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treasuries 2007:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: No. 1 university in my country in southeast asia
Undergrad GPA:
B.S. Economics: 3.44 (major 3.62)
B.S. Statistics: 2.98 (major 3.45)
B.S. Electronics Eng'g:
Type of Grad: No. 1 university in my country in southeast asia
Grad GPA:
M.S. Statistics: 3.40
GRE: Q 800, V 580, AW 4.0
IELTS: 7.5 overall
MATH Courses:
Undergraduate:
Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, Finite Differences, Theory of Interest, Mathematics of Life Contigencies
ECON Courses:
Undergraduate:
Intermediate Micro & Macro, Mathematical, Quantitative, Monetary, Public, Labor, International, Development Economics
STAT Courses:
Undergraduate:
Probability Theory I/II, Matrix Theory, Parametric/Nonparametric Inference, Bayesian Inference, Regression Analysis, Sampling Designs, Experimental Designs, Categorical Data Analysis, Time Series I, Multivariate Analysis
Graduate:
Real Analysis, Probability Theory, Parametric Inference, Applied Multivariate Analysis, Linear Models, Sampling Designs, Time Series II, Multivariate Analysis, Econometric Methods, Stochastic Processes, Stochastic Calculus, Survival Analysis (Martingale Approach), Wavelets
Letters of Recommendation:
All my referees came from Statistics but they are unknown and do not publish in international journals. These are all strong recommendations because I've worked with them in at least one research paper. One referee was my graduate thesis adviser.
Research Experience:
Proposed a new econometric model in my graduate thesis. Several applied statistics papers with co-graduate students and also with graduate faculty members. Research associate at a World Bank funded research project headed by a senior faculty. Done market research consulting with Fujitsu and Motorola. My undergrad thesis in economics won a college and a national award and was presented at a local economic society conference.
Teaching Experience:
Taught statistics subjects for more than 4 years.
Research Interests:
Financial Econometrics
SOP:
There was a severe weakness in my application: bad engineering grades. I told them the truth in three sentences, that I lost interest in the course and no matter how I tried I just didn't do well in it. Then I proceeded to elaborate on how I overcame this and eventually did well in my two undergraduate degrees. I presented a logical justification of jumping from stat to econ to stat as a strong preparation for PhD in econ later. I also highlighted whatever academic achievements I have to drown doubts about my intellectual ability and emotional maturity.
Others:
Presented paper to an Econometric Society meeting and it was then published in a local statistics journal. This paper consists of a proposed econometric model with derivations, monte carlo simulations and empirical evaluation.
RESULTS:
Acceptance: Singapore Management U MSc by Research (full $), Toronto MA (?)
Waitlist: QEM Erasmus Mundus (got in eventually but declined)
Rejections: Purdue, SSE
What would you have done differently?
I was able to apply to only one U.S. and one Canadian universities because I took the IELTS instead of TOEFL for some reasons. I decided not to apply to some others that accept IELTS because I knew my chances were slim to nil. If I had TOEFL I would have applied to some more in the lower end of some U.S. programs. Yet, based on my current performance I guess I would not have done any better.
What lesson did I learn?
The quality of my research experience counted a lot more than my academic record. I had strong recommendations but not from well-known professors so research experience itself did not offset my weak spots. Perhaps real analysis and functional analysis from the Math department would have helped.
The admission to SgMU for another MSc will help me in my chances of getting admitted to a PhD program in the U.S. & in Canada. Of course, that is under the assumption that I'll do well there. I'm pretty much inclined to doing economic research so I guess that will be a natural motivation.
...

pevdoki1 2008:
Type of undergrad: Mid-sized state university (SUNY Binghamton)
GPA: 3.99 (math/econ double major)
Type of Grad: none
GRE: Q800, V470, AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Intro to Higher Math, Complex Analysis, Real Analysis I-II, Mathematical statistics I-II
Econ Courses: The usual. No graduate level courses.
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 really good one from an economics professor who knows me well, 2 from math professors
Research Experience: Virtually none. Started a thesis, never finished
Teaching Experience: TA intermediate macro for 1 semester. 1 year of tutoring experience.
Research Interests: Macro and monetary, but these can change
SOP: Pretty good, I think. Standard 1st page, customized second (mentioning professors and all)
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
University of Minnesota ($)
WUSTL ($)
UT Austin ($)
U Toronto (MA, $)
UBC (MA, $)
Indiana ($)
Rutgers ($)
Purdue ($)
Virginia (no funding)
Cornell (no funding)
Waiting list: none
Rejections: University of Western Ontario
No word: Queen's
What I would have done differently:
Applied to less lower ranked schools. However, I'm quite happy with getting into Minnesota (and WUSTL, for that matter).s

tangsiuje 2008:
Type of Undergrad: UK (top 5 in Economics), 3-year PPE degree (not from Oxford), economics major, second year on exchange in Canada.
Undergrad GPA: "First" (70+) in all first year modules; 91.2/100 overall (all A) in Canada; third-year results in June/July.
GRE: 790Q, 520V, 6.0AWA (<--that's why you should do philosophy: philosophers average 5.0 on AWA)
Math Courses: quantitative techniques in economics (first-year course in economics department on constrained optimization and some matrix algebra), Analysis I+II, Linear Algebra (first-year courses in the maths department, taken as overload courses this year: in progress)
Econ Courses: more micro than macro, one-year econometrics course (in progress), the usual hotchpotch of field courses.
Letters of Recommendation: One from Canada, one from the UK. I think that both are very good economists, but I just took their classes and letters cannot possibly have been that amazing/personalized.
Research Experience: Nil.
Teaching Experience: Nil. (Or, I've actually done quite a bit in the private sector, but I never mentioned that in my applications.)
Other: female, 23, non-native English speaker
Results
Acceptance: Toronto doctoral stream MA (funding with TA/RA duties) <-- attending
Waiting: Queen's MA
What would you have done differently? Not stressed out as much. Had a bit more faith in myself. Been a little less obsessed with what people on TM say.
Comment: I suppose Toronto had not filled their quota for females from insignificant Scandinavian countries.

canecon 2008:
School: UBC
Major: Econ (Hons)
GPA: 3.5 (3.98 upper-econ, 3.98 math (excluding failed calc 1))
GRE: 800q 480v 5.0 AWA (despite the awful verbal I am native English speaker / English background)
Courses:
Econ:Hon micro/macro I (A+'s) Game Theory (Hon) A, Hon Macro II A+, + intro metrics I/II (A+) + lots electives (mostly A+)
Math: Calc 1 (F first time then A), Calc 2, linear, multivariable, ODE's, probability(calc based), intro proof A+'s intro analysis A
Now Taking: Honours Thesis, Advanced Macro, Econometrics
Research: Thesis
letter of recommendation: 3 Assistant Profs, I say mediocre since I had no special relationship, just took their classes.
SOP: Pretty bad I think... that might just be me - but I didn't have any professors read it since I thought it was crappy (very bad reason I know - I expect I might have had spelling/grammar errors as well ). But I guess for Master's it doesn't matter that much.
Interests: Macro, Int trade/finance/development.
Schools:
Decided to apply only for Masters:
LSE, UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, UPF, UBC, Toronto, Queens, UWO, Stockholm.
My Concerns:
First year really sucked, second year was average. Only have 1.5 years of good grades.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: LSE Msc (1 year, Res), UCL MSc, Warwick MSc, Oxford M.Phil (??), UPF MSc($$), Queen's MA ($$), Toronto Doc. Stream MA ($$), UBC MA ($$), UWO MA ($$),
Still Waiting: Cambridge M.Phil (B), Stockholm University MSc (Research)
Rejections: None (yet)
What would you have done differently?
-known that I was going to go for grad school (in econ) earlier
-started preparing to apply in the summer, or early sept, or early october. (didnt start applications earlier because very math-packed semester. No time in summer though b/c courses and GRE - basically crammed all the math I needed in last 8 mths I would have grades for).
-Looked into scholarship opportunities for study in UK (many seem to have deadlines around sept/oct. ) I started looking the next february/march.
-Basically I did what I could. Maybe should have applied to some PhD straight away, but still not sure what I want to do and I didn't really have time to put together good apps.

manho 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Civil Engineering major, economics minor. One of the top engineering school in Canada
Undergrad GPA: 800verall, 75 0n Econ, 83 0.000000inal year
GRE: 790Q, 320V, 3.5 AWA... me no good wif words...
Math Courses: Typical engineering package. Calc I, II, III, "Advanced Math for Engineers", Linear Algebra, Differential Eq'n, Prob & Stat, Operation Research
Econ Courses: None worth mentioning, really. All undergrads.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a finance prof, 2 from engineering. Nothing stellar, but pretty sure it was solid and above average.
Research Experience: Two research/term project as part of the engineering deal
SOP: Basically story telling that why I want to do economics, although I did a civil eng undergrad
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Toronto MA (no $)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Queens (MS Finance), UBC (MS Finance)
Pending: Toronto MFE
What would you have done differently?
I had a job lined up if I didn't get in, so that was my reason of applying to the few number of schools.
If time and money wasn't a factor, perhaps doing my GRE again and bump the verbal part up.. (320 was just ridiculous...)

Canuckonomist 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A (Hons.) Economics, Math Minor with Distinction, Queen's University
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.75/4.0, Econ: 4.0/4.0, Math: 3.65/4.0
Type of Grad: M.A Economics, Queen's University
Grad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 790Q 530V 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III (A+/A+/B), Linear Algebra (B), Differential Equations (B), Probability (C), Abstract Algebra (B), Statistics (A+), Analysis I & II (B+/B), Stochastic Models in Operations Research (A+)
Econ Courses (MA/PhD-level): Micro (A-), Metrics (A), Money and the Macroeconomy (A), Mathematical Economics (A+), Finance Theory (A+) Continuous-Time Finance (A+), Risk Management (Audit), Cost-Benefit Analysis (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro (A), Macro (A+), Metrics I & II (A/B+), Finance (A+), History (B+), Corporate Finance (A),
Letters of Recommendation: 1 ANU, 1 JHU, 1 Harvard, 1 BU
Research Experience: R.A for three semesters. Co-authoured paper published in REE, 2008. Working paper with same author
Teaching Experience: UG Finance (fall), Tutor for department in mathematics for economists, Micro and stats.
Research Interests: Financial Economics, Micro, Credit
SOP: Working on it all summer
RESULTS:
Attending: University of Toronto ($$$)
Acceptances: Queen's University ($$), BU (no $)
Rejections: Chicago, NWU, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Rochester, Michigan, Minnesota
Pending: Cornell (will withdraw)
What would you have done differently? The only things I could have done differently would have been to start liking math before second year, and to know economics was the thing for me before second year. So really, outside of changing the fabric of my very being earlier in life, all the decisions on the equilibrium path were correct. Very happy to be attending UToronto. Would I be a true Canuckonomist if I didn't do a Ph.D in Canada? I like to think not.

tangsiuje 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc Philsophy, Politics and Economics (Economics major, Philsophy minor), UK top 5
Undergrad GPA: 1st class hons
Type of Grad: MA Economics, University of Toronto
Grad GPA: 4.0 (at the time of application)
GRE: 790Q/520V/6.0AWA (non-native)
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (1st), Analysis (1st)
Econ Courses: PhD Micro I (A), MA Econometrics (A+), MA Trade (A), usual undergraduate courses (A/1st)
Other Courses: Philosophy, Chinese
Letters of Recommendation: Three MA instructors
Research Experience: Nil
Teaching Experience: TA for Quantitative Methods / Math Stats
Research Interests: Labour (and perhaps empirical trade)
SOP: Nope.
Other: -
RESULTS:
Attending: University of Toronto
Acceptances: University of Toronto ($$$)
Waitlists: -
Rejections: -
Pending: -
What would you have done differently? Given geographical constraints, it was either this or getting a job, and overall I'm pretty happy about how things worked out. Despite the "admitee's curse", I don't feel underplaced: looking at Canuckonomist, I'm seriously overplaced.

mink 2009:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $27K first year, $23K years 2-4 pending satisfactory progress.
Notification date: 3/4
Notified through: email
Comments: I have to return my decision by next friday

askua 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. (honours)-Econ and Math, large Canadian University
Undergrad GPA: Overall: 3.85, excluding first year: 4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 780Q 580V 6.0AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level): Calc 1-4, Math stats 1-2, analysis 1-2, linear 1-2, analysis for econ, math for econ 1-2 (if this counts?); All A's or A+
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro 1-4, macro 1-4, econometrics 1-2, IO 1-2, international trade 1-2, money and banking; All A's or A+
Econ Courses (PhD-level): IO (A)
Other Courses: a few German courses
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ profs (1 Berkeley, 1 Minnesota, 1 Toronto) ... all taught me one or more courses.
Research Experience: Barely any ... just one paper for the grad IO.
Teaching Experience: tutor for 4 years
Research Interests: applied micro (health, IO)
statement of purpose: Preparation, goals, research interests
Concerns: reputation of undergrad
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis (no first year funding), UW Madison (no first year funding), UBC (PhD, $$) Toronto MA (doctoral stream, $$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Yale, Columbia, Michigan, Berkeley, Stanford, UCSD
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? I would have only gone to a different undergrad if I had known four years ago that I wanted to do a PhD in Economics. However, in retrospect, I might have tried to get more RA experience and done a double degree in Math and Econ rather than just a minor in math. Although I am pretty happy with my results given what type of a student I was in high school (not good). I am very lucky and not complaining. I think out of most of the top 20s, UBC and Madison are the best two fits for me so I think I was appropriately placed. Good luck to everyone in future cycles!

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.

jackie21 2010:
Institution: UCLA
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: being considered for fellowship
Notification date: feb 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Michigan
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: none
Notification date: march 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: LSE
Program: MSc Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: none
Notification date: feb 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: MA
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 25000
Notification date: march 2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Cornell
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 22000
Notification date: 08/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Institution: Stanford
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 32000!!
Notification date: 11/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: no
Rejected: Yale, Princeton, Chicago, Berkeley

Cinzia 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc Economics & Math from large Canadian university
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (not finished yet)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 620V, 800Q, 4.5AW
Math Courses: Calculus (A+), Advanced Calculus (A+), Linear Algebra II (A+), Nonlinear Optimization (A+), Real Analysis -- undergrad (A), Real Analysis -- grad (A+), Advanced ODE (A-), Concepts in Abstract Math (A), Intro Math Logic (A+); Prob & Stats I (A+), Prob & Stats II (B), Probability -- no measure theory (A+), Mathematical Stats (A+). (all undregrad except "grad real analysis")
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (A), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Advanced Micro -- game theory (A+), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Economic Analysis of Law (A+), Political Economy (in progress); graduate courses: PhD Micro Theory II -- game theory, contract theory (A), Advanced Micro Theory (in progress).
Other Courses: 1st year bio + chem + physics (I wanted to study molecular biology), Italian language courses.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well-known prof who taught me graduate game theory and supervised a summer research project; 1 from a young prof who taught me intermediate micro and undergrad game theory; 1 from a law & econ prof who taught me economic analysis of law.
Research Experience: summer research project in game theory --> uninteresting small paper.
Teaching Experience: none.
Research Interests: micro theory, political economy.
SOP: talked about how I got interested in economics, in particular micro theory, what I learned from my courses and research, and my own interests (not very well-defined interests); didn't mention any specific faculty.
Other: Note: the Canadian grading system is a bit different from the American one: here 90-100 ~ A+, 85-89 ~ A, 80-84 ~ A- etc., and 85-100 ~ 4.0 GPA, so it seems easier to get high GPA, but my friend told me the grades aren't inflated as much as in the States (which I don't know, but it is true that in my school, a large public school, they try to keep the course average low).
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Stanford, NYU, UPenn (waitlisted for funding), Wisconsin, UCSD (they didn't talk about funding), Toronto MA(doctoral), Toulouse M2.
Waitlists: MIT.
Rejections: Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Yale, Berkeley.
Pending: Northwestern (what happened to my application???)
What would you have done differently?
I wouldn't say doing sth. could get me into better schools (e.g. Harvard, MIT), but some things could certainly prepare me better for a PhD program, e.g. taking "analysis" instead of "calculus" courses, graduate probability, and more econ courses.

Elliephant 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: business (Canadian school, econ dept. ranked >100 worldwide)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0 or 3.98/4.0, depending on conversion scheme
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800, V790, AWA 6.0
Math Courses: calc I-III, linear algebra I-II, applied stats, real analysis I-II (all A or higher)
Econ Courses (grad-level): none
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): intro micro, intro macro, international econ, advanced micro, advanced macro, metrics (all A+); supply-side macro (B+); did a term in China's top econ department (roughly speaking, >85 = A): international trade (90), information econ (91), Chinese development (93), urban and regional econ (98); applied metrics and forecasting (spring); managerial econ (spring)
Other Courses: none relevant
Letters of Recommendation: micro prof (reasonably well-known in IO and a past department chair); research supervisor in Beijing (used to be tenured at UNC, well-connected in health policy); UG director at b-school
Research Experience: summer fellow at an econ think tank in Beijing, one RAship at my home school, two conference presentations of my sole-authored papers
Teaching Experience: TAed micro and business statistics
Research Interests: still fluid; currently economics of human capital (education, health), transition economies, other applied micro
SOP: standard
Concerns: credibility of LORs; insufficient math background; low visibility of UG econ department
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wharton health, Kellogg MECS, Penn, UMich, Toronto MA, Queen's MA, UBC MA
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, NYU (implicit)
What would you have done differently? If I had known in high school that I wanted this, I would have gone to a better UG school and done a double major in math and econ. However, given my constraints, I'm very happy with my results, and it's entirely possible that I would not have ended up with equally good offers if I'd had the option of slacking off in UG (by being in a better department, say). I'll write up a detailed "lessons learned" thread for applicants from low-ranked UG departments, non-quantitative majors, and internationals without a master's in the next couple of weeks.

econchef 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small Liberal Arts University, Atlantic Canada (Honors Econ, Minor Math)
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (4.0 Econ) (4.0 Math) (Converted) (top graduate in Econ)
Type of Grad: MA Econ, Queen's University
Grad GPA: 4.0 (Converted) (top graduate)
GRE: 800Q 570V 5.5AW
Math Courses: calculus (I,II,III), linear algebra, ODE, Discrete, Intro Stats, History of Math, Intro to Game Theory (All A or higher)
Econ Courses (grad): Micro, Macro , Econometrics, Resource, Applied Econometrics, Research Problems and Methodology, Empirical Micro (All 90%+)
Econ Courses (u/g): Adv Micro, Adv Macro, Uncertainty and Strategy (Adv Micro II), Econometrics (full-year), All intermediates and Intros, a bunch field courses (All A or Higher)
Letters of Recommendation: All positive, 2 full professors (1 resource econ, very well established; 1 applied time series), 1 associate professor (gaining a big rep in time series), I supplement with three other profs who know me well at universities where they have contacts.
Research Experience: master's essay, summer research paper in u/g, Internship at Inter-American Development Bank (Poverty Research / HH Exp'd Surveys), 3 applied metrics courses in Grad, very strong STATA programming skills and LATEX knowledge
Teaching Experience: Taught tutorials for principles (Micro and Macro) for 2 years in u/g; environmental econ and principles macro at Queen's
Research Interests: Econometrics, Labor, Education
Concerns: Could have taken more math; Small unknown undergrad
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Berkeley ($$$), Princeton ($$$), BU ($$), U Toronto ($$$), Queen's ($$$), Chicago (3rd year)
Waitlists: MIT, U Penn, U Mich
Rejections: Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, NYU, Yale, Columbia
What would you have done differently? Well if I had a time machine, I would have gone back to the start of first year and convinced myself not to take any political science courses in second year and instead replace them all with math courses. I also might have convinced myself that I should have taken more math in fourth year instead of taking basic sciences for med school (I applied and got in but decided to continue with econ grad school). The only other thing I might have changed regarding my record with said time machine would have been to write my MA essay on a time series theory topic as opposed to one in applied micro but I'll be honest these wouldn't be the first things I would do with a time machine. Perhaps with those changes I might have had a better shot at Harvard but there's always some noise in the dgp so who knows. Overall, I'm very excited by my results and can't wait to visit my top two offers.

EastCoastGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Canadian research university with a low-ranked econ dept, BSc Economics & Math
Undergrad GPA: ~3.86
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 760Q, 530V, 6.0 AWA (did not submit, only applied to MAs in Canada)
Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A, A, A-, B), Linear I-II, (A, B+), Intro to Analysis (A-), Real Analysis I-II (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), Graph Theory (ditto)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Public Economics (A), Economics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Math for Economists (A+), Advanced Micro (B+), Advanced Macro (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), lots of field courses (mostly A+)
Other Courses: Wrote on an honours thesis, did well; lots of stats course, did okay.
Letters of Recommendation: Honours advisor who is well-known is his field in Canada, and my metrics prof who has been around for a while
Research Experience: none, aside from my honours thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: labour, macro
SOP: n/a except for one school. I mostly talked about why economics was attractive to me as a discipline.
Other: Recommended for the SSHRC by my school. That probably did not have affect admissions, but it may have helped schools increase my funding after I was admitted.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially
Rejections: none
Pending: none
What would you have done differently?
I would have prepared more for the GRE last year so I could have done better (I did not really prepare and that was a poor choice), and I probably would have applied to more schools (like LSE). That said, I got into my first choice with their top funding offer, and I wasn't looking at applying to Phd programs, anyway, so I have no complaints or regrets.

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.

eiad77 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Business Economics from UBC
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: Law degree from UBC
Grad GPA:3.4
GRE:800 math/670 verbal/4.5 writing
Math Courses: Calc 1 A+, Calc 2 A-, Calc 3 A-, Calc 4 B- (Vector Calculus), Proofs B, Differentials C, Econ Stats 1/2 (A), Econ Math A-
Econ Courses (grad-level): None (Law and Economics in law school (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): 15 Courses with A/A+ (top student in several classes)
Other Courses: Mostly Business classes
Letters of Recommendation: One from well known economics professor, one from sessional lecturer, one from well known law professor (feminist law, ie completely unrelated to economics), not sure how enthusiastic they are.
Research Experience: 2 years for law professor (unrelated to economics), 1 year at business school, one peer reviewed publication, one short co-authored non-peer reviewed publication.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Not sure
SOP: Average
Concerns: Math marks, had a business degree, took a break to do a law degree, recommendation letters, no research experience
Other:
Applying to: UBC (MA), Toronto (MA), McGill (MA), Queen's (MA), Ottawa (MA)

jeffgoldbloom 2011:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: MA in Economics
Decision: Accepted Regular Stream, wait-listed Doctoral Stream
Funding: None for Regular Stream
Notification Date: 3/3/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I was hoping for Doctoral Stream, but still excited to be accepted
Institution: Queens University
Program: MA in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $15,000 support package
Notification Date: 3/9/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I am unsure, waiting to see if Toronto will move me off the Doctoral Streamwaitlist

daniprami 2011:
Institution: University of Toronto.
Program: MA Economics.
Decision: Accepted.
Funding: N/A.
Notification date: 3/16/11
Notified through: E-mail.
Posted on GF: Yes.
Comments: Regular stream.

Econ Bob 2011:
Sorry for the delayed post. Hopefully helpful to future applicants.
Institution: Toronto
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Possible TA; Option to submit other funding offers
Notification date: March/2/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Regular stream. PHD Stream wait listed.
Institution: Queen's
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Lots
Notification date: March/4/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No
Institution: UBC
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Lots
Notification date: March/16/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No

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

hebe 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top Canada Research University
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0 (We have 4.0 for 85-100 and 3.7 for 80-85)
Type of Grad: Same University DSMA
Grad GPA: All A/A+
GRE: Q168/V152/AWA 3.5
Math Courses: Calculus I (98), Calculus II (96), First-year Real Analysis (93), Linear Programming (96), Probability (98), Mathematical Stats (100), Linear Algebra I & II (89, 96), Grad Stochastic Processes (A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): MA Micro, Econometrics,Financial Economics, Macro-econometrics, all A+, PHD macro (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Specialist in Econ, with intermediate Macro/Micro/Econometrics, Game Theory, Advanced Macro, I.O, Contract Theory, Empirical IO, Risk mgt, financial economics...etc...All 90+
Other Courses: French, Geography, Anthropology, Classics....(All A/A+..)
Letters of Recommendation: One from Chair of the department (very famous economist), One NBER fellow and One thesis supervisor
Research Experience: Almost zero except for undergrad thesis + Master thesis. Doing my first RA now with well-known macro professor
Teaching Experience: TA for numerous stats/econ courses for more than two years
Research Interests: I.O, Micro theory/Contract Theory
SOP: Pretty Standard, but customized for each school and spent a lottt time writing them
Concerns: No advanced Math courses. No ODE, Topology, upper year real analysis. Letter is not strong enough for Top 5. No research experience! Low GRE verbal and writing.
Other: Finish my undergrad in three years. Not Canadian...
RESULTS
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), Minnesota($), Toronto($), NYU($)
Waitlists: Upenn (ask to be removed), Cornell (rejected from waitlist)
Rejections: Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Michigan, Brown
Attending: NYU
What would you have done differently?
I have lurked in this forum for a couple of months and recerived a lot useful info from TMers! I would like to thank you all first. Also, since a lot of TMers would like to know the placement result for my master program, I think it is useful to post my result for you guys/future TMers. What would I have done differently, maybe slow down my undergraduate a bit, taking more advanced math/stats courses and doing some RESEARCH!!! Also, I would not complain too much about the GRE, as an international (non-native English speaker), I prepared almost 3 months for the revised GRE verbal and writing part but still received low grade...at least I tried. I would say NYU is my top choice without a doubt, I am planning to take more advanced math in the summer and prepare for the new chapter of my life at NYU!! Good luck all TMers, all the best!!

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.

rocker10 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Joint Honours Biomedical Sciences/Economics (Well reputed Canadian university)
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: N/A
Math Courses: Calc I&II (A-/In Progress), Linear Algebra (A-), Intro Stats (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Mathematics for Economists (A+), Intro Micro/Macro (A/C+), Intermediate Micro/Macro I (A-/A+), Intermediate Micro/Macro II (A/A+), International Finance I (A+), Intro Econometrics (A+), Law and Economics (A-), Advanced Econometrics/Micro/Macro (In Progress)
Other Courses: Lots of science courses as part of the biomedical sciences degree including physics, chemistry and biology
Letters of Recommendation: From two very well known profs at my university.
Research Experience: Lots of biomedical research in various labs for diabetes, alzheimer's, cancer. Hopefully this shows research aptitude?
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Development Economics, Public Policy
SOP: N/A
Concerns: Lack of mathematics background and my late transition into an Economics joint degree after being in Biomed for the majority of undergrad.
Other: N/A
Applying to: Western MA, Queen's MA, Toronto MA
Good luck to everyone applying!

Swagonomics 2012:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Admitted
Funding: 32 000$
Notification Date: 3/15/2012
Notified Through: E-mail
Posted to GC: No
Comments: Feels good.

TICC 2012:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: PhD in Economics.
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 32k
Notification date: March 21.
Notified through: email.
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: Stoked.
Institution: University of British Columbia
Program: PhD in Economics.
Decision: Rejected.
Funding: N/A
Notification date: March 23.
Notified through: email.
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: meh. Prefer UofT.
Institution: Queen's University
Program: PhD in Economics.
Decision: Accepted.
Funding: 25k
Notification date: February 27.
Notified through: email.
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: Was happy with the offer, especially since I was dismissed from the first university I attended 6 years ago, and had to work my way through a couple lesser universities to get here. UofT blew me away, however, and I'll be turning this one down.

MickyT 2012:
Institution: Toronto
Program: PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ~$32K
Notification date: 27 March
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Though I got some good offers from other really good Canadian schools, this was my #1 choice, so I was bouncing around the room when I got my offer. Great school, great city, great offer.

Justin Bilechuk 2012:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: Master of Financial Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Negative
Notification date: 04/1/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: I'm the happiest girl in the world! (Copied from above, almost correct)

Mobil 2007:
Profile:
GRE: 800Q/520V/3.5A
TOEFL: 263/300, 4.5/6.0
GPA: I don't know how to translate:
Undergraduate: 8.7/10
Master: 8.13/10
Classes:
Math:
Undergrad: Calculus I-II, Static Optimization, Lin Algebra, Int to Probability and Statistics.
Grad: Real Analysis, Dynamic Optimization, Probability and Statistics
Econ:
Lots of undergrad, core grad sequence in Micro, Macro and Econometrics
Electives: Money Theory, Development Economics, Advanced Theory
Type of Undergrad: International
Research Experience: Master's thesis
Teaching Experience: TA for two grad Macro
LORs: 5 LORs from professors who are based here in my home country. 3 are tenured professors (PhDs from Berkeley, Minnesota and UPenn) and two more junior (PhD from Chicago, PhD from a domestic university).
SoP & Interests: It was just about my academic history, research interests (emphasizing the field in which each university is best) and professors I could work with in each of the universities.
Other: International, Latin American, 25 yo.
Interests: Macroeconomics, Money Theory, Development Economics
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
(with funding):
NYU
Minnesota
Columbia
PennState
(no funding): Rochester
Rejections:
Princeton
UPenn
Northwestern
Yale
No answer at all: Toronto
What would you have done differently?
Nothing, I guess...

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

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.

z109620 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics with Minor in Math and Philosophy from a mediocre state school which does have an Econ and Math PhD (NIU)
Undergrad GPA: 3.76/4.00 (Econ: 3.93/4.00 Math: 4.0/4.0)
Type of Grad: Just two masters course Econometrics and Math for Econ
Grad GPA: 3.5
GRE: 750Q, 470V, 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Diff Eqs, Undergrad Analysis I, and Prob. & Stats (also Undergrad Analysis II (W))
Econ Courses: Typical stuff, plus Grad Math for Econ (B) and Grad Econometrics (A)
Other Courses: A couple proof based logic courses (B,A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 really good letter (Senior Prof., Wisconsin), 1 good letter (Visiting Prof., Penn) and 1 ok letter (Chair, London)
Research Experience: Senior Paper
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: My main focus is Applied Micro Development, however, within the above field I am interested in Agriculture, Trade, Behavioral, Public and Political Economics
SOP: I think it is ok, talked about my Senior Paper, my passion for research and my goals for the future.
Other: I did not get into econ until junior year
RESULTS: (all masters programs)
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE (partial tuition and job as grader), UBC (partial tuition), UPF (no$), Cornell AEM (no $), Purdue ag econ (no $), UIC (no $), U York, U Bristol, U Sussex, USF (20k over two years)
Rejections: Wisconsin AAE and Toronto Doctoral Stream
Pending: Queen’s MA
What would you have done differently?
Well I wish I would have known that I wanted to do Econ earlier, as well as gone to a more prestigious undergrad. However, besides that I feel that I did very well, especially considering the tough year. I am very happy with UC Davis ARE, I plan to work really hard and advance to their PhD, seeing as there program is probably one of the best in the world given my prefers.
Attending:
UC Davis ARE masters

JBDonges 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: German Diplom in Economics from a University that is a Top5 in Germany but 200-300 worldwide.
Undergrad GPA: exp. 1.9 on a scale from 1.0-5.0 where 1.0 is best
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 750Q, 420V, 4.5AWA (second take), 740Q, 400V, 4.0AWA (first take)
Math Courses: Mathematics for Economists I and II (passed), Statistics I, II and III (2.0)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Advanced Macro I (2.3), Adv. Macro II (1.3), Monetary Theory (1.3)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Economic Policy, International Economics, Environmental Economics, Energy Economics, Public Economics, Growth, Labour, and many more, all between 1.0-3.3 (average about 2.0)
Other Courses: pre-degree in business
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 Northwestern PhD, 1 former Harvard fellow, 1 unknown)
Research Experience: 3 years RA for an unknown prof.
Teaching Experience: Introductory micro
Research Interests: Macro
statement of purpose: Standard - template taken from Italos.
Concerns: GRE scores.
Other: MA application only
Applying to: NYU MA, Yale IDE, UBC MA, UofT MA, UMich MAE, McGill MA, U Illinois Chicago MA
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UIC MA (no $)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: UBC MA, Toronto MA Doctoral/Regular Stream, McGill MA, UMich MAE, Yale IDE
Pending: NYU MA (expect nothing)
What would you have done differently?
Mmmh... my GRE was horrible... not well prepared for the first time, nervous for the second... so I guess taking more time to learn for GRE would be quite useful... In the end I think that most adcoms were not able to evaluate my degree... What to do now? Maye I take UIC or I'm looking for a Master's in Germany... suggestions welcome...

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

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.

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.

s1391470 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. Comp Sci, B.Sc. Mathematics (Average Canadian Uni)
Undergrad GPA: 8.9/10 (Comp Sci), 8.7/10 (Math)
Type of Grad: MBA - Top Canadian Program, M.A. Econ (Average Canadian Uni)
Grad GPA: 3.8/4 (MBA), 4.25/4.33 (Econ).
Other Education: CFA
GRE: 800 Q / 720 V / 6.0 W (native English speaker)
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A), Real Analysis (A), ODE (A-), Probability (A), Stats (A), Complex Analysis (B+), Linear Algebra (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Finance, International Trade, Environment, Public Policy, Labour Economics,
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro
Other Courses: During MBA, Game Theory and Micro/Macro
Letters of Recommendation: 4 from M.A. econ. 2 Minnesota Grads, 1 Queens Grad, 1 Toronto Grad
Research Experience: Patent, Masters Thesis, R.A. in Econ and Comp. Sci
Teaching Experience: TA'ed bunch of courses
Work Experience: Nearly 10 years in a variety of roles in technology and finance
Research Interests: international trade and development
SOP: Pretty strong, I think.
Concerns: I have some pretty poor grades in upper level math courses (not listed) including several Cs. However, in my SoP I mentioned how I was working full time while completing this degree, and how my patent is directly related to my math degree (it is related to obfuscation/encryption and group theory).
Other: I'll be 35 when I start my PhD, so I'm a bit older than the average grad student.
Applying to: Columbia, NYU, U Penn, Minnesota, University of Michigan, Brown, Cornell, Wisconsin (Missed funding date), Cornell, Queen's, Toronto, Carnegie Mellon

Irrational 2011:
Institution: Barcelona GSE
Program: MSc in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Partial tuition waiver (9,000 €)
Notification date: 01/24/2011
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Decision until 23/02/2011, which is very early. Still, it's my first admit, so I am kind of happy :-)

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.

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

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

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

simonsou 2012:
Institution: Lund University
Program: Ph.D. in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: No
Notification Date: 2/27/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Sad

simonsou 2012: simonsou<

whitewinghk 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: A School in HK, statistics major, no analysis
Undergrad GPA: 3.66, first class honors
Type of Grad: A school in HK, MA (Econ)
Grad GPA: Grade A average
GRE: Q800, V570, A5.5
Math Courses: no rigorous math courses, but some hard statistics courses, e.g. Statistical Inference A+, Stochastic Inference A+, Nonparametric testing (A+), linear model and forecasting (A-), Stochastic calculus (A-), Risk theory (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate macro (A+), Micro theory I, II (A+), Macro analysis (A+), Econometircs (A), International trade (B+)
Letters of Recommendation: all strong, two from econ and one from statistics
Research Experience: 2 year RA experience, working on trade and economic development of Mainland China
Research Interests: Development and micro theory
SOP: very general indicated my research interest and RA experience at university and United Nations
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Wisconsin ($), Boston University ($), MSU (no $), PSU (no $), UC Davis (no $)
Waitlists: ever waiting, Uni. of Toronto and UBC
Rejections: A long list, Minnesota, UCLA, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, Brown, OSU, Cornell
What would you have done differently?
I think I have tried my best or may be I should have applied to some applied econ programs as I have strong interest in development. Yet, I am happy with the results.
Advice: Apart from Math, RA exp really helps a lot, it may make up weak math background. There would be lots of RA opp at any university. The job may be very simple like formulting Excel sheets, collecting data or plotting charts, yet it shines in your application.
For international students, the process can be quite random especially for some are from unknown schools like me. Try to apply as many as possible, certainly you need to take into account money and how willing your referees are to write so many letters for you. Yet, if you can, try to apply as many as possible and do have a super safe one as a back up. I have seen a lot of Chinese students transfer to another school in one to two years.
All the best and good luck

Valhalla 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in economics in continental europe, huge public university but internationally not very well known I'd say.
Undergrad GPA: 3.72/4 (using WES-conversion table), top 5&#37; in my university
Type of Grad: MA Economics (I'm currently in the second year)
Grad GPA: 3.77/4 until now
GRE: 790 Q, 600 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses:
(900f those courses were not required in the economics-track (BA and MA) but I did those courses additionally as offered by the math department for math-students)
UG-Level: Mathematics I,II, III (dealing basically with integral calculus, differential equation systems, vector calculus...), Real analysis I, II, III, Functional Analysis I, II, Probability theory I,II,III, Linear Algebra I, II, III, Topology I, II, Differential Topology, Measure Theory, Optimization Theory,
Graduate Level: Real Analysis, Topology, Linear Algebra, Operator Theory, Recursive Methods/ Dynamic programming, Statistics I (using Casella and Berger), Statistics II (using Davidson's Stochastic limit theory)
Econ Courses: That's just an endless list... but some highlights:
UG Level: Micro I,II,III, Macro I,II,III, Game theory I, II, Evolutionary Game Theory, Cooperative Game Theory, Industrial Organization I, II, International Trade I, II, III, Monetary Economics I, II, ...
Graduate level: Micro I,II, (using MWG) Macro I,II, (using Ljungquvist and Sargent/ Stokey and Lucas), General Equilibrium Theory, Incomplete markets, Asset pricing, Public choice theory, Auction theory, Game theory, Voting theory, Industrial Organization
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ profs, 2 are well known
Teaching Experience: TA UG Level for elementary economics, TA Graduate level in math and macro
Awards: 2 merit based awards from my UG - university, scholarship from my graduate institution, award from our central bank for my diploma thesis,
Research Interests: Micro-theory
SOP: talked about personal interests/ hobbys and connected it with some papers I read... but I don't think someone cared about it
Schools I applied to:
NW
UPenn
UCSD
Tilburg
UIUC
JHU
Purdue
U Arizona
BC
UC Davis
Toronto
IUB
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
UPenn (nada $)
Tilburg ($)
UIUC ($$)
U Arizona ($$)
BC ($$)
IUB ($$)
UC Davis (?)
Rejections:
NW... (I'm still shocked)
Pending:
Toronto, Purdue, JHU, UCSD
What would you have done differently?
A lot! I wouldn't underestimate me anymore and I would apply for some top ten universities. My tip: aim as high as possible otherwise you get a lot of acceptances from middle-ranked universities and what can you buy with that?

EastCoastGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Canadian research university with a low-ranked econ dept, BSc Economics & Math
Undergrad GPA: ~3.86
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 760Q, 530V, 6.0 AWA (did not submit, only applied to MAs in Canada)
Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A, A, A-, B), Linear I-II, (A, B+), Intro to Analysis (A-), Real Analysis I-II (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), Graph Theory (ditto)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Public Economics (A), Economics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Math for Economists (A+), Advanced Micro (B+), Advanced Macro (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), lots of field courses (mostly A+)
Other Courses: Wrote on an honours thesis, did well; lots of stats course, did okay.
Letters of Recommendation: Honours advisor who is well-known is his field in Canada, and my metrics prof who has been around for a while
Research Experience: none, aside from my honours thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: labour, macro
SOP: n/a except for one school. I mostly talked about why economics was attractive to me as a discipline.
Other: Recommended for the SSHRC by my school. That probably did not have affect admissions, but it may have helped schools increase my funding after I was admitted.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially
Rejections: none
Pending: none
What would you have done differently?
I would have prepared more for the GRE last year so I could have done better (I did not really prepare and that was a poor choice), and I probably would have applied to more schools (like LSE). That said, I got into my first choice with their top funding offer, and I wasn't looking at applying to Phd programs, anyway, so I have no complaints or regrets.

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!