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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

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.

miaataro 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad/Grad: BSc in Economics (minors in Mathematics, Statistics and Business Studies) and MSc in Economics (+ a still unfinished MSc in Statistics) from an unknown university in Finland.
Undergrad/Grad GPA: Overall 4.90, Econ 4.94, Math 4.83, Stat 4.94 (on a scale of 1-5)
GRE: 800Q, 390V, 4AWA
TOEFL: 111 (29R, 30L, 23S, 29W)
Math Courses: Unfortunately, they don't have illustrative names. I tooks a course sequence for a minor in math that dealt with the basic areas (linear algebra, differential calculus, integral calculus, real analysis, etc.) in more of an applied fashion.
Stat Courses: A lot. Mathematical Statistics 1 & 2 and Probability Calculus A & B + courses in time series analysis, survival models, mixed models, regression models, multivariate statistics, stochastic simulation, computational statistics, bayesian statistics, robust and nonparametric methods etc.
Econ Courses: A lot. Intermediate and advanced level courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics and econometrics + courses in labour economics, regional economics, microeconometrics, applied econometrics, game theory etc. I also took the econometrics core course in the Finnish Doctoral Program in Economics during the ongoing academic year.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 economics professors and a statistics professor from my university and a research director from an economics research institute. I guess they all know me quite well and believe in me, so their letters should have been good in that sense. None of them were well-known, however (but apparently they had some important connections after all).
Research Experience: BSc and MSc theses in economics, RA for one of my economics professors for 7 months, two last summers as a research trainee in an economics research institute, two last falls as an assistant researcher in an economics research institute, a researcher in an economics research institute from January onwards.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Econometrics and empirical/applied microeconomics
SOP: Nothing spectacular. Tried to emphasize my research experience and convince the reader that my educational background in economics, mathematic and statistics is strong enough, I guess.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: MIT, Tinbergen, LSE MSc EME (Research), Tilburg MPhil (2nd year), Uppsala (it was never official, though, as I withdraw my application)
Waitlists: -
Rejections: Princeton, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, U Michigan, UCL MSc
What would you have done differently? Absolutely nothing. I'm still amazed by my outcomes and really happy that I listened to my recommenders advice to try my luck with some of the top US schools. It definitely paid off...

lightyears 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Laurea in Economia e commercio
Undergrad GPA: 26,5/30
Type of Grad: Laurea specialistica in scienze dell'economia (2-years)
Grad GPA: 29,5/30
GRE: 800/550/3,5
Math Courses: Math analysis 1/2, Math for economists (optimization, ODE), financial math (up to some stochastic calculus), Stochastic Processes, Probability theory, Statistics
Econ Courses: usual stuff, a lot. No int. micro. A lot of int. macro, monetary, banking etc.
Other Courses: History of economic thought, Modern history etc.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Math PhD profs, 1 Econ prof, pretty standard and positive I think.
Research Experience: no
Teaching Experience: no
Research Interests: Macro, monetary, international
SOP: Boring but standard I think
Other: Nothing special.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: CEMFI (attending), UPF, Tinbergen I, ULB.
Waitlists: none
Rejections: EUI
Pending: Toulouse
What would you have done differently? Nothing. Since when I realized I wanted to do a PhD (middle of my first year of Msc!), I was already in the wrong university (unknown), with no time, and with an Erasmus period starting in few months. Given that, I did all I could. I didn't apply in the UK for economic reasons, and I wanted to stay in quite a warm place. At the end of the process, I'm very satisfied.

leguan 2009:
Institution: UPF
Program: MSc
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Full Tuition Waiver & TA
Notification date: February 5
Notified through: E-Mail
Comments: Tons of luck, mostly with my recommenders.
And thanks to Italos for this thread.

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....

rafos 2009:
Institution: UNC-CH
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Decisions by mid-march
Notification date: 3/6
Notified through: Letter by E-mail
Comments: Dont know what to do... Need to answer to the SSE offer by next Tuesday...

artuj 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 4-year B.A. Economics from Best Lithuanian University
Undergrad GPA: 8,9/10 (10 excellent, 9 very good, 8 good, 7 satisfactory) (my results gradually improved since my first year in university)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 340V, 3.0AWA (TOEFL iBT 113)
Math Courses: Advanced Mathematics (7) (linear algebra, matrix, vector spaces, differential calculus, integrals, differential equations), Optimization Methods (8), Operation Research (10), Quantitative Analysis of Economics (9), Business Mathematics (1.0 German)
Econ Courses (Undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro I-II (9,8), Intermediate Macro I-II (8,9), Public Economics (8), Economics of Social Security (8), Money and Credit (9), Higher Microeconomics (9), International Economics (9), Macroeconomic Models (10, State Economic Policy (10), Industrial Organization (9), Theory of Economic Growth (10), Game Theory (spring), Comparative Economics (10)
Statistics Courses: Statistics (8), Economic Statistics (excellent), Econometrics I-II (10,10)
Other Non credit courses (all spring semester): Higher Macroeconomics, Mathematical Analysis, Probability Theory, Time Series Econometrics with R, Mathematics for Economics Analysis, Asymptotic Statistics(PhD level)
Letters of Recommendation: None of them known outside the country
Research Experience:
Nothing special except of econometric research related with stock markets
Teaching Experience: TA during seminars of Econometrics for undergraduates ( Eviews software, GLS, Time Series)
Research Interests: Economic of Education, Health, Social Security, Public Economics, Labour Economics
Statement of purpose: concentrated over my interests and explained my skills in econ and math courses
Concerns: Quality of my school, my low GRE verbal/writing scores. Not excellent results within some modules. Exchange semester in University of Applied Sciences in Germany (I got excellent-very good results there). Many business related modules (most of them from first and second year)
Applying to: Mphil Tinbergen, Mphil Tilburg
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Tinbergen Institute ($$$)
Rejections: Tilburg RM1
What would you have done differently? Nothing
Attending:
Tinbergen Institute

DerPumuckl 2010:
Undergrad: Top 3 in Germany, BA in Economics
Undergrad GPA: 1.45/5.00 (the nearer to 1, the better)
Exchange: UW, Seattle
Exchange GPA: 3.86/4.00
GRE: 800Q/560V/4.5AWA
Math Courses: 2 Math courses for Economists, 2 Statistics Classes, Game Theory
Econ Courses: A lot including Micro I & II, Macro I & II as well as Econometrics I & II.
Grad courses: None - even though advanced German courses are well above Econ 400 level.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 from Profs with PhDs from Columbia, Chicago and Harvard. All should be strong.
Research Experience: RA for one Semester (for one of my letter of recommendation writers).
Teaching Experience: TA for one Semester.
Research Interests: International Macroeconomics, Finance.
Statement of Purpose: Good.
Other: Applying for Masters.
Concerns: Maybe not good enough grades.
RESULTS (Masters only):
Acceptances: Cambridge, UCL, Tinbergen ($$$) and Warwick
Still waiting for response: SSE, UBC
Rejections: LSE, Oxford
What would you have done differently? I'm attending Cambridge for my MPhil - very happy!

Cartman84 2010:
I made some slight changes in my profile (that is I tried to convert my grades to GPA used by the US universities and explained in further detail my Maths - I was kind of freshman-to-the-forum when posting my profile)
Type of Undergrad: MA (top grade/summa cum laude) in Econometrics from the top Polish business schol, BA (expected June 2010) in Maths, Warsaw University
Undergrad GPA: 4.7/5.5 (this is extremely hard to get on Econometrics, like 3,9 - 3,95/4 GPA) at my MA program, excellent grade on my thesis, rather poor grades at Maths (I study and work part-time as a freelancer so it's hard to be the top student now, GPA like 3,0/4 but I got very good grades on courses that are most closely related to economics)
Grad GPA: I did a 5 year program, consider it equivalent to Undergrad and some Grad courses too
GRE: V-530, Q-790, A-4.0(I think I was too nervous and solved some problems too fast, better use time they give you in 100%)
TOEFL: 112
Math Courses: Linear algebra, Calculus I-IV, Topology, ODE, Probability Theory I-II, Abstract Algebra, Control Theory, Time Series, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis, Computational Maths I-II, Complex Analysis, Statistics I-II, - mostly C and B but I consider the program very demanding as for a BA level, due to the reform of Polish university education system some of them is on the grad level
Econ Courses: Macro (4 semesters), Micro (3 semesters), Econometrics (lots of small lectures, let's say Theory and Applied with good understanding), Growth Theory, Game Theory I-II, Public Finance Theory, Monetary Policy, Mechanism Design
Other Courses: C++,
Letters of Recommendation: One from Economics Professor affiliated at one of the top10 US universities (get to know him during his lectures in Poland), one from my MA thesis supervisor (that's a really great letter, he recommended succesfuly some students to the top US and Europe programs), one from Maths Professor (PhD NYU, currently at Warsaw University, published in top Maths journals)
Research Experience: worked 2 years as a research economist, did some policy analyses for various Polish government agencies, also one paper for OECD/World Bank on pension funds performance; now working for a financial risk consultancy - mostly forecasting and programming
Teaching Experience: 4 years of TA - macro and micro for undergrads (started during my MA program)
Research Interests: Macroeconomics, focus on pension systems, DSGE models, exchange rates
statement of purpose: I aimed at presenting how professional and educational experience made me prepared well for the program, focus on strong mathematical background and teaching experience
Other: 26yr old male, Polish nationality
Concerns: late application to UMN, late reference letters
Applying to: UMN, Tinbergen, Tilburg, Stockholm Uni, Stockholm Sch. of Econ., Goethe, Universidad Carlos 3 Madrid, EUI Florence
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UMN, TI, Tilburg, SU, SSE, Goethe, EUI
Waitlists:
Rejections: UC3M (withdrawn application after being admitted to UMN, never really wanted to go there)
What would you have done differently? Nothing, I guess. Maybe if I had different preferences I would have speeded up my TOEFL/GRE and applied to some more US programs

SlowLearner38 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, Medium Less-Selective Midwest State School (no PhD)
Undergrad GPA: 3.52
Type of Grad: Masters-level ECON courses during undergrad.
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790Q 350V 3.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (B,A,B), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Discrete Math (B)
Stat Courses: Intro Stats (A), Regression and Variance I-II (A,A-), Probability Theory (B+)
Econ Courses: Intro/Inter Micro and Macro, Senior Research Seminar, Honors Thesis, Managerial Econ, Econ Forecasting, History of Econ Thought, Public Econ, Econ of Crime, Econ of Sports
Grad Courses: Math Econ I-II (using Simon/Blume), Managerial Econ
Letters of Recommendation: 4 ECON Professors -- None are very well known, but their letters were very strong. They coordinated it so that each focused on different aspects of my ability to do graduate studies in economics in their LORs {1 research ability, 1 teaching ability, 1 classroom ability, 1 summarizing letter from the department chair with a focus on personality}.
Research Experience: Presented undergrad honors thesis at ASSA/AEA conference (won 2 awards at my school for it), Contracted research for a non-profit economic education organization, and 2nd undergrad thesis underway during the time of application.
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO, Behavioral, Experimental
Statement of purpose: Told an elegant story about how I used to suck at college and now I don't. Tailored the last 1-2 paragraphs to each school.
RESULTS:
Ph.D. Accepts: Emory($$$), UT-Dallas($$), Arizona(Tuition Waiver), Oregon(?-Withdrew)
Ph.D. Rejects: Iowa, Vanderbilt, Virginia
Masters Accepts: UBC M.A.(Partial Tuition Scholarship), Tinbergen M.Phil.(no $)
M.A. Withdrawls: Toronto, Queen's, Simon Fraser
ATTENDING:
Emory University
What would you have done differently? Considering the constraints I was up against, coming from a low ranked state school with only a B.A. in Econ, I think I did very well for myself. Emory is a great fit for me!

kammulm 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. at top German econ department
Undergrad GPA: 1.5 (1.0 is best, 4.0 is worst passing grade)
Type of Grad: some masters courses at Copenhagen University
Grad GPA: 12/12
GRE: Q: 800, V:500, AWA:3.5
Math Courses: Analysis (1.3), Linear Algebra (1.3),Mathematics for Economists (Dynamic Programing, optimal control theory and comparative statics) (1.7), Topology and differential equations (1.0), Statistics (1.3) and Econometrics (1.7)
Econ Courses: M.Sc. Game theory (1.0), B.Sc. Contract Theory (1.7), M.Sc.Contract Theory (1.0), M.Sc. Behavioral Economics )1.0), Economic Policy (1.3), Public Finance (1.3), Macro I+II (1.3), Micro I+II (1.3), Trade Theory(1.7)
Letters of Recommendation: one stellar from a prof I RAed with, the rest solid but not outstanding
Research Experience: Research Assistant in Economic Policy for 4 months with focus on fiscal multipliers
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Institutional economics and behavioral Economics in combination with economic policy
SOP: nothing special
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Tilburg (MRes), Tinbergen (Mphil)
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
What would you have done differently? I would have submitted my applications earlier to be eligible for scholarships.

mariuszoican 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc Finance and Banking
Undergrad GPA: 9,85 /10
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: -
GRE: 800 Quant, 590 Verbal, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Linear Algebra, Basic Analysis, Econometrics and Statistics
Econ Courses: Corporate Finance, Asset Pricing, International Finance, Money and Banking
Other Courses: none relevant
Letters of Recommendation: professor Bogdan Negrea, Paris 1-Sorbonne,ASE Bucharest. prof. Alessandra Ferrari - University of Reading
Research Experience: 1 paper on Macro published with my professor, BSc Thesis on Empirical testing of the CAPM
Teaching Experience: none formal, TA sessions (informal) for my colleagues
Research Interests: Finance, Asset Pricing
SOP:
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Tinbergen Institute-MPhil Finance ($), MSQuant Finance Frankfurt, MSQuant Finance Vienna, MSc Advanced Economics Copenhagen
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
What would you have done differently?
Given the circumstances (no real option of choosing courses), I couldn't have improved my record really much. I could have taken a Financial Markets Statistics course to improve my background rather than a Game Theory one...
I also could have written more research papers.

confusedgrad 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Economics (one of the best universities in the country but not known extremely all over the world. still, it is recognized at some schools).
Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4 - 1st rank among 145 students.
Type of Grad: M.S. in Economics from the same university.
Grad GPA: 3.95/4.0 - 2nd rank
GRE: Took it three times: Q:800, 800, 800, V:430, 350, 390, AWA: 5.5, 3.5, 4.5,
TOEFL: IBT:110 (R:29, L:29, S:24, W:28)
Math Courses: allmost no math. Calculus I and II, Linear Algebra, Mathematics for Economists, Mathematical Statistics I and II, Econometrics I and II, Econometric Theory I an II, Time Series Econometrics and only auditing RG Real Analysis this semester. All AAs (no grade for real anal.)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Microeconomic Theory I and II, Macroeconomic Theory I and II,, International Macroconomics. All AA except for one BA.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A lot of courses with straight AAs.
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors (mostly 3 or only 2 of them were used). All from my university. They tried to write strong letters but none of them are knon actually.
Research Experience: Several years in Research department of the Central Bank. However, nothing published in good journals. Only some empirical work.
Teaching Experience: TAship at my ug university for the Statistics courses.
Research Interests: Macro including Int'l macro, monetary economics...
Statement of purpose: Not well tailored for each university. A standard one for all.
Concerns: 1. Almost no math. No advanced calculus, no differential equations, no real analysis. 2. letters from unknown profs and no special efforts from the referees, 3. not enough research experience, 4. age (i'll be 29) 5. that stupid visa issue.
Other: One positive concern: My employee might support 1st year expenditures so I can go with an unfonded offer for the first year.
Applying to: 3 types in US: 1) The ones I got accepted before: UMN, BC, BU, UCLA, UMD. 2) The ones I got rejected last year: Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, UCSD, 3) The ones I am applying for the first time (mostly dream school, just a fantasy): MIT, Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Brown. Also some European schools in case the visa becomes a problem again: LSE, LBS, Oxford, TI, UPF, CEMFI, EUI. Seems like I am a professional applicant. I made 51 applications so far. (6 in 2003, 23 in 2009, 22 in 2010). God, so much money, so much effort. Best luck, everyone...

verio16 2010:
Institution: Tinbergen Institute
Program: M.Phil Economics
Decision:Accepted
Funding: Full Funding (Tuition + Living expenses + health insurance)
Notification date: 5/03/2010
Notified through:Personal e-mail
Institution: Tilburg University (CentER)
Program: RM1 Economics
Decision:Accepted
Funding: Wait-listed for funding
Notification date: 5/03/2010
Notified through:Personal e-mail

lecast 2010:
Institution: Tinbergen Institute
Program: MPhil Finance
Decision: Accepted
Notification date: 3/4
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Funding: 1000EUR/mo (1350USD/mo)
Comments: Made my day back than...
Institution: Brandeis University
Program: PhD Intl Econ & Finance
Decision: Accepted
Notification date: 3/31
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Funding: 6000USD/yr TA (?!) + tuition waver + health
Comments: I honestly don't know what to think about this...

LoS 2011:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: Best school of business in Poland (but an American citizen)
Undergrad GPA: 3.37/4.0 in conversion, though it's not that simple
Type of Grad: Master's at the same school, exchange semester in Tilburg
Grad GPA: 3.30/4.0 at home school, 7.8/10 at UvT
GRE: 800Q, 610V, 4.5AW
Math Courses: Multiple courses in calculus, mathematical analysis, linear algebra, probability, statistics - though some dispersion in grades
Econ Courses (grad-level): advanced macroeconomics (comparable to US grad courses), bayesian econometrics, field econ classes (labor, public sector, development, institutional)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): multiple intermediate courses in micro and macro, mathematical economics, game theory.
Other Courses: lots of econometrics (did major both in grad and undergrad), retirement and life cycle economics at Tilburg
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Polish profs, 2 phds, one phd from Tilburg
Research Experience: bachelor's thesis, RAed for over 1 year at a large Embassy
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: empirical work, econometrics both at micro and macro level, also development and environment
SOP: standard I think, maybe a little chaotic but revealing passion and interests
Concerns: no outstanding or internationally renowned LORs, dispersion in grades, maybe too wide research interests
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Tinbergen ($$), EUI Florence ($$), Minnesota (TA, from waitlist), Tilburg, QEM
Waitlists: Minnesota (admitted April 11th)
Rejections: Columbia, NYU, Northwestern, Maryland, RA positions at FRB and JPAL
What would you have done differently?
As you can easily notice, I cracked practically everything in Europe, but I was pretty unsuccessful in the US. I think what I lacked was one strong letter of recommendation from somebody in a good standing on the other side of the ocean.

petecheese 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Business Finance. Top Univ in middle east
Undergrad GPA: 82/100 (3.4/4.0)
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics from same university
Grad GPA: 91/100 (4.0/4.0)
GRE: 780Q 470V 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc 1 (AP), Calc 2 (AP), Calc 3 (98/100), Linear Algebra (87/100), ODE (83/100), Econ Stats (80/100)
Econ Courses: Intermediate micro (87), Intermediate macro (99), Econometrics (80). Lots of grad courses (Micro, Macro, econometrics, monetary, etc...) Almost all 90+
Other Courses: A lot of finance courses (although lost interest in finance as field of study but had them from Ugrad)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from professor and chair, PHD York (Really good letter), 1 from assistant prof, PHD Princeton (Very enthusiastic), 1 from assistant professor PHD Toulouse (standard), 1 from visiting professor (Should be good)
Research Experience: RA for about a year. Recent conference presentation in Poland (awaiting scientific board for publication in conference proceedings)
Teaching Experience: GA/TA for 2 years (undergrad and grad econometrics)
Research Interests: Development, Applied micro (empirical mostly), and applied econometrics
Concerns: Low Ugrad GPA, No proof based math courses, semi unknown school
RESULTS:
Attending: Texas A&M (TAMU)
Acceptances: Iowa State, Virginia Tech, BGSE (UPF), Tinbergen, Uconn
Rejections: UIUC, PSU, Wisconsin-madison, Rice, Toronto (doctoral Stream), Tilburg, Arizona, BC, UNC (initially wait listed)
Comments:
Honestly, i was really happy with my results and quite surprised. I had a weak-average Undergrad performance to make up, and come from a relatively unknown Middle Eastern school.
I think what did it for me was LORS. I cannot emphasize how important LORs are, and how important it is to build good relations with professors (RA, TA, visit office hours and talk about research, etc...).
Also for some smaller programs (specifically Vtech if anyone is ever interested in that school ), i think what got me in was my SOP. Very tailored to their school. I think people underestimate the role of the SOP. Outside of the top 10, i think it can be a very useful tool and should be taken seriously (ofcourse this does not apply to all schools outside the top10, but for some of the smaller programs, "fit" is very important.
In the end, Thank GOD this whole process is done, and i am more than happy to attend TAMU , although the location i am not so ecstatic about :P.

llama 2011:
Institution: Barcelona GSE
Program: Masters in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Partial tuition waiver
Notification date: 01/17/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GF: ???
Comments: They want an anwser to their admission offer within a month.

dobrin 2011:
Institution:Carlos 3 de Madrid
Program: Economic Analysis MSc
Funding:YES
Notification date:Feb 17
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Well, not bad

smurfo 2011:
Institution: Tinbergen
Program: M.Phil Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Yes
Notification date: 2 March 2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Ik hou van Nederland!

UserNam 2011:
Institution: Tinbergen
Program: M.Phil Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Yes
Notification date: 2 March 2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Finally!!! My first admit after several implicit rejections. Almost started crying! I will get a beer now

pavlemihajlovic 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Unknown Easter-European University, Economics (major: Economic Analysis and Policy - EAP)
Undergrad GPA: 9,23 (scale 5 to 10) best at my major; top 5 0n Faculty generation
Type Grad: Master in Economic Analysis and Policy (M.A.)
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 168 Q ; 151 V ; 4.0 AW
Quantitative courses: Mathematics (Intermediate Calculus, Linear Algebra and Analysis, Probability), Mathematical-Economic Models, Statistics, Econometrics, Econometric Methods and Models - all 10s (A)
Econ courses (grad level): Micro Analysis (Advanced level), Macro Analysis (Intermediate level), Labor, International Finance, Economics of Regulation, Public Choice, Institutional Economics - all 10s
Econ courses (undergrad): Principles of Economics (10), Price Theory (Intermediate Micro) (9), Monetary (10), International (10), Industrial Organization (8), Public Finance (8), Contemporary Economic Systems (10), Transitional Economics (8), Austrian Economics (10), Institutional Economics (10), Public Choice (10), Agrarian Economics (10),
Other courses: Financial Accounting, Business Finance, Strategic Management, Business Organization, Marketing Research
TOEFL: R30, L29, S29, W24 (total score 112)
Letters of Recommendation: Three professors, two faculty one from additional one year multidisciplinary program (graduation paper mentor). All exceptionally written. All prominent professors in the country not known abroad.
Research Experience: Very Little , 2 months - but wrote good scientific paper (uploaded to adcom as writing sample) on economic freedom index and growth - panel data econometrics
Teaching Experience: 1 semester TA for International Economics,
Interests: Monetary Economics, International Finance
SOP: two pages, motivation for Ph.D. seems to me well written
Concerns: Unknown referrers. Unknown university. SOP might not suit every application perfectly
Applying to: Tilburg (M.Res.), Tinbergen Institute (M.Phil.), GSEFM Frankfurt (Ph.D.), Touluse (M2), Maybe applying: CEMFI, Bonn,
Admitted: BGSE (no $ - but applied without GRE, maybe that was the thing)

darcular21 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Unknown China University, BBM in Logistics Management, BA in Finance
Undergrad GPA: 3.74(LM)/3.85(Finance)/4.00(Full Mark)
Type of Grad: UK good econ school
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q168 V150 AW4.0
Math Courses: Calculus I (C) Calculus II (A) Linear Algebra (C) Probability (A) Statistics (A) Operational Research (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): micro, macro, metrics(90 mid-term), maths, IO, game theory, empirical methods
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro(A) Macro(A) Metrics(B) International Trade(A) International Finance(B for major and A for minor)
Other Courses: regular finance courses
Letters of Recommendation: one from UK metrics professor (IDEAS 6%), one from China LM professor (unknown), all should be positive
Research Experience: Chinese National Contest of Logistics Design (can be ignored)
Teaching Experience: no
Research Interests: IO, law and economics, finance
SOP: regular, mentioned the reserach currently doing
Concerns: Low GRE Verbal, unknown letter of recommendation, unknown undergraduate, lack of econ background
Other:
Applying to: Tinbergen, Tilburg, UC3M, UAB, BONN, Mannheim, Bocconi, Frankfurt

MaxUnited 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc in international economics from relatively well-known Russian university (top-10 in the country, probably top-5)
Undergrad GPA: 3,8/4 (US scale) 4,8/5 (Russian scale)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: Q 790 V 450 AWA 3.5
Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics (all 5/5)
Econ Courses (grad-level): -
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (5/5), Intermediate Macro (4/5), History of Economic Thought (4/5), Economics of the Firm (5/5), Econometrics (5/5), International Economics (5/5), Money and Banking (5/5). Still have to pass several finance courses.
Other Courses: lots of not-so-necessary, but obligatory stuff
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from professors unknown outside the country, I believe
Research Experience: none, except for course works
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: behavioral finance, public finance (but really open at this stage)
SOP: nothing special
Concerns: scores not great, unknown professors, lack of economics/finance courses, no real research experience
Other: -
Applying to: Tinbergen (MPhil), Tilburg (MRes), GSEFM Frankfurt (MSQE) finance tracks.

Ondrej 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ Theory, best school in the country, but the country is unknown :-) (CEE region)
Undergrad GPA: N/A (top 10 %)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q 170 V 151 AWA 4.0
Math Courses: Mathematics I-IV (partly analysis, linear algebra, integrals, diff equations, ...; all A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Applied Econometrics (yet to finish)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro I-II (A, A), Micro I-II (pass, B), Macro I-II (pass, A), Statistics (A), Advanced Statistics (A), Econometrics I-II (A, A), Theory of Regulation (B), Financial Accounting (A), Game Theory (A), European Economic Integration (A), Accounting I-II (pass, A)
Other Courses: not worth mentioning probably
Letters of Recommendation: (full) professor of econometrics and advanced statistics, not known internationally; young assistant professor of statistics and econometrics
Research Experience: none
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: micro, econometrics, mathematical economics
SOP: Normal
Concerns: Not great recommendations, kinda sucky grades in the first year
Other:
Applying to: LSE MSc EME, LSE MSc Econ, Tilburg MSc Econometrics, Tilburg MRes Econometrics, Amsterdam MSc Econometrics, Amsterdam MSc Economics, Cambridge MPhil Economics

ededo 2012:
Institution: Ohio State
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ??? needs to find out
Notification date: 02/08/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I need to send GAO some financial forms follow on. This makes the following weeks much easier ^_^.

jsebastian 2012:
Institution: Tinbergen Institute
Program: MPhil in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: full funding for first year.
Notification date: 2/24/12
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: first school i heard back from!

Hjalmar 2012:
Institution: Tinbergen Institute
Program: MPhil in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Full funding
Notification date: 2-24-2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First one I hear from. Off to a good start!

hunecon 2010:
PROFILE: Economics, small European country
Type of Undergrad: 5-year degree (actually BA+MA with IO major)
Undergrad GPA: about 4.3 on a 1-5 scale (no official GPA system)
GRE: Q800/V380/A3
TOEFL:100
Math Courses: Real Analysis I-II, Linear Algebra I-II, Probability Theory, Differential Equations, Operational Research, Statistics I-III.
Econ Courses: A lot.
Other Courses: A lot, mostly in other social sciences and informatics.
Letters of Recommendation: Not well-known, bot strong letters from professors of my program.
Research Experience: Several student paper, two of them won first prize.
Teaching Experience: One year (game theory, quantitative methods) for graduate students.
Research Interests: Game theory, IO.
SOP: Standard, but strong.
Acceptences: Tilburg ($), TSE, UAB
Reject: Tinbergen
Withdrawn: UC3, UAB, Alicante, CEU
What would you have done differently? Well, I am satisfied with my result, my only concern is the low funding. Maybe I should have got better grades. The bologna system was introduced after I started my studies, I was stucked there for five years. Actually, in most of the last three years I hardly got strong economics courses, transferring for a much stronger university may have been better after the first three years. But I enjoyed these years and I will never regret to spend them with my friends. I will have enough things to do later during PhD, after all

sappy 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc (hons) Theoretical Physics from a top 10 university in the U.K (all Physics modules and some masters courses as well)
Undergrad GPA: high 2:2 (According to my uni it converts to a B in GPA terms) Type of Grad: MSc Economics from same university as undergrad
Grad GPA: Merit (According to my uni it converts to a A- in GPA terms)
GRE: V-440, Q-790, A-5.0
Math Courses: Advanced intergration and differention, real analysis , Matrix Algrebra, Tensors and Econometrics (done during MSc)
Econ Courses:Graduate: Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Game Theory and Industrial Organisation, Growth and Development, Experimental Economics
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One from Theoretical Physicist that will be postive, two from Economics Professors (one graduated from Oxford and the other from Bonn), the Oxford one should be very positive because he wanted me to stay at the uni i did my masters in to do my phd and the other was my dissertation supervisor and i got a good mark for it.
Research Experience: Dissertations for both degrees, their combined marks would give me a 1st (GPA Phys: 4, GPA Econ:3.9)
Teaching Experience: Private tutoring for Physics and Maths at College level
Research Interests:Game Theory and Experimental Economics
statement of purpose: Just about how i enjoy applying maths to problems, a little on some economic experiments i ran during the year and how i want to get a bigger exposure to Economics
Other: 23yr old male who is also British
Concerns: I applied to a lot of high places last year with limited success (waitlisted at UBC, Boston U and Cornell. But eventually didn't get in). So now i'm concerned because it's been a year out with no more experience bar private tutoring.
Applying to: Tilburg, Tinbergen, SSE, PSE, TSE, BSE (Berlin), Bonn, Mannheim, Autonoma Barcelona, PSU, OSU, Maryland, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, UCSB, Indiana, Purdue, Virginia

delirium 2010:
Institution: Emory
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Reject
Notification date: 3/09/10
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: Disappointed.
Institution: Brandeis
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Reject
Notification date: 3/10/10
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: ...

EnvEcon 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Economics and Business in a top economics university in Europe
Undergrad GPA: We have a different grading system, I would say "good" but not "excellent"
Type of Grad: Economics in the same university
Grad GPA: Again, comparison is difficult; I went way better than my undergrad (especially for math and stat classes) but still not at the top.
GRE: 770Q, 630V, 3.5AW
Math Courses: Basic math&stat + dynamic optimization and inferential statistics
Econ Courses: Basic undergrad courses + lot of grad courses, mainly applied econ (labour, development, energy, international econ, applied macro, behavioural economics) and solid econometric background
Other Courses: Some history and law classes, especially during undergrad
Research Experience: About one year RA in a well known European energy research center within an economics faculty.
Letters of Recommendation: All during my RA period: one from my supervisor, one from the head of the research group (very well known in the energy field), one from a Phd now in the US. As far as I know, all of them are very good and detailed.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Applied micro in general, environmental, development, behavioural
SOP: I put a lot of weight on my RA job and my graduate studies. I specified my research interests and career goals but I didn't mentioned any professor in particular with which I wanted to work.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland Econ (waitlist for $), Maryland AgEcon ($), Purdue AgEcon ($), Wyoming Econ ($), Madrid Carlos III ($)
Waitlists:
Rejections: UCB AgEcon, UCSB, UBC, Tinbergen, Cornell AEM
Pending: Stockholm School of Economics
Attending: Maryland AgEcon
What would you have done differently?
1) I feel that I have been ruled out from some programs due to my GRE quant score, just a bit below 90%.
2) Applied to more places, perhaps some more Econ programs.
3) Did an undergraduate in economics. It would have been way more painful, but I would have been much more prepared for the graduate program (and got better grades).
4) For the econ programs only, doing some more theoretical macro/micro stuff could help, but who knows.
5) Prepare applications carefully from the beginning! Actually, for me it was a learning-by-doing process: for UCSB application (the first I sent), for instance, I didn't include syllabus of econ and math classes.
Other considerations
1) I feel that here people overestimate GRE and grades and underestimate the weight AdComs give to how much overall a candidate fit into the program. Maryland AgEcon was an excellent fit for me (given my interests and research experience) and that put me above other candidates with better grades/GRE.
2) LORs are incredibly useful, one of the few things of an application which can show what is your research potential. Being a RA opened many doors, too.
3) Networking with faculty researchers is fundamental, especially if you are lucky enough to be a RA; in the application process, many people see Professors only as LORs writers, but first of all they are experienced people from which you can learn how to properly do research even after your admission. Starting a Phd with a network of young and senior researchers is a tremendous advantage.

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

verio16 2009:
Type of Undergrad: BA (Honours) Economics from University of Delhi, India
Undergrad GPA: The university does not have a GPA system. My aggregate over 3 years is 72.4% (60 0s 1st division, the highest grade), roughly in the top 5 percentile(out of around 1000 students) in the university and ranked 3rd in college
GRE: Q800, V610, AWA 4.5
Math Courses:
Linear Algebra,multi variate Calculus, Constrained optimization(covered in a single course titled Mathematical methods for economics)
Reference books -Knut Sydsaeter and Peter J. Hammond, Mathematics for Economic Analysis and Alpha C. Chiang, Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics
Statistics
Distribution, probability, regression,hypothesis testing (covered under statistical methods for economics)
Reference books - P.H. Karmel and M. Polasek, Applied Statistics for Economists and M.R. Spiegel, Theory and Problems of Statistics
Also had an Econometrics paper
A.S. Goldberger (1998), Introductory Econometrics
Econ Courses: Principles of economics, Micro, Advanced Micro (game theory), macro, development theory, money, public economics, economy state and society, other courses specific to the Indian Economy
Other Courses: Formal Logic (Others of hardly any importance)
Letters of Recommendation: From my college professors, but i doubt any of them are internationally recognised (potentially a serious hurdle)
Research Experience: Worked as an intern with an NGO for 2 months, was RA for a paper that later got published. Worked for 6 months in the research wing of Watson Wyatt Worldwide(consultancy).
Teaching Experience: NIL
Research Interests: Macroeconomic modelling
Other: Good bunch of extracurricular s (I dont really know if it matters though)
Results
Acceptances: Warwick (Msc), Bocconi (Msc, $$), Tilburg (Msc, $?)
Pending: Tinbergen, Paris school of economics, UCL
What would you have done differently? should have taken the GRE earlier. Missed a lot of deadlines and sent in hurriedly assembled application.
Would have been more careful about being on good terms with my professors during my unergrad.

3yellowroses 2011:
I'm an international applicant that has been lurking around. Time to disclose my results:
Accepted:
Institution: American University
Program: Phd Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding: will be notified mid march.
Notification date: 9 March 2011
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments:
Waitlisted:
Institution: Tilburg University
Program: Research Master, Economics
Decision: Waitlisted. will hear from them in mid april
Funding: there's a chance to get a TA if admitted
Notification date: 14 March 2011
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments:
Institution: Cambridge University
Program: DPhil Economics
Decision: Waitlisted. will hear from them in mid april
Funding: haven't heard a word
Notification date: 10 Feb 2011
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments:
Rejections: NYU, Columbia, Berkeley, MIT, Brown, Maryland, Tinbergen, Oxford.
Haven't heard of: Umass, Cornell, WUSTL, Michigan State, Paris School of Economics, Bonn GSE, LSE (Econ & Phil Msc)