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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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