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sonicskat 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small Liberal Arts...Not well known
Undergrad GPA: 3.76
GRE: 760/510/5.5
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Proofs and Topology Class, Linear Algebra, Diff Eq
Econ Courses: Inter. Micro/Macro, Business, Math, Experimental, Forecasting, Econometrics, Statistics, Int'l trade and finance
Letters of Recommendation: Two Associate professors (Duke and MSU), and one Assistant Professor (FSU)
Research Experience: One paper published in undergraduate journal, research using dynamic programming with two professors ongoing, presented at professional conferences twice, associate editor for undergraduate journal for two years, presented at campus research forum twice.
Research Interests: Macro, Int'l
SOP: Wrote how I have adequate math skills, despite no real analysis. Briefly discussed extensive research experiences. Then honed in on a couple professor's who's work I enjoy.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA, MSU, UC Davis, Vanderbilt, Rice,UCSB
Waitlists: Pitt (i guess), ASU (i guess)
Rejections: UT Austin, Iowa
What would you have done differently?
Taken more math and gotten an 800 on the gre

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

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

Andronicus 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Regional state university in North Carolina
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: Same as undergrad
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0
GRE: 760Q / 720V / 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calculus I-IV, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Introduction to Topology, Probability and Statistics I, Advanced Calculus I. Taking Probability and Statistics II and Advanced Calculus II this spring.
Econ Courses: All the basic micro, macro, and econometrics for BS and MS, plus electives in mostly applied micro fields.
Other Courses: Logic
Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ professors (Ohio State, Iowa, South Carolina), 2 of whom I have done research with. One more from the math professor (Michigan State) who taught my topology and advanced calculus courses.
Research Experience: I did a master's research project on dividend taxes. A further paper on this topic, coauthored with several professors (including one of my letter writers), is currently under review. I worked with another letter writer on a project examining the impact of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment on surrounding residential housing values. I've also worked with a professor in the geography department on a study of public transportation cost-effectiveness in North Carolina and another study of traffic congestion relief.
Teaching Experience: During my MS program I was the economics department tutor for managerial economics. I've also tutored and/or TA'd for many other courses at the undergrad, MBA, and PhD Public Policy levels. Last semester, I taught micro principles at the local community college. I'm teaching macro principles this semester.
Research Interests: Public, Urban/Regional, Experimental
SOP: Mostly talked about my coursework and research experience, with the last paragraph customized to the school.
Other: American male, 26, married (no kids)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT-Austin ($?), Ohio State ($?), Pittsburgh ($), Vanderbilt ($$$)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Northwestern
Pending: UIUC, Indiana, Houston, Georgia State
What would you have done differently?: Worked extra hard to improve my GRE Q-score. Applied to a couple more top-20 programs instead of Houston and Georgia State. Applied to Wharton Applied Economics instead of Northwestern.

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

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

anx1ous 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Econ & Int'l Affairs from top 10 U.S. public (with an 'unranked' econ dept.)
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q, 680V, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Diff Eqs, Stats I, grad Prob & Stats
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): the usual suspects
Other Courses: lots of poli sci/int'l affairs
Letters of Recommendation: all econ, 2 'unknown' (Berkeley ARE & Michigan State) and 1 'known' (MIT)...probably 2/3 were 'really' strong
Research Experience: in my 4th semester as an RA, worked on 2 projects that led (or rather, are leading) to a working paper & a senior thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: applied micro--labor (specifically education) & development
SOP: standard?
Other: did a summer research program at a top 20 dept. (which I think was incredibly instrumental in my outcomes); tried to show that despite my weak math background I at least had some programming skills
Concerns: LACK OF MATH...everything else was ok, I think
What I would have done different: TAKEN MORE MATH, but I didn't know I wanted to do an econ PhD until 2nd semester junior year and was always drawn more to the social sciences than math (and had no idea they could be one and the same!)
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Columbia ($), Maryland ($), Berkeley ARE ($), Texas ($), Vanderbilt ($), Georgetown (waitlisted w/ $), GW (no $)
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, NYU, Brown
ATTENDING: Columbia
What could I have done differently?
In terms of the application process: applied to 2-3 fewer lower ranked depts. and put that money/time/effort towards applying to a few more top 10 schools (probably just to cover my bases, as I have no reason to believe that I would've done any 'better'). Also: stayed away from TM/Gradcafe during admissions season!
In terms of preparation: again, done a math minor/double major (for admissions as much as self-preparation--I'm pretty worried now!), but you can only take this 'should've/would've/could've' question so far, since I simply didn't know until later that I wanted to pursue this path or what was required of me.
All in all, however, I am extremely happy with my outcomes. I obviously had zero expectations or I wouldn't have applied to such a wide-ranging group of schools.

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

BeeSee 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Econ and Political Science from a public university in the top-80ish of US undergrad rankings
Undergrad GPA: 3.96
Type of Grad: MA in Economics, same school as BA
Grad GPA: 3.75
GRE: 800Q / 570V / 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable Calc (A), Intro to Stats (A), Linear Algebra (A), Probability Theory (pass/fail)
Econ Courses: All kinds, including first semester of PhD core
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ profs from my school who know me very well, but none famous
Research Experience: Undergrad thesis on auction theory. Nowhere near publishable.
Teaching Experience: Econ tutoring for my university
Research Interests: All micro, particularly game theory and its applications
Concerns: Math, math, math. Should have taken more.
Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, Boston U, Maryland, UT-Austin, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh
In: UT-Austin (waitlisted for $), Vanderbilt (fellowship), Pittsburgh (fellowship), BU (no $)
Out: Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, Maryland

xxxzzz2509 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Econ/Math/Comp Science from a 2nd Tier LAC in the MidWest
Undergrad GPA: 3.78/4. Econ 4.0 Math 3.6
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: none
GRE: 580V/800Q/ Dunno AWA yet
TOEFL: N/A
Econ Courses: Econometrics, Inter Micro, Macro, Financial Institution, Topics Courses All A's
Math Courses: Cal I-III (A,A,A-), Intro to Real Analysis (A-), Math Stats (B+), Numerical Analysis (A), Optimization (B+), Applied Matrix (B+), Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis I (pending), ODE (pending)
Other Courses: Some accounting courses, Physics
Letters of Recommendation: 1 U Illinois (Senior Thesis Adviser), 1 Notre Dame (Summer Research with), 1 UPenn, 1 UT Austin (Math teacher) All seem to be very strong.
Research Experience: 2 summer research: 1 math, one econ, senior thesis in Econ
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Microecon/ Financial Economics
statement of purpose: N/A
Concerns: No graduate courses, average amounts of math, from LAC
Schools: Ph D: OSU/JHU/UMD/Cornell. Msc:LSE, Oxbirdge, Warwick, UBC, Torronto, McGill.

gbea 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Honours from good Canadian School
Undergrad GPA: 3.6/4
Type of Grad: MA in economics from another good Canadian school
Grad GPA: 3.75
GRE: 800Q, 800V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc 1-3 (A, A- C+) Linear Algebra 1-2 (A-,B+), ODE (A) Econ Stats (A-)
Econ Courses (Grad level): Micro (A+), Econometrics (A-) Macro (B+) Development (A+, A), Labour (A-), IO (B+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro (B+, A-), Econometrics (B), Game Theory, Labour (As) Public (B+)
Other Courses: Irrelevant.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors. I think they are good in content, but perhaps not famous.
Research Experience: No thesis. 1 summer RA at a Research Organization. 1 year working as economist for Canadian government.
Teaching Experience: 4th year labour
Research Interests: Development and applied micro
statement of purpose: I'm not sure what to put here. Yes, I did write one.
Concerns: Grades are not phenomenal, missing a math course or 2. No thesis.
Other: I am applying to BU even though I am technically inelligible because my GRE scores are 3 months too old for them.
Applying to: Duke, Maryland, BU, PSU, MSU, UIUC, Virginia, Vanderbilt, UBC, Toronto, Queens, UWO
I would love it if someone PMed me with comments. I promise to reciprocate if you do!

kt253 2011:
Profile:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, B.A. Philosophy (two degrees) - 170s ranked National University, Top 100 Econ PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 3.97 Cumulative, 4.0 in both majors and all math courses (only 1 B, in irrelevant course)
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 770Q, 550V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A, A+, A), Linear Algebra (A), currently in Differential Equations and calc-based stats.
Econ Courses: Intro Micro, Intro Macro, Econ Stats, Inter Micro, Inter Macro, Econometrics, Mathematical Economics (in progress), Moral Foundations of Capitalism, Development, Economic History, Economics of Entrepreneurship.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ Professors, 1 relatively recent PhD from Emory (will be co-authoring a paper and starting RA job with him soon), 1 well known professor from Florida State, and a math prof (my prof for Linear Algebra, m.s. from harvard, phd from Wisc)
Research Experience: RA for a professor, research on philosophical debate regarding organ markets and economics behind it
Teaching Experience: Tutored students in various math, econ, accounting, philosophy, and social science courses, TA for an intro level philosophy course.
Research Interests: Public Economics, Political Economy, Development, Microeconomics, Health Economics
Concerns: GRE score, lack of advanced math preparation (Real Analysis, Probability Theory, etc), reputation of undergrad school
Applied to: Carnegie Mellon (Econ and PP), Maryland, U of Virginia, George Mason, Florida State, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, Suffolk, UCSD
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UIUC ($), MSU ($$), FSU ($$), Vanderbilt ($), WVU ($), GMU (?), Suffolk ($, already turned down), UKY (turned down before $ offered)
Waitlisted: none
Rejections: Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, UC San Diego, Carnegie Mellon
Still Waiting on: none
What would you have done differently? I would have started taking math way earlier and more often, studied more for the GRE and maybe retaken it, narrowed my research focus a little in my SOP. I would have also applied to better reach schools - better in terms of those that let in more students, and with funding, a couple more 15-25 schools, and less safeties. I underestimated myself since I came out of a less reputable state school, despite my great GPA and adequate GRE scores. Turns out my undergrad institution wasn't quite as damning as I thought it was going to be.

bassmantin 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Accounting/Finance at a Big 10 school
Undergrad GPA: 3.97
Type of Grad: M.B.A. Accounting/Finance
Grad GPA: 3.91
GRE: 800Q, 700V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calculus I, II, II, Linear Algebra, Intro to Advanced Math (all A) After submission of application: Differential Equations, Real Analysis (all A expected)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, lots of grad level business school classes that overlap somewhat: managerial econ, real options, valuation, corporate finance, international monetary systems and hedging (all A) after submission: History of Economic Thought, Monetary Theory (all A expected)
Other Courses: Lots of business
Letters of Recommendation: Accounting professor, math instructor, former employer
Research Experience: N/A
Teaching Experience: two semesters intro to managerial accounting
Research Interests: macro/monetary
SOP: addressed my somewhat unique situation
Concerns: no econ prof letter of recommendation, not too much math before submitting app
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Vanderbilt, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa State, George Mason, Missouri
Waitlists: WUSTL (eventually accepted), Minnesota (withdrew)
Rejections: Chicago, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Attending: WUSTL
What would you have done differently? Take more math. Get letter of recommendation from economists. Get a mentor to guide me through the process.

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

Regularity 2011:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: Economics (PhD)
Decision: accepted
Funding: yes (1st year fellowship + tuition + insurance)
Notification date: 2/23/2011
Notified through: email with formal acceptance from DGS
Posted on GF: to be posted
Comments: !!!So Happy! First Offer!

Pburg 2012:
Type of Undergrad: US, top 30
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (3.9 econ, 3.6 math)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q 167 V 161 AWA 5.5
Math Courses: Calc II and III (A-, B+), Lin Alg (B+), Intro to Proofs (B), Math Stats (A-), Applied Stats (A), Bayesian Stats (B+), Diff Eq (A-), Nonlinear ODE (A), Abstract Algebra (A), Analysis (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles of Micro, Macro (A-, A), Hon Intermediate Micro, Macro (A, A-), History (A), Intro & Intermediate Econometrics (A-, A), IO (A), Math for Econ (A), Information (A), Regulation/Antitrust (A)
Letters of Recommendation: good to great, from Stanford, Michigan, and UCLA econ PhDs
Research Experience: summer RA, kind of light
Teaching Experience: TA 4 semesters
Research Interests: applied micro
SOP: average
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), Vanderbilt ($$)
Waitlists: UVA (withdrawn)
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Yale, Northwestern, UCSD, Cornell, Duke, Penn State, UC Berkeley ARE
Attending: Wisconsin
What would you have done differently? Better math grades. If I had developed an interest in econ sooner, I might have avoided some mediocre grades and snagged a couple more research opportunities.

Anexpor 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: First year fellowship followed by TAing
Notification date: 2/9/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Yay, cool to know that after all this time/effort I really will be going to grad school!

econtp 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $21,200
Notification date: 02/10
Notified through: Email
Comment: My first admit with quite generous funding!
Institution: WUSTL
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlisted
Funding: Waitlisted
Notification date: 02/16
Notified through: Email
Institution: UCSB
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 02/23
Notified through: Email to check website
Comment: Quite surprised..
Institution: Stanford GSB
Program: EAP PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 02/23
Notified through: Email to check website
Institution: UT Austin
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: If I want, I have to contact them ASAP.
Notification date: 02/23
Notified through: Email
Comment: Hm.. I prefer Vandy to UT since my interest is Macro

7ien 2012:
Institution: Queen's
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 4/2/12
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Same thing with waitlist.

wobo82 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 research university per USNWR
Undergrad GPA: 3.33 (electrical engineering BS)
Type of Grad: Top 100-ish research university without an econ PhD program
Grad GPA: 3.87 (economics MA)
GRE: 790Q/670V/5.0A
Math Courses: Calc I through III, Diff Eq, Matrix/Linear Algebra, Math Stats, Stochastic Proc, Analysis
Econ Courses: Micro Theory, Applied Econometrics, bunch of field courses
Other Courses: Bunch of undergrad EE courses (lots of Matlab, some C++)
Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ profs at grad school. (They were not alumni of the schools I applied to so where they got their PhDs was of no consequence.)
Research Experience: Very insignficant.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Development, broadly speaking.
SOP: I liked it.
Other: Male, international
RESULTS:
Acceptances: USC (fellowship), UMD AREC (RA), UMN APEC (fellowship), UVA (waitlisted for aid), GWU (waitlisted for aid), UW-Seattle (no aid)
No news as of Apr 3rd (not that I care anymore): UNC-CH, Pitt, Purdue
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. (Well, perhaps tried the PowerPrep tests.) My personal circumstances were such that I couldn't have done things differently. I do feel that I had overestimated the difficulty of getting in (to the departments I chose) but underestimated the difficulty of getting funding. But hindsight is 20-20. The biggest holes in my profile going in were: unknown grad school, bad undergrad record, lack of research experience, complete absence of a macro course (taking my first one right now). I feared the lack of macro would shut me out from the straight econ depts. All in all I am happy with my acceptance tally.

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.

corolla09 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math/Econ Good Eastern liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.28 (3.45ish for Econ & Math)
GRE: 720Q, 470V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus Sequence, Vector Calculus, Intro to Proofs, Linear Algebra, Ring Theory, Real Analysis, Applied Stats, Probability, Mathematical Statistics, Stochastic Processes
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro & Macro, Labor, IO, Econometrics, Environmental, Experimental, Behavioral, Econ of Conflict
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ, 1 math all senior faculty whom I knew very well
Research Experience: Senior thesis in Probability Theory/Stochastic Processes
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Public, Labor, Experimental/Behavioral
SOP: I think this was a 'good' deciding factor for some schools showing a fit/common research interest with their program and I believe it matters a lot more for smaller non top-30 programs.
Concerns: A lot, low GRE/GPA low grade in Analysis
Other: had to wait a year to apply for good senior grades, take GRE
RESULTS:
Attending: Florida State Univ ($$)
Admitted, Declined: Binghamton ($), Kentucky (WL$), Oregon (WL$), NC State (no$), Mississippi ($), UNH-masters
Waitlists: Va Tech
Rejections: Vanderbilt, Virginia, Syracuse (never heard back)
No Word: Louisiana State
What would you have done differently? A lot, actually study in undergrad for one. Had difficulty figuring out where to apply with my profiles and increase in apps, should've applied to places like Purdue, Pitt, Riverside and research schools with experimental more. Results almost identical to what I thought they would be. Had random safety's. Originally started with math major then added econ very glad I did both. Very happy with results considering my profile and for those similar to mine it is possible to get a decent funded offer without perfect transcript especially if you're looking for a LACish placement like me.

hawksfanatic 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: U.S. Top 30 Public, B.A. Philosophy and Economics
Undergrad GPA: ~3.4
Type of Grad: Econ
Grad GPA: ~3.5
GRE: 740 Q, 470 V, 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Intro to Stats, Linear Algebra, Theory of Probability
Econ Courses: Standard Micro Macro sequence all the way through the PhD level, Econometrics I and II, Public Choice, Math for Economists, International Finance, Antitrust, Theory of Gov't Regulation
Other Courses: A lot of philosophy courses
Letters of Recommendation: One well known econ professor from UVA, 2 lesser known econ professors (Chicago and Brown). All very excited.
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Undecided, but leaning towards econometrics at the moment
SOP: Body was generic for every school, changed a few things for each school
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NCSU ($$), TAMU ($-wl), UGA($-wl), GMU(no $)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: UVA, Vanderbilt, ISU
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Maybe study for the GRE more. Hard to say that when I came to college that I wanted to pursue a PhD, it never crossed my mind until the 2nd part of my junior year which is hardly enough time to take all the recommended math courses. In the end I got what I wanted, a place that wants me and is large enough to accommodate any possible changes in my fields of interest. I will be attending NCSU.

EcoBd 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad/Grad: BSS and MSS in Economics in a South Asian University.
Undergrad/Grad GPA: 3.7/4.0 in Undergrad and 4.0/4.0 in Grad
GRE: 790Q, 380V, 3.5AWA
TOEFL: 106 (29R, 29L, 23S, 25W)
Courses: Lots of econ courses. PhD level micro and econometrics. Calculus, probability theory, linear algebra, real analysis etc.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 economics professor from my University. 1 got his PhD from Harvard and taught me Microeconomics. Another did her PhD from MIT and taught me Econometrics. The last one got his PhD from Manchester and taught me International Economics. I am sure that they all gave me excellent recommendations.
Research Experience: Currently working in a research institute in my home country. I also have 2 RA positions in two different organizations previously.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Econometrics
SOP: Traditional. Emphasized my interests in economics.
RESULTS:
Attending: Texas A & M University
Acceptances: TAMU ($$), FSU (no $), OSU AEDE: (no$: informally)
Rejections: UCSD, UIUC, UNC, UF, Vanderbilt, IUB,
No word: USC
What would you have done differently? I think I should really do well on GRE verbal and AWA. And I should be more focused on my SOP.

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

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.

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!

takethemoneyandrun 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Mid-ranked liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 770Q/700V/5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A/B/A-), Linear Algebra (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Mathematical Statistics (B+), ODEs (A-), PDEs (A), Advanced Calculus (A), Real Analysis (A), Topology (IP), Complex Analysis (IP)
Econ Courses : Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Intro to Econometrics (B), Labor Economics (A), Senior honors thesis (A)
Other courses: Nothing of value
Letters of Recommendation: Three econ professors (PhDs from top 30 programs) who advised me on research papers that turned out pretty well and one statistics professor with whom I did summer research. They are all very nice, helpful people and I get along well with them.
Research Experience: Two econ term papers and a senior honors thesis that I am proud of; one co-authored statistics publication based on summer research.
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 sections of introductory statistics and 2 sections of introductory economics.
Research Interests: Economics of labor, health, aging, and education.
Statement of purpose: I made it clear that I want to become an academic economist, discussing my math preparation and research interests.
Concerns: Low GRE Q and limited undergrad econ background with very shaky grades.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Virginia(wl-$), Texas(wl-$), Washington-Seattle($$), Indiana($$), UC-Davis($$), UC-Irvine($$), Rice($$), Colorado($0), Maryland AREC($$), Cornell AEM($0), Oregon($$)
Rejections: Brown, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, WUSTL
What would you have done differently? I would have applied to more schools in the 15-30 range. I didn't expect to be accepted to at least half of the programs that admitted me and was biased towards lower-ranked schools. I have heard this over and over, but it's worth repeating: The MC of sending out an additional application is extremely low; apply to any and every school that you think matches your research interests!

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

pjpersons 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Mid-size Liberal Arts University, BS in Math Econ, BA in Math
Undergrad GPA: 3.5/4, 3.7 for Econ, 3.5 for Math (Rising over last 2+ Years)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q, 560V
Math Courses: Calc I (B), Calc II (B+), Calc III (A), Diff Eq (B), Linear Algebra (A), Probability (B+), Abstract Algebra (A), Real Analysis (Fall), Math Stats (Fall), Numerical Analysis (Fall), Topology (Spring), Forecasting/Regression (Spring)
Econ Courses: Into Micro (A), Intro Macro (A), Inter Micro (B+), Inter Macro (B), Math Econ (B+), Econometrics (A), Indust Org (A), Community/Development (B+), Game Theory (A), Labor (Fall), International (Spring)
Other Courses: Intro Programming (A), Intro Accounting (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 Econ Professors (Not well known, but 2 are tenured and have been around for some time, know me very well and speak very highly. Wisconsin, Purdue and Virginia)
Research Experience: RA for 2+ years for math department, RA for econ department for almost a year, NSF Program (CSUMS)
Teaching Experience: Tutor for 2 years for both math and econ department, TA for Calc I for over a year
Research Interests: Intl Development and Trade, Applied Micro, Econometrics
SOP: Did field research in Bangladesh, spoke of that. Mainly on research ability and quantitative skill.
Other: Won award for most outstanding senior in economics.
Applying to:
Boston U, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, John Hopkins, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Syracuse, Colorado-Boulder, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Virginia, Vanderbilt

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

WorkingOvertime 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Econ with Math minor from top 75 US undergrad school. My school does have a low ranked PhD program.
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0
Type of Grad: None- My Econometrics, Prob. Theory, Regression, and Stats II classes were offered as grad school courses, but it is not designated on my transcript.
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 740Q 510V 4.5 Analytical
Math Courses: Into to Math Analysis (Applied Calc I), Multivariable Calc. (Applied Calc II/III), Intro to Business Statistics. Elementary Statistical Inference (AP), Statistical Theory II, Diff EQ, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory, Regression and Time Series
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, International Econ, International Macro, Development of American Economy, Junior Honors Research, Econometrics, Independent Study Research, Senior Honors Thesis.
Other Courses: Creative inquiry with Ag. Econ graduate professor
Letters of Recommendation: Three strong ones from professors I have done research with. None are famous, but all have significant experience.
Research Experience: Did research with graduate professor on manufacturing trends. Strong Econometrics term paper. Did a paper on Defense Economics with seasoned professor over the summer. Writing a Senior Thesis on Steamboat price efficiency.
Teaching Experience: Supplemental Instructor for Managerial Accounting. It is the most difficult class in the business school.
Research Interests: Financial Economics, Behavioral, Macro Trends, International, Historical Econ, Resource Econ, Environmental Econ
statement of purpose: average.
Applying to: Ohio State AEDE, Vanderbilt, Miami OH, Michigan Applied Stats, UVA, Lehigh MA, Cornell, Toronto MA

econjkt 2010:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: Not totally shocked but still disappointed.

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

Policy_Enter 2010:
Institution: University of Rochester
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/1
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments: Well, zero application fee. The feeling is not good though!
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/23
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GF: No
Comments: No application fee. Thought I was going to make it.
Institution: Notre Dame
Program: Ph.D. Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/24
Notified through: I called the grad program director
Posted on GF: No
Comments: They pursued me to apply! The even offered me application fee waiver. Why did they have to do that?

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

Tommie Hopeful 2010:
Institution: University Wisconsin - APEC
Program: Masters in Applied Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/25
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/20
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments:
Institution: University of Minnesota - APEC
Program: Masters in Applied Economics
Decision: Admit
Funding: No Decision
Notification date: 3/3
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments: I go to school down the street.

mikekohyw 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:BS in Business at private top-25 school
Undergrad GPA:3.62, 4.0 in econ courses
Type of Grad:MA in econ at Public Master's univ.
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q/630V/4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Intro linear alg and diff equations (all A's), math probability, linear algebra, proofs (all A's; completed in Fall 2010), real analysis, math stats (in progress, will complete by Spring 2011)
Econ Courses (grad level): MA Macro, Micro, econometrics (all A's), time series (B+, Fall 2010), research methods (A, Fall 2010)
Econ Courses (undergrad level): Basic and intermediate macro/micro, econometrics, math econ, macroecon and growth (all A's)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors from master's program
Research Experience: Master's thesis (Still in progress), 1 year as graduate assistant
Teaching Experience: 1 year as econ tutor
Research Interests: Not sure yet...leaning towards applied micro/development
SOP: Probably not well-written as indicated by the results...
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Houston ($$$), UC Santa Cruz ($$), Hawaii (waitlist $)
Waitlists: Rice, Washington
Rejections: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UT-Austin, Vanderbilt, USC
Pending: Texas A&M
Attending: Houston
What would you have done differently? Taking more math courses in undergrad. I've spent 2 years in grad school trying to catch up the math courses, as I have no math courses under my belt in college. Apparently, I still fell short of the top-50 programs after 2 years of preparation. Since I spent most of the time playing catch-up, I could not start to do some research of my own as I was too occupied with course works. That probably hurts my profile as well. Overall, I would say if I could choose again, I will definitely not do the garbage degree called business administration in my undergrad years.

mgou 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 U.S. Institution
Major: Quantitative Economics
Minors: Math, Statistics
Undergrad GPA: Cumulative 3.47/ Econ GPA 3.8
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA:None
GRE: First take 760Q/450V 4writing…Retake 740Q/480V TBAwriting
Math Courses: Calc I-II(A,A) Math for Economists(Linear Algebra and Multi-variable Calculus) (A),Intro to Linear Algebra (C+), Linear Algebra (B+), Real Analysis II(A),Analysis of Several Variables (B), Intro Prob&StatsI-II-III (A-,B,A-), Stat Method in Finance (A-)
Econ Courses:
Basic EconI-II(B+,A), IntermedEconI-II-III(A,A,B+), Global Econ (A), Intl Trade (A-), Industrl Econ (D), Math Econ (C+), EconometricsI-II-III(B+,A,A-), Game theory (B), Labor Econ (B+), Finance Econ (A), Econ Honors thesisI-II(A-,A), 6 terms of Research (all A's)
Grad Level: (Stats Dept)Stats Methodology I-II(A-,A-), Survey Data and Analysis (IP), (Econ Dept)Business Cycle History(A)
Letters of Recommendation: A great letter from my advisor (Berkeley) whom I worked with for 8 terms. A good letter from the econ honors director (UCLA) who helped guide my thesis and is aware of the research I do. I've taken courses from both econ professors and done well. A good letter from a statistics professor (Washington) whose grad stats class I've taken that can comment on my ability to analyze and interpret data and is also aware of my research I do.
Research Experience: Undergraduate honors thesis. I am coauthoring a paper with my advisor. I have applied for 3 research grants and received three research grants. I presented my work at my university's undergraduate research symposium.
Teaching Experience: Tutored undergraduate calculus for two terms
Research Interests: Economic History, Empirical Macroeconomics.
SOP: tailored for each school I applied to.
Concerns: I studied abroad for a quarter and did poorly in Ind Econ, and Math Econ due to many reasons. I couldn't retake those courses at my home university since I took them abroad...unless I studied abroad again. Instead I decided to take harder math, econ and stat courses to try to compensate for those poor grades. Also, nowhere in my transcript does it formally say I've taken multivariable calculus. My GRE scores also aren't the best. So there is a lot I have to explain in my SOP.
Results:
Acceptances: UC Irvine($) Rutgers(no $)
Waitlists: UW
Rejections: UCB, NWU, GMU, Vanderbilt, BC, UofA, UVA, WUSTL, Emory
Attending: UCI
What would you have done differently?
Ummm...I don't know. I got bad grades when I studied abroad, but I don't regret that at all. GRE probably couldn't have been much better(actually did worse on the retake). Im happy to be going to UCI. As stated in the previous posts, you only need one good admit

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

mallikagarg 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from top Indian University
Undergrad GPA: N/A
Major GPA: N/A
Type of Grad: MA Economics from mid ranked Indian University
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q 790 V 640 A 3.5;
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Math for economists, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Statistical methods and probability, Differential Equations, Advanced multi-variable calculus.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Econometrics, Game Theory, International Trade, Industrial economics and investment analysis, International Banking and Finance, Development Economics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I & II, Macro, Public Finance, Money and Baning, Economic History, Comparitive economic development, Development Economics, Economic Systems
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from grad quant prof, 1 from grad econometric prof, 1 from a well known economist i've RAd with.
Research Experience: one year's experience as an RA
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Applied Microeconomics, Industrial Organisation
SOP: Nothing out of the world
Concerns: Inadequate research experience, no publications, inadequate math courses, unknown Graduate university, unknown recommenders.
Applied to: MIT, stanford GSB, Chicago, Texas (Austin), Texas A&M, UIUC, Rice, Vanderbilt, USC, MSU, UCR, UVA, Clemson, Colorado at Boulder
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Clemson ($$); Colorado (Without funding)
Rejections: MIT, stanford GSB, Chicago, Texas (Austin), Texas A&M, UIUC, Rice, Vanderbilt, USC, MSU, UCR, UVA
Attending: Clemson
What would you have done differently?
With my kind of background, I am happy to have made it to where I did. Though, I guess I should not have targeted so high. I could have got better results had I applied to more schools in the 30-60 range and completely skipped the top 15.

Aznkaz 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, BS Math, and BA Physics at a small liberal arts school.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85/4.0
GRE: 790 quant, 440 verbal, have not received AWA score yet
Math Courses: Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis, Grad Level Probability, Intro to Proofs All A's besides a B in Differential Equations.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):Intermediate Micro Macro, Econometrics, Mathematical Economics, Readings in Economics (some of Mas Colell) All A's
Other Courses: A CS class, many physics classes, some stat classes
Letters of Recommendation: I think my letters will be pretty good, but since I go to a small liberal arts school I'm not sure how much weight they will hold.
Research Experience: Physics REU one summer at University Arkansas. Then a REU in finance at my school. Also two semesters of acoustics physics research.
Teaching Experience: Tutored introductory physics classes for 2 semesters
Research Interests: Non-cooperative game theory, and general equilibrium.
SOP: Still working on it.
Concerns: The fact that I go to a small lesser known liberal arts college and that my recommendations will not be from well known people. Also my verbal GRE is pretty low.
Applying to:
Reach Schools: U Chicago, Berkeley
Other: Cal Tech, UCLA, UC San Diego, U Texas Austin, Washington, Washington University in St. Louis MO, University Illinois, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara.
This list is not for sure. Recommendations on school would be great!

JG0626 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Private, Liberal Arts University (U.S. News Top 15 – Regional Universities South)
Undergrad GPA: Overall 3.93; Econ 3.92; Math 4.00
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q 630V 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I (A+), Calc II (A+), Linear Algebra (A+), Probability (A+), Intro to Math Reasoning (A+), Calc III (In-Progress), Math Stats (In-Progress), Ordinary Differential Equations (In-Progress)
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): International (A+), Money and Banking (A+), Investment Theory (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A-), Econometrics (A+)
Other Courses: Business Administration second major
Letters of Recommendation: Two econ professors, 1 math professor
Research Experience: Nothing past a term research paper for my econometrics class
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Two broad areas: Macro/Financial Economics and Austrian/New Institutional
SOP: I feel confident in the main body of my statement, but I put most of the customized effort into GMU, WUStL, IU, and FSU.
Concerns: The analytic writing score from my GRE is embarrassing. I’m also concerned about my hiatus from academia; I received my B.A. in economics in December 2006 and worked for a brokerage firm for a few years. I have, however, returned to school for what will amount to a math minor equivalent. Hopefully, this signals my commitment to PhD programs.
Other:
Applying to: George Mason, IU-Bloomington, Washington U – St. Louis, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, UVA, UChicago, Boston U, Florida State

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

ahasuerus 2011:
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Program: Ph.D. in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: February 24, 2011
Notified through: website - I checked after seeing the rejections on this forum
Posted on GC: no

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

econbon 2011:
Catching up...
Institution: Oklahoma State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/14-Valentine's Day
Notified through: Postal mail
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Ouch! And on Valentine's Day! Particularly bad considering this was my safest of safe schools. Talk about making me want to lose all hope. Oh well, didn't want to go there anyway (grape sour much?)
Institution: University of Virginia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: I would've loved to go to UVA/C'ville, but I knew it was a bit of a reach
Institution: University of Kansas
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding:
Notification date: 3/4
Notified through: Email to check status
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Getting very nervous at this point
Institution: University of Illinois-Chicago
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding:
Notification date: Letter dated 3/4
Notified through: Postal mail
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: At least they were gracious enough to spend paper on me. At this point virtually all of my safeties have responded "no."
Institution: Clemson
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: tuition remission+$15k
Notification date: I deferred from last cycle (so my admission date is irrelevant) and received notification of funding offer on 3/7
Notified through: email
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: I have visited Clemson, and the prospect of funding is ALWAYS welcome. Finally some good news
Institution: George Mason
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding:
Notification date: Letter mailed 3/12
Notified through: postal mail
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: I really, really, really wanted to go here. Applied here last year as well. C'est la vie
Institution: Indiana University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: rejection
Funding:
Notification date: 3/18
Notified through: Email from Econ secretary (?)
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Applied here last year as well. 0-2
Institution: Arizona State
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejection
Funding:
Notification date: 3/29
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Subject line: ASU Rejection. No punch line!
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: rejection
Funding:
Notification date: 3/30
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Expected.
Institution: UNC
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: "Waitlisted"
Funding:
Notification date: 4/5
Notified through: email
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Wow. My number one choice. Please someone decide not to go here. I would be ecstatic.
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted?
Funding: ?
Notification date: ahem see comments
Notified through: see comments
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: Very unimpressed. Applied here last year. Was never contacted. Found out I was accepted into Master's instead of Ph.D. This year I had to call and was told I'd been accepted into Ph.D. Not very organized
Institution: Southern Methodist University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No :'(
Notification date: Called 4/6 and she told me over the phone
Notified through: phone
Posted on GF: ?
Comments: I would like to go, but no way without funding

Sheldor 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics at top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.2
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics at top 20 econ phd school
Grad GPA: 3.43
GRE: 166 Q 170 V 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Calc II (B) Calc III (A) Linear Algebra (A) Differential Equations (A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro (B) Macro (B-) Econometrics (B+) Statistics (B+) Labor Economics (B+) Environmental Economics (A-) Public Economics (B+) Financial Economics (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro (B) Macro (A-) Stats (B) Econometrics (B) International Econ (B) Money and Banking (A-) Current Issues in Money and Finance (B+) Public Finance (A-) Law and Economics (B) Investments and Valuation (B+)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One from a very well known economist from M.A., one from an economist from B.A., one from economist at work
Research Experience: 3 years working as a research analyst for an economic research organization
Teaching Experience: 1 year TA
Research Interests: Applied micro econometrics- primarily labor and public economics
SOP: Talked mostly about my reasons for wanting to be an economist, why I thought I would succeed, some research interests, and tailored a bit to each school
Concerns: low undergrad GPA is a major concern. Also, I have done well in the math I have taken, but haven't had the opportunity to take a lot of it.
Other: Senior undergrad thesis on connection between strength of financial systems and economic growth
RESULTS:
Acceptances: ColoradoWaitlists: Washington
Rejections: Brown, Boston U, Boston College, Maryland, UCSB, UCSD, UCLA, USC, UT-Austin, Vanderbilt, Virginia
Pending: none
Attending: Colorado
What would you have done differently?
I guess there are two different periods of time where I could have changed things. Going back prior to the application process, it would have been nice to realize I wanted to do a PhD sooner as well as get much better grades. I think taking mathematical statistics and real analysis (and doing well) would also have shown my math skills better. Going into the process, I thought my Master's and verbal GRE scores would matter, even though they have been discounted on many forums and information pages. It's hard to know whether my recommendations and SOP could have been better without feedback from the departments, but I definitely think I aimed too high on my school selection. My weaknesses are pretty obvious (low undergrad GPA, decent if not stellar performance in my Master's). If I went through the application process again, I would have eliminated the top 20 programs and focused more on the 30-50 range. However, I am ecstatic to be going to Colorado and I may have picked it even if I had gotten into more schools.

packerdevil 2012:
I guess this profile shows some good things with some "what-ifs" on my mind. A few regrets, but nonetheless I'm in to a few PhD programs, so my goals are being met.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Econ/Math, ASU
Undergrad GPA: 3.43
GRE: 155/161/4.5 (Equiv: 530/770/4.5; V/Q/W)
Math Courses: Calc I (HS), Calc II (B+), Honors Calc III (B), Lin Alg (B), Diff Eq (A), Real Analysis (B), Adv. Lin. Alg (C), Lin. Opt. (C), Chaos Theory (B+), Probability (B+), Stochastic Processes (currently taking)
Econ Courses: Beg/Int/Adv Macro (A+/A-/A+), Honors Micro (B+), International Econ/Trade (B+), Health Care Econ (B), Honors Behavioral Econ (A), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (C), Law & Econ (currently taking)
Letters of Recommendation: One Nobel Laureate Economist, Behavioral Econ/Law & Econ professor/Thesis Director, Diff Eq/Chaos Theory Professor/Thesis Second Reader
Research Experience: My undergraduate thesis, which focused on the behavior of people in BitTorrent and the economic efficiency of such behavior. I also did a research project on stochastic modeling of the Black-Scholes Financial Model, a project on networking in basketball to predict outcomes of games, and helped with a project on people's behavior on incentives and cheating.
Teaching Experience: Tutoring math and economics courses
Research Interests: Microeconomics, maybe Econometrics. Really into how individuals in certain markets behave efficiently (comparison/contrast of different types of markets)
SOP: How I always wanted to seize any (research) opportunity that came my way, or really any opportunity that gives me more knowledge and gets me a push forward to reach my goals
Concerns: Obviously my overall GPA. If I could do undergraduate studies again, I would have worked harder in school, and put a lot more effort into making those B's into A's. Also, I would have chosen some different professors and classes. Adv. Lin. Alg. and Lin. Opt. were simply no fun because the professors did a bad job teaching, plus Adv. Lin. Alg. was just way too difficult for me. As far as Econometrics, I should have waited until this semester to take it with a professor who was really good at teaching it, instead of who I had who just used powerpoint slides and told us what formulas to use. He did not explain what he expected us to take from this course at all except "money tree." I'm working hard right now and on pace of getting straight A's. Also my GRE scores are to be somewhat desired.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Colorado, Oregon (funding "unlikely"), George Washington (no funding)
Waitlists: Colorado (funding)
Rejections: Vanderbilt, UVA
Pending: ASU, V Tech (has anyone heard from any of these two schools?)
Attending: As of now Colorado, unless some funding offer comes from left field.
What would you have done differently?
Stated with Concerns.

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

mar412 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 15 US ( Top 10 Econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: MA from Top 20 Econ
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 790 Q, 800 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc 3 (A), Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A), Probability (A), Analysis (A)
Econ Courses: Lots of Undergrad Econ with A/A-s, MA Level: Micro (A-), Macro (B+), Econometrics (A), Advanced Micro (A), Computer Modeling for Policy Analysis (A); Phd Level: Real Analysis for Econ (A), Micro I (A), Econometrics I (B+)
Other Courses:Phd Stats Intro Course (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from unknown undergrad prof who knew me really well, 1 from unknown MA prof who knew me really well, 1 "institutional letter" from phd profs.
Research Experience: Worked about 2 years as RA estimating tax revenues for a state agency...if that counts
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Wasn't sure..., claimed labor topics in micro and macro
SOP: Pretty standard, I'm sure. I didn't have much time to work on it due to an illness in the family.
Other: Didn't know what I wanted to do as an undergrad and after getting some work experience, I decided to pursue my Phd. Most of my math and Phd courses were taken in my MA program
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Minnesota ($), UCSD ($), Penn (w/l but got $), UNC(?)
Waitlists:UVA, Michigan
Rejections:Princeton, MIT, Yale, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Duke, Northwestern
Pending:None
What would you have done differently?
I think in terms of my research experience and grades I did as well as I could given my circumstances. To me, being there for my family during a time of stress was the most important thing, and I still feel proud of the choices I made. In an ideal world, I would've realized that I wanted to get my Phd as an undergrad and taken as many math classes as possible then. But, it didn't happen that way. Overall I am happy with what I achieved and am excited to start my studies next fall.
Attending: Penn

applicant12 2012:
Type of undergrad: BS Economics, Finance, Math minor from a mid-sized state university (not flagship), has a well-regarded international business program, econ dept is in the college of art & sciences and has sent some people to some top 20 schools and several people to programs ranked below 20
Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00; ranked 1st in both Econ and Finance (my advisers told me this), but rank is not published on transcript
Type of Grad: MA Econ, same school, started Spring 2012
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 770Q 330V 4.0AWA
Math courses: Cal 1-3, Discrete math, Math stats I, II, Linear Algebra (all A's); Real Analysis (A-); ODE (Spring 2012)
Econ courses (all undergrad): Intro micro-macro, Intermediate Micro-Macro, Intro to Econometrics, Money Banking, Game theory, International Economics (all A's); Applied Econometrics (A-)
Other courses: a bunch of business courses for the Finance major
LORs: should all be good to strong
1) Econometrics prof (PhD Illinois) - I did an independent research with her and presented it at the school's undergrad research symposium; working as an RA for her right now
2) Applied econometrics professor (PhD Arizona)
3) International econ prof (PhD Iowa State). Took a class with him and he likes me.
Research exp: presented a research at the school's Undergrad Research Symposium, 1 semester of RA by the time of application, a few papers in classes
Teaching exp: taught short courses on many topics related to computers (MS Office, Web-page building, Photoshop, etc.) at the place where I work
Research Interest: Macro, Monetary, public finance, international finance
SOP: standard. Didn't mention professors' names or anything too particular
Concerns: from a not-so-well-known school, no grad courses yet, low GRE, no ODE
Other: won some university-wide and departmental scholarships; can't attend any school without funding
Applying to: Michigan, Cornell, Maryland, BU, BC, WUSTL, Vanderbilt, Toronto DSMA

SpontDisorder 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: MA Economics Single Honours from top Scottish University (MA technically but pretty much recognized as a bachelor's)
Undergrad GPA: On a weird 20-point scale, but essentially translates to 3.65-ish
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 162Q (87%), 157V (77%), 4.0 AWA
Math Courses: MV Calc, Advanced Statistics, Econometrics, Advanced Econometrics
Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Macro, Intro to Micro, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Economics of Social Life, Labour Economics, Economics of Innovation, Economic Analysis (advanced course combining game theory and macro growth theory), Contemporary Issues, Law and Economics, Dissertation in Economics
Other Courses: Some, but only economics classes taken junior and senior year
Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors, two of which I built close relationships with and the other was my assigned advisor.
Research Experience: 12,000 word dissertation on inter-industry wage differentials, competitive internship at education reform think tank, other research internship at policy think tank
Teaching Experience: Currently a middle school math tutor
Research Interests: Labour economics, economic history
SOP: Pretty good, talked about my demonstrated love of the subject and how I did a "single-honours" degree in undergraduate to take the maximum number of economics courses possible and to be able to write a substantial dissertation.
Concerns: GRE quant score could be better, grades could always be better and I'm not sure how they'll interpret my university's weird grading scale. Recommendations were from professors who knew me well but aren't too well-published. I took all the possible econ courses I could, but was it enough math?Applying to: PhD: Vanderbilt (rejected), UC-Davis, UCSD, U Texas, Minnesota, NYU, Michigan

CorcoranCadet 2012:
Institution: Barcelona GSE
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date:1/13/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: A bit surprised at this one. I knew my profile was pretty bad with some low grades in key courses and most of my upper math being taken this semester. Still expected to at least get accepted...

araujo1987 2012:
Institution: BGSE
Program: MSc in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Partial Tuition Waiver (6000 euros)
Notification date: 02/03/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: NO
Comments: This was my first response. Very happy about it. Just worried about the Spanish economy, since my wife is coming with me.

baca 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N.A.
Notification Date: 2/10/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I thought it will have pretty good shot, but ......

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

econphdhopeful2 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: na
Notification date: 2/10/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Expected but still a bummer, plenty more to go I suppose

TripleAxel 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N.A.
Notification Date: 2/10/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First rejection, not surprised but still sad

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

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

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

zwicker 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ Major, Private not well known University (US)
Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.9; econ: 4.0 ; math:4.0.
GRE: 800Q, 510V,AWA 5.0
Math Courses: Calc sequence (A), Differential equations (A), Linear Algebra (A), Probability & Stats (A), Adv. Stats (A), Discrete Math (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ, 1 math; all were strong (but not MIT, Harvard, etc.)
Research Experience: Very little.
Teaching Experience: Graded and have taught occasional undergrad classes.
Research Interests: IO, micro.
SOP: I thought it was good.
Concerns: No grad level classes. No analysis. No research. Not from well known school.
RESULTS:
Attending: Arizona ($$$)
Acceptances: Wisconsin (none 1st year), Virginia($$), UNC ($$), Kentucky ($$), Arizona ($$), Texas A&M ($$), Clemson ($$),
Rejects: Yale, Brown, BC, Caltech
Pending: WUSTL (waitlist), Vanderbilt (waitlist)
What would you have done differently? Nothing really. I am happy with arizona. I will be a good fit there. If I was shooting for a top 10 school then I should have done a masters program in stats first and/or finished my math major. I shouldn't have applied to so many lower ranked schools. I wish I would have applied to UIUC.

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

nse 2010:
Institution: Arizona State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No Info!
Notification date: 04/03/2010
Notified through: Checked the website.
Comments: Sort of a relief, first admit. But no info on funding is making me nervous.
Out: Duke, Michigan

DGSE 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Public, unranked PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Grad: same
GRE: 650V, 800Q, 6.0
Math Courses(undergrad-level): CalcII,III, IV (B+, A+, A), Intro to Proofs (A), Linear Algebra(A+), ODE(A), Probability (B+), Intro to RA (A), Stats (A), Prob. II (A), Stat II (A), RA I (A)
Econ Courses(undergrad-level): Intro Micro,Macro(A,A), Intermediate Micro,Macro(A+,A), intro stats (A+), enviro econ (A+), Labor (A), Math econ (A), Trade I (A+), Trade II (A+), Directed Research (A, A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro TheoryI,II (A-,A), Math Econ (A-), Metrics(A), Metrics II (A)
Letters of Recommendation: One was my advisor for my thesis, another was my Micro I prof, and the last I RAed with and took graduate classes from
Research Experience: RAed a summer and a semester with one professor. Did a thesis. Not sure if it helped, but I interned under a govt. economist
Research Interests: Development, risk, political economy, labor (my main interest is in development)
SOP: nothing special just communicated my research interests
Results:
Accepted: UPenn (very high waitlist for funding--declined), Berkeley ARE ($, off waitlist), Cornell ($$$), Vanderbilt ($$$$), Maryland ARE ($$$$), Georgetown ($$), USC ($$)
Waitlisted: UVA (declined)
Rejected: MIT, Princeton, JHU, PSU, Maryland Econ, Michigan, Wisconsin
Attending: UC Berkeley ARE
What I would have done differently?
I had way too many safeties (USC, Georgetown, Maryland ARE). I kind of wish I'd applied to Duke, Columbia and NYU. I have the usual, "I wish I knew when I was a freshman", but my results are nothing to complain about, and if I'd really wanted to shoot for the top 10 I could've been more patient and done a European/Canadian masters.
Comments:
My interests also changed even during the short time while I was applying (I lost interest in growth and grew interested in political economy). I was surprised I got into UPenn, but not even a waitlist from places like PSU or Wisconsin, which should be easier than its ranking indicates since it has such a large class size. UPenn apparently with its large class size and tough comps doesn't mind taking chances on people from nowhere like me.