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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.

mtjsvc 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 3rd-tier liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: straight from undergrad
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses:
calc I-III (A-/A-/B), linear algebra (A), ordinary & partial diff eq (A), complex variables (A), topology (A-), real analysis I-II (A/IP), prob & stats (A), interest theory & financial math (IP)
Econ Courses:
micro/macro principles (A/A), intermediate micro/macro (B+/A), advanced micro/macro (A/A), econometrics (A), game theory (A), experimental econ (A), int. trade (A), int. finance (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ profs (thesis advisor, advanced micro/macro prof), 1 math prof (real analysis/topology prof)
Research Experience: senior thesis (experimental/labor), summer RA for experimental economist at a different university
Teaching Experience: tutor and grader for micro/macro principles, tutor for advanced macro
Research Interests: experimental econ, micro theory
SOP: I talked about my experience with experimental econ (course, thesis, RA)
Other: My undergrad school is small and not very good overall, but the econ training is focused on preparing us for PhD programs. About half of the econ majors here go for a PhD after graduating, with a good success rate in actually completing the degree.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Ohio State (fellowship) <attending>
Purdue (fellowship)
Arizona (TA-ship)
Penn State (TA-ship)
Texas A&M (RA-ship)
Virginia (TA-ship)
Rejections:
probably Carnegie Mellon, Indiana, and Pitt since they haven't admitted me yet
What would you have done differently?
I would have applied to a few higher ranked schools and not applied to a few lower ranked schools.

kgreene1906 2007:
Type of Undergrad: Big 10 midwestern School
Undergrad GPA: 3.32
Type of Grad: Smaller BIG 10 school with a Ph.D program in the top 50
Grad GPA: 3.599
GRE: 800 V, 780 Q, 4.0 wirting
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Diff Eq, Linear Algebra, Proof Writring, Abstract Algebra, Advanced Calculus I and II, Real Analysis(B-), Math Stats I and II, Engineering Stats, Grad Complex Analysis, Grad Real Variable Theory.
Econ Courses: MA Micro and Macro, Monetay Theory, Growth and Development, Game Theory and Firm Behavior
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Pretty Solid, one came from a UCSD grad, one came from a Cal-Berkley Grad and one came from a Michigan Grad
Research Experience: None...
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 semesters
Research Interests: Trade, Development, IO
SOP:
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: SIU-Carbondale, Howard, Purdue, UIUC, Northern Illinois, Michigan State
Waitlists:n/a
Rejections:WUSTL, Berkley, Harvard
Attending: SIU-Carbondale(they are waving me out of alot of classes, it should take me 1.5 years to finish my course work and 1.5 to 3 to do my dissertation)
What would you have done differently? I waited until the LAST MINUTE to apply to places. And basically I wish I had took school alot mroe seriously. But dont underestimate the power of good reconomentation letters...by looking at my GPA, i really shouldnt have gotten into a few places, but letters will get u in.

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

indyecon 2007:
I've been avoiding posting my profile because of slight paranoia (and the fact that I do not compete with most of these profiles), but I guess now that I know where I'll be next year what is there to lose?
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: small liberal arts college no one has heard of (unless you're from Indiana - and even then it's a stretch). Majors: Economics, Math Education (I'm licensed to teach 5-12...basically a math degree plus student teaching)
Undergrad GPA: 3.85 (overall), 3.95 (Econ), 3.75 (Math Ed), summa cum laude, top 10%
GRE: 800Q/570V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calc I (high school), Calc II & III, Linear Algebra, Math Models, College Geometry, Discrete Math, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis
Econ Courses: Intro to Micro, Intro to Macro, International, Intermediate Micro, Money & Banking, Topics in Contemporary Econ (focused on corporate tax policy)
Letters of Recommendation: two from professors (one math and one econ) - I'm pretty sure they were good and spoke very highly of me - they're just from lesser-known profs, and one from my boss at my current job (consulting) - also good, and I know because he asked me to proof it
Research Experience: none to speak of, other than a research paper (junior year) on none other than...college admissions
Teaching Experience: only tutoring at the college level (math and econ), but LOTS if you include middle and high school (math and history). I also taught linear algebra when I student taught (at an IB school in Australia).
Research Interests: mainly economics of education, lots of areas of public economics
SOP: I think it was good, but who knows? I tailored it for every school (for the most part)
Other: I'm a white female from the states, which I've heard is rare and might help, although I don't think it did. I was awarded the top econ student of my class and graduated with honors in math ed. I've been working for three years, but not in the field of econ.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Georgia State ($26K + tuition), Indiana (no money at first...then$13K...then it was $15K...then $17K)
Waitlists: well, I'm waiting on Purdue
Rejections: Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Stanford (School of Education - Economics of Education PhD)
I'll be attending Georgia State in the fall!
What would you have done differently? I probably would have branched out of the 'I want to go to a Big 10 school' mentality. It just so happens that the Big 10 is more competitive than I had considered, which I didn't realize until the rejections started rolling in. I think I got caught up in reading posts on this site and the idea of a 'safety' for many on here is just not realistic for those of us who went to no-name schools and have little research experience. I probably would apply to more schools, but I'm happy with my final result, so I guess the money I saved can go towards moving to Atlanta.