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IrrationalActor 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private research university, USNWR undergrad ranking around 70, econ PhD program not highly ranked
Undergrad GPA: 3.9, 3.99 in econ, 3.85 in math
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q 560V 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-IV, Linear Algebra, Advanced Calculus, Probability, Math Stats, Regression, Grad Math Stats I II (In Progress), Real Analysis. A's in everything except Calc III and IV.
Econ Courses: Many
"Important" Courses: Intermediate Micro, Advanced Macro, Mathematical Economics, Econometrics. Also a Masters level research seminar in transition economies. All A's except for an A- in advanced macro
Letters of Recommendation: I used 4 letters: the Department Chair, I wrote an independent research paper for his class (PhD Stanford), an econometrician I'm doing research with (PhD Berkeley), a statistics professor, and my thesis supervisor. All are full professors, and the econometrician is very well known, though in a somewhat esoteric subfield of econometric theory.
Research Experience: RA on an applied econometrics project, wrote a senior thesis.
Teaching Experience: One semester as a TA for principles of microeconomics
Research Interests: Applied Micro (Labor, Urban, Education), Econometrics
SOP: Not really sure how to judge. I spent a decent amount of time on it and used the same basic outline for each school and changed the last paragraph.
Other: Transferred from a very low-ranked school after my freshman year.
Attending: Wisconsin ($)
Admitted, Declined: UVA (No$), UT-Austin (No$), OSU($$), MSU($)
Rejected: Maryland, Michigan, Yale, Duke, WUSTL, Berkeley ARE, UCSD, UChicago
Never Heard From: Cornell
What I would have done differently: I would have attended a more well-known undergrad and built stronger relationships with my letter-writers. I was also considering taking an additional year of courses like PhD Micro, Econometrics, and Measure theory and shooting for the top 10s, but I am quite happy with Wisconsin.

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

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

ICECOLDECON 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Economics and B.S. Geography (did 2 undergrad degrees with minors in Math and History).....Econ dept ranked around 50 in US....large state school.
Undergrad GPA: 3.66
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics from a program that offers a PhD, but its PhD program would be ranked near last in the U.S. Took some undergrad math courses during my time here
Grad GPA: 3.88ish I think
GRE: 1st Time (2006): 760 Q 520 V 5.5 AWA 2nd Time (2008) 780 Q 540 V 5.0 AWA
Courses taken in my last 2 years:
Math Economics A
Regulation/Antitrust A+
Bridge to Abstract Math A+
Law and Economics A
Economic Development A-
Economics of Health A
Econometrics I A-
Econometrics II B+
Econometrics III B+
Linear Algebra I A
Math Statistics B+ (School I took this at doesnt give A-'s)
Differential Equations A
Microeconomics I A+
Aggregate Economics B+
Intermediate Analysis I (Rudin ch 1-4) A
Elementary Abstract Algebra A
Economic Policy Analysis A
Urban Economics A
Intermediate Analysis II (Cross-Listed with Grad Real Analysis I) Sp 09
Letters 9of Recommendation: All from Economics professors who are not well-known for research but 2 of the 3 should be very enthusiastic. PhDs from Texas AM (2) and UC San Diego
Research Experience: Have papers Ive written.....Havent done anything with them.
Teaching Experience: TA for Principles of Microeconomics for 1 yr
Research Interests: Microeconomic Theory and IO
Concerns: Low Econometrics grades....think I can do better in PhD program....took Econometrics I and II before Lin Alg and Math Stat. Also, had an attendence related F for Lin Alg as an undergrad...had a complicated F in Calc III (was getting a B-/C+, but wanted to use my school's grade forgiveness, so I got the required F) hoping strong math grades in other classes make up for this
Applying to: Ohio State, Texas, Michigan State, Virginia, Arizona, and Oregon
Admits: Texas (Full TA), MSU (no $)
Rejects: OSU, UVA, UAZ
Withdrew App: Oregon
Attending: Texas
Some of the things I learned from the process:
(1) I think the main benefit of a US masters degree, for someone who already has a degree in economics, is to develop relationships with professors who will be able to write strong letters on your behalf. My masters program was particularly small and I took some of the less popular electives, so I wound up having classes with less than 5 students, which provide students with a good deal of interaction with faculty. Also, make use of seminar series and other social interaction opportunities given by the department. If you have smart questions or comments, its not a horrible idea to convey those, either after class or through email (just dont be obsessive about it and dont force it). Probably the single best asset a student can have is a well-written personalized letter of recommendation (esp if the professors have contacts at your school of choice) and these steps help to make that a reality.
(2) If you have messups in your academic record, particularly in math and economics, don't be afraid to talk about the reasons for the poor grades in your SOP. I talked about my poor math grades in 3-5 of my SOPs: Texas, MSU, and OSU and I went 2 out of 3 at those schools (not to mention, I was pretty close to getting in at OSU). Now other things could be at play, but at the very least, I don't think mentioning my poor math grades hurt me. Also, I would think by not mentioning reasons for poor grades, adcoms are likely to assume the worst.
(3) Try to write an economics paper or do some sort of research that you can talk about in a SOP. It doesn't have to be anything that you publish, or even the quality of an honor's thesis, it just helps out in showing that you have an interest in performing research. I wrote two papers in my classes for my masters program, and even though I never did anything with them, I was still able to talk about the research in my SOP. On a related note, make sure to mention that you have an interest in doing research (even if your ultimate goal is govt/consulting/teaching).
(4) Take a decent amount of economics electives. I know that profiles like 15 classes in math with intermediate micro/macro can gain admission to a good many econ programs and that PhD econ classes don't resemble (from a methodology/math standpoint) the stuff that is taught at PhD programs, but there are still reasons to think that this a good strategy: (i) As discussed in point (1), it is important to have good letters from econ professors, and by taking upper level econ electives, you improve your chances at this (ii) it is likely, that at some point, you will either teach or ta an undergrad econ class, and by exposing yourself to different teaching methodologies within the field, you may help your performance in one or both of these tasks (iii) you'll have something to say about what topics in economics interest you and why you are drawn to economics as a discipline.
(5) Take at least the std math load if possible: Calc I-III, Lin Alg, Math Stat and Prob (uses calculus), and Real Analysis. Whenever you are given the choice b/t an applied and a theoretical version of the same math course, take the more theoretical course (i.e. applied lin alg vs. lin alg). Depending on your background and goals, if you are deficient in math, consider taking courses as non-degree seeking undergrad.
(6) Use the profile and results section to try and get an idea of the range of schools that you should apply to.....professors who have been out of the game for a bit will tend to think that you can get into schools that are likely better than you can get into....try to apply to a good range of schools (targets, safeties, and possibly some reaches if you feel the need....I would say that if you have a good idea of proper targets, then the third category is least important, especially if you are cash-strapped).
(7) Become as informed about a dept as possible through the dept's website. It helps to read infro from dept newsletters and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the information posted about the grad program. Then use this information to your advantage when creating a SOP.....if for nothing else, this puts out a strong signal to the dept that you are very interested in their program (depts are looking for good students who won't reject their offers and this sends the I won't reject signal).

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

GymShorts 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S.B.A. in International Economics and Finance, Math minor, from a 1st tier nation university (U.S. News and World Report) without an econ PhD program. (Had one but it was shut down a few years ago)
Undergrad GPA: 3.7 overall, 3.9 in econ, 4.0 in math
GRE: Will know in August
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Topics in Math Sol Sci, Fundamentals of Adv Math, Analysis I (fall), Probability and Stat (fall)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro, econ stat I, econ stat II: intro metrics, econometric models, international econ
Other Courses: A lot of business classes, corporate finance, investment analysis, international corporate finance, computer programming (fall)
Letters of Recommendation: All well published, all should write great things.
Research Experience: Working on a paper now that I hope to publish
Teaching Experience: TA for econ stat I & II for a year, will continue next fall and spring probably. A year of tutoring calculus I & II and intro macro and micro.
Research Interests: Political economics, game theory, micro
SOP: In process of writing
Concerns: Haven't taken GRE yet
Applying to: I haven't finalized the list; depends on whether I ace the GRE. Any suggestions?

DesperateEconomist 2009:
It's time to do this:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Bachelor in Business Administration, prestigious institution in Latin America.
Undergrad GPA: 7.6/10
Type of Grad: Master in Economics, same institution than undergrad.
Grad GPA: 8/10
GRE: 800Q, 490V, 4.0AWA
TOEFL: 104 (30R, 30L, 20S, 24W)
Math Courses: Mathematics I, II, Linear Algebra, Metric Spaces, Statistics I, II, III, Mathematical Economics (grad).
Econ Courses (Masters): Macro I, II, Micro I, II, Metrics, Time Series and others not so relevant.
Econ Courses (undergrad): Macro, Micro, no Metrics.
Other Courses: Several other courses, but with small or no relevance for admission purposes.
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 Chicago PhD, 1 UCLA PhD, 1 Cornell PhD), and I believe that all of them are solid.
Research Experience: RA for two econ professors and currently working on my master's thesis. I also presented a paper in an economics meeting in my country.
Teaching Experience: TA for two graduate courses (Macro and Time Series) and 1 undergrad course (Statistics).
Research Interests: Macro and IO.
SOP: The usual stuff: I put a brief description of my profile and talked about my preferences and why I think I would succeed in their program.
Concerns: Low score on the speaking section of the TOEFL. Maybe my math background is not as strong as desired by some schools. At least a few low grades that could hurt me.
Applying to: Berkeley, Boston College, BU, Cornell, Columbia, Maryland, MSU, Minnesota, Northwestern, NYU, UT Austin, UCLA, UPenn, Washington St. Louis, Yale.

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

TomRod 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Mathematics and B.A. Economics[listed as 'additional major'] with decent math program and well-known undergraduate economics program [without doctoral program]
Undergrad GPA: 3.36 or so overall
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q/640V/5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I,II,III, Linear Algebra, Matrix Analysis, Univariate Real Analysis, Multivariate Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Financial Mathematics, Graduate Topology, "Proofs Class", (waived Diff E.Q. because of related research experience)
Econ Courses: Intro Macro & Micro, Intermediate Macro & Micro & Econometrics, Economic Statistics, Intermediate I/O, Graduate Macro & Micro & Statistics, Graduate Game Theory (Repeated Games & Reputations)
Letters of Recommendation: LORS requested only from professors who actually cared to see where I end up and wanted to see me personally succeed. Spent a long time getting to know professors personally and professionally. Mostly math and a few economics professors. Felt snubbed by a majority of my economics professors due to a low overall GPA (it took my awhile to find my interests and a bad grade never scared me from taking a class I was only marginally prepared for)
Research Interests: Varied. Ideally computational economics and econometrics or macroeconomics
SOP: "Best written [SOP] I've ever seen..." I'm a sucker for flattery, but it seemed a little over the top. Talked strongly of recent experience, how it shaped my current goals, and where I'd like to see these goals end up, and why grad school is essential for me to achieve those goals in their current incarnation.
Teaching Experience: Linear Algebra TA, Matlab teacher, econometrics tutor, microeconomics tutor, Math Lab TA
Research Experience: Research involving Computational Economics and Financial Systems
Work Experience: Researcher for 1.5 years, Measurement and Verification engineer for 2 years
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT Austin
Rejections: Rochester, Michigan, UT Austin (Management), NCSU (Statistics)
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Probably nothing but try to get higher grades in my intermediate classes. Man I hate filling out these kinds of things [showboating is not something I enjoy, nor pointing out flaws] but I hope it helps some undergrad in a situation and with goals similar to mine achieve what they hope for!

Dr. Who 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big state school
Undergrad GPA: 3.2 BES
Type of Grad: MBA (2008) and MA Economics (anticipated 2009)
Grad GPA: 3.98 MBA, 3.97 MA
GRE: 770Q, 680V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Recent math GPA (3.78) all taken in my spare time while in MBA and summer. Calc I, II, III, Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Grad Math Stats, Grad Real Analysis
Econ Courses (MA level): Micro, Math Econ, IO, Econometrics I & II, Macro, Environmental, some other electives, and finance courses
Econ Courses (undergrad): Macro and mirco only (took as prereq’s for the MA)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ from masters and 1 math
Research Interests: Labor and HR, IO, Business economics
SOP: probably adequate
Research Experience: GA for economic forecasting shop
Concerns: MBA to Econ, older than your average student, less math than some
Attending: WUSTL
Accepted: Missouri ($), CU-Boulder ($WL), Indiana (no $), WUSTL ($)
Waitlisted: WUSTL (with $ if accepted), Vanderbilt
Rejections: Northwestern, UMich, MSU
Never heard so assumed rejection: OSU and UIUC
What I would have done differently: I should have spent more time on my SOP. I think for someone like me, who is older, it could have made all the difference in the world, especially on funding decisions. It was a lot harder than I anticipated talking about myself and articulating my goals. Also, I don’t think I did a very good job matching myself up to programs strengths.
If you are in school, take a lighter load in the spring semester. Dealing with school decisions has been a HUGE time waster and I haven’t been able to concentrate for months.
I didn’t appropriately account for the economic downturn…My reaches were unattainable and seeing the decline, I should have added in a couple more safeties. Also, I should have taken more care with the safety choices. Out of the top 50 it gets a lot harder to get good info on the programs. For my interests I think KY and WY would have been solid.
Advice: For older candidates…don’t let people intimidate you into thinking there is a “ceiling” on how old you can be when you go back to get your PhD. You might not get into the top 5, but top 50 is achievable.
Find advisors that are familiar with the PhD process and what it takes to get in to a good school TODAY. My school does not grant PhD’s in business/econ and I found my advisors to be out of touch with the process. Hunt down the newer faculty and hit them up for advice.
I think the recent math background was crucial in my outcomes. Take the math. It’s never wasted.
When I returned to school, I had no idea I would end up following this path. If you are planning on a terminal masters, choose your graduate institution carefully. It will make things easier just in case you decide to continue your education.

decide_aposteriori 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large State School in the US
Undergrad GPA: 3.69 (overall including math and econ majors)
Type of Grad: MA Economics (Canadian Uni)
GRE: 760 Q, 670 V, 5.0 W
Math Courses: Calc III, Intro to Proofs, Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis I&II, Differential Equations, Analysis, Probability, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses: Micro (grad), Macro (grad), Econometrics (grad), IO, Topics in Micro, Econ history
Other Courses: Java
Letters of Recommendation: Math PhD Duke, Econ PhD LSE
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Experimental, Labor, Neuro, applied econometrics
SOP: Standard
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Uni Arizona, Uni Hawaii
Waitlists:
Rejections: MSU, Purdue, OSU, Pittsburgh, UCSC
What would you have done differently? I would have started the process earlier. Since I couldn't make any December deadlines I was constrained on the places I could apply to. I'm really happy with Arizona, it fits my interests really well.

Texcards 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Minor Economics and Math at very large state school (top 15 engineering, top 50 economics)
Undergrad GPA: 3.35/4.0 (3.65 Math, 4.0 Econ)
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 550V, 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III(A,B,A), Differential Equations (B), Linear Algebra (A), Mathematical Probability and Statistics (A), Fund Discrete Math (Spring 09)
Econ Courses: Principles of Micro and Macro (A, CR by exam), Intermediate Micro and Macro theory, Econometrics (A,A,A)
Other Courses: Lots of engineering
Letters of Recommendation: 2 not well known assistant econ professors (UT-Austin, Rice) but excelled in their classes, 1 associate engr professor (Berkeley) that I went on a study abroad trip with
Research Experience: none
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: International and Development
SOP: Paragraph about why I wanted to do econ even though I did engineering as an undergrad, another on my interests, and another on why I wanted to be an academic. Slightly altered my interests paragraph depending on the school, but for the most part the same for each one.
Other: Didnt start considering this until fall of last year.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Riverside (Fellowship), University of San Francisco MA in International and Development Economics (1/2 tuition remission + TA), UC Davis, University of Washington, UC Santa Cruz, Colorado, Oregon, UI-Chicago
Waitlists: Oregon fellowship, eventually notified of no funding
Rejections: Maryland, Boston University, Boston College, UT Austin, Michigan State, Georgetown, UBC MA
Pending: Toronto MA, Queens MA
What would you have done differently?
I wouldnt have applied to the Canadian MAs (1 year wouldnt have been enough to help me), Michigan State, UCSC, or UI-Chicago and maybe applied to a couple more reaches instead, but I really didn't think I would get into as many as I did. I dont know if it would have changed anything though, after really thinking about it I think an MA is a very good choice for me. Ive realized that my 3 economics courses hasnt given me enough of a background in general economics knowledge. Yes I could learn it in the course of a PhD but I think strengthening my economics background will allow me to have more focus on what field I want to go into and give me more ideas when I eventually start to write my dissertation. An MA will also allow me to improve 3 big weaknesses in my profile: (1) Do some research which will allow me to have (2) stronger letter of recommendations and (3) a more focused SOP.
I think I learned a lot in this application process and feel like I will be able to put together a much better application in 2 years after an MA.
Attending:
University of San Francisco MA in International and Development Economics

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