yet) small independent field/lab experiment here.
letter of recommendation: 2 from my current bosses and the other from my thesis advisor.
Interests: development, demography, experimental
What I learned: I did very well except at the very top schools and it was obviously my weak math background that hurt me there, but it was my choice not to take those classes. It was a really hard choice between Michigan and Berkeley ARE.
Accepted: Michigan ($), Wisconsin (AAE) ($), Davis (ARE) ($), Berkeley (ARE) ($), Brown ($), UCSD ($), UCLA ($), Duke ($), Penn (Demography) ($)
Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Yale, NYU
Other: NSF Honorable Mention

mysherona 2008:
My turn!
Type of Undergrad: Economics from Philippine university
Type of Grad: Mathematics from the same university (will not complete degree)
GPA: I can't convert it so it's useless
GRE: 800Q, 760V, 6.0AWA
TOEFL: 118/120
Courses: Typical in the programs I took; nothing special
Teaching: A year of intro calculus
Research: First prize for undergrad paper
RA: Small jobs here and there
LORS: Former econ profs
Interests: International, Monetary
SOP: Used the same thing for all the schools
Others: Male, 22
RESULTS:
Attending: Columbia ($)
Other acceptances: Northwestern ($), Duke ($), Georgetown ($), master's programs at Oxbridge, LSE and Toulouse ($)
Waitlists: Berkeley, Penn, Brown---all rejected me in the end
Rejections: the rest of the top 10 econ programs, UCLA, UCSD
Comments: I was very lucky so I'm happy with the way it turned out. If I could start over again I'd probably do my BA abroad.

scrobles 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Econ and Math, MIT
Undergrad GPA: 4.7/5.0 (equivalent to 3.7)
Type of Grad: none
GRE: 800Q/740V/5.5W
Math Courses: Calc 1&2, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics, Real Analysis, Intro to Discrete Math, Modern Algebra, Intro to Stochastic Modeling (Grad course). About half As and half Bs, with more As in the later years.
Econ Courses: Intro and Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics, Education, Development, Behavioral, Public Policy, Environmental, Econ research class. Mostly As.
Other Courses: Chinese
Letters of Recommendation: 3 profs with PhDs from MIT. The first was my development teacher and I RA'd for her a couple of semesters. I worked for the second two doing field research for 2 years after graduating.
Research Experience: Working at a econ research NGO for 2 years after college. RA for a bit in college.
Teaching Experience: Tutoring probability course in university, and general tutoring stuff.
Research Interests: Development, Behavioral, applied micro
SOP: My experiences and my interests. Why I like econ.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD, UCLA, UC Davis ARE, Northwestern, Chicago, Duke, USC, Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford
Waitlists: nope
Rejections: MIT, Columbia, Brown
What would you have done differently?
My results were great, I think mostly because of my LORs so I think my after-college job really saved me. If I had to do it again, I would get As in key courses (mostly math) and do an economics thesis, but this is just theoretical since it wasn't necessary.

jeeves0923 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Math, B.A. Economics (Both Honors), Virginia Tech
Undergrad GPA: 3.90
Type of Grad: M.S. Math, Virginia Tech
Grad GPA: 3.90
GRE: 800Q, 610V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses(undergrad): through Real Analysis I & II.
Math Courses(PhD): Abstract Algebra, Stochastic Processes, Measure Theory, Matrix Theory
Econ Courses: Lots of electives + PhD Micro, Metrics, Labor.
Other Courses: Half an engineering degree, history minor.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ Profs (didn't end up using the math prof). All extremely good (at least that's what a couple adcoms told me)
Research Experience: A couple of papers, 4 semesters of econ research, one math theory paper, a bunch of presentations
Teaching Experience:Quite a lot- Calculus, Vector Geometry, Writing Coach, Micro Econ Theory, and some tutoring
Research Interests: Micro Theory, Political Economy, IO... maybe some other applied micro
SOP: I think it was too long, and I would have done a bit differently (see the link below)
Other: I fly airplanes and cook, but not at the same time
RESULTS:
Attending: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Accepted: NSF, MIT($$), Kellogg (MEcS) ($$), UChicago ($$), Minnesota($$), Duke ($$), Michigan(no $), Berkeley Law School
Wait List: Princeton, not eventually admitted
Rejections: Stanford GSB, Yale, NYU, Columbia, Penn, Harvard, Berkeley
What would you have done differently? http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-econo...te-school.html (And What A Strange Ride It's Been- Advice if you Come from an Unknown State School) I did better than I expected
Nothing too drastic. I'm so happy!

funkychinamen 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Econ program, transfer from top 40 Econ program, Econ major
Undergrad GPA: 3.892 /4.000
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q 480V 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, Calc II, Calc III, Vector Calc, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability Theory, Linear Algebra - proof-based, Intro to Proofs, Real Analysis, Math Stats (Spring)
Econ Courses: Intermed Micro, Intermed Macro, Topics in Macro, Analysis of Econ Data, I.O., International Micro, International Macro, Labor, Intro to Mathematical Econ, Game Theory, Econometrics, Grad Micro I, Applied Econometrics (Spring)
Letters of Recommendation: One from an associate professor in the Ag Econ department who I researched with, one from an assistant professor at Business School who I researched with, one from professor who taught grad course
Research Experience: One year with an associate professor in the Ag Econ department, One semester with assistant professor in Business school, senior thesis in progress
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: I.O., Micro Theory, Labor
SOP: Looked back at it the other day. I HOPE they didn’t read it.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
USC Marshall ($), Duke ($), Northwestern ($), UCSD (No $), Texas (No $), Boston U (No $)
Waitlists:
UPenn (rejected), Caltech (rejected)
Rejections:
Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Minnesota, Maryland, UCLA Anderson, Harvard, Michigan, NYU, Cornell, Brown
What would you have done differently?
I would have studied harder for the GRE, finished a major in applied math, and applied to UCLA econ.
(Not-so) Fun Facts:
-Not accepted to any Ivy League school (UPenn waitlist)
-Not accepted to any school that used the Embark system (Caltech waitlist)
Attending: Northwestern!

rvalchev 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private school. First tier according to US News but dead last in that tier
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 - I have another 2 weeks till graduation but hopefully it'll stay this way
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 530V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Real Analysis, Topology, Probability Theory, Computational Statistics, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics and Forecasting, Game Theory, Money and Banking, Public Economics
Other Courses: Assortment of Business core classes.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Letters from Econ Profs and 1 from a math prof. I think letters will be good to great, math professor has taught me for 2 years and I've conducted research for an year together with one of my econ profs.
Research Experience: Honors Thesis, RA for two summers but I wasted those summers so nothing really came out of it.
Research Interests: Metrics, applied metrics ... i am open to anything
SOP: It was weak, unfocused and not customized for schools
RESULTS:
Attending: Duke ($$$)
Acceptances, declined: Wisconsin ($$$), Cornell ($$$), Ohio State( $$$), UNC -Chapel Hill ($$$), Michigan State ($$$), Pitt ($$$), Tinbergen Institute ($$$), LSE EME (Research), Oxford MPhil, Michigan (no $), Texas(no $), USC ($$$),
Waitlists: Duke funding waitlist, BU funding waitlist, Princeton Waitlist, Texas Waitlist, Michigan waitlist
Rejections: MIT, Princeton (rejected from waitlist), Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Chicago, UCSD, Penn State, Boston College, Cambridge
What would you have done differently? First, read jeeve's thread about suggestions for people from less known undergrads (it was impossible since it was not written until a couple of days ago, but that's what future people should do). Second, apply to NYU, Columbia and Northwestern (but most probably I would have only taken Northwestern over Duke. But still, my portfolio of schools was a little unbalanced). Third, write a much, much better SOPs that would be much better tailored to different schools. You'll be surprised how much SOPs matter (heard it directly from admissions directors at TOP10 and TOP20 schools).Fourth, don't get RA positions that are in the network of your schools and professors because you are already part of this network, so it doesn't add much to your profile. Go out and work for somebody different.

brettm84 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: U.S. Large Public University, maybe top 150 econ. B.A. Philosophy and History (2007), B.S. Economics (2008)
Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00 (4.00 Econ and Math)
Type of Grad: 1 yr. masters at same university as undergrad.
Grad GPA: 3.70/4.00
GRE: 780Q, 630V, 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Undergrad: Calc. 1-3, Linear Algebra, ODE, Intro to statistical methods (I & II), finite math, discrete math.
Graduate: Probability theory (B), Intro to stochastic processes (in progress)
Econ Courses: The usual undergraduate classes.
Graduate Econ Courses: Math for Economics (A-), Micro theory I (A), Macro theory (A), Econometrics (A), Micro theory II (in progress), Econometrics seminar (in progress), Monetary Economics (in progress).
Other Courses: the first 75&#37; of my transcript is largely irrelevant (mostly philosophy and history courses).
Letters of Recommendation: All 3 from econ professors. Only 1 is from someone who is active researching/publishing.
Research Experience: none
Teaching Experience: grader/TA for math department.
Research Interests: macro, development, financial
SOP: straightforward and informative. I am uncomfortable saying anything nice about myself, so it may have been too "humble".
Other: My undergraduate career got off to a rocky start, and includes being suspended for disciplinary reasons. I included an explanation of the "incident" in each application. Six years having elasped probably reduced the negative impact. UNC, however, did make me pay for a criminal background check.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UNC($), Duke (Tuition only), UVA (no $), Univ. Wash. (no $)
Waitlists: WUSTL
Rejections: UPenn, Yale, JHU
Pending:
Attending: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
What would you have done differently? I have only been doing economics for a year and a half, and my pre-econ career included no math, so my record is limited. Obviously, if I had decided to pursue a PhD in Econ earlier, I could have done more to improve my application. I should have chosen my reach schools from a little further down the rankings, since it probably took Upenn and Yale all of 2 min to toss my application in the trash. When I submitted the applications I gave myself a 1hance to get into Upenn and Yale, a 10hance for JHU and Duke, and 50 0.000000or the rest, so E[# of acceptances]=2.22. I exceed my expectations so I am very happy, and I'm sure I'll love UNC.

sihnt2307 2009:
profile evaluation
Profile evaluation and advice please!
Undergrad: small but good liberal arts college
GPA: Overall - 3.845, Majors - Econ 3.94/Spanish 4.0, Minor - Math 4.0
GRE: Quant 800/Verbal 540/?
Econ: Principles (A), Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A), Econ Stats (A), Internship Abroad - for credit, with econ research and consulting firm (A), Econometrics (A), History of Econ Thought (A), Game Theory (A), Intl Trade (in fall 08), Advanced Micro Theory (in spring 09)
Math: (took AP calc in HS), Cal 2 (A), Cal 3 (A), Diff Eq and Lin Alg (A), will take two Math Stats classes during the next year
letter of recommendation: 3 Econ profs who know me well and think highly of me (?), all went to very reputable schools
SOP: probably something about my research and teaching experience, want to go into intl econ

wootfan 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US, Math and Econ majors, graduated May
Undergrad GPA: 3.79
Grad: currently doing Masters in Financial Math
GRE: Q800, V740, Writing 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-IV, Linear Algebra, Modern Algebra, Stats (2 semesters), Probability, Real Analysis (2 semesters), Topology (grad), Diff Eq`s (all A`s except for A- in linear algebra, A+ in second sem. of RealAnalysis and Stats, and DE)
Econ Courses: Inter Micro(A+),Inter Macro(A), 2 Econometrics courses(A,A+), IO(A), Game Theory(A+), Micro Theory (graduate) (A-), Game Theory (graduate)(A).
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors, did research with one
Research Experience: 1 year RA experience, undergrad thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Development, Financial
Concerns: I really don`t know if I can expect good letter of recommendation. Two of my profs seem to be eager to push me to apply to the top 10 schools plus safeties, but I didn`t really give the third one the chance to give me his feedback. My problems: Even though I do really well in courses, I never really talked to any of my econ profs or went to office hours. My math profs know me better bc I was basically forced to talk to them since the problem sets were so hard. And I did research, but I don`t think I really put in my best effort. The prof never complained, but I just can`t really imagine anyone being able to say that I am creative or dedicated to research. And my undergrad thesis was uninteresting and my thesis advisor (also the guy I previously did research with) was on leave that year so I didn`t really get to talk about it much.
I feel like my professors are overestimating my application standing...

SeabrookSpecial 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Econ and Math (Double Major), Top 40 Undergrad and Econ (U.S. News)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4 CGPA, 3.8 Econ, 3.9 Math
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 710V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc II &III, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra at UG & Grad levels, Probability, ODE (A's), Real Analysis (A-), Complex Analysis(B)
Econ Courses: MicroTheory (A-), MacroTheory(A), Stats and Econometrics (B+), Advanced Econometrics (A-) Bunch of upper level electives (A's)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ, 1 Math, all senior faculty
Research Experience: 2 semesters as an RA, random term papers.
Teaching Experience: n/a
Research Interests: Micro Theory and IO
SOP: A yawner
Concerns: B+'s in Stats and Econometrics, no math stats (taking this semester), B in Complex, unsure how good my letter of recommendation's will be. Somewhat low AWA score.
Other: I got really good grades in history, philosophy, and english
Applying to: BC, CalTech, Chicago, Columbia, Duke, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, NWU, Penn, WUSTL, Yale... Some MA's: LSE, Queen's, Toronto, UBC

mathy backpack 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large Public University, BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.75 Overall, 3.9 Econ, 4.0 Math
Type of Grad: MA Economics (1/2 of credits were math though)
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q, 690V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, Calc II, Vector Calc, Linear Algebra, Logic, Probability/Statistics (multivar calc), Real Analysis, Linear Algebra(grad), Probability Theory(grad)...All A's Taking: Statistical Theory(grad)
Econ Courses (grad): Micro(MA), Macro(MA), Econometrics(MA), Labor(MA), Public Finance(MA), GameTheory(MA), Optimization I(PhD)...All A's Taking: Adv Macro(PhD), Optimization II(PhD)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermed. Micro & Macro, plus 12 other Junior/Senior semester courses for the major...All A's in these, but with a spicy little B and a C in intro Micro and Macro(101 and 102) as a Freshman
Other: English Minor, Drum & Bass show on student radio
Letters of Recommendation: Different combos of 5 Econ profs from master's program
Research Interests: Micro Theory, Game Theory, Behavioral, Micro-ish Development
SOP: Spent way too much time, 1 1/2 pages, standard I'm sure
Concerns: Picked a great year to apply!?!
Other: Despite the random attacks of anxiety, I am pretty excited. Trying to prepare myself to not take the rejections too personally. I have faith that I will end up exactly where I am supposed to be.
Applying to: The usual suspects...Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Penn, WUSTL, Duke, Carnegie Mellon.... hopefully enough!
Fingers: crossed
Good Luck to everyone.

tobleronic 2009:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics and Math, One of the "New Ivy Leagues"
Undergrad GPA: 3.87, 3.92 Math/Econ
GRE: Q 800; V 490; AW 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis I, Theory of Numbers, Transformations and Geometries, Combinatorics, Statistics
Econ Courses: Intro, Intermediate Macro/Micro, Labor, Financial Econ, Advanced Micro Theory, Metrics, Honors Thesis, Math for Econ (MA and PhD), Micro (MA), Micro I and II (PhD)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ Professors (a part time) and 1 math professor
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Labor , Micro
Applying to: Columbia, Yale, Harvard, MIT, Penn, Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, NYU, NW, Duke

secondchance 2009:
Institution: Duke University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Unknown (will be sent by mail)
Notification date: 2/25/09
Notified through: email to website

macro dude 2009:
Institution: Northwestern
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -100
Notification date: 2/26/09
Notified through: Checked ApplyYourself Website @ 8am
Only rejects so far... this is not looking good.

bean14 2009:
Institution: Duke
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: funding in mail
Notification date: 2/26/09
Notified through: email

masterplan00 2009:
Institution: Columbia University
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: tuition+22k
Notification date: 03/02
Notified through: E-mail
Comments: Very happy!

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....

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

Arinamay 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.96
Type of Grad: MA in Economics
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 780Q, 610V, 5.0
Math Courses: Calculus I (A+), self taught other applicable math concepts
Econ Courses: Many, all A's.
Grad Econ Courses (MA level): Micro I (A+), Macro I (A), Micro II (A), Macro II (A), Advanced Statistics (A), Econometrics (A)
Other Courses: A wide variety of courses, including a semester abroad
Letters of Recommendation: One from a very well known professor, one from my MA thesis adviser, one from another strong professor. I asked my letter writers to emphasize that, while I don't have a lot of formal math I did quite well in the math-heavy MA program.
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis(presented at a regional conference), collaborative research project with undergrad adviser, MA thesis
Teaching Experience: TAed for an intro course
Research Interests: Economics of the family, feminist economics, labor economics
SOP: Very specific to my research interests
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke ($$, public policy concentration in economics), UMass Amherst ($, economics)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard (public policy), Chicago (public policy)
Pending: Cornell (economics)
What would you have done differently? I had a family crisis that prevented me from taking any math courses during the second year of my MA program. However, Duke was my top choice so really there was nothing lost by not taking more math courses.

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

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

shy_student 2010:
Type of Undergrad: One of the top universities in economics in my country
Undergrad GPA: 3.3
GRE: 770Q/450V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, game theory, differential equations, dynamic optimization, linear programming, stochastic calculus
Econ Courses: Too many actually. Vast majority of them being applied, but standard intermediate micro-macro and econometrics present. I've also taken time series and discrete choice models, though they were very introductory. A lot of introductory field courses: IO, Public, Labor, Financial Markets etc.
Grad degree: Best MA in economics program in my country, intended as a step to PhD
Graduate courses: Math for Economists, Advanced Macro, Advanced Micro, Intermediate and Advanced Econometrics, Contract theory, IO. Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors of my school, including my adviser.
Research Experience: I worked in a think tank for a year, but was doing policy project. Also joined a University Economics Lab for several projects as an undergrad
Teaching Experience: Worked as an instructor in basic micro at evening school for bright high school students. Also was TA at my MA program.
Research Interests: Applied microeconomics and econometrics, labor, contracts
SOP: Quite standard I suppose. I describe development of my ideas, touch some skills gained and explain, why I'd like to do empirics.
Concerns: low GPA, not perfect quantitative GRE. Worried that my SOP was not impressive enough.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke (attending), Boston University (no $), Boston College, Rutgers (no $)
Waitlists: UCLA
Rejections: Maryland, Northwestern, NYU, Cornell, Michigan, CMU

mango_tea 2010:
Type of Undergrad: Top US Public
Undergrad GPA: 3.8/4
GRE: 780Q 520V 5AWA
math: basic prep and one proof-based course (not on my transcript at time of application)
Research Experience: through the history department
Research Interests: micro, cultural econ, development
Statement of Purpose: explained my C+ in multi var calculus
Other: studied in Italy for 6 mo

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

sjmm 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA math and econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4
Type of Grad: ND, gpa 3.9/4
GRE: 780Q, 610V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: calc 1+2, linear, vector, diffeq, pde, topology, real analysis 1+2, algebra 1+2, game theory
Econ Courses: micro, macro, international, development, econometrics, math econ
Other Courses: politics
Letters of Recommendation: 1 econ, 1 politics, 1 math
Research Experience: REU
Teaching Experience: TA throughout undergrad
Statement of Purpose: Standard
Concerns: total lack of research
Applying to: CSU, NCSU, Duke, Cornell, Columbia, JHU, Brown, Georgetown, Drexel, AU, UMD

Lachis 2010:
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 2/18
Notified through: E-mail to check site
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Not surprised. At least I gave it a shot!
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Fellowship: 18k + health insurance
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: E-mail to check site
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Yay!!! My first admission! Very excited!

publicecon 2010:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + 18k
Notification date: 2/18
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Excited!
Institution: Johns Hopkins
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: tuition waver + stipend if I "decide to attend"
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: don't know much about JHU
Institution: Minnesota
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlist
Funding:
Notification date: 2/25
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: They said I am on a "short" waitlist. Seemed legit because they provided information on potential funding
Institution: Chicago Booth
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlist
Funding:
Notification date: 2/24
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: email didn't seem too enthusiastic compared to minnesota

Churchill 2010:
Institution: Cornell
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/10
Notified through: Email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 18k
Notification date: 02/22
Notified through: Email / Website
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments:
Institution: Northwestern
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Waitlist
Notification date: 02/24
Notified through: Website
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments:
Institution: Minnesota
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlist
Funding:
Notification date: 02/26
Notified through: Email
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments:

btopper 2010:
Institution: Berkeley
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Admitted
Funding: not first year, guaranteed after that
Notification date: 03/04/2010
Notified through: Email with attachment
Comment:
Institution: UCLA
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: TBA
Notification date: 2/26/2010
Notified through: email
Comment:
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Yes
Notification date: 02/19/2010
Notified through: Website. Later email and mail.
Comment:

econgirl19 2010:
Institution: Rutgers
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: None
Notification date: 1/27/2010
Notified through: Email
Comments: Not going without funding.
Institution: Yale
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:N/A
Notification date: 2/18/2010
Notified through: Email to check website
Comments: Oh well.
Institution: Penn State
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + $24k stipend
Notification date: 2/22/2010
Notified through: Email
Comments: :-)
Institution: Duke
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + $18k stipend + $2k stipend for the summer
Notification date: 2/22/2010
Notified through: Email to check website
Comments: Definitely high up on my list.
Institution: Johns Hopkins
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + $17k stipend
Notification date: 2/26/2010
Notified through: Email with attachment
Comments: Another good option.
Institution: University of Maryland
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + $18k stipend
Notification date: 3/3/2010
Notified through: Email
Comments: Excited!
Institution: Columbia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/4/2010
Notified through: Email to check website
Comments: I wasn't really planning on going there anyway….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

greenrebelette 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in International Studies and Chinese, Minor in Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.95
Type of Grad: MA in Economics at top 20 Econ Department, PhD-Track
Grad GPA: 3.49
GRE: Q800, V720, AW5.5
Math Courses: Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Advanced Calculus, Probability
Econ Courses: Econometrics I & II at PhD level, lots
Other Courses: first course in Stat PhD sequence
Letters of Recommendation: 1 excellent (well-known economist), 1 great (unknown instructor), 1 excellent (from political scientist), 1 of unknown (and suspect) quality.
Research Experience: 1 paper, presented at a conference & published on conference website
Teaching Experience: TA for Master’s level class, TA for introductory Chinese course
Research Interests: Environmental Economics, International Economics (Trade)
SOP: Told it was excellent by several profs
Other: none
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan Econ, UMD AREC, UC Davis ARE, MSU AFRE, Ohio State AEDE, Duke UPEP, Iowa State Econ, Wisconsin AAE
Waitlists: Michigan Econ (originally)
Rejections: UC San Diego Econ, Harvard PEG, Brown Econ, Cornell AEM, Berkeley AREC, Georgetown Econ
Attending: Michigan Econ
What would you have done differently? Figured out what kind of career I wanted (in an econ dept or ARE dept) BEFORE I applied!

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.

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

Pho 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A in Economics (major), Maths & East Asian Studies (minors) from top 20 LA college
Undergrad GPA: 3.8/4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q (91%), 580V (79%), 4.0 AWA (wanted to retake the GRE but did not have time to study)
Math Courses: Calc II-III (A,A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro. to Prob. and Stats. (A-), Real Analysis (A-), ODE (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A
Math Courses (grad-level): Mathematical Statistics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): The usual, mostly A, a few A-
Other Courses: Many
Letters of Recommendation: PhD OSU (very strong), PhD Michigan (strong), 2 Math Professors (strong, strong), 1 PhD MIT (work supervisor)
Research Experience: Senior research project
Teaching Experience: TA/tutor for Intro to Stats & Probability, Metrics, and Intermediate Macro
Research Interests: Monetary as of now, might change later
SOP: Decent, I think. I tried to tailor for each school (specific research topics of the faculty that I am interested in working with, but not mentioning names, research centers...)
Other: I studied abroad for a year in London. Have been working for 2 years at an economic consulting firm. As an undergrad, I never thought I would want to pursue a PhD, so I filled my summers and work study assignments with banking and consulting gigs in the private sector.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: MA: Duke ($$), Oxford MPhil (???) PhD: WUSTL ($$$), JHU (off the waitlist - tuition waiver, but no 1st year stipend)
Waitlists: PhD: JHU (later off the waitlist), MA: Columbia Statistics
Rejections: Chicago, Princeton, Stanford, NYU, Columbia, Northwestern, Georgetown, Maryland, OSU
Pending:
Attending: Duke for Masters
What would you have done differently?
- Once I realized that I wanted to do a PhD, I should have actively sought out for RA positions, instead of staying in the private sector (even though the visa issue might complicate this).
- Took more Math classes in undergrad. Maths never hurts, regardless of what direction/sector I would go later. Also, majoring in Maths would give me extra OPT months, hence solving the visa issue.
- Took Econ classes with more professors (I took more than half of my classes with the PhD OSU professors), so that I didn't have such a hard time asking for recs.
Anyway, happy that I got such choices and I am excited to head to Duke!

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?

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.

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 (!!)

toffeenutlatte 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:Econ-math double major, one of the best econ and math programs in my country
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: 154V, 167Q. 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Finite mathematics (A), Calculus for engineers (A), Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra (A), Statistics (A-), Introduction to Abstract Mathematics (C), Advanced Calculus (B+), Numerical Methods (A), Real Analysis 1 (B), Real Analysis2 (B+), Abstract Algebra1 (B), Abstract Algebra2( B),Diiferential Equations (C+)
Econ Courses (grad-level):Micro, Macro (currently Taking)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):Intermediate Micro(A), Intermadiate Macro(A), History of Economic Thought(A), Turkish Economics(A), Econometrics 1(B+), Econometrics 2 (A), Advanced Macroeconomics (A), Financial Globalization and Emerging Markets (A), Game Theory, Economics of Institutions
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
- a math prof who knows me very well (4 courses, all A"s, one semester of TA)
- very famous development economist (took one course from him(A), 2 years of RA job,1 semester of TA)
- a very famous macro economist, all of them should be encouraging
Research Experience:2 years of RA
Teaching Experience:TA in Turkish Economics, Global Political Economy and Calculus
Research Interests:Development, Political Economics, Economic history
SOP: -
Concerns: Math grades - getting A's from math classes in my school is impossible. I was the first ranking student in the department of mathematics for the past 3 years with the grades above.
Applying to:
Phd: Chicago,Northwestern, NYU, Maryland, Cornell, Brown, UCLA, UCSD, UC Berkeley, Duke, Minnesota,Johns Hopkins, Columbia,
Masters: Toulouse, LSE, Oxford, Barcelona GSE

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

rumelifeneri 2012:
Institution: Virginia
Program: Econ, PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification Date: 2/9/2012
Notified through: email to check web
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First rejection. wasnt expecting too early

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...

miaji 2012:
Institution: Duke
Program: EconPhd
Decision:Admitted
Funding: No stipend, tuition waiver
Notification date: 2/28/12
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:Still very very happy!

Nalfien 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: SUNY University Center
Undergrad GPA: Econ (4.0)/Math (3.8) overall 3.84
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: 800/590/5.5
Math Courses: Multi Variable Calc A- , Diff Eqs A, Real Analysis A, Measure Theory A, Linear Algebra I B+ &II A, Computational A, Typical Math Major,
Econ Courses: Grad Micro, Metrics. undegrad Math Stats, Metrics, Money and Banking, Computational, Interm Micro and Macro. A's
Other Courses: Honors College
Letters of Recommendation: 3 strong ones. One very very strong one. I really think the biggest reason I got in where I got in is because one of my recommenders put his neck out for me and called people to tell them about me.
Research Experience: Year long honors thesis senior year.
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Labor, Development
SOP: Pretty nice... I think, didn't hear anything bad about it. two pages.
Other: Used to go to departmental research seminars since sophmore year, got my face seen and showed an interest in research.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Stanford ($)Yale ($)UCLA ($)UVa ($)UNC ($)..... no money: UCSDU,Mich
Waitlists:
UPenn,NWU,NYU
Rejections:
Princeton,Berkeley,Columbia,Duke
What you would have done differently: I would have applied to less places. But there is no way I would have imagined I would have made out how i did. Very very fortunate.

EconCandidate 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small, relatively unknown private university in the northeast.
Undergrad GPA: 3.65 (3.83 in Econ and Math)
GRE: 800Q/550V/4.0A
Math Courses: Intro Calc (A), Calc of Single Variable I (A-), Calc of Single Variable II (A-), Calc of Several Variables (A-), Integral Calc and Differential Equations (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Numerical Analysis (A-), Advanced Calculus (A), Intro to Real Analysis (A), Math Stats and Probability I (A), Math Stats and Probability II (In Progress)
Econ Courses: Honors Principles of Micro (A), Honors Principles of Macro (A), International (B+), Money & Banking (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Law & Economics (B+), Public Finance (A-), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (In Progress), Advanced Public Policy Thesis (In Progress)
Letters of Recommendation: From 3 professors who knew me extremely well. I can't imagine they could have been any stronger.
Research Experience: Completed a summer research project about the term structure of interest rates. Currently working on a senior thesis about funding for public education.
Teaching Experience: Certified Level III Tutor. Math and Econ tutoring experience. Teaching Assistant for Intro Calc and Calculus of a Single Variable II.
Research Interests: Public Finance, Game Theory, Applied Micro.
SOP: Discussed my math preparation, research project, teaching/tutoring experience and my goals.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
University of Wisconsin-Madison ($) (Attending)
University of Virginia ($)
Waitlists:
Boston College
Rejections:
University of Chicago
Yale University
Northwestern University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
University of Rochester
Duke University
University of Maryland-College Park
Brown University
The Ohio State University
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
What would you have done differently?
My experience suggests that this process is incredibly random. I ended up with funding at a program that is clearly top 12- top 15, and got rejected outright by many programs that were not ranked as highly. Don't rule out any programs that you have been admitted to, because you never know what can happen, even at the last minute! Overall, I should have tried to improve my overall undergradaute GPA and scores on the other sections of the GRE, because coming from an unknown university probably hurt my applications some. Additionally, I would have tried to complete more research as an undergrad. A combination of these factors might have made my applications considerably less random. The best advice I can give people is that a high GPA, high GRE Math, and an extensive math background are the norm for applicants, and they are minimum preparation to be an appealing candidate. These do not seperate you from the pack any more. In the end though, no regrets at all.

cooper 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small state school, no PhD program in Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.2
Type of Grad Mid-size public uni, no PhD program in Econ
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 770 Q, 370 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Diff Eqs, Linear Alg, Operations Research (Linear programming, Integer Programming, & Dynamic Porogramming), Math Stats 1, Adv Calc 1. (All A's) Taking final semester: Adv Calc 2, Topology, Stoch Calc.
Econ Courses: Micro and Macro up to masters level, Math Econ up to masters level, Econometrics up to masters level (including regular Econometrics, Time Series, and Financial Econometrics), and Game Theory. (Two B+'s in undergrad courses and rest A's)
Other Courses: Some programming courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Strong letters from not well known Profs (two econ and one math). One more letter from a well-connected econ Prof, not sure how strong it was.
Research Experience: Research asistant for Prof for two years in masters program. Research Assistant for another Prof for one year. Completed Research paper at AEA summer program. Completed a masters research paper. Did some Matlab programming with another professor for independent study on oil and monetary poicly.
Teaching Experience: Tutor for calc 1&2 in undergrad. Tutor for Principles of Micro in undergrad.
Research Interests: Macro: RBC theory, monetary policy, oil and empirical macro
SOP: Talked about my interests and experience, and a little about the particular school.
Other: AEA summer program
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Iowa (full $$), Vandy (full $$), Indiana (full $$), Virginia ($$-?), Rutgers (no $$)
Waitlists: I guess Pitt since I emailed them and never got a decision
Rejections: Princeton, Duke, WUSTL, U Wash, Illinois, JHU
What would you have done differently? I think I found my range, but I probably should have tried some more top 30's and mayber one or two top 20's just in case.

Jhai 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 40-ish ranked American LCA
Undergrad GPA: 3.70
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800 M, 690 V, 5.0 A
Math Courses: Calc I through III (taken while in high school, mix of A's & C's), Linear Algebra (A), Analysis (A-), Differential Equations (B+), Operations Research I (A), Operations Research II (A-), Probability & Statistics I (A), currently in Probability and Statistics II
Econ Courses: Intro (A), Int Micro (B-), Int Macro (A-), Quantitative Analysis (A-), Math Econ (A), International Finance (B+), Nobel Laureates & Their Work (A), International Econ (A), Game Theory (A-), Econometrics (A-), Advanced Micro (A)
Other Courses: Advanced Logic (A-) - it was pretty proof-intensive
Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ profs at my undergrad (head of the dept from Southern Methodist, assistant prof from Minnesota, and associate prof from Stanford) plus a new math professor from U of Indiana. I expect (and in some cases know) them to be very, very strong, but none of the professors do much research since they're at a teaching college.
Research Experience: two summers of research (at undergrad in international finance and at Georgia State in urban), plus a big project in Econometrics, which then developed into my senior thesis this semester (on H-1B applications)
Teaching Experience: 3 years of tutoring econ, math, and logic classes at undergrad. Also TAed a freshman seminar on ethics & leadership, which was taught by the chair of the econ department
Research Interests: International (trade) and development. Some interest in labor & political economy
SOP: I think it was a pretty well-written SoP, with the last paragraph customized for each school (mentioning professors, strong research groups, facilities, etc). Said I was interested in the overlap of development, labor, and international, with different emphasis depending on the school's strengths.
Other: American female student. Partially Hispanic. Applied as a senior in college. Philosophy as a second major.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
UC Davis (no funding)
UC Santa Cruz ($21k fellowship for two years followed by TA/RA)
Georgetown ($27k fellowship for five years, two with work responsibilities, includes summer research work with a professor/mentor) Accepted!
Waitlists:
None
Rejections:
Stanford
Stanford GSB
UC Berkeley
UCSD
UCLA
Duke
Johns Hopkins
What would you have done differently?
I think I probably should have applied to a few more schools in the 30 range - I guess I overestimated my chances. I suppose I could have given up my philosophy major and taken more math, but you're only an undergrad once, and I really, really like philosophy. I think part of the problem was that my professors are pretty unknown, as is the school. I'm very happy with where I'm headed, though, so I guess it doesn't matter too much. In the end, I doubt I would have changed much at all.

TruDog 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top-five public liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.69, cum laude and with general honors
Type of Grad: None
GRE: Q800, V610, A5.0
Math Courses: Calc I/II/III (B/A/C), differential equations (pass), linear algebra (C?), nonparametric stats (B), two semesters of graduate probability (C/C?)
Econ Courses: Intermediate micro/macro (A/A), mathematical economics (B), econometrics (B), numerous electives (3.7 major GPA)
Letters of Recommendation: Strong, but from unknown professors (one each in economics, finance, and statistics--all familiar with my research)
Research Experience: Presented finance research at American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences' annual conference, also submitted to professional journals. Also interned at US Treasury's Office of Economic Policy in Washington.
Research Interests: Public (higher education, pensions)
SOP: Fairly general--highlighted my writing and research experiences
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin (no $), Ohio State (deferred one quarter)
Rejections: Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern, Chicago, Emory, Duke, WUSTL, Iowa, Virginia
What would you have done differently?
My problem was that my institution never emphasized the quantitative aspects of economics, so I had to overload on math courses late in the game after discovering econphd.net. That hurt my GPA, which certainly hurt the strength of my application.
Advice: Take math courses early on, and do lots of research and writing. My writing background was the only reason why I got accepted anywhere.

chappl 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: small university in Switzerland, 215th on econphd.net
Undergrad GPA: not easy to compute
Type of Grad: same as undergrad
Grad GPA: 5.73/6
GRE: 800Q, 610V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, LinAlgebra, Mathematical econ (undergrad), Mathematical methods in finance (undergrad), Math and Statistics (MA-level), Stochastic Processes (MA-level)
Econ Courses (MA-level): Adv. Macro I-II, Adv. Micro, Game theory, Public econ, Empirical Macro, Experimental econ, Econometrics (general), Time Series econometrics, Microeconometrics, Applied Econometrics, Theory of Finance I-II
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Macro I-IV, Micro I-IV, 3 Development econ courses, Labor, Trade, Monetary, Public, 2 metrics courses
Other Courses: lots of undergrad management and law courses (compulsory in my school)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors (1 Princeton PhD, 1 Swiss PhD, 1 German PhD), 1 head of research dept at central bank; all probably very positive
Research Experience: 1 year RA at central bank
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: modern macro, international finance
SOP: stated my background and research interests
Other: I have no BA, only an MA, as a consequence of the transition of my school to the Bologna system. My MA transcript only contains grades for MA courses, translation of undergrad level transcripts all sent as individual sheets of paper. This might have confused some adcoms.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan (no $), Wisconsin (no $), Maryland ($), Rochester ($), JHU ($), BU ($), Virginia ($), UBC ($)
Waitlists: NYU, ultimately rejected
Rejections: Princeton, Yale, Penn, Northwestern, Columbia, Duke, Toronto
What would you have done differently? I would have taken advanced math classes, like real analysis, topology, etc. As my school had no math dept, I would have had to take these at another school. I shouldn't have applied to my supposedly safety school (MA & PhD): Toronto; and should have applied to 2 more top 10 schools instead

Mr.Keen 2008:
Schools: Top econ undergrad from Mexico, Masters from unknown US department, graduate summer at Duke.
Major: Economics. Now taking maths while working full-time for the fed.
GPA: Undergrad: 81/100 (tough program). Grad: 3.8, 4.0 at Duke.
GRE: Q=790, V=550, AW=3.5
Courses:
Economics: up to grad level micro, macro, econometrics (mostly A's on grad-level, B's and C's in undergrad) All the standard field courses you take in a top latin american undergraduate program: IO (Tirole), International Trade (Feenstra-level material and Helpman and Krugman), Public Finance I and II (Musgrave & Musgrave, Rosen), Open Macro (mostly journal articles, Sebastian Edwards' book on RXR).
Statistics: Probability Theory, Mathematical Statistics, 3 theoretical econometrics (Greene was the textbook in all three). Applied econometrics, applied time-series.
Mathematics: Calc I and II, Logic and Proofs, Linear Algebra, Numerical Optimization, Introductory Real Anlaysis, Dynamic Optimization (Continuous and discrete), C's in easiest, A's on the hardest.
Research: Published paper in exchange rate error correction modeling. Working paper on international real business cycles (research sample). Working paper on growth and space. Several Fed publications.
TA: TA in intro Macro, International and Development.
letter of recommendation: Two Duke professors (tenured with strong publication record). One respected Fed economist. Another professor from the Duke summer program. All of them very strong, I think.
SOP: I explained the wholes in my application and stressed the strengths. I tried to signal that I know what I am getting into. In cases where it made sense I mentioned faculty members I would like to work with. I mentioned specific topics I am interested in studying.
Interests: Open Macro, International Trade, Growth and Applied IO
Schools:
Chicago
Northwestern (Finance at Kellog)
NYU
Yale
MIT (Financial Econ at Sloan)
UT Austin
Minnesota
Duke
Stanford
My Concerns:
My low undergraduate grades. I hope the coursework at Duke and research experience can compensate for those. I expect the recommendations to be superb, so that must help.
RESULTS
In: UT Austin (funding decision pending), Chicago (Level 1 funding)
Waiting list: Minnesota
No news: Yale, NYU, Stanford, NWU Kellogg, MIT Sloan
Rejections: Duke
What would you have done differently?: Nothing, really. I did my best to make up for the effects of past mistakes and it paid off.
NB: I must add that those Bs and Cs in undergrad are in no way compared to their American counterparts. Beyond principles of micro and macro, I don't know what a course in economics without calculus is. My intermediate micro textbook (in my junior year) was MWG.

Internationalstudent08 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: top U.S. school
Undergrad GPA: 3.7+
GRE: 800q, 670v, 4.5w (yeah, me knows how to writing)
Math Courses: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Groups and Topology (intro proofs), Mathematical Probability. In my senior fall I took optimization and now in the spring I take analysis.
Econ Courses: many...
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from econ profs (1 of them is famous, the other is well-known)
Research Experience: 2 summers
Teaching Experience: I have some. does it count anyway???
Research Interests: Macro, Pol. Economy, Public stuff.
SOP: I bet they don't read it
Other: International student, good at foosball.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Waitlists:
Rejections: Northwestern, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, Brown, Berkeley
Pending: Princeton, Chicago, NYU, UCSD,
What would you have done differently? I could write an essay about this, but I'll do it at the end

nergal 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Econ and BS in Math, Double Major in top university in my country
Undergrad GPA: 3.77/4.00 (at the time of application)
Type of Grad: na
Grad GPA: na
GRE: 700V 800Q 5.0AW
Math Courses: Too many :P Highlights: Real Analysis I&II (BA&pending), Complex Analysis I (The GRE Big Book), Calculus of Variations (BA), Mathematics of Finance (graduate math course, AA), Number Theory (CC), Algebra I&II (CB&AA), Differential Equations (AA), Linear Algebra (AA)
Econ Courses: Graduate level Econometrics (AA), Advanced Micro (AA), Public Finance (AA), (Undergrad) Econometrics I&II (AA), Mathematical Statistics I&II (AA), Intermediate Micro and Macro (AA), Game Theory (AA) among other things ...
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Four LoRs, three from econ professors with whom I studied as RA, and one from a senior math professor. Two of the econ professors are senior and one of them is pretty famous. Submitted three LoRs in each application.
Research Experience: RA for two years in two different projects.
Teaching Experience: TA for Intermediate Micro for one term.
Research Interests: Micro Theory, Game Theory, Political Economy
SOP: Delineated my research interests, talked about my motivation for a phd degree in economics, detailed my research experience
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Caltech ($$), Michigan-Ann Arbor (??), Northwestern ($$), UPenn ($$), Yale ($$)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Duke, MIT, Stanford
Pending: Princeton, Harvard (most likely rejected)
What would you have done differently?
I would not have taken the elective Number Theory Maybe would have taken the graduate level Topology course.
One problem with our Math department is that the faculty is really stingy with grades! For instance, I was the second ranked student out of some 100+ people in the Complex Analysis I course and I still got The GRE Big Book. The first guy got BA. No AA to no one, no sirrie. The mean of the cumulative grades was 35 (out of 100). This is just one case among many. I hope one of my professors managed to communicate this issue.

Antonio 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Good Italian University (not Bocconi, but good)
Undergrad GPA: 28/30
Type of Grad: Italian School of Excellence (oooooh)
Ggrad GPA: 30/30
GRE: 800Q 540V 2.5AWA
TOEFL: 107/120
Math Courses (undergrad and grad): Mathematical Methods, Mathematics for Economics I&II, Statistics I&II, Advanced Statistics, Generalised Linear Models.
Econ Courses(undergrad and grad): Advanced Micro/Macro, Game Theory, IO, Advanced Econometrics I&II, Public Finance, Corporate Finance, Applied Econometrics, Financial Economics, Experimental Economics, Advanced Topics in Macro (PhD Course).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from Economics professors, my graduate academic tutor and a guy from LSE (summer school). The others changed with respect to the target. However they were all economists but one (math).
Research Experience: Undergrad Thesis, one Working Paper and visiting researhcer at ENS-PSE for my grad thesis.
Teaching Experience: Undergraduate Micro.
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO and Applied Econometrics.
SOP: Pretty good...I think.
Other: GMAT; LSE Summer school (A+); Visiting for 6 months at University of Southampton in UK. Italian, 22 (almost 23).
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Berkeley ($$), Northwestern ($$), BC ($), Toulouse (M2).
Waitlists: NYU.
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, UChicago, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, UCSD, Brown, Duke, UPenn.
Pending: BU.
What would you have done differently?
I really have not understood almost anything!
My results show a lot of randomness (i.e. MIT was wrong in rejecting me) and/or luck (i.e. Berkeley was wrong in accepting me).
On one hand I think that waiting another year, with another master from a well reputed European University and with two more well known LORs I could have had some better shots for Cambridge MA or Princeton.
On the other hand, I could say that I have been very lucky and that I must take this opportunity as soon as possible.
Just some advices for European and, more in dept, Italian guys since this forum is too American-oriented: there is always a trade off between time (apply just during my last year of school) and odds (wait one year in order to improve my chances). And only you can decide upon this. You can speak with your profs and they will suggest you. But in the end it is just a matter of your own preferences.
However I have learnt two things:
1) Getting accepted in a very good US School (Berkeley or Northwestern) is less difficult than I used to think.
2) Getting accepted in a TOP US School (MIT or Princeton) is more difficult than I used to think.

Nymaj 2008:
Type of Undergrad: Big Ten School
Undergrad GPA: overall 3.0 degree in Econ
Type of Grad: mid size university - terminal master econ program
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: Q 770/ V 410 / AWA 5.5
Completed Math Courses: Calc 1-2, Multivariate Calc, Diff Eq, Stats, Prob, Real Analysis
Completed Econ Courses: Micro, macro, metrics and many others
Letters of Recommendation: Strong letter of recommendation's from two Duke prof. and two strong letter of recommendation from my home university
Research Experience: One research project with professor from Michigan State University and also with an professor at Duke. Currently working on another research project.
Teaching Experience: Teach Principles of macro and also TA for advance micro and metrics
Research Interests: Alot of stuff
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan, Maryland, UT-Austin, Texas A&M, Rice, Houston,
Waitlists:
Rejections: Brown, Duke, Boston College, Iowa
Pending: Cornell
What would you have done differently? Should have listen to my professors and drop some lower ranked schools and applied to Yale and Harvard for kicks.

bertthepuppy 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 private university by US News
Undergrad GPA: 3.61
Type of Grad: a couple semesters of non-degree courses, medium-sized, well-ranked state school
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790/500/5.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Lin Alg, Real Analysis, 3 semesters of Stats
Econ Courses: Int Micro & Macro, Money and Banking, Public Finance, Int'l Trade, Int'l Finance, Thesis Course, Econometrics...
Other Courses: many policy-related analytical courses
Letters of Recommendation: solid, all knew me very well one Yale, one Johns Hopkins, one Berkeley, and one Northeastern (but ironically, probably the most well-known)
Research Experience: RA in undergrad and currently RA for one of my letter writers
Teaching Experience: TA for Econ for Public Affairs and Macro
Research Interests: Labor, Applied micro
SOP: well-tailored to each school, and given emphasis on my drive, with comparisons to running the two marathons I did
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin (short list for $), Texas (wait list for $), UNC-CH($), Ohio State (no $), Iowa ($), Colorado (?), Illinois ($), Cornell (no $), Vanderbilt ($), Kentucky ($)
Waitlists: Georgetown (then given fellowship)
Rejections: Duke, Michigan, MarylandWhat would you have done differently? I wish I would have realized that April 15th seems like this magical day when everything will be done. However, this is not always the case, especially if you are near the middle of the pack at some good programs. Even though I've been formulating preferences for months, I feel like they have all changed within the past week. I'll probably go to Wisconsin if I get off the wait list for $, otherwise I think I will go to Texas, perhaps unfunded. Ask me tomorrow and I will change my mind again.

friendlyskies 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small, mid-ranked liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.99 Business admin major, Econ minor
Grad GPA: 4.0 as non-degree math grad student
GRE: 780q, 620v, 5.0w
Math Courses: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, diff eq, real analysis (2 sem.), math stats (2 sem. w/ Casella&Berger)
Econ Courses: intro micro/macro, intermediate micro/macro, IO, statistical analysis for econ
Letters of Recommendation: 2 fed economists, 1 undergrad finance prof.
Research Experience: 3 yrs as a Fed RA, a couple undergrad publications in weak journals
Teaching Experience: TA for a couple semesters in UG
Research Interests: macro, int'l trade and finance
SOP: pretty standard...try to explain away the weaknesses and accentuate the positive. emphasized my fed research experience, recent math classes, programming abilities, teaching experience.
RESULTS:
Attending: Arizona State University
Acceptances: UVA ($$), Boston College ($$), Boston University ($$$), UNC ($$), Arizona State ($$$), Vanderbilt ($$$), Tufts MA ($)
Waitlists: UT Austin
Rejections: Maryland, Duke, Brown, Georgetown
Pending: Never heard from WUSTL
What would you have done differently? I don't think I would have done much, if anything, differently. I think I targeted the range of schools pretty well given the outcome, and I'm happy with the results. ASU is a small but growing program, and I'm stoked about the opportunity to work closely with guys like Prescott and Rogerson. I am really glad that I took a few years after undergrad to build up my resume before applying though...getting good research experience, working with well-known economists, and taking higher math classes made all the difference in the quality of programs for which I was a competitive applicant.

jazzcon 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ major at a US state university with top 200 Econ grad program (ie not very strong).
Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.6; econ: 3.9 ; math:3.7.
GRE: 800Q, 520V,AWA 5.5
Math Courses: Calc sequence (A), Differential equations (B+), Linear Algebra (B+), Probability Theory (B), MathEcon w/ S&B (A)
Econ Courses: The basic sequence of things.
Grad classes: MathStats w/ Casella (A), Econometrics sequence (A)
Letters of Recommendation: thesis advisor, econ prof I graded for, 2 Economists from work.
Research Experience: Undergraduate thesis, 2 years RA at the Fed.
Teaching Experience: Grader
Research Interests: IO, public, applied micro.
SOP: didnt really spend much time on it.
Concerns: Not stellar pedigree. Not great grades. No Analysis.
RESULTS:
Attending: Virginia($$)
Acceptances: Virginia($$), Boston U.(no $$)
Rejects: Berkeley, Yale, Chicago, NWU, UMD, UMich, Brown, Duke
What would you have done differently? Went to a better undergrad? Taken more math. Better grades in Math. I am very happy with my Virginia($$) admit though.

ranjan123 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics from a large South Asian University, best in my country.
Undergrad GPA: 63.5% (60 0s considered first class)
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics from the same institution
Grad GPA: 66.2%
GRE: 800Q, 420V, 4AWA
Math Courses: Mathematics for Economists (Chiang), Mathematical Economics (Simon & Blume) (covers Multivariable Calculus , Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Introduction to Real Analysis among others)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All typical economics undergraduate courses
Other Courses: Masters level micro, macro, econometrics and international economics.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 economics professors (1 Harvard PhD, 1 Sussex PhD, 1 Manchester PhD) first two should be solid, third might be a general one.
Research Experience: 6 months for a policy research institute in my country.
Teaching Experience: Teaching in a public university in my country; 2 semesters micro, 2 semesters development, 1 semester labor.
Research Interests: Microeconomic Theory, Game Theory, Applied Microeconomics, International Economics.
SOP: Just wrote about my interests in economics
Other: Male, 26
RESULTS:
Attending: Simon Fraser University (MA)
Acceptances: MA: SFU ($$), Concordia (no $)
Waitlists: PhD: NYU (later rejected)
Rejections: MA Programs: Waterloo PhD Programs: Cornell, Duke, Virginia, Vanderbilt
No Result: Queens (MA), Toronto (PhD)
What would you have done differently? May be my relatively unknown undergraduate institution harmed me. I had to apply for an MA right after completing undergraduate.

Sonaar 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, minor in History from a Latin American University
Undergrad GPA: 4.3/5.0, ranked 2nd in cohort.
Type of Grad: M.A. Economics, same Uni as undergrad
Grad GPA: 4.4/5.0, ranked 7th in cohort.
GRE: 790Q, 500V, 4.0 AWA. Second time.
Math Courses: Calculus I, II and multivariate (A, B+, A), linear algebra (A), Math for economics (A), Math statistics I and II (both As), Econometrics I and II (both As)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro (A+), Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Growth theory (A), International Economics (A), etc. for M.A.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I, II and III (A, B+, A); Macro I, II and III (A, B, A+), Fiscal and Monetary theory, Public Economics... lots of them, lots of As.
Letters of Recommendation: one from a pre-tenured economics professor, one from the senior economist of a IFI, other from an economist of another IFI. One from a prof of a Public Policy School.
Research Experience: lots, almost 7 years between an Latin American think tank, now at IFI.
Teaching Experience: tutor of linear algebra and other econ courses, TA and later main instructor.
Research Interests: Applied Microeconomics, Health economics, Development, Labor
SOP: Done, pretty good
Concerns: some weak grades and econ and math courses (I was young and stupid then), and no formal, more advanced math.
Other: M.A. thesis published at local refereed journal, presented at an international conference.
RESULTS:
Attending: Maryland ($)
Acceptances: Maryland ($)
Rejections: Michigan, Duke, Michigan St, UT Austin, Johns Hopkins, U British Columbia, Brown.
Pending: BU
What would you have done differently? A lot. besides the obvious (more math, better grades, apply to more safeties), I should have applied earlier. Too much RAship (7 years!) probably hurt my application. I was extremely lucky to get a funded offer.

treblekicker 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ (Honors I think) and Math Double Major; U.S. Private University ranked 35th overall by US News (the one that isn't a top 20 Econ School)
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.65/4.0, Econ: 3.71/4.0, Math: 3.89/4.0 (at time of application)
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 790Q 590V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (B+/A/A), Linear Algebra (A), ODE (A), Probability (A), Math Stats (A), UG Analysis (A-), Complex Variables (A), Topology (took in the fall, B, did not submit the grade), PhD Analysis (W), Abstract Algebra (currently taking), Intro to Proof Writing (currently taking)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A-), Money and Banking (A-), Labor (B+), Antitrust and Regulation (A), International Trade (A-), Econ Stats I & II (B, A), Metrics (A), PhD Micro (took in the fall, A, did not submit)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 PSU, 1 Duke, 1 UNC; All three knew me very well, two I have had significant research experience with; I am sure all were strong.
Research Experience: Independent Study on Nonparametric Statistics; Senior Thesis on Monetary Policy; Research Assistant for Health Econ.
Teaching Experience: n/a
Research Interests: Metrics Theory
SOP: nothing special
RESULTS:
Attending: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Fellowship)
Acceptances: UNC
Rejections: Stanford, Princeton, NWU, Yale, Penn, Columbia, UCSD, Duke, Berkeley
Waitlist: PSU (will withdraw)
What would you have done differently? I knew I wanted to do a PhD early enough that I could have transferred to a Top 15 department. However, I would never in a million years regret staying at my current school. I love my professors and have made some fantastic friends and memories.
I would not have taken the course load that I did in the past fall. I would have taken Financial Calculus and PDEs instead of Topology and PhD Analysis. That way, I would have better grades in the fall (and no W) and I could have gotten the chance to submit my PhD Micro A. That probably would have gotten me into at least one school that I got rejected from, but whatever.

mjsmith1986 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ from small but respectable liberal arts college with well known Econ researchers; they don't do minors but I have taken enough math to qualify for a "minor" at other schools
Undergrad GPA: 3.67 cumulative, 3.83 econ
GRE: 800Q, 590V, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I (A-), Calc II (A), Calc III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Proofs and Fundamentals (B), Stats (A), Real Analysis I (A), Topology (A), Real Analysis II (Spring '09), Dynamical Systems (Spring '09)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): The relevant ones: Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A), Advanced Micro (A), Econometrics (A), Senior Thesis (A)
Other Courses: Some political studies/physics
Letters of Recommendation: Two from Econ Profs (UT-Austin and Yale), one from Math Prof (head of Math dept.)
Research Experience: RA for Econometrics professor; Awarded summer research grant (co-authored a paper with a professor, in publishing stages); senior thesis
Teaching Experience: TA for intro micro
Research Interests: Labor Economics (specifically Economics of Education), Behavioral Economics, basically Applied Micro and Econometrics stuff.
SOP: Just talked about my research experience and interests.
Other: Applied for an NSF grant to build on some conclusions from my undergraduate thesis.
Concerns: That my Verbal score might be a little low. I was easily testing in the high 600s but I basically rushed through it on the GRE to get to the Quant. I also declared a late major in Econ (in my junior year) and have spent the last year and a half rushing to make up the appropriate math/econ courses for grad school, so I don't know whether that sends a good or bad signal to the adcomms. Also, high volume of apps this year with rather homegenous profiles.
What I would have done different: Majored in math from the start. Curse my fickle interests!
Applying to: Princeton (Woodrow Wilson School), Cornell, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, George Mason, Carnegie Mellon, Boston U, Boston College, Virginia, Duke
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston College ($$), Johns Hopkins ($), UVA ($?)
Rejections: Princeton, Brown, Maryland, George Mason, Boston U, Duke, CMU
Pending: Cornell (Probably rejected)
ATTENDING: Boston College
What could I have done differently?
As I said before, I would have majored in math from the start rather than rushing in my last semesters to make up the appropriate coursework. Aside from that, not much; I am pleased to have the offer that I do and am looking forward to graduate school!

JasonEcon 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Industrial Engineering with honors; U.S. top 5 engineering program
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.2/4.0, Econ: almost none, Math: 3.1/4.0
Type of Grad/Post-Bac: M.S. Economics at large state non-Ph D granting university
Grad/Post-Bac GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 800Q 630V 5.0AWA
Undergrad Courses: Calculus II-III (A/B), Linear Algebra (B)
Grad & Post-Bac Courses: Grad Micro (A), Grad Macro (A), Grad Metrics (A), 3 grad field courses (As); Diff Eq (A), Adv Calc (A), Grad Analysis (B)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ, 1 Math, good professors but not well known.
Research Experience: Only a directed study on growth at the time of application.
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: International/Development
SOP: discussed my very late interest in Economics and thus my five year hiatus between undergrad and returning to school, other than that boilerplate.
RESULTS:
Attending: Vanderbilt (Fellowship year 1, TA years 2 - 5)
Acceptances: Vanderbilt ($), NC St ($), Virginia
Rejections: Duke, Maryland, UNC-CH, Arizona St, Georgetown (never heard)
What would you have done differently? I would of done more research with professors as part of my grad program. I think my professors were able to write solid but not exceptional recommendations because they just did not know me well enough to elaborate extensively. That said, Vanderbilt is the best fit for me in terms of fields and as a personal fit, so I am thrilled with going there!

Zmoney 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large U.S. Public University ranked 40-55 (best in state) typically known for Football not Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.93 overall 4.0 in Econ 3.69 in Math Graduating Summa
GRE: 800 Q 540 V 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc 1-3 1,2 tested out 3(B+), Differential Equations(B), Stat 1(A), Probability(A) Lin Alg (A) Math Stats 2 in Spring
Econ Courses: Intros, Intermediates, Public Econ, Sports Econ, Empirical Research, Independent Study (for research) Labor, Empirical Public Econ I (PhD field) All A's
Other Courses: Minors in Food and Resource Economics, and History
Letters of Recommendation: 3 LORS 2 excellent letters from pretty well known Econ faculty in their concentrations (one Phd Chicago the other Wisconsin) and 1 very good letter from a senior member of the Ag Econ Department (Purdue well known in Ag econ)
Research Experience: 2 written empirical papers one for the class in research and the other (to be my thesis) I want to get published. Database work and research at Fed
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Public Econ, Public Choice, Taxation Policy, Political Economy
SOP: Solid i think, had multiple profs say they wouldn't change a thing
Other: Internship at the Federal Reserve, Strong Undergraduate leadership positions
Concerns: My B in Diffy Q, Coming from a big public school, No Real Analysis.
RESULTS:
Attending: Virginia
Admitted, Declined: Michigan State, Boston College, Florida
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Northwestern, NYU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maryland, Texas-Austin, Cornell, Duke
What would you have done differently?
Started taking math freshman year as opposed to junior year. Double majored in Stats

bigleaguechew 2009:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ / B.S. Math from a top 100 econphd.net public school
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 Overall, 4.0 Econ, 4.0 Math
GRE: 790Q, 610V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: One year of real analysis (A+'s); two quarters each of theoretical linear algebra (A+'s), numerical analysis (A+'s), math prob stat, nonlinear dynamics and chaos; one quarter each of PDE's, abstract algebra and complex analysis
Econ Courses: applied metrics (A+'s), public finance (A+'s), labor, game theory (A+), and a few others in addition to intermediate micro/macro
Letters of Recommendation: It seems as though I had one very respected letter writer, and other letters were more or less ignored at many schools (just what I gathered from my conversations with grad directors where I was accepted)
Research Experience: Virtually none. Started an undergrad research project that was never finished
Work Experience: 2 years in consulting (business, but not econ)
Research Interests: Applied micro, IO
SOP: Talked about how my experiences and coursework have influenced my research interests. Tailored last paragraph to each school I applied to. I cannot say this with enough emphasis... THE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE DEFINITELY MATTERS AT SCHOOLS OUTSIDE OF THE TOP 10. IF YOU DO NOT COME FROM AN IVY AND YOU DON'T HAVE A SPOTLESS MATH/ECON RECORD WITH SOLID RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO SPEND SOME TIME ON YOUR SOP AND START WORKING ON IT EARLY!
Concerns: I had about a year straight of abysmal grades (yes, we're talking about F's and W's here people) in my sophomore year of college due to some family issues. I think it was important that this occurred when I was an english major, and I made up for it by excelling in all of my econ and math courses. So, if you have screwed up and permanently marred your transcript like I did, HOPE IS NOT LOST! It just means that you have to work extra hard to outperform your classmates from here on out.
RESULTS:
Attending: UCSD ($)
Admitted, Declined: Stanford GSB Marketing ($$$$$$$$), Penn State ($$), WUSTL ($), UNC ($/2), UVA ($), Texas ($$), ASU ($$), Arizona ($$), Pittsburgh ($), Ohio State ($), U of Washinton ($), Maryland (stiffed me)
Waitlists: Minnesota, BU
Rejections: Top 10, NYU, Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, JHU, Wharton (but it doesn't count in my mind cuz I hardly showed up for the interview)
Never heard back from: USC (not that I care anymore, but seriously WTF?)
What would you have done differently?
Nothing really. I had a huge black spot on my record with that one atrocious year, and nobody knew how that would affect me. My letter writers were extremely supportive in helping me apply to as many places as I could afford, and cover a broad spectrum of programs. I thought UCSD was a long shot heading into this process, and I am thrilled to be going there. I can honestly say that I would have been happy at just about any of the programs that I was accepted to, and it was incredibly difficult for me to turn down so many attractive offers. Obviously, this is a problem that I am happy to have, but you'd be surprised how gut wrenching it is to turn down a fellowship offer from a school that you had been day-dreaming about attending just a few weeks earlier. Still, I would advise everyone who isn't a superstar with stellar letter of recommendation's to adopt a similar strategy and apply to as many places as you can afford.

eggman 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Public University (William & Mary)
Undergrad GPA: 3.87 Overall, 4.0 Econ, 3.9 Math
GRE: 760 Q, 550 V, 4.5 A
Math Courses: MultiVar. Calc (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro Proofs Class (A), Real Analysis (B+), Ordinary Differential Equation (A), Probability (A), Mathematical Statistics (in progress)
Econ Courses: Econ of Information (A), World Trade Theory (A), Econometrics (A), Time-Series Econometrics (A), Cross Section Econometrics (A) (advanced econometric courses are part of my schools MPP program, but are cross-listed in Econ)
Letters of Recommendation:
-Assistant Professor I was a TA for
-Professor that is my Honors Thesis Advisor
-Professor I worked for on a theoretical paper, well known in his subfield.
Research Experience:
-RA for one summer doing grunt work data collection
-Empirical Honors Thesis on a topic in pubic economics (decentralization)
-Worked on a Theoretical Paper in social choice theory, attempted to prove a theorem the professor could not solve. Even though I couldnt finish the paper for him, I was able to make enough progress that he could see that I had some talent, greatly improving my letter of recommendation.
Teaching Experience:
TA for an Econ 101 class, graded assignments and held review sessions.
Research Interests: Public, Labor, Applied Micro
SOP: I think it was fine, matched up my interests with some professors, nothing noteworthy to say about it
RESULTS:
Will be Attending: UVA
Acceptances: UVA($$), Indiana ($$)
Waitlists: UNC
Rejections: Princeton, Yale, UPenn, Rochester, Penn State, Maryland, JHU, Duke, Michigan, Minnesota, UCLA
What would you have done differently?
I wish I would have started math earlier and had been a Econ/Math double major instead of just a math minor. I believe I had enough Math to make me competitive, but a little bit more could have been nice. I also wish I had done better on the GRE, but I studied a lot and only got a 760Q, so I dont think taking it again would have improved my score, thus I dont regret not retaking the GRE.
Comments: Im surprised I got so many rejections, but ultimately I am very happy with the final outcome. I really like UVAs Program and they gave me good funding.

rvalchev 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private school. First tier according to US News but dead last in that tier
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 - I have another 2 weeks till graduation but hopefully it'll stay this way
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 530V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Real Analysis, Topology, Probability Theory, Computational Statistics, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics and Forecasting, Game Theory, Money and Banking, Public Economics
Other Courses: Assortment of Business core classes.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Letters from Econ Profs and 1 from a math prof. I think letters will be good to great, math professor has taught me for 2 years and I've conducted research for an year together with one of my econ profs.
Research Experience: Honors Thesis, RA for two summers but I wasted those summers so nothing really came out of it.
Research Interests: Metrics, applied metrics ... i am open to anything
SOP: It was weak, unfocused and not customized for schools
RESULTS:
Attending: Duke ($$$)
Acceptances, declined: Wisconsin ($$$), Cornell ($$$), Ohio State( $$$), UNC -Chapel Hill ($$$), Michigan State ($$$), Pitt ($$$), Tinbergen Institute ($$$), LSE EME (Research), Oxford MPhil, Michigan (no $), Texas(no $), USC ($$$),
Waitlists: Duke funding waitlist, BU funding waitlist, Princeton Waitlist, Texas Waitlist, Michigan waitlist
Rejections: MIT, Princeton (rejected from waitlist), Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Chicago, UCSD, Penn State, Boston College, Cambridge
What would you have done differently? First, read jeeve's thread about suggestions for people from less known undergrads (it was impossible since it was not written until a couple of days ago, but that's what future people should do). Second, apply to NYU, Columbia and Northwestern (but most probably I would have only taken Northwestern over Duke. But still, my portfolio of schools was a little unbalanced). Third, write a much, much better SOPs that would be much better tailored to different schools. You'll be surprised how much SOPs matter (heard it directly from admissions directors at TOP10 and TOP20 schools).Fourth, don't get RA positions that are in the network of your schools and professors because you are already part of this network, so it doesn't add much to your profile. Go out and work for somebody different.

Mankins 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Very large US public university
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Mathematical Structures, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Probability, Advanced Calculus I, and Intermediate Real Analysis I (all A or A+). Topology and Mathematical Statistics (Spring 2009).
Econ Courses: The usual, plus Econometrics , Advanced Honors Micro (uncertainty), Advanced Honors Macro (taught by Nobel Laureate). All A or A+, except Econometrics where I got an A-. Game Theory (Spring 2009).
Letters of Recommendation: One from a Nobel Laureate (not sure how solid it was). One from a well-known economist in micro theory and information (probably knows me better than any of my other professors). One from my Advanced Calc professor.
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Experience: Some preliminary work on an undergraduate thesis (never finished), Econometrics paper co-authored with two other students
Research Interests: micro theory, advertising, economics of information, behavioral/neuro/experimental, IO, development
SOP: Standard
Concerns: Very little research experience, no graduate courses
Applying to: Yale, Duke, Stanford, MIT, Northwestern, Chicago, Illinois Urbana, Berkeley, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona State, Carnegie Mellon, and Duke Decision Sciences
RESULTS:
Attending: Minnesota ($$)
Acceptances, declined: Carnegie Mellon ($$$), U Texas at Austin ($), U Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ($$), Arizona State ($$)
Rejections: MIT, Berkeley, Yale, Stanford, U Penn, U Chicago, Northwestern (on the waiting list, briefly), Duke Economics, Duke Decision Sciences
What would you have done differently? There's not much more I could have realistically done. Maybe I could have gone to more office hours and talked to professors more outside of class. I think I may have had better results if I had taken PhD Micro, but I don't know where I would have fit that into my schedule. I transferred schools and switched majors halfway through my junior year, and it took 5 years to finish my Bachelor's degree because of it. I hadn't finished Calc I until the summer of 2007, so I had to catch up quickly on the math required for graduate economics. Considering what a tough year it was, things could have turned out much worse.

EconJames 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International students. Good university in my home country but not well known.
Undergrad GPA: Major in Econ, minor in Math, GPA 3.8
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q 570V 4.0A
Math Courses: Mathematical analysis, Advanced algebra, Numerical analysis, Analytical Geometry, ODE, Real analysis, Complex analysis, Functional analysis, Probability theroy, Mathematical statistic, Dynamic optimization, Stochastic process
Econ Courses: many, all basic courses including intermediate marco,micro,metrics.
Grad Econ Courses: Advanced macro, Game theory, Advanced finance
Letters of Recommendation: Not famous professors, but know me well
Research Experience: Two papers published in domestic journals
Teaching Experience: No
Research Interests: Macro
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UMN, JHU, OSU, UBC, IOWA, IUB, ASU
Waitlists: Princeton UPenn (rejected on April 15)
Rejections: UCLA, UCSD, Michigan, Cornell, WUSTL, Rochester, Duke, CMU
What would you have done differently? Perhaps attend a MA first. Or maybe should prepare a paper with a DSGE model.
Comments: The undergraduate school's reputation matters a lot. If you cannot change this, try to get strong letter of recommendation then.

untitled 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Math, BA International Studies (mid ranked Midwest Flagship State School)
Undergrad GPA: 3.65
Type of Grad: M.S. Math (mid ranked but slightly better Midwest Flagship State School)
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 5.5AW (scored 800, 590, 6 before MS degree)
Math Courses (undergrad): Lots, some Bs, B+/A- average
Math (grad): Lots, still a couple Bs, A- average
Econ Courses (grad): Few
Econ Courses (undergrad): None
Other Courses: Physics Minor, once, lots of Poli Sci before I realized math + poli sci =~ econ
Letters of Recommendation: Two Math, One Poli Sci, One Econ. Econ was extremely strong
Research Experience: Math Thesis, RA at academic leaning econ consulting firm
Teaching Experience: Taught micro, macro, math econ, and econ stats principles courses during two year stint at local university while working as a consultant
Research Interests: Econometrics, Resource Economics, Decision Theory, Development
SOP: Focused on work/research experience - probably would have done it differently
Concerns: yes, mostly private.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: University of Washington - Seattle
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, Duke, Boston University, Davis, Pittsburgh, UCSD, UBC
What would you have done differently?
I can think of one or two classes where an A might have made a difference. Also, it might have been helpful to take at least some econ classes as an undergrad, but I'm glad I didn't, as I enjoyed my undergrad enough. Many private things.

tmdruie 2009:
So I can get on the shiny charts!
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Physics and Economics from a top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.14/4.0
Type of Grad: One stats class
Grad GPA: 3.3
GRE: 790Q, 600V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III(I took them in high school, I really dont remember and nor do my transcripts), Linear Algebra (B), Mathematical Probability and Statistics (B-, B), Real Analyst(A, at a different school then my undergrad), Stochastic Processes (B+, grad course, at a different school then my undergrad)
Econ Courses: AP Micro and Macro (A, in high school), European Economic History (B+), Law and Economics (B), Intermediate Price Theory (B), Intermediate Macro Theory (B), Econometrics (B), Contemporary British Economy (B), Industrial Revolution-Britain (A-), Econ of Multinational Corps (A-), Thesis (labor econ)
Other Courses: Physics, which I put in my math lists. Quantum Mechanics I, Partial Differential Equations (B+), etc. I only did the bare minimum for a liberal arts major
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (my thesis advisor and the person who led my study abroad), 1 physics professor (thesis advisor), 1 economist who is my supervisor
Research Experience: RA for 2.5 years at a central bank
Teaching Experience: Tutored, graded and lab assisted for two years for physics in college
Research Interests: All over the place. Labor, policy, experimental, applied micro, development, etc.
SOP: Intro, I did physics I can do math!, I wrote a thesis in economic and liked doing research, Im working as an RA and like doing research, I took extra math and can write proofs, I was part of an econ paper reading group and like reading papers, interests (changed a bit depending on what the school had, and more policy oriented for ag econ schools). Also a few sentences about things I did that I removed or added depending on the school. The 500 word schools were hard, the 1000 word schools were easy. I also had a Personal History Statement about being a female doing math for the schools that wanted it.
Other: Applied for the NSF. I tried not to say anything to risky, and not say much about interest in policy to non policy/ ag econ schools. I like Aikido.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston University (waitlist for $), Michigan State(no $), University of Essex (ISER), Ohio State (Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics) ($-Fellowship), Indiana University ($-TA), Iowa State University ($-TA)
Waitlists: University of Minnesota
Rejections: MIT, Harvard (Econ and Political Economy and Government), Yale, Berkeley (Agricultural & Resource Economics), Northwestern, NYU, U Penn (Econ and Wharton), University of Wisconsin Madison (Econ and Agricultural and Applied Economics ), Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Caltech, University of British Columbia , Ohio State, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor (Econ and Public Policy and Economics), University of Maryland (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Boston College, Johns Hopkins, University of Minnesota (Applied Economics), University of California Davis (Econ and Agricultural Economics), Duke, University of Essex, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Carnegie Mellon (Econ, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Public Policy and Economics)
Pending: Toronto MA, Queens MA
What would you have done differently?
Gotten better grades in undergrad. When I really started understanding what the things I need to do for a PhD I think I did the best I could, took real analysis, applied for the NSF (if only to write a SoP for them), read papers etc. I probably could have gotten more research experience at my job (co-author), and I defiantly could have gotten better grades and taken more math as an undergrad. But over all Im happy.
Attending:
Boston University

Mobius Strip 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Mathematics and Economics from a top 10-15 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.87/4.0
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 570V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Alg, Modern Alg, Adv Modern Alg, Real Analysis, Game Theory (in Math Dept), Topology, Chaos Theory. Received department honors in Math.
Econ Courses: Basically all of them, 4.0 GPA, Thesis (A), Department Honors, Brownell Prize for Distinction in the Study of Political Economy
Other Courses: NA
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from Federal Reserve, 1 Math from Undergrad
Research Experience: RA for 3 years at FRB in DC. Co-authored published paper on racial discrimination in credit markets.
Teaching Experience: NA
Research Interests: Labor (Education), Real Estate, Financial Markets
SOP: Talked about my volunteer activities in tough, urban schools and how it shaped my interests in research in education. Transition to work at the Fed regarding discrimination in the credit markets. Final, throw-away paragraph naming some profs at schools who I'd be interested in working with.
Other: Crushed by NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: U Michigan (off waitlist, after 0-14 start)
Waitlists: NA
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Princeton, Chicago, Chicago Booth, Northwestern, Wharton, U Penn, NYU, Columbia, Duke
Pending: NA
Outside Fellowship: Received a $20k fellowship from undergrad college to supplement lack of funding from UM
What would you have done differently?
After receiving NSF results and reading Jeeves's posts, spelling out the broader impacts to make it easier to checklist. I scored fairly well on intellectual merit, but only average on the broader impacts.
Other than that, it's hard to say. I had nearly a 3.9 GPA with a Math and Econ double major, 3 years at the Federal Reserve, a published paper, and a presented working paper. I did spend 3 years in the private sector at a major bank, which probably hurt my admissions results, but gave me a broader personal, real-world experience that I do not regret taking.
Attending: U Michigan - Ann Arbor

C152dude 2009:
I remember when I joined this forum, I could not wait for the day to make this post. Not sure why my perspective has changed so much. But, for the sake of completeness, here goes it.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:
Where energy goes to supercomputing.
B.A. Econ. B.S. Math. Minor: Stats.
Undergrad GPA:
Trying to get up to magna for graduation.
GRE:
Will take in August.
Math Courses:
Standard. Less than what most have (I think). Real analysis in the fall. GPA is fine.
Econ Courses (PhD-level):
Taking two in the fall.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):
A few electives. Currently have high honors.
Letters of Recommendation:
Depends on success/failure of this fall. Will either be two econ and one stat or math. Or possibly, all three econ. Maybe three econ and one math?
Research Experience:
Independent study this past spring.
Currently at another university practicing my Stata commands. Project and professor are stellar.
Teaching Experience:
I teach people to fly, does that help? ... thought not.
Research Interests:
Development. Trade. Policy.
Also, Alberto Alesina's work makes me drool.
SOP:
Working on this today.
Concerns:
Apathy concerning social justice issues. Ignorance on issues I deem important.
Applying to:
I am aiming for some top 20's. We'll see....

secondattempt 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Premier University in my country in south asia, BSc Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.87 Overall, 3.97 Econ, 3.82 Math
Type of Grad: MA Economics (on-going, top prog in Canada)
Grad GPA: Average 85&#37;
GRE: 790Q, 730V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I (A-), Calc II (A), Vector Calc (A-), Linear Algebra (A), Probability (A), Statistics (A), Adv Stats (A) , Real Analysis (B+), Functional Analysis (B+), Set Theory (A-), ODEs (A), Number Theory (A-), OR-I (A)
Econ Courses (grad institute): Micro(MA) (B+) (this is gonna hurt me alotttt), Macro(MA) (A+), Econometrics(MA) (A+), Math for Econ(MA) (A),
Econ Courses (undergrad institute): Micro-I, II, grad (A+, A, A), Macro I, II, grad (A+,A, A), Econometrics I,II,grad (A+,A, A+), Adv Game Theory (A), Adv Math Econ (A) and various other courses of undergrad level.
Letters of Recommendation: diff combo of profs 2 from masters and 2 from undergrad prog.
Research Interests: Applied Econometrics, Labor, IO
SOP: Was told to not exceed one page by my referee. standard I'm sure
Teaching Experience: TA for econometrics for an entire year at my undergrad institute. currently TAing at my grad school but wasnt able to include this in my app file.
Concerns: My B+s in real and functional plus esp my B+ in grad Micro are gonna hurt me big time. its strange how one bad day can jeopardize things so badly.
Applying to: Yale, Michigan, Austin, Cornell, Wisconsin, Duke, Virginia, WUSTL, Rochester, Vanderbilt, Queens, UWO, Maryland, Minnesota
Rejections: the first one here to get one from cornell, not exactly a nice stat :P

SF_Haole 2009:
I've been pretty nervous about my chances, and rightly so thus far: 1 admit, 1 waitlist, 3 official rejections and 4 schools that haven't rejected me but appear to have admitted everyone already.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Stanford
GPA: 3.7
Major: Physics (BS), International Relations (BA)
Type of Grad: Stanford
GPA: 3.9
Major: International Policy Studies (MA)
GRE: 800Q, 690V, 6.0 writing
Math Courses: Multivariate Calculus: Differential (A) & Integral (A), Linear Algebra: Basic (A) & Advanced (A), Honors Diff Eqns w/proofs (B). Also a ****-ton of physics classes.
Econ Courses (undergrad): Basic micro/macro (A) intermediate micro (B+,A-) intermediate macro(B+), economic history (A), env. econ(A), public policy analysis(A+), stats for econ(A-), metrics(B+).
Econ Courses (grad): None, but I took grad-level courses in international macro (A-), and development (A) through my masters program and the political science dept's Ph.D-level game theory class (A).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from fairly famous econ professors. I do research for one of them and took a class from the other (and worked for his colleague). 1 from a very famous political scientist (has his own wikipedia article) who taught my game theory class. Kinda nervous about the polisci rec but my options were limited.
Research Experience: lots of physics research; worked as an RA for the RBI (Indian Central Bank) for 1 summer; currently work in applied econ & policy analysis for one of my recommenders (past 2 years).
Teaching Experience: 1 year as a TA for intro to economics.
Research Interests: econometrics, development
SOP: Decent, I might have explained my research more but I built off my NSF essay, which had a separate previous research essay.
Applying to: 21 schools, including the top 10 overall, top 10 econometrics, and top 10 in development. Also UW-Seattle

mike_banana 2009:
Institution: Duke U
Program: Economics Ph.D
Decision: Rejected
Funding: no
Notification date: 02/17/2009
Notified through: Email
Comments: check the status on "applyyourself" website. There is a notification letter.

bravedreamji 2009:
Institution: Cornell University
Program: AEM PHD
Decision: Reject
Funding:
Notification date: 2/16
Notified through: Postal
Comments:
Institution: Duke University
Program: Economics PHD
Decision: Reject
Funding:
Notification date: 2/17
Notified through: Website
Comments:

HJNewey 2009:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: Feb 18 9:07 AM EST
Notified through: Email
Comments:

unatkozom 2009:
Institution: UVA
Program: Economics
Decision: Admit
Funding: Unknown
Notification date: 2/18/09
Notified through: Website
Comments: My gf just checked website and I'm in. I'm international with US degree.

canadaaplly 2009:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: Feb 18
Notified through: Email
Comments: Who do they think they are?

grairal 2009:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: Feb 18
Notified through: Email
Comments: i know it will finally come...

jessicus 2009:
Institution: Duke University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 2/18/09
Notified through: Email
Comments: Strong connection and first rejection
Institution: Yale University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 2/20/09
Notified through: Email
Comments: Second rejection, no acceptance

baj393 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin
Undergrad GPA: 4.00
Type of Grad: 500f a MA in Economics from Duke University (not going to finish)
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: 740Q, 560V, 6.0AW
Math Courses: Cal I-III, Linear Algebra, Applied Differential Equations, Economic Statistics, Intro. to Statistics, Applied Data Analysis, Real Analysis
Econ Courses: Intro. Macro, Intro. Micro, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Industrial Organization, Political Economy, Health Economics, Labor Economics. GRADUATE LEVEL: Advanced Microeconomics, Environmental Economics
Other Courses: Bunch of philosophy courses
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Princeton, 1 Yale, 1 Cornell, and 1 MIT
Research Experience: RA for a semester with a top environmental economist at Duke
Teaching Experience: Supplemental instructor for an intro. microeconomics course
Research Interests: Environmental economics
SOP: 2.5 pages. Reflected my goals, ambitions, and specific research interests. I know that this was the most important part of my application, which enabled me to overcome my low GRE score. This was told to me by several adcoms. Thus, the SOP is the difference for those of you with terrible GRE scores. MAKE IT COUNT!
Other: Was not expecting too much given my low GRE.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Arizona State University ($21.5k stipend, full tuition, and health insurance)
NC State University ($18k stipend, $5k fellowship, full tuition, health insurance)
Penn State University ARE (don't know the specifics, but ~20k stipend, full tuition)
Virginia Tech Applied Economics ($19.7k stipend, full tuition, and 80% health insurance)
Rejections: Duke Environmental Policy PhD (no adviser for my research interests)
Pending: Michigan State ARE. Would not go even if accepted at this point.
What would you have done differently? Very little. GRE score was low, but I got into my reach school, ASU. I really wanted to work with Kerry Smith, so am very happy to have such an opportunity. I suppose that I could have applied to a few more reach schools higher up in the rankings (like UCSD), but I doubt that I would get in.
Again, SOP is the most important part of your application. I spent a month on mine going over every little detail. It really made the difference for me and I could not have gotten into ASU without it. Spend lots of time on your SOP and make it great!!!

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

dreck 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics (summa cum laude), BA in Math (summa cum laude), large state school, not well known for economics
Undergrad GPA: 4.00/4.00
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q, 630V, 5.5 AW
Math Courses: Multivariate Calc, Linear Algebra, Diff. Eq., Abstract Linear Algebra, Numeric Analysis, Set Theory & Proofs, (Analysis and Topology not reflected in the application)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Macro/Micro, Game Theory, Labor Economics, Discrimination Seminar, Colloquium on Poverty, Two Undergraduate Econometrics courses, PhD-level Econometrics, PhD-level Micro
I made an A in each of these. My school does not use +/-.
Other Courses: A lot of psychology,
Letters of Recommendation: Three professors at my school. Did research and classes with one, taught with the other, just class with the third. None are famous, but two are reasonably well-known in their field. One is the department chair.
Research Experience: Two Honors Theses, one term paper in econometrics. Wasn't able to secure a publication before application season.
Teaching Experience: TA for two years, Intro to Micro and Intermediate Micro
Research Interests: Applied Micro, Micro Theory, Development
SOP: Pretty standard, just outlined my progress through an undergraduate degree and my research interests
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan (no $(?)), Illinois Urbana-Champaign ($$), Texas at Austin ($$ if I wanted it)
Waitlists: Princeton ($$ if admitted)
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, NYU, Columbia, Duke, Northwestern, Berkeley
Pending: LSE (applied later)
What would you have done differently?
Started math classes sooner. Considered more seriously a Masters program abroad. I also wish that I had discovered these forums earlier! So much good advice...
If I could go even further back, I would have attended a undergraduate institution with a stronger economics program. That said, I'm still happy. I'm leaning toward Michigan, but keeping my fingers crossed for Princeton.

econslave 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics from top 15 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.7ish
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q / 630V / 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I/II, Intro to Statistics, Probability Theory, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Discrete Math, Ordinary Differential Equations, Real Analysis (Note: Some grades were good, but most were not.)
Econ Courses (Undergraduate): A lot of basic field courses, but also econometrics and advanced theoretical econometrics
Econ Courses (Graduate): N/A
Letters of Recommendation: (1) RA-ed for 2.5 years; (2) RA-ed for, co-authored decent article with, advised for thesis, and took two courses with; (3) Took an advanced economics course with as an undergraduate and did very well in the class (Note: None of the letter-writers are well-known, but all went to top 10 PhD programs.)
Research Experience: 2.5 years RA for one professor, 1 year RA for another professor, undergraduate thesis (ranked best), summer RA at prestigious policy think-tanks, 1 year full-time RA position with top 10 school professor
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Behavioral/experimental, decision theory, micro theory, applied micro
Concerns: Lacking in math (not many classes and less-than-stellar grades). Didn’t graduate with any honors or anything.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD (TA $), Michigan (no $), Boston University (no $)
Waitlist: Minnesota
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Northwestern, Penn, Columbia, NYU, UCLA, Wisconsin, Caltech, Brown, Cornell, Duke, CMU, Maryland, Texas, PSU, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth
What would you have done differently? Besides getting better grades as an undergraduate, not much. I applied to all of the top 20 and several others, and got into a few great schools. Perhaps I would’ve taken a different RA position, but it seems to have worked out anyway.

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

EconDev137 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Quantitative Economics. & B.A. Political Science
Undergrad GPA: 3.36
GRE: 770Q 570V 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, (AP, AP, A) Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (D), Probability (B+)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro (C), Intro Macro (C), Elementary Econometrics (A), Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro(A+), Economic Growth (A), Economic Development (B+), Environmental Economics (B+), International Monetary Policy (A)
Grad Courses: Advanced Micro (A), Advanced Macro (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: All very good, from top 10.
Research Experience: Work at a public policy think tank. Thesis in Political Science.
Research Interests: Applied micro, development
Statement of purpose: Way better than average
Other: LORs are the most vital part of your application. Do not overlook the importance of building quality relationships with a few profs. However don't use this as an excuse to be a kissa$$.
RESULTS:
PhD Accepts: Arizona (tuition waiver and assistantship for years 2-5), Purdue (nothing official, but presumed tuition plus 18k), Colorado-Boulder (waitlisted for $),
PhD Waitlists: Boston College (Decent Chance of admit, but won't know until after deadlines for other schools), OSU (acceptance not probable)
PhD Rejections: Duke, Maryland, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Indiana,
Masters Accepts: Michigan, Boston University, Tornoto
Masters Rejections: Tufts (really?)
Masters Pending: UBC
What would you have done differently? The most glaring thing would be not to have gotten a D in real analysis, I think I could have pulled vanderbilt without that. Other than that I think I had a pretty solid plan. Take the most useful classes you can, do as well as you can and spend your free time having fun. I think people on TM get too worked up about not having an 800Q or a 4.0 at the expense of living life.

2pm 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.B.A, Econ concentration from large state university with no PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
Type of Grad: M.A. Econ, same school
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790Q, 640V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Cal I (AP test), II (Community College), III, Intro to Proofs, Matrices and Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis I
Econ Courses (master level): Macro, Micro, Metrics, International Finance, Health Econ, Time Series, Research Methods, Forecasting
Econ Courses (undergrad): Intermediate Macro, Micro, Metrics, Money & Banking, Math for Economist (same class with graduate level)
Other Courses: Mostly in business
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors , been told they are all strong
Research Experience: Honors undergrad thesis & master thesis. Nothing spectacular
Teaching Experience: Tutor in the Econ dept
Research Interests: Applied micro
Statement of purpose: Standard, did not customize
Concern: (somewhat) inadequate math background. Realized I wanted to do a Ph.D. in econ too late & tried to cram as much required math courses as possible while finishing my M.A.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT Austin ($$) (attending), Houston ($$), Michigan State (no $), BU (no $), UVA (no info on $ yet)
Waitlists: BC, UW-M long waitlist -> rejection
Rejections: let me count the way…Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, UMN, Duke, PSU, Maryland, WUSTL
Pending: Ohio State (the earliest deadline, still nothing yet. Oh the irony!)
What would you have done differently? Hard to say, since I know beforehand there will be lots of noise in my results anyway. Probably take more math and get 800Q in GRE? Perhaps spend more time on my SOP, although I don’t feel comfortable discussing my research goals & ideas in details since I don’t even know which field I am interested in at the time of the application process. One thing I won’t regret is not transferring. I have made some fantastic friends and built tremendous relationship w/ the faculty at my current university. Overall, I’m extremely happy. 2 years ago when I decided to go for a Ph.D. in economics I didn’t think I could even make it to a mid-rank program, so UT is definitely a step up from my expectations.

tm_guru 2010:
Type of Undergrad: University College Dublin, Ireland, BSc in Economics & Finance (Final Year Concentration - Mathematical Analysis) Undergrad GPA: First Class Honours - converts to a 3.74 GPA according to WES conversion, higher grades in Math and Econ, boring but required Finance/Tax/Accounting classes dragged me down
Type of Grad: National University of Ireland, Galway MSc in Economic Science (Concentratiion - Planning and Policy Evaluation), essentially it was an MPP/MPA degree but we don't really have that in Ireland
Grad GPA: 4.0 (1st out of cohort of ~50 students across 3 concentrations with a lot of common classes)
GRE: 780Q, 630V, 5.0AWA
Math/Stat Courses: 3 semesters of Linear and Matrix Algebra, 2 semesters of calculus (although very little if any multivariate calculus), courses called 'Analysis and Calculus', 'Complex Analysis', various Math for Econ/Finance classes, 3 semesters of Math Stats/Probability... I honestly have no idea if I am prepared for core classes adequately... all A's except one B and one awful grade which I explained in my SOP.
Econ Courses: 3 semesters of Macro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Micro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Econometrics (1 MS-level) 2 semesters of International Econ, 2 semesters of Public Econ, 3 semesters of Game Theory, Economics of Innovation, Economics of Education... tons really... I hope this will help me get started with research
Other Courses: Tax/Accounting/Finance/Management, nothing useful
Letters of Recommendation: All were strong but mainly graduated in the 1960's or 1970's, 1 has a UCI PhD, 1 LSE, 1 UMD CP (Math), and one had a PhD from Edinburgh but who has an impressive CV and was a visiting professor at Berkeley last year... I used different combinations of three for different schools. I will speak more about this below.
Research Experience: Central Bank internship, MS Thesis (my adviser awarded me the highest grade he has given to a student in 30 years at that University)
Teaching Experience: lots, 3 semesters as a TA, 6 years giving private tutorials to groups of 1-10 students amounting to probably over 200 students in over a dozen different subjects from math to stats to econ
Research Interests: Applied Micro - health, education, labor, public policy, etc.
Statement of purpose: I had too much to explain for it to stand out, I spent the entire 1000 words explaining the holes in my profile (more on this below)
Concerns: Everything...
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Rutgers (no funding), PSU (generous TA funding), UPitt (top fellowship),
Waitlists: BC, UMass-Amherst
Rejections: CMU, Rochester, Syracuse, Cornell, Wharton, Georgetown, UVA, Duke
What would you have done differently?
As many know, this is my second time around, the mistakes I made in last year's applications are embarrassing when I think about them so I will only say this about it - I was blissfully ignorant of the entire process, how many schools to apply to, what a US PhD program entailed, what to say in a SOP, how I would compare to other students... you name it, I messed it up! Seriously, I applied to schools that suited me geographically, no other criteria, I had no idea what I was doing or about the research strengths of different schools... then I found this forum! I am also fortunate to have a fiancee who eventually helped me understand the US education system.
I have ended up at this point in my life not because of careful planning or organization, but through sheer luck and good fortune. I picked my UG degree ten years ago on a whim, and I am lucky that it covered the required analysis, calculus, and algebra courses... We have denominated degrees in Ireland, so you have to decide which one to pursue at age 17 before graduating from 'secondary' school and then apply through a centralized application system. I was going to do Electrical Engineering, but the dot.com crash in 2000/2001 made me change my mind literally an hour before the deadline... only for that decision I would be in a very different place in my life.
I also pursued a Master's degree in Ireland with the intent of 'lecturing' at a community college-type institution but as soon as I returned to the classroom something just changed, I suddenly found myself devouring journal literature, participating in class, loving my TA duties, and acing all my exams... I can only think that the change in my attitude towards classes and college was maturity. As an undergrad I was rarely even in class, never mind an active participant.
Other mistakes - I hurriedly took the GRE as I had no idea how important it was (I took one - paper - practice exam). I decided not to retake as I was worried about not getting an 800 and the signal that might send. I probably could have gotten an 800 with one day of genuine preparation...
In terms of LORs, the three schools I got accepted to, and one of the waitlists were a particular combination of letters, I used that combination for Duke too, but not anywhere else. I know it is a small sample size, but of 5 schools with that specific combination of letters I got 3 acceptances, and 1 waitlist. I got 1 waitlist and 7 rejections when I didn't use that combination of letters. Interesting, very interesting.
However, I can say with all honesty that I am delighted with how things have worked out for me, I am sure I will be very successful and more than intellectually satisfied at UPitt.
Lastly, I am a prime example of the noise associated with applicants coming from unknown schools/countries. I received the top fellowship from 400 applicants to UPitt this year, received full funding at PSU, but was rejected by Syracuse. It is bizarre!
If any forum members, and especially applicants coming from unknown universities, have any questions please feel free to PM me!

econsailorgirl 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Economics Major, mid-size public university
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4 overall
Type of Grad: n/a
GRE: 790Q, 710V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Single and Multi-variable Calculus, Linear Algebra I and II, Probability and Statistics
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro/Macro, Advanced Micro, many applied micro courses (Environmental, Health, etc.), Econometrics, Economy History, Experimental Econ, Game Theory
Other coursework: Many courses in Environmental Sciences/Studies and Geology
Letters of Recommendation: 1 well-known Berkeley ARE, 1 other Berkeley ARE, 1 UWashington
Statement of Purpose: Research interests, interest in Economics in general, how each program fit with my interests
Research Experience: Very little formal--mostly through coursework
Teaching Experience: Economics tutor, environmental educator
Research Interests: primarily agriculture and development, but also environmental
RESULTS:
Acceptances: U. of Rhode Island ENRE ($$), UC Davis ARE ($$), UMD AREC (wl$), U. Wisconsin AAE (wl$),
Waitlists: Johns Hopkins Health Econ and Policy
Rejections: UC Berkeley ARE, Harvard Econ, Duke Econ
Attending: UC Davis
What would you have done differently?
I feel very good about the outcome. There's nothing off the top of my head that I would have done differently.

njskatchmo 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large State School with Ranked PhD Program
Undergrad GPA: 3.71 Overall, 3.93 Econ
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 660V, 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I - III (A,A, B+), Intro Lin. Alg (A), Proof Writing (B+), Linear Algebra (proof based) (Current), Real Analysis (Current), Math Theory of Probability(Current), Diff Eq(Current)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (A,A), Intermediate Micro/Macro (B+, A), Econometrics and Advanced econometrics (B+, A) 8 or 9 econ electives (All A's except for B+ in Financial Economics)
Grad Econ Courses N/A
Other Courses: Complete Political Science Major
Letters of Recommendation: One from Thesis Advisor, One from Professor who knows me very well, One from Advanced Econometrics Prof. (All come from Top 10 programs)
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis
Teaching Experience: Tutored Economics, Calculus, and, Statistics at the campus learning center
Research Interests: Environmental Economics , Developmental Economics
SOP: Spoke of how I got into economics and my long term goals
Other: Took challenging course loads. 4 upper division math classes at once, 21 credits in one semester.
Some interesting work experience and volunteer around the world and with NGO's.
My GPA is low from freshman year when I didn't care and had a 3.1 for the year.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Nowhere
Waitlists: Nowhere
Rejections: Pretty much every school in the top 20 rejected me plus UC Davis and Cambridge (Minus Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Tepper)
Pending: Nowhere
What would you have done differently? Started my math as early as possible so I didn't have to have a killer senior year. Taken RA with easy classes. Gotten one more point or so that would have given me an A in Econometrics and Intermediate Micro. I believe that the lack of math completed at the time of application was the reason for my rejection.

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

El Greco 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: top 50 large public university - to 10 business school. B.S. in finance and international business
Undergrad GPA: 3.76
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 790/610/4.5 (q/v/awa)
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A+,A,current), Finite Math (B+), Intro to Stats (B+), DiffyQ 1 (current), Prob & Stats 1 (current),
Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (A-,A), Inter Micro (A), Bus Econ (A-), Banking and Cap Mkts (A)
Other Courses: finance courses
Letters of Recommendation: Probably pretty good, one was my thesis advisor (UCLA PHD finance), cap mkts class (WVU PHD Econ), inter micro (PHD Cornell)
Research Experience: Just undergraduate thesis on credit derivatives
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: fin econ, behavioral econ/finance, monetary econ, macro
SOP: I think it was normal to good.
Other:
RESULTS: (masters)
Acceptances: Tufts ($), BU (no $)
Waitlists: Duke
Rejections: Duke (off waitlist), UToronto MFE
Pending: WashU MfinWhat would you have done differently? I was happy to get into Tufts w some $. I was a finance major with little math background and have been taking math/econ courses at a local university back home in florida. I don't know what I want to do (phd/private sector) but I am happy with Tufts. After getting into Tufts i rescinded and didn't complete other international apps because I'd rather be in the states, hopefully that doesnt end up being a bad decision but tufts is a good school with a good reputation and I am really excited to start there in the fall

MorgieLilly 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.A in Economics-Philosophy and Mathematics from top 10 undergrad with a top 15 econ department.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85
GRE: 780Q, 640V, 4.0W
Math Courses (undergrad):Cal I, Calc III, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability and Statistics, Advanced Logic, (all As)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro-econometrics (A-), Graduate Macroeconomics (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro/Macro(A-,B+), Advanced Econometrics (B+), Advanced Macro (A), Game Theory (A-), Economic History (A-), International (C, took abroad in Ghana)
Letters of Recommendation:
Economics. Well Known. My boss.
Economics. Well Known. Professor. (I wrote an empirical research paper for his course.)
Philosophy of Science. Professor. (I took two classes with him. I wrote a paper that I presented at a philosophy conference. He advised me on a documentary that I made as a senior.)
Mathematics. Professor. (Adviser for my senior research project.)
Geophysics. Researcher. (Adviser for my REU research project. )
Research Experience: REU Intern in geophysics at Lamont Earth Observatory, summer 2007 (My paper was accepted to the 2008 ASLO Conference). I also published a paper in the philosophy of science when I was a sophomore, but I'm not so proud now of what I said and the journal was not a big deal at all. Full-time economics RA since July 2008 for one of my letter writers. I've made a bunch of documentaries and I included one in my application.
Research Interests: Development, Growth Theory, Economic History.
Statement of Purpose: Talked about my background, why I chose to pursue interdisciplinary undergraduate study. Talked about my experiences abroad in Ghana, my research experience at Lamont and as an RA and my motivation for studying development and poverty issues.
Applied to: MIT, NYU, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Columbia, UMich, Princeton, Yale, UCLA, UC Davis, BU, Duke, Brown, Northwestern, U Penn
Admitted: BU(wl/$), UCLA(wl/$), UC Davis($$), Michigan($$/Regents Fellowship), Brown(wl/$)
Rejected: MIT, NYU, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Duke, Northwestern, U Penn
Attending: Brown(no first year funding, 19.5K+health+tuition years 2-5)
What I would have done differently: I don't think I would have gone to any other school over Brown. I would have considered MIT, Yale or Harvard. But honestly, I couldn't be happier. The debt will be worth it. I know it.

ilikefreefood 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ major from a top 5-10 Midwestern liberal arts college.
Undergrad GPA: 3.73/4, magna cum laude, distinction in major for senior thesis research.
Type of Grad: first semester of PhD microeconomics at Maryland
Grad GPA: 3.00/4.00 (B+)
GRE: 800Q 640V 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc II-III (A,B+), Linear Algebra (Pass), Statistics (A), Mathematical Structures (A-), Real Analysis (B, taken as a non-degree student at a local school Fall 2008), Probability (A, taken as a non-degree student at a local school Summer 2009)
Econ Courses: Principles Micro/Macro (A-,A), Intermediate Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (B), Econometrics (B+), PhD Micro Theory I (B+), pre-thesis seminar (A-), Ag. & Food Econ. (A), Development Econ. (B+), Econ. of Inequality (A), Econ. of Water Policy (B+), British Econ. history (B+)
Other Courses: A pass/fail seminar on game theory, a Poli. Sci. course on agent-based computer modeling (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ. professors (liberal arts college profs but with Chicago/Stanford PhDs), including my thesis adviser who has previously stated that my thesis was one of the best he's ever advised. 1 Partner at my Econ. consulting firm with whom I've worked extensively on econometric analyses (PhD Cornell).
Where possible, a third Econ. professor (PhD Chicago).
Research Experience: ~3.5 years as an RA in a major Econ. consulting firm; I specialize in statistical and econometric analysis within my office.
Awards: Thesis award from state Economics association, thesis presentation award from state science association, college fellowship
for (non-research) work in development related to microfinance.
Research Interests: Development, environmental/resource economics, urban economics, general applied micro.
Statement of Purpose: Well-written but fairly standard; mentioned specifically my interest in development and applied micro fields.
Other: This is my second time applying, and I am reapplying to several schools with the additional Probability and PhD micro courses and a new letter of recommendation. I am deferred at Minnesota ARE from last year.
Applying to: Maryland, Maryland AREC, Duke, UC Berkeley ARE, Washington, Wharton Applied Economics, Michigan, Penn, Yale, Chicago, Michigan State, Northwestern, WUSTL, Georgetown, Texas, Boston University, UCSD, Cornell, Brown, UC Davis ARE, Illinois, Penn State, Virginia
RESULTS:
Attending: Boston University
Acceptances: Boston University (no $), U. of Washington ($), Michigan State ($ waitlist), Illinois ($), UC Davis ARE ($), Maryland AREC ($).
Rejections: Maryland Econ., Duke, UC Berkeley ARE, Wharton Applied Economics, Michigan, Penn, Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Washington U. in St. Louis, Texas, UCSD, Cornell, Brown, Penn State, Virginia
No Response: Georgetown
What would you have done differently?
I would have taken more care to keep my grades in key courses consistently high in college to avoid a few potential red flags. I would have started my math education earlier and taken more classes as an undergrad. I would have worked only 2 years as an economic consultant and timed the business cycle to avoid applying in 2009 and 2010. I would have applied last year to a few schools that just missed my 2009 list (BU, Washington, and Illinois were all nearly on it), and potentially avoided the annoyance of waiting another year. I would have done more research to discount the advice of my advisors who said I would definitely get into schools on my 2009 list. All those things said, i feel that BU is really a fabulous program for my interests, and I am very, very excited to be headed there.

Le_Walrus 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Engineering, top three university in a small, but well known Latin American country
Undergrad GPA: 5.2/7
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 570V, 3.5AWA
TOEFL: 109/120
Math Courses: Advanced Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Numerical Analysis, Complex Analysis, Optimal Control Theory, Probability and Statistics, Operations Research I and II
Econ Courses: Micro and Macro Theory
Other Courses: Lots of Engineering courses.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 econ professors, 1 math professor, 1 computer programming professor
Research Experience: Research assistant in several economics projects, undergraduate thesis in macro involving dynamic programming
Teaching Experience: TA of computer programming, Micro theory and Dynamic Macroeconomics
Research Interests: Macro theory, growth
SOP: The usual, maybe a little different because of my engineering background
Other: My grades may seem low, but in fact they are really high, and my recommenders avail that.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Rochester ($)
Waitlists: JHU
Rejections: Princeton, Berkeley, Northwestern, Minnesota, Columbia, UPenn, Brown, Duke, UCSD, WUSTL, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Indiana
Pending: Texas, UWO
What would you have done differently?
It was an somewhat expected outcome, coming from an relatively unknown university with an engineering background. My advice to other people with similar background? Get a masters degree. And start talking to people who know people...

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

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!

Mpianatra 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 econ program
Undergrad GPA: 3.56/4
Type of Grad: MS in same major/university
Grad GPA: none at time of application
GRE: 780/580/5.5
Math Courses: Calc I/II (A-), Real Analysis (in progress during app), Calc III (A+), Linear Algebra (A), Ord. Diff. Eq. (A) [last three courses taken as non-degree student at state school w/o econ phd]
Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (A), Inter Micro (B+), Inter Macro (A), Labor Economics (B), Income Distribution (A), Developing Country Labor Markets (A-), Applied Econometrics (A-), Econ Dev't (A-), Public Finance (A-), Economic Data (B), Grad Micro Theory I (in progress), Grad Econ of Education (in progress)
Other Courses: Intro Stats (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: Thesis Adviser- known for a long time (pretty strong), Second Thesis Adviser-mostly knew from a course (positive but probably pretty generic), RA prof (also probably pretty generic)
Research Experience: Master's thesis but hadn't done much for it at time of application
Teaching Experience: Just short of teaching credential
Research Interests: Development, Political Economy, Labor
SOP: Nothing special. Run of the mill about why I like econ, why I was qualified, and why I liked the school.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: American ($?), BU (no $), CUNY (Fellowship), Fordham ($?), Colorado ($$$), UI-Chicago ($?), Washington (no $), Wisconsin ($$)
Waitlists: BC
Rejections: Columbia, Duke, Emory, Georgetown, George Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, NYU, Northwestern, UCLA, Maryland, UNC, Notre Dame, USC, Texas,
Attending: Wisconsin
What would you have done differently?
What I wouldn't have done differently was apply to so many schools. I had a lot of reach schools on my list and all it takes is one of them to accept you. Some rejections from very lowly-ranked schools with some acceptances from relatively high-ranked so it can be hard to predict. Obviously getting better grades would always help but I'm very satisfied with the overall results.

Mr. Stochastic 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BSc Econonomics and Business Administration at best institution in small European country. Exchange at top 10 european b-school.
Undergrad GPA: Top 5 percent.
GRE/TOEFL: 800Q/410V/5.0 AWA.TOEFL: 113
Math Courses: Math for Econ, A. Analysis and Diff. eq, B. Statistics for economists A.
Econ Courses (u/g): Intro and intermediate micro, macro, As and Bs. International econ, econ geography, european econ, labour econ. Mostly As.
Grad courses: None.
Other Courses: Four finance, all As. Managment, Bs.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 good from well-published, well-connected mit phd, former dean of school and minister in my country. 1 unknown from semi-well-published professor who gave me an a in advanced micro. 1 very good from unknown AP at b-school I was on exchange.
Research Experience: None.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Micro theory, public econ.
Statement of Purpose: Pretty standard. Focused on how my interests got developed through a diverse set of experiences (journalism, army service).
Other: Fulbright fellowship. Won math competitions.
Concerns: No research experiences. Poor math credentials, although I can document ability. Unknown school. Unknown recommenders and unknown quality of one of them. No MA-level experience.
Applying to:Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Berkeley, Upenn, Northwestern (likely rejected), Maryland, Michigan, Duke (rejected), Cornell (rejected), Caltech. Yale IDE and LSE EME (accepted).

AppliedEcon 2010:
Profile
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Double Major in Math/Econ. Public liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: A couple B’s but Phi Beta Kappa and probably Summa Cum Laude and honors in both majors
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: 800Q, 620V, 5.0AWA (only took once)
Math Courses: Standard undergraduate courses including Real Analysis and Topology. Two A’s in Real Analysis
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Standard undergraduate program with quantitative emphasis
Other Courses: Some science related to resource and environmental econ
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors and 1 math professor. I had small classes and they know me so I expect that the recommendations are good
Research Experience: Paid summer science intern in mathematics researching a topic related to econometrics. Currently performing honors research applying econometrics to a resource issue
Teaching Experience: None
Other: Officer/Member of four honor societies. Partially self supporting as Head Resident of a medium sized dorm
Research Interests: Applied economics, resource and environmental issues
Statement of purpose: I applied to a small number of schools (only ones I would happily attend if accepted). I used my research in finding these schools to write a statement relating their programs to my interests
Concerns: Few. I feel prepared and am comfortable with the programs to which I’ve applied.
In: NC State Econ(no$), Ohio State ARE($$$+), Miami U (Florida) Econ ($$$+), Maryland ARE ($$$)
Out: Duke Econ
Waiting: Florida International Econ, Georgetown Econ, UNC Regional Planning.

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

penndryve 2010: Type of Undergrad: Bachelors in Computer Engineering (India - not IIT or REC, but fairly good)
Undergrad GPA: 84% (we don't have GPA. This is called Distinction, and would fall in the top 3-4 0n the class)
Type of Grad: MSc Development Studies (London School of Economics)
Grad GPA: Distinction (Prize for Best Performance in the Department )
Further Grad: EXTERNAL Diploma for Graduates ( Economics) - London School of Economics - ONGOING - Exams in May/June 2010
GRE: Not taken yet. Expect to score 790-800Q and high-700s in verbal
Math Courses: Lots of calculus, probability and statistical courses in under-grad, basically Engineering Mathematics ( nearly 90% (A+) in all of them). Taking modules on Mathematics again in my current diploma from LSE - refreshing all the Math required for Econ ( but it does not cover Real Analysis)
Econ Courses: Managerial Economics ( undergrad, A+), Development Economics (A), Intermediate Micro, Macro and Econometrics ( currently taking in my Diploma), Some international economics as part of Intl. Political Economy of Development at LSE ( A+)
Other Courses: Lots of Political Economy/Development courses; MIT Randomization Course
Letters of Recommendation: Three Profs from LSE: Two of them are Political Economy Profs (One is Princeton-Harvard-LSE, the other is Leontif Prize Winner, but considered heterodox); Third one is not economics, but very well regarded.
Research Experience: Working as Senior Research Analyst at a premier think tank in Delhi, policy research on governance and institutional development; currently doing a qualitative research study involving field work - will publish paper soon
Publications: Grad thesis published by LSE as LSE Working Paper; Two WPs at my current job plus one coming up soon.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Development Economics; Institutional Economics; Political Economy
SOP: Not written yet; thinking of talking about the progression in my intellectual/career interests and why I want to do PhD from an Econ dept at this stage etc
Concerns: BIG one: Not enough Econ? My Intermediate Economics grades will not be available at the time of application ( won't be available till July/August 2010, actually!!). Although I am sure I will do well in them, I have only my word + previous academic performance to show for it!
Other: Work experience in the development sector for about 5 years doing part time volunteering with grass roots NGOs + nearly 2 years working as consultant in an IT multinational. And I simply cannot do without funding! :(
Applying to: Berkeley, Yale, MIT, Harvard, Chicago, Cornell, Stanford, Princeton, UCLA, NYU, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, Brown, NW, Maryland, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Oxford, LSE, Cambridge
Suggestions please on if I stand any reasonable chance of being accepted WITH funding! :)

Gravy924 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: UCSB, Top 100 overall, higher in certain subdisciplines according to Econphd
Undergrad GPA:3.55 ish, 3.65 in Economics which was top 3 in the major (around 40 students) Dont know if I was 1, 2, or 3 because it was a certificate with generic title, but lets just say 3rd.
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: None
GRE: Have not taken yet, but I believe I can get 750 or above Q, 600 or above Verbal
Math Courses: At UCSB, Calc 3C (Intro Diff Equations/Linear Algebra) D+, Retook for B-. PSTAT 5E, A+, PSTAT 120A, B-.
As Post Bac: Intro to Proofs, A, Calc III (Multivariable, Vector Calc, etc) A, Probability and Statistics (Basically the same as 120A at SB) A, In Fall will take Analysis I, Linear Algebra (proof based) and Diff Equations.
Econ Courses: All the basics, Intermediate Micro (A, A-, B), Intermediate Macro, A, Monetary, A, Econometrics (A, B). More electives as B+'s or A's,
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a Math Prof, did well in his class (Phd from UCSD) 1 from a Econ Prof (Phd from MIT) I am doing research for, and Poli Sci Prof who knows me well (2 quarter class with just another student and myself), Cited often in Poli Sci journals. (not sure if that matters)
Research Experience: None really, did a paper on Market Failure while studying abroad in the Netherlands, was much more anecdotal than theoretical or statistical. Also, have been an RA for Econ Prof mentioned above. More just gathering data.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: International Finance, Monetary, Macro etc.
s. Do not plan on entering academia right away, thinking of World Bank, IMF, Bank International Settlements jobs etc.
As of right now I am applying to the following programs:
MA: USanFran, UBC, Queens, UWO, Toronto, Bocconi, UPF,
PhD: Georgetown, UCSC, UCLA (maybe my name will get put on someone elses app =)), UCI, Maryland, UVA, Wisconson, USC
Starting to think about George Washington (prob no funding), NYU, Columbia (prob no admit)
UCSC is by far my top choice.
Good luck everyone.

walt526 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Political Science from UC Davis (started at a well-regarded LAC in the Midwest)
Undergrad GPA: 3.50/4.00 (combined)
Type of Grad: MA in Economics from lower-tier public university
Grad GPA: 3.92
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 6.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (high school with AP, plus C from Fall 1998), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Statistics (A), Math for Economists (A), Intro to Formal Math (A-), Numerical Analysis (A), Axiomatic Set Theory (B+), Real Analysis (in process), Mathematical Statistics MA-Level (in process), Operations Research (Spring 2010), Applied Linear Algebra (Spring 2010)
Econ Courses (MA-level): Advanced Micro Theory (A-), Advanced Macro Theory (A), US Economic History (A), Cost-Benefit Analysis (A), Applied Econometric Analysis (in process), Econometric Theory (in process)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Economics (B+ from spring 2000), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (D), Public Microeconomic Theory (A+), Economics of Development (A-), US Economic History (A-), World Economic History (A), Economics of Education (A), Econometrics (A), History of Economic Thought (Spring 2010)
Political Science Courses:
- High School: AP American Government, AP Comparative Government
- LAC: International Relations (A-), American Political Thought (B+), Central European Politics (A), Russian Politics (A-), Soviet and Russian Foreign Policy (A)
- UC Davis: Systematic Political Science (A-), The Legislative Process (A-), The Politics of Interdependence (A-), National Security Policy (A), Intro to Judicial Politics (A), Judicial Politics: First Amendment (A), Judicial Politics: Equality (A-), Seminar in American Political Behavior (A+)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 WUSTL, 1 UC Davis ARE, 1 Stanford)
Research Experience:
- Research assistant to LAC political science professor (developing new course in environmental international politics)
- Research assistant to UC Davis political science professor (judicial politics--read a sample Supreme Court decisions and classified the argument type of each paragraph)
- Masters Thesis: Does State Support for Public Four-Year Universities Decrease as Minority Enrollment Increases?
Teaching Experience: TA to Intermediate Micro
Research Interests: My research interests lie along the intersection of political science and economics. I am interested in Public Choice (Law and Economics and Institutional Factors), Industrial Organization, and Miscellaneous Applied Microecomics
Statement of Purpose: Should be strong
Concerns: The D in Intermediate Macro came in a semester wherein I received incompletes in my other courses (personal issues) in winter quarter of 2004). I completed the two lower-division courses that I needed to fulfill the BA in Political Science at community college (statistics and history of western civilization). No topology, possibly weak advanced math grades.
Other: Have a career certificate in Accounting from a community college, worked for 2 years as an accounting administrator and 3 years as a purchasing agent for an electrical contractor.
Applying to: UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Stanford, Michigan, UPenn Wharton (Applied Econ), WUSTL, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Texas, UIUC, Maryland, Virginia, UC Davis, George Mason, Vanderbilt, Rochester, Michigan State, Georgetown, UC Irvine, UMass-Amherst, Arizona, Colorado, Syracuse, Kentucky (might whittle down the list some)

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

Speaker 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Labor Econ from top 20 Econ Program
Undergrad GPA: 3.58/4
Type of Grad: B.S. Labor Econ same school
Grad GPA: 3.17
GRE: 780Q, 550V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (A-, A-, A+), Real Analysis (B-) , Linear Algebra (A), Ord. Diff. Eq (A)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro Theory I (B), Micro Theory II (in progress)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro/Macro (A, A), Inter Micro/Macro (B+, A), Econ Develoment (A-), Public Finance (A-), Developing Country Labor Markets (A-), Income Distribution (A), Applied Econometrics (A-)
Other Courses: n/a
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (1 Michigan PhD-good LOR, 1 Harvard PhD- ok LOR) 1 math professor (LSU PhD - ok LOR)
Research Experience: Term paper & current Masters Thesis
Teaching Experience: English teacher in the Peace Corps
Research Interests: Development and Political Economy
Statement of purpose: Decently well-written. Probably won't blow anyone away.
Concerns: Micro Theory & Analysis grades (although adcoms won't see unless they request fall grades), generally weak math background, little/no research projects
Other: keeping my fingers crossed.
Applying to: UCLA, USC, BU, BC, CUNY, NYU, Columbia, Fordham, Northwestern, UI-Chicago, UNC, Duke, GWU, Georgetown, Maryland, American, Colorado, Wisconsin, Emory, Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington, Texas, Minnesota

mariobross 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Civil Engineering. (Latin America)
Undergrad GPA: 3.57/4
Type of Grad: M.A International Development (Concentration in Dev Economics)
Grad GPA: 3.68/4
GRE: 770Q, 450V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses (Undergrad): Calculus I-III (B+, A-, A-), Real Analysis (A-) , Algebra I (B+) , Linear Algebra (A-), Diff. Eq (A-)
Econ Courses (Graduate): Micro (B+), Macro (A-), Econ Theory (A), Econ Dev (A), Household Econ (A-), Intro Econometrics (B+), App Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (PhD Columbia, PhD Brandeis) and my Supervisor (PhD Harvard).
Research Experience: 2 years as RA in grad school, master's thesis, Research Fellow at the World Bank and IADB (3 years)
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Development Economics and International Trade
Applying to: Maryland(Econ), Maryland (PubPol), Georgetown (Econ), Chicago (Econ), Chicago (PubPol), Brandeis(Econ), Duke (PubPol), Harvard (PubPol), Oxford (Econ), Pompeu (Econ), Columbia (SIPA)

13_ 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics (South East Asia)
Undergrad GPA: 56/100
Type of Grad: MS Economics (South East Asia), one of the best institutes in my country
Grad GPA: 70/100
GRE: 800Q, 540V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Calculus I & II, Statistics I & II, Bit of stochastic processes.
Econ Courses: Microeconomics I and II, Macroeconomics I & II, Econometrics I & II, Public Finance, Game Theory I & II, Industrial Organisation, Social Choice Theory, Modern Growth Theory.
Other Courses: None.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Economics Professors. 1 well known, most probably the LoR's would be good.
Research Experience: Except for term papers and thesis, none.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Game Theory, Econometrics.
Statement of Purpose: Pretty ordinary!
Concerns: Gap of a couple of years.
Applying to: Michigan, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Penn State, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Iowa - Tippie, Arizona State, Rochester, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins

Buster 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ, top 15 US Econ institution
Undergrad GPA: 3.2/4
Type of Grad: Public Policy Master's, Same school
Grad GPA: 3.85/4
GRE: 780Q, 550V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (B,B,D), Diff Eq (B-), Finite (A-), Linear Alg (A), Real Analysis (B+)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Micro (A), Econometrics I, II (A, Pass), Institutional (A-)
Econ Courses (Ma-level): Micro (A), Macro (A), Econometrics I, II (A,A), Trade (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A lot, mostly A's
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (1 Harvard PhD well known, co-authored a paper, 1 Purdue PhD, Econometrics Prof) Current Supervisor (Chief Economist, Rochester PhD)
Research Experience: Graduate RA for well known Econ Prof. RA 2 years at U.S. central bank.
Teaching Experience: Tutoring Econ/Math/Stats
Research Interests: International Macro, Monetary Econ
Applying to: Berkeley, UCSD, UCLA, Santa Cruz, USC, Santa Barbara, UC-Davis, University of Washington, BC, BU, Duke, UNC

golden_bears 2010: Type of Undergrad: B.A. Double Major: Economics & Applied Mathematics from, well, the best public research university in the world (as we say here) :), also a junior transfer from community coolege
Undergrad GPA: 3.45/4.00 (UC GPA), 3.95/4.00 (Community College GPA), 3.74 Cumulative GPA
Type of Grad: A summer course at LSE that could be considered a grad course
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: 790Q, 540V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (A), UG Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Numerical Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, etc...
Econ Courses (Undergrad-level): Mostly took macro and econ history courses.
Statistics Courses: Probability (IP), Computing Stats (for the statistical package R), not much here really
Letters of Recommendation: 3, 1 of which was submitted today; Two have the potential to be very strong and one neutral or slightly positive at best. I doubt any would be negative -- my gpa does enough for that.
Research/Teaching Experience:
1. Created, developed, and taught a course here. In its fourth semester. Wrote a paper for my faculty sponsor/LoR provider (non-Econ department)
2. Doing my honors thesis right now (LoR provider - Econ department)
Teaching Experience:
1. Self-taught course -- see above.
Research Interests: Political Economy of NE Asia, Developmental, Transitional Economics
Statement of purpose: Picked a topic I was interested in
Diversity Statement: Mostly my background, but focus was still on what I wanted to do.
Concerns: Haha, where should i begin? :crazy:
-Nontraditional student
My professor and LoR provider said, "You know, ..., it'll be interesting to see where you get into considering your background." I think he was thinking out loud, but, I guess that sums up my concerns. He also said, "You'll get in somewhere."
Applying to: UCLA, UCSD, Northwestern, Harvard (yep, lol), Yale, Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, Caltech, UC Davis, Duke, Johns Hokpins, Maryland... all econ ph.d (i'm just hoping they all have my material)...

devtron 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A Econ/BS Commerce, top 25 university
Undergrad GPA: 3.80/4
Type of Grad: Math, non-degree
Grad GPA: 4/4
GRE: 800Q, 690V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Undergrad: Multivar. Calc (A-), Intro Analysis (A), Diff EQ (A), Linear Algebra (B+); Grad: Real Analysis II (A), Advanced Linear Algebra (A), Math Stat I (A) and II (In progress), Stochastic Processes (In progress)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): NA
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro/Macro, Corporate Finance, Econ of Advertising (A-), Econ of China, Econometrics, International Trade - All A's and A+'s, except advertising
Other Courses: a lot of business/finance courses, probably only marginally helpful
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ phd's, 1 econ professor, 1 math professor
Research Experience: 2 years at a federal reserve bank as an RA, 2 publications in an internally reviewed journal
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: macro and IO
statement of purpose: Pretty standard, made some changes for each school to talk about whose research I am interested in... I talked mostly about my experience, in more detail than elsewhere on the application - only briefly about my future plans
Concerns: no graduate econ, could have taken more math.
Applying to: UVA, Duke, UPenn, Minnesota, Wisconsin-Madison, NYU, Northwestern, Princeton, BU, BC, OSU, Wash U in St. Louis, Georgetown, Penn State, ASU, Maryland

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

irrational_exp 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ/Spanish major, Math Minor from a top 5-10 Midwestern liberal arts college.
Undergrad GPA: 3.73
GRE: 760Q 490V 6.0AWA (Apparently I can write but still can't read)
Math Courses: Calc I-II-III (A,B+,A), Linear Algebra (B+), Statistics (A), Discrete Math (B), Real Analysis (Now),
Econ Courses: Principles Micro/Macro (A-,A), Intermediate Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Econ of Developing Countries (A), Taken at UCM Madrid (in Spanish): Econ of European Union (B+), Political Economy of Ibero-American Relations (A), International Finance? (A)
Other Courses: Did well in my Nietzsche course,
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ. professors, Brown, UIC, NC State. Published in AER but the strength of the the letters is that they know me, not that they are published.
Research Experience: Sr Yr research scholarship on non-profit firms, especially universities, Fed challenge, does that count?
Awards: Economics board trustee scholarship.
Research Interests: Development, behavioral, health
Statement of Purpose: I think it was good but everybody else thinks similiarly. Mentioned my research interests.
Other: 760 GREq yuck. Consistant 800's on practice. 490 V doesn't look good for a native speaker either. Would like Real Analysis and ODE on transcript.
Applying to: East Coast: NYU, Columbia, Brown, JHU, BU <-Yeah right BC Duke UNC-CH, New School, American, Gtown, GW, Buffalo (home), Rochester, Temple, Clemson, Fordham
Yay (so far): Temple
Nay: Duke

sjmm 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA math and econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4
Type of Grad: ND, gpa 3.9/4
GRE: 780Q, 610V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: calc 1+2, linear, vector, diffeq, pde, topology, real analysis 1+2, algebra 1+2, game theory
Econ Courses: micro, macro, international, development, econometrics, math econ
Other Courses: politics
Letters of Recommendation: 1 econ, 1 politics, 1 math
Research Experience: REU
Teaching Experience: TA throughout undergrad
Statement of Purpose: Standard
Concerns: total lack of research
Applying to: CSU, NCSU, Duke, Cornell, Columbia, JHU, Brown, Georgetown, Drexel, AU, UMD

C.C 2010:
Institution: Duke,Yale
Program: Econ
Decision: Rejection
Notification date: 2/16,2/18(maybe)
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GF: No
Institution:Cornell
Program: Econ
Decision: Rejection
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Institution:Minnesota
Program: Econ
Decision: Waiting List
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments: What a February...

jito32 2010:
Institution: Boston College
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Admit
Funding: Tuition + 16k
Notification date: 2-27-2010
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments: w00t!

chuisle 2010:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: 2/16
Notified through: Email to check site
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Hoping because I'm not a great fit
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: Economics PhD
Decision:Rejected
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Was disappointed to be rejected since I was considering this a "safety"
Waiting on: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Brown, NYU, UPenn, Berkeley, Boston U, U of I - Urbana, UW Madison (Welcome ALL info on these!)

77rus 2010:
itution: UC Berkeley
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Reject
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 03/02/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments: expected

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

delimitless 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 60 Economics UG
Undergrad GPA: 3.75 (3.85 math & econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q/640V/5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc series; Linear Algebra; UG Analysis; Grad Analysis I; Grad Topology I-II; Dynamical Systems
Econ Courses: Grad Macro; Grad Micro; Grad Metrics; standard UG classes
Other Courses: Philosophy minor
Letters of Recommendation: Grad Macro Professor; two economists at regional fed where I worked
Research Experience: 2 Years at Regional Fed. Couple co-authored papers in the works. Felt this was instrumental to my intent/results
Teaching Experience: Tutoring and Grading at UG
Research Interests: Macro, Labor, Computational
SOP: Customized for a little while then just got lazy and sent the same one
Other: good to be moving on
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NSF; UPenn(after NSF); UCLA($); Ohio State($$)
Waitlists: Maryland (Accepted after NSF); WUSTL
Rejections: Yale; Northwestern; NYU; Chicago; Stanford; Minnesota; Columbia; Duke
Pending:
Attending: U Penn
What would you have done differently? Probably would have customized my SOP a bit more. It just got so dull. Second-guessing the past is easy...I guess work harder in UG is the easy answer; but I wasn't so sure that I wanted a PhD at that time.

Econfan 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from a top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.53 (3.1 freshman year, 3.8 sophomore-senior years)
Type of Grad: Non-degree math coursework at a top 10 math department
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790 Q, 670 V, 4.5 AW (New Scoring: 164 Q, 164 V)
Math Courses: Undergrad: Calc II electives (C+/B), Linear Algebra (B), Calc III (A), Diff Eq (A), Analysis (B), Bridge to Advanced Math (A-), Probability (B+) Grad: Probability (A-), Linear Algebra (B)
Econ Courses: Econ Principals (A-), Intro Macro (A), Intermediate Macro (A-), Econ Stats (A-), Intermediate Micro (A), Intro Econometrics (A), International Econ (A), Advanced Macro (A), Thesis (A-/A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Advanced Micro (W)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 economics professors from undergrad, one of whom I was very close with (RAed, TAed, thesis adviser); economics professor at a top 50 econ department who's active in research (top 50r something on IDEAS)
Research Experience: RA for two summers for a professor in college doing labor research; senior thesis; worked for 3 years at a top econ consulting firm after graduation
Teaching Experience: TAed for Intro Macro and Intro Econometrics during undergrad
Research Interests: IO, ???
SOP: Pretty standard; I didn't personalize it by department.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), UT-Austin ($)
Waitlists: UVA (withdrew)
Rejections: Penn, Northwestern, Duke, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, Brown, Michigan, Wharton (after interview), Cornell
Attending: Wisconsin!!
There were plenty of things I would have done differently (not withdrawing from advanced micro, not taking analysis while taking 5 classes, working 2 jobs, and interviewing for jobs senior year), but there is one thing I definitely wouldn't have done differently. I made the decision to take a consulting job over a job at the Fed after college, knowing that it wouldn't be as good for my application, because it felt like a better fit. It turned out to in fact be a great fit for me, and I've grown from the experience in a lot of ways that have made me better prepared for grad school. My advice from this is that you should definitely make sure you have everything you need to get into grad school (math, research, etc.), but you shouldn't base all of your decisions on getting into grad school, because it may be the thing you do that doesn't help your resume that may indirectly make you better a better student in grad school or a better researcher later in life.
Despite the painfulness of the process, I'm very happy with the end result. I can't say there weren't times when I wished I'd never heard of this forum (for example, when I was neurotically checking posts at 2 am), but I'm glad this great group of people was hear to take away some of the pain from the horror that is economics phd applications.

resource 2012:
Type of Undergrad: BA, Economics, English -- liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.6
Type of Grad: MS, Economics -- Top 50 Econ
Grad GPA: 3.1
GRE: 166Q / 165V / 5.5A
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Intro Stat, Math Stat I-II.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I-II (PhD), Macro I-II (PhD), Econometric Theory I (PhD), Applied Microeconometrics (PhD), Env. & Resource Econ (PhD), Agri. Prod & Supply (PhD)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All of them.
Letters of Recommendation:
(1) Exceptional, MS thesis co-adviser, very well-published in Env Econ.
(2) Exceptional, MS thesis co-adviser, among top students in his Env Econ course, very well-published in Env Econ.
(3) Exceptional, UG adviser, served as his TA, took 3 courses with him, not well-known.
Research Experience: 3 working papers, 1 paper published in conference proceedings, MS Thesis (will be submitted to field journal co-authored with letter of recommendation writers 1&2), Summer RAship with well-known environmental economist at mediocre econ department, UG honors thesis. Several presentations (1 of them at a good field conference). Co-investigator on $40k grant for applied work in my field.
Teaching Experience: TA in UG for Principles of Micro, Environmental Econ, and Market Experiments.
Research Interests: Environmental and Resource Economics, Applied Econometrics.
SOP: Discussed research and faculty with whom I'd like to work.
Concerns: C+ in Ph.D. Macro. Failed macro prelim.
Other: Fellowship at graduate institution. MS Thesis won interdisciplinary award.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland AREC ($$ -- originally waitlisted for funding), Wisconsin AAE ($$), Georgia State ($$)
Rejections: Duke, Duke UPEP, Berkeley ARE, Davis ARE, Cornell AEM, Yale FES, Oregon
Attending: Maryland AREC
What would you have done differently? Nuthin' -- I had fun.

revilo 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Australasian University, BA/BE(Hons) in Economics and Engineering Science (Operations Research)
Undergrad GPA: 7.8/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.8 on US scale)
Type of Grad: Same university, BA(Hons) in Economics, MA in Economics
Grad GPA: 8.25/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.88 on US scale)
GRE: V 164, Q 167, AWA 5 (on third attempt...)
Math Courses: Engineering Maths 1-3, Real Analysis 1-2, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Theory 1-2, Macro, Econometrics, Energy Economics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, Trade, Game theory, Environmental, Financial Economics
Other Courses: 4 Grad operations research courses, 3 grad statistics course (inc time series and probability theory), Some other engineering stuff
Letters of Recommendation: Emeritus Professor at Northwestern, Head of Department, Thesis Supervisor
Research Experience: 1.5 years of RA work on electricity markets for two different professors includes co-authoring two papers. One summer of RA work on nutrient trading schemes. Honours Dissertation on climate change IAM modelling.
Teaching Experience: Two semesters introductory micro, Three semesters introductory macro, One semester introductory programming for engineers
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO
SOP: full of typos!
Concerns: a smattering of crappy grades
Other: Semester on exchange to Hong Kong
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UChicago (attending), Columbia, UC Berkeley ARE, U British Columbia, U Toronto
Rejections: Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, NYU, Penn, Michigan, Duke, Maryland

econsd 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc in Economics with a Business Minor
Undergrad GPA: 3.731
Type of Grad: MSc in Economics from same school
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: First try: 740Q,410V,4.5AWA Second try: 158Q,152V,4.0AWA
Math Courses: Intro to Prob and Stats (Calc Based) (A), Cal 1-3 (B,B,A), Differential Equations (B), Elementary Logic and Sets (Intro to Proofs) (A), Matrix Algebra (A), Linear Algebra (B), Real Analysis (A), Statistics 2 (A)
Grad Econ Courses: Marketing Research (A), International Econ (A), Industrial Organization (A), History of Econ Thought (A), Labor Econ (A), Advanced Micro (A), Research Methods (A), Time Series Econometrics(A), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Micro (A), Principles of Macro (A), Marketing (A), Money and Banking (B), Inter Micro (A), Inter Macro (A), Public Finance (A), Math Econ (A), Stats II (Econ Department) (B)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Grad advisor and 2 from Grad professors. All are from top 50 schools or very close but are not well known in researching or publications. I believe all were very strong.
Research Experience: Graduate Thesis, Co-Author with a professor ( Published ), class: Research Methodology in Applied Econ, Conference Presentation w/ thesis advisor
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Health Economics/Applied Micro
SOP: I spent a lot of time on this because of setbacks in my profile and modified it for each school
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UK($), UGA($), FL St. ($), CO(-), NCSU(?), OR(?), Kansas($), WA St($), IUPUI($), OR St.(?), MO(-)
Waitlists:
Rejections: WI-Madison, Duke, VA, Vandy, MSU, AZ, UNC Chapel Hill, Purdue
Pending: 1
Attending: Emory ($)
What would you have done differently? The weaknesses, in my opinion, in my application were my GRE score and my undergraduate/MSc university. I wouldn't have transferred based on friends, relationships, and a co-authorship. The only thing I would have done differently is study more for the GRE instead of taking its impact so lightly. If you would have told me I had a choice between 12 acceptances at the beginning of the cycle I wouldn't have believed it. I'm thrilled with my results and very excited to attend Emory. Thanks for everyone who was there to talk it out in tiny chat for the past few months and good luck with your programs.

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.

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.

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

ptf 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics (Minor: Mathematics) from an unknown SE Asian university (Top 2 in my unknown country)
Undergrad GPA: 3.83 (Econ: 3.76, Math: 3.81)
Type of Grad: MSc Economics from a Top 3 UK university
Grad GPA: Pass (Average: 58.5%)
GRE: 800Q/320V/3.5AW, 800Q/500V/3.0AW
Math Courses (Undergrad): Calculus 1-3 (A, B+, A), Logic and Set Theory (A), Abstract Algebra (B+), Linear Algebra (A), Ordinary Differential Equation (A), Partial Differential Equation (A), Mathematical Analysis (B+), Vector Analysis (A), Statistics 1-2 (A, B+)
Econ Courses (Undergrad): Principles of Microeconomics (A), Principles of Macroeconomics (A), Microeconomic Theory (A), Macroeconomic Theory (B+), Mathematical Economics 1-2 (B, A), Econometrics 1-2 (B, B+), Public Economics 1-2 (A, B+), Seminar in Public Economics (A), International Economics 1-2 (B+, A), Seminar in International Economics (A), Monetary Economics 1-2 (A, A), Industrial Organization (A), Agricultural Marketing (B+)
Econ Courses (Grad): Microeconomics (Merit), Macroeconomics (Merit), Econometrics (Pass), Public Economics (Pass)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from senior lecturer at my grad program (PhD Harvard) + 1 from assistant professor at my undergrad program (PhD ANU) + 1 from lecturer at my undergrad program (PhD Indiana)
Research Experience: 2 years of part-time RA in public economics and international economics during my undergrad
Teaching Experience: 2 semesters of TA in microeconomics during my undergrad
Research Interests: public finance, education, inequality, macroeconomics
SOP: Standard statement talking about my preparations, explaining bad grades in my master's degree, and describing my research interests with some (minor) modifications for each school (Not so specific in terms of research topics and hardly mentioned any particular names)
Other: (1) Participated in a summer internship at the central bank (2) Got funding for my graduate studies from the government scholarship (3) Had a second bachelors in political science and is currently doing a second masters in political theory
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Chicago
Waitlists: Pennsylvania, UC-Davis, Washington
Rejections: UC-Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, UCLA, UCSD, Duke, CMU, Marryland, Rochester, UT-Austin, Oxford, UCL
Pending: UIUC
Attending: Chicago
What would you have done differently?
Well, I've always thought that my life would be much easier if I did my undergrad in the US. Anyway, I'm more than happy -- and very surprised -- with this bizarre result.
Some advices from my experience!
If you're from an unknown country, a master's degree from a well-known program does help a lot! Coming from a university outside the US, you'll get more chance if there've been some students from that university in a program to which you are apllying. Also, things get easier if you've got external funding. Another important thing is to note that all this process is extremely subjective; therefore, you should apply to quite a wide range of schools. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, pray hard... I think it helps!

michicon 2012:
Have benefitted a lot from this forum, finally time to contribute
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top-10 Liberal Arts College, BA in Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.4/4.0, Major GPA 3.5/4.0
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 166Q, 151V, 4.5 AW
Math Courses: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Math Models
Econ Courses: Micro Theory, Macro Theory, Econ Stats, Regression, Applied Econometrics, Econ Development, Public Finance
Other Courses: Some Sociology courses
Letters of Recommendation: Should have been pretty strong, fairly well known economists in their fields. Have publications in the pipeline with all of them
Research Experience: Honors in undergraduate thesis, three papers in the works, (almost) three years of full time RA experience in development economics, one summer of research internship.
Teaching Experience: TA/grader for undergraduate regression class
Research Interests: Development (Health, Education, Migration), Labor, Public Finance
SOP: Fairly standard. Talked about field experience from a developing country
Other: A fair bit of volunteer experience
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan ($, attending), BU ($ 2nd year onwards, declined)
Waitlists: Maryland (rejected)
Rejections: Chicago, Northwestern, Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Columbia, Berkeley ARE, LSE, Brown, Duke
Pending: None
What would you have done differently?
I wished I realized earlier in my undergrad that I wanted to do a PhD. Until junior year, I thought I wanted to be a development practitioner and not a researcher. Would have worked much harder and taken more Math courses. Given my credentials, I aimed a bit too high, but then I was betting on a strong set of LoRs. Fortunately, it paid off.
Advice for future applicants with similar profile(s): Get an RA job for a few years, work hard and get some solid recommendations out of it

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.

marlow 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BCS Computer Science, Econ Minor
Undergrad GPA: 3.75
Type of Grad: MA Economics
Grad GPA: 3.41
GRE: Q:800 V:620 AWA:4.0
Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics, Combinatorics.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro (Phd), Macro (MA), Development, Monetary, Econometrics.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, Public, International.
Letters of Recommendation: Two very strong (profs I RAd for). One good.
Research Experience: RA for two econ profs, Research Analyst at non-profit, RA for political science prof.
Teaching Experience: TA stats for econ.
Research Interests: Development, Political Economy, Public.
SOP: Interests, background, one custom paragraph for each school.
Concerns: Low Grad GPA, low Analytical GRE, out of school for three years.
RESULTS:
Accepted: UofToronto ($$), UCSC($)
Waitlists: Georgetown (withdrew), Bocconi
Rejected: Duke, Brown, Michigan, Northwestern, UBC, UCL, McGill
Attending: Toronto
What would you have done differently?
Worked harder during my MA. Taken Real Analysis. Maybe applied to a few more schools. -- Happy with Toronto though.

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.

BScMAPhD 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Bachelor of Science in Math(With Honors)
Undergrad GPA: 3.78 (ranked 1)
Type of Grad: MA Economics
Grad GPA: 3.9 (ranked 1)
GRE: 170Q, 146V, 3.5
Math Courses: Calculus(Mathematical Analyses) I- III (A), Linear Algebra I&II (A), Probability Theory I & II (A), Diff. Equations I & II (A), Numerical Analysis I & II (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Econ Growth, Time Series I & II, Advanced Micro, Advanced Econometrics (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): none
Other Courses: None relevant.
Letters of Recommendation: 1) Well-known Mathematician (I served as TA),
2) Professor, my MA Thesis Advisor ( well-known person in Academia)
3) Professor of Econometrics (should be very strong letter)
Research Experience: Published math paper
Teaching Experience: TA for Macro, Math, Econometrics.
Research Interests: Macro, Econ Growth.
SOP: Standard
Concerns: Low GRE verbal, TOEFL 94.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NYU, Chicago, Cornell, Ohio ( all with $$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections:Princeton, Columbia, Yale, U of Michigan, UC Berkley, UCLA, Brown, Boston U, Northwestern U, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), U of Wisconsin Madison, Duke.
Pending: None
Attending: NYU!!! !!! !

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)

DasGut 2012:
I'm only applying to two Econ "style" programs, but I thought I'd post my profile anyway.
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 Private University (US News) (Majors: Finance & Accounting)
Undergrad GPA: 3.51 (3.87 Last Two Years)
Type of Grad: MS in Pure Mathematics (Top 70 Math, Top 50 Undergrad US News)
Grad GPA: 3.97
GRE: 167Q/162V/4.0AW (Old Score: 770Q/560V/5.0AW)
Math Courses: Multivariable Calculus (B), Linear Algebra (B), Ordinary Differential Equations (A), Foundations of Mathematics [Intro to Proofs] (A), Mathematical Statistics I [Calc-Based Probability] (A), Mathematical Statistics I [Calc-Based Statistics] (A-), Real Analysis I (A), Real Analysis II (A), Abstract Algebra I (A), Abstract Algebra II (A), Complex Analysis (A), Scientific Computing (A-),
Math Courses (grad-level): Point-Set Topology (A), Algebraic Topology (A), Measure Theory (A), Functional Analysis (A), Methods of Applied Mathematics I (A), Methods of Applied Mathematics II (A), Master's Project in Minimal Surfaces (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): None
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 very well known differential geometer and head of MS department who was my advisor for my MS project (NYU Math PhD), 1 known statistician I took a class with (Harvard Biostatistics PhD), 1 analyst and head of undergrad math department who I took a class with (Tulane Math PhD), 1 not as well known algebraist who I took classes and did research with (UWisc Math PhD).
Research Experience: 2 summers with the Office of Naval Research through Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program run by the American Society For Engineering Education
Teaching Experience: 1 semester for Introductory Management Accounting
Research Interests: Optimization, Decision Theory, Stochastic Processes & Differential Equations, Mechanism Design, Game Theory, Mathematical Finance, Theoretical Statistics
SOP: Discussed how my research interests developed out of my research
Concerns: Low undergrad GPA.
Other:
Applying to: Duke (Decision Sciences), Princeton (ORFE), and a bunch of pure & applied math and stats programs

AnyNameDontCare 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Bachelor of Commerce in Economics. Top university in the Mideast.
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 161Q / 138V / waiting for AWA
TOEFL: 80
Math Courses: Mathematical Economics (A), Math 1&2 (both C), Statistics for Economics (B+), Mathematical and Statistical Techniques - graduate course (A)
Econ Courses: All of them (almost all As)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 unknown professors in my undergraduate university. I guess they should be very strong as they know me very well and I worked with them as TA.
Research Experience: NA
Teaching Experience: TA in UG for Principles of Micro, Intermediate Macro.
SOP: Typical, nothing fancy.
Concerns: low TOEFL, low GRE Verbal, no research experience.
Applying to: Duke (Econ MA), UC Denver (Econ MA), UIC (Econ MA), Eastern Michigan (Econ MA).

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

huneba 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International bachelor (me and the degree)
Undergrad GPA: ~3.7
Type of Grad: Masters
Grad GPA: ~3.9
GRE: 166Q, 156V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus II (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): ​Microeconomics I (A), II (B), Macroeconomics I (A), II (A), Econometrics I (A-), II (A), Thesis (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Microeconomics (A), Macroeconomics (A-), Econometrics (B-), Advanced Microeconomics (B), Advanced Macroeconomics (B), Advanced Econometrics (A-), Time Series (A), Microeconometrics (A), Maths Econ (A)
Other Courses: N/A
Letters of Recommendation: Thesis advisor and a couple of other professors that taught me (reasonably well-known)
Research Experience: Research assistant
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Microeconomics, industrial organization, econometrics
SOP: 2 pages -- mainly discussed my research experience and interests
Concerns: Isn't it obvious? The only maths on my transcript is calc 2!
Applying to: Chicago, Northwestern, Yale, Penn, NYU, Columbia, UCSD, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Duke, Maryland, Boston, Cornell, Brown, Penn State

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!

lessgiraffe 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N.A.
Notification Date: 2/10/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: -

wbuelow 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/22
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First decision. 12 more to go. Too bad, I wanted to do metrics.

anibalem 2012:
Institution: University of Rochester
Program: PhD Finance
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification 2/23/12
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No

Arienette 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Econ
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification Date: 2/10/12
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: oh well
Institution: Pittsburgh
Program: PhD Econ
Decision: Accepted
Funding: They're still deciding, but they expect they'll be able to offer me funding
Notification Date: 2/29/12
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Yay!

hkweconomics 2012:
Institution: U Pittsburgh
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ~20k
Notification date: March 1
Notified through: Received letter
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Yes!

tunedradio 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.89
Type of Grad: audited 1st year micro, 2nd year development
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q/700V/6.0A
Math Courses: Multivariate Calc (A-) Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (currently taking), Statistics (A), Diff Eq. in High School
Econ Courses: lots, A's throughout, A+'s in intermediate micro and macro
Other Courses: lots of political science / development / policy
Letters of Recommendation: one very famous, one very good one (coauthor) but junior, another junior
Research Experience: substantial; senior honor's thesis, presentations at four conferences, year of RA full-time, co-authored (yet to be published) less-technical papers with two professors (one very famous)
Teaching Experience: TA for three semesters (one at graduate level)
Research Interests: devo / trade
SOP: good (but it doesn't really matter)
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NSF, Yale ($), Berkeley ARE ($), Michigan Econ/Public Policy ($), USSD ($), Penn State ($), Brown (waitlisted $), Duke ($), UC-Boulder ($), LSE (Msc)
Waitlists: Princeton PolyEc PhD
Rejections: Harvard KSG, Cornell, LSE (PhD), MIT
What would you have done differently? I actually applied last year with substantial less math and research experience and was accepted into two top 20 programs but no top 10 programs (and honorable mentioned on the NSF), so for those who are considering it, I found a year of RAing and a few more classes (and better recs) can really boost your admits.

rvalchev 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private school. First tier according to US News but dead last in that tier
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 - I have another 2 weeks till graduation but hopefully it'll stay this way
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 530V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Real Analysis, Topology, Probability Theory, Computational Statistics, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics and Forecasting, Game Theory, Money and Banking, Public Economics
Other Courses: Assortment of Business core classes.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Letters from Econ Profs and 1 from a math prof. I think letters will be good to great, math professor has taught me for 2 years and I've conducted research for an year together with one of my econ profs.
Research Experience: Honors Thesis, RA for two summers but I wasted those summers so nothing really came out of it.
Research Interests: Metrics, applied metrics ... i am open to anything
SOP: It was weak, unfocused and not customized for schools
RESULTS:
Attending: Duke ($$$)
Acceptances, declined: Wisconsin ($$$), Cornell ($$$), Ohio State( $$$), UNC -Chapel Hill ($$$), Michigan State ($$$), Pitt ($$$), Tinbergen Institute ($$$), LSE EME (Research), Oxford MPhil, Michigan (no $), Texas(no $), USC ($$$),
Waitlists: Duke funding waitlist, BU funding waitlist, Princeton Waitlist, Texas Waitlist, Michigan waitlist
Rejections: MIT, Princeton (rejected from waitlist), Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Chicago, UCSD, Penn State, Boston College, Cambridge
What would you have done differently? First, read jeeve's thread about suggestions for people from less known undergrads (it was impossible since it was not written until a couple of days ago, but that's what future people should do). Second, apply to NYU, Columbia and Northwestern (but most probably I would have only taken Northwestern over Duke. But still, my portfolio of schools was a little unbalanced). Third, write a much, much better SOPs that would be much better tailored to different schools. You'll be surprised how much SOPs matter (heard it directly from admissions directors at TOP10 and TOP20 schools).Fourth, don't get RA positions that are in the network of your schools and professors because you are already part of this network, so it doesn't add much to your profile. Go out and work for somebody different.

Mankins 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Very large US public university
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q, 600V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Mathematical Structures, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Probability, Advanced Calculus I, and Intermediate Real Analysis I (all A or A+). Topology and Mathematical Statistics (Spring 2009).
Econ Courses: The usual, plus Econometrics , Advanced Honors Micro (uncertainty), Advanced Honors Macro (taught by Nobel Laureate). All A or A+, except Econometrics where I got an A-. Game Theory (Spring 2009).
Letters of Recommendation: One from a Nobel Laureate (not sure how solid it was). One from a well-known economist in micro theory and information (probably knows me better than any of my other professors). One from my Advanced Calc professor.
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Experience: Some preliminary work on an undergraduate thesis (never finished), Econometrics paper co-authored with two other students
Research Interests: micro theory, advertising, economics of information, behavioral/neuro/experimental, IO, development
SOP: Standard
Concerns: Very little research experience, no graduate courses
Applying to: Yale, Duke, Stanford, MIT, Northwestern, Chicago, Illinois Urbana, Berkeley, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona State, Carnegie Mellon, and Duke Decision Sciences
RESULTS:
Attending: Minnesota ($$)
Acceptances, declined: Carnegie Mellon ($$$), U Texas at Austin ($), U Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ($$), Arizona State ($$)
Rejections: MIT, Berkeley, Yale, Stanford, U Penn, U Chicago, Northwestern (on the waiting list, briefly), Duke Economics, Duke Decision Sciences
What would you have done differently? There's not much more I could have realistically done. Maybe I could have gone to more office hours and talked to professors more outside of class. I think I may have had better results if I had taken PhD Micro, but I don't know where I would have fit that into my schedule. I transferred schools and switched majors halfway through my junior year, and it took 5 years to finish my Bachelor's degree because of it. I hadn't finished Calc I until the summer of 2007, so I had to catch up quickly on the math required for graduate economics. Considering what a tough year it was, things could have turned out much worse.

El Greco 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: top 50 large public university - to 10 business school. B.S. in finance and international business
Undergrad GPA: 3.76
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 790/610/4.5 (q/v/awa)
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A+,A,current), Finite Math (B+), Intro to Stats (B+), DiffyQ 1 (current), Prob & Stats 1 (current),
Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (A-,A), Inter Micro (A), Bus Econ (A-), Banking and Cap Mkts (A)
Other Courses: finance courses
Letters of Recommendation: Probably pretty good, one was my thesis advisor (UCLA PHD finance), cap mkts class (WVU PHD Econ), inter micro (PHD Cornell)
Research Experience: Just undergraduate thesis on credit derivatives
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: fin econ, behavioral econ/finance, monetary econ, macro
SOP: I think it was normal to good.
Other:
RESULTS: (masters)
Acceptances: Tufts ($), BU (no $)
Waitlists: Duke
Rejections: Duke (off waitlist), UToronto MFE
Pending: WashU MfinWhat would you have done differently? I was happy to get into Tufts w some $. I was a finance major with little math background and have been taking math/econ courses at a local university back home in florida. I don't know what I want to do (phd/private sector) but I am happy with Tufts. After getting into Tufts i rescinded and didn't complete other international apps because I'd rather be in the states, hopefully that doesnt end up being a bad decision but tufts is a good school with a good reputation and I am really excited to start there in the fall

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