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good_tea 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA, Joint Econ/Math at Top 30 Econ department (I am an international student, though)
Undergrad GPA: 3.83/4.00
GRE: 760Q/670V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calculus (B, B, A), Linear Algebra (B+), Differential Equations (A), Analysis (A,A), Operations Research (A), MA Statistics in economics department (A).
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (B), Econometrics (A), Economics of Information (B+), MA Micro (A), MA Macro (A), and many electives (As).
Letters of Recommendation: One famous economics prof., wrote term paper (not sure about strength of the letter but not bad), one somewhat famous economics prof., senior thesis advisor (should have been quite solid), one analysis professor (should have been very good).
Research Experience: Senior thesis.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Development, trade.
SOP: Nothing special.
Other: Had been working for an international organisation for a few months during the time of application.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Cornell AEM MS (no $), UVA (wl-$), UMD AREC ($$), Michigan (no $), BU (wl-$).
Rejections: Yale, Harvard KSG, UCB ARE, Princeton, PSU, UMD, Brown, NYU, UCSD.
What would you have done differently?
I am very happy with my outcome but realise that with a bit of bad luck, it could have been a lot worse. I am answering this question not so much in retrospect but in terms of how my a priori thinking/information could have been better (e.g. in retrospect it wouldn't make sense to apply to Princeton but a priori it was reasonable to do so just in case my recommendation letters were extremely strong).
1. I would not have applied to Maryland Economics b/c it really didn't match my interests very well. I would not have applied to Cornell AEM b/c it turns out it is very difficult to get admitted directly into the PhD program and I didn't want to do a MA/MS. I might have applied to Cornell's economics instead, though. I would have applied to at least one more place outside the top-20, maybe University of Washington.
2. A higher GRE score would have been good but I tried and didn't manage (canceled my score after taking it the second time), so it is not something I regret. I am not so good at that kind of test.
3. In terms of the longer run, I should have considered how I could do better in math classes earlier on. I am naturally quite good at math but had been doing only ok since late high school and never really thought about how I could improve. I learned (while studying for my Linear Algebra final exam, which took my grade for that class from a B- to a B+), that it is very useful to study by writing/typing out explanations to make sure one understands everything properly. Studying in this way, I did very well in all my subsequent math classes.

rob59404 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: State University with unheard of econ department
Undergrad GPA: 3.99
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA:
GRE: 760 Q 640 V 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Cal I-III(A,A,A), Linear Algebra(A),Probabilty/stat(A), ODE(A), Probability theory(A), math stats, intro analysis/proofs
Econ Courses: Intro micro/macro, intermediate micro/macro, development, adv. development, trade, history of thought, econometrics, graduate econometrics, graduate micro and macro. All A's
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: thesis advisor, department chair, other econ professor
Research Experience: Senior thesis
Teaching Experience: Some math and econ tutoring
Research Interests: Growth, political economy, applied micro
SOP: Standard
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Missouri($$), kentucky($$), Oregon($$), Colorado(no $), UW(no $), Virginia, GMU, Notre Dame ($$$ Attending)
Waitlists:
Rejections: NYU, BC, UIUC, Rochester
Pending: OSU (implicit rejection at this point)
What would you have done differently?
1) More math earlier
2) Should have got a math professor to write letter of recommendation
3) Get an 800Q

2pm 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.B.A, Econ concentration from large state university with no PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
Type of Grad: M.A. Econ, same school
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790Q, 640V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Cal I (AP test), II (Community College), III, Intro to Proofs, Matrices and Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis I
Econ Courses (master level): Macro, Micro, Metrics, International Finance, Health Econ, Time Series, Research Methods, Forecasting
Econ Courses (undergrad): Intermediate Macro, Micro, Metrics, Money & Banking, Math for Economist (same class with graduate level)
Other Courses: Mostly in business
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors , been told they are all strong
Research Experience: Honors undergrad thesis & master thesis. Nothing spectacular
Teaching Experience: Tutor in the Econ dept
Research Interests: Applied micro
Statement of purpose: Standard, did not customize
Concern: (somewhat) inadequate math background. Realized I wanted to do a Ph.D. in econ too late & tried to cram as much required math courses as possible while finishing my M.A.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UT Austin ($$) (attending), Houston ($$), Michigan State (no $), BU (no $), UVA (no info on $ yet)
Waitlists: BC, UW-M long waitlist -> rejection
Rejections: let me count the way…Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, UMN, Duke, PSU, Maryland, WUSTL
Pending: Ohio State (the earliest deadline, still nothing yet. Oh the irony!)
What would you have done differently? Hard to say, since I know beforehand there will be lots of noise in my results anyway. Probably take more math and get 800Q in GRE? Perhaps spend more time on my SOP, although I don’t feel comfortable discussing my research goals & ideas in details since I don’t even know which field I am interested in at the time of the application process. One thing I won’t regret is not transferring. I have made some fantastic friends and built tremendous relationship w/ the faculty at my current university. Overall, I’m extremely happy. 2 years ago when I decided to go for a Ph.D. in economics I didn’t think I could even make it to a mid-rank program, so UT is definitely a step up from my expectations.

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!

chin_music 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Public, top 15 Econ. B.A. Math & Economics, B.A. Political Science.
Undergrad GPA: 3.78
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 760Q, 600V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc, Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A), Mathematical Reasoning (B), Ordinary Differential Equations (B), Advanced Linear Algebra (A), Game Theory (A), Cryptography (A+), Analysis I (B-), Linear Programming (A+)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A,A,A-), Intermediate Macro (A,A), Econometrics (A+,A+,A+), Non-linear Optimization (Pass), Economics of Immigration (A)
Other Courses: Political Science Coursework (All A's and a few A-'s)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Caltech (political science), 1 UCLA (political science), 1 UW (econ)
Research Experience: Won departmental and college award for economics thesis. Won departmental award for political science thesis. 1 year in economic consulting.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Political Economy, Development, Public Policy
SOP: Standard
Other: I wasn't sure how my admissions would turn out. I had 2 letters of rec from political science faculty, a B- in real analysis, no stats in a math department and 760 GRE quant. It appears that my two theses and presumably excellent recommendations as a result, were very beneficial. I am quite pleased with my results.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD ($), UCLA($), UVA(?), UCI($), UCSB($), BU(no $), Princeton WWS-political economy ($$), RAND Pardee ($), UCSD Political Science ($$), NYU Political Science ($$), Rochester Political Science ($$)
Waitlists: Johns Hopkins
Rejections: Stanford GSB (political economics), Berkeley Hass BPP, MIT political science, Harvard KSG, Chicago Harris
What would you have done differently? I would apply to Harvard PEG instead of Harvard KSG and Stanford Political Science instead of Stanford Political-Economics as I believe that both are better fits for me.

msu2010 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big Ten School
Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4.0
Type of Grad:-
Grad GPA:-
GRE: 790Q 550V
Math Courses: I did a math major, the typical math courses
Econ Courses: Game Theory, Grad Metrics, nothing else outstanding
Other Courses: Some science courses (physics)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 very well known, 1 well know, 1 newer prof (all econ)
Research Experience: Wrote and presented paper at a conference, no publications or anything outstanding
Teaching Experience:TA for intro econ
Research Interests: Labor/Micro/Metrics
SOP: Very odd statement
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Boston College ($), University of Virginia ($), Ohio State ($$), Illinois ($$), Boston University, Arizona, UCSB, UC Davis, George Mason
Rejections: Too Many
Stanford, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, a lot more, I really am drawing a blank...
What would you have done differently? Gotten a better GPA. I guess a few things, but its over and I am happy, two years ago I didn't think I would be here. I am happy to be going to Boston College in the fall. Its not Stanford, but it suits me

helpzwouldbenice 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.79/4.00
Type of Grad:-
Grad GPA:-
GRE: 800Q 710V 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Multivariable Calc (A); Linear Algebra (P); DiffEq (A-); Intro Proofs (A-);
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (B+), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Econ Stats (A), Econometrics (A), Trade (A-), Public Econ (A-)
Other Courses: Took a year of physics, lots of random courses. Lots of A's in courses an econ student typically wouldn't take, like Religion and Chinese.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Math Dept. Prof, 1 Econ Dept. Prof, 1 External Prof who I RA'd for
Research Experience: Fair amount in health services research. Have a paper up for submission, and another one that my supervisor and I are working on.
Teaching Experience:None
Research Interests: Health, Labor
SOP: Very tailored to my interests. Definitely proved to be hit or miss with regard to schools.
Other: Rejected from NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: University of Virginia ($$), Rice University ($$), UNC ($$), Michigan ($$)
Rejections: Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Cornell, Texas, WUSTL, Duke, Caltech, Berkeley, Northwestern, Wharton Applied Econ, Maryland
Never heard from: Wharton Healthcare (interviewed, then never heard back)
Atttending: Michigan
What would you have done differently? Taken more math classes and pushed harder for A's instead of A-'s. My school doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to elite grad schools but the teachers are really supportive. I did pretty well here and there's no telling what would have happened if I had gone to a different school.

papertherapy 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small American liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.75/4.00
Type of grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q/630V/4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I (A), Calculus II (B+), Calculus III (B+), Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (B), Statistics I (A-), Complex Variables (B+), Topology (IP), Linear Algebra (IP)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Econometrics, Game Theory, International Trade and Development, International Finance, Public Finance, Experimental Economics
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ. professors, all undergrad
Research Experience: some data analysis and sorting, regression analysis project, Senior Thesis
Teaching Experience: Tutoringg
Research Interests: Game Theory, Econometrics, Trade and Development
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UVA (No $), Indiana ($$), Pittsburgh ($$), West Virginia ($$), Lehigh ($)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, Ohio State
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Nothing,
Attending: Pittsburgh

chris_tyman 2010: PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: B.S. Mathematics/Economics (Not double major). 1st and 2nd Yr : Large state university in Louisiana. 3rd and 4th Yr: Top 5 public university.
Type of Grad: None
GPA: 3.95 Overall. 4.0 Mathematics and Economics
GRE: 800Q, 570V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level):
Real Analysis I (A), II (A), Topology (A+), Introduction to Lebesgue Integration (A), Optimization (A), Game Theory (A+), ODE (A), Linear Algebra (A+), Probability (A), Calculus I - III (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Integral Transforms (A), Discrete Dynamic Systems (A)
Note: Everything before probability was taken after transfer.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):
Into to micro (A), Intro to Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Statistics for Economists (A+), Introductory Econometrics (A), Price and Strategy (A+), Mathematical Finance I & II (A+), Honor's thesis (A+)
Note: Although I got an A+ in Honor's thesis, I do not think the quality of my thesis is high.
Letters of Recommendation:
2 Letters from my college: One from a Econ Professor Emeritus who was my thesis adviser. One from a Math Professor for my game theory class (with honors adjunct, i.e. a little project, besides doing well in class).
The 3rd one will come from my assigned economists in the Fed, who's also a professor of Finance in UK.
Research Experience: Honors thesis, 2 Years of research experience at a regional Fed.
Interests: Macro theories, Financial Economics, Monetary policies, Econometrics
Statement of Purpose: Extensively on my research experience at the Fed + a little part on projects I did in undergrad.
Concerns: 1) Low GRE verbal/writing, 2) Quality of LOR, 3) Senior thesis not exceptional, and 3) No publication, etc. VERY nervous.
Schools: UCLA, MIT, Yale, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, UCSD, Boston U.

yougotaparabola 2010: PROFILE:
type of undergrad: B.A. Econ top 10 public university, no grad econ
undergrad GPA: 3.69/4, econ 3.95, math 3.74
type of grad: NA
grad GPA: NA
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 5.0AWA
math courses: Calc 3 (A-), ODE (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Real Analysis I (A), Game Theory (A-)(through the math department)
econ courses (undergrad-level): intermediate micro, advanced micro (economics of incentives), intermediate macro, advanced macro (international finance), econometrics, time series econometrics, mathematical economics (all A)
econ courses (grad-level): sadly, none.
other courses: Irrelevant.
letters of recommendation: 3 econ professors
research experience: Minimal.
teaching experience: None
research interests: The role of micro incentives in development.
statement of purpose: Pretty standard, nothing substantial.
other: on the bright side you really only need one admit.
concerns: Potentially weak recommendations, no idea how I stack up against the competition, no idea how my undergrad will be perceived,
applying to: Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, Berkeley, Michigan, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, WUSTL, Rochester, UCLA, UVA, Duke, Wisconsin, BU, BC, etc....

wozz 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Economics, - some LAR
Undergrad GPA: 4.00/4.00,
GRE: Q 800, V 680, AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Calculus (I, II, III), Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis, Entry level Stats (all A)
Econ Courses: (all A) Micro, Macro, Math Econ, International Finance, International Trade, Econometrics, Applied Macro, Applied Econometrics;
Other Courses: Some Programming, Corporate Finance,
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors and 1 math - hope good
Research Experience: Computer science (I doubt that helps)
Teaching Experience: 1 semester TA
Research Interests: macro and international
Statement of purpose: Just talking about school projects and interests, study abroad and cs research
Concern: No Probability and Stats, No econ research, no thesis; not well-known school, spent a year away from school working.
Applying: BC, Georgetown, JH, NYU, Columbia, American, UVA, UPF, UAB, TI, TU.

devtron 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A Econ/BS Commerce, top 25 university
Undergrad GPA: 3.80/4
Type of Grad: Math, non-degree
Grad GPA: 4/4
GRE: 800Q, 690V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Undergrad: Multivar. Calc (A-), Intro Analysis (A), Diff EQ (A), Linear Algebra (B+); Grad: Real Analysis II (A), Advanced Linear Algebra (A), Math Stat I (A) and II (In progress), Stochastic Processes (In progress)
Econ Courses (PhD-level): NA
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro/Macro, Corporate Finance, Econ of Advertising (A-), Econ of China, Econometrics, International Trade - All A's and A+'s, except advertising
Other Courses: a lot of business/finance courses, probably only marginally helpful
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ phd's, 1 econ professor, 1 math professor
Research Experience: 2 years at a federal reserve bank as an RA, 2 publications in an internally reviewed journal
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: macro and IO
statement of purpose: Pretty standard, made some changes for each school to talk about whose research I am interested in... I talked mostly about my experience, in more detail than elsewhere on the application - only briefly about my future plans
Concerns: no graduate econ, could have taken more math.
Applying to: UVA, Duke, UPenn, Minnesota, Wisconsin-Madison, NYU, Northwestern, Princeton, BU, BC, OSU, Wash U in St. Louis, Georgetown, Penn State, ASU, Maryland

Lachis 2010:
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 2/18
Notified through: E-mail to check site
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Not surprised. At least I gave it a shot!
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Fellowship: 18k + health insurance
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: E-mail to check site
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Yay!!! My first admission! Very excited!

jito32 2010:
Institution: Boston College
Program: Economics, PhD
Decision: Admit
Funding: Tuition + 16k
Notification date: 2-27-2010
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: No
Comments: w00t!

publicecon 2010:
Institution: Duke
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + 18k
Notification date: 2/18
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: Excited!
Institution: Johns Hopkins
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: tuition waver + stipend if I "decide to attend"
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: don't know much about JHU
Institution: Minnesota
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlist
Funding:
Notification date: 2/25
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: They said I am on a "short" waitlist. Seemed legit because they provided information on potential funding
Institution: Chicago Booth
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Waitlist
Funding:
Notification date: 2/24
Notified through: email
Posted on grad cafe: No
Comments: email didn't seem too enthusiastic compared to minnesota

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

Norsker 2010:
PROFILE: (At time of Application)
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, minor mathematics (At a 'middle' UC)
Undergrad GPA: 3.38
GRE: 790Q / 720V / 4
Math Courses: Linear Algebra, Single variable/vector calc, ODEs, Intro to math proofs. (Listed RA 1 and 2 and probability theory as remaining college coursework). Math Grades averaged to about B+
Econ Courses: A few more UG courses than required, average falls between B+ and A-
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: "Strong" letters from an assistant professor I TA'd for and talked with a decent amount about research and a lecturer I TA'd for, and a favorable but likely 'nondescript' letter from another assistant professor.
Research Experience: Worked a little bit for a labor economist, acquired funding for and ran a pilot experiment
Research Interests: Experimental, assorted micro topics
SOP: I wrote my essays a couple days before they were due; slightly modified SoP for later applications
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCI($$, TA), Pitt(?), Arizona(No $)
Waitlists: Caltech(eventually rejected)
Rejections: University of Zurich(This one was a complete surprise), UVA, NYU, CMU
What would you have done differently?
Applied to a slightly wider range of schools , started taking math a lot earlier(my biggest regret), procrastinated much less, studied more than 4-5 hours for the GRE, worked harder to get a paper published, put more care into crafting my SoP, gotten more exercise. It probably would have helped if my letter of recommendation writers were more established.
The usual.

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!

tm_guru 2010:
Type of Undergrad: University College Dublin, Ireland, BSc in Economics & Finance (Final Year Concentration - Mathematical Analysis) Undergrad GPA: First Class Honours - converts to a 3.74 GPA according to WES conversion, higher grades in Math and Econ, boring but required Finance/Tax/Accounting classes dragged me down
Type of Grad: National University of Ireland, Galway MSc in Economic Science (Concentratiion - Planning and Policy Evaluation), essentially it was an MPP/MPA degree but we don't really have that in Ireland
Grad GPA: 4.0 (1st out of cohort of ~50 students across 3 concentrations with a lot of common classes)
GRE: 780Q, 630V, 5.0AWA
Math/Stat Courses: 3 semesters of Linear and Matrix Algebra, 2 semesters of calculus (although very little if any multivariate calculus), courses called 'Analysis and Calculus', 'Complex Analysis', various Math for Econ/Finance classes, 3 semesters of Math Stats/Probability... I honestly have no idea if I am prepared for core classes adequately... all A's except one B and one awful grade which I explained in my SOP.
Econ Courses: 3 semesters of Macro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Micro (1 MS-level), 4 semesters of Econometrics (1 MS-level) 2 semesters of International Econ, 2 semesters of Public Econ, 3 semesters of Game Theory, Economics of Innovation, Economics of Education... tons really... I hope this will help me get started with research
Other Courses: Tax/Accounting/Finance/Management, nothing useful
Letters of Recommendation: All were strong but mainly graduated in the 1960's or 1970's, 1 has a UCI PhD, 1 LSE, 1 UMD CP (Math), and one had a PhD from Edinburgh but who has an impressive CV and was a visiting professor at Berkeley last year... I used different combinations of three for different schools. I will speak more about this below.
Research Experience: Central Bank internship, MS Thesis (my adviser awarded me the highest grade he has given to a student in 30 years at that University)
Teaching Experience: lots, 3 semesters as a TA, 6 years giving private tutorials to groups of 1-10 students amounting to probably over 200 students in over a dozen different subjects from math to stats to econ
Research Interests: Applied Micro - health, education, labor, public policy, etc.
Statement of purpose: I had too much to explain for it to stand out, I spent the entire 1000 words explaining the holes in my profile (more on this below)
Concerns: Everything...
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Rutgers (no funding), PSU (generous TA funding), UPitt (top fellowship),
Waitlists: BC, UMass-Amherst
Rejections: CMU, Rochester, Syracuse, Cornell, Wharton, Georgetown, UVA, Duke
What would you have done differently?
As many know, this is my second time around, the mistakes I made in last year's applications are embarrassing when I think about them so I will only say this about it - I was blissfully ignorant of the entire process, how many schools to apply to, what a US PhD program entailed, what to say in a SOP, how I would compare to other students... you name it, I messed it up! Seriously, I applied to schools that suited me geographically, no other criteria, I had no idea what I was doing or about the research strengths of different schools... then I found this forum! I am also fortunate to have a fiancee who eventually helped me understand the US education system.
I have ended up at this point in my life not because of careful planning or organization, but through sheer luck and good fortune. I picked my UG degree ten years ago on a whim, and I am lucky that it covered the required analysis, calculus, and algebra courses... We have denominated degrees in Ireland, so you have to decide which one to pursue at age 17 before graduating from 'secondary' school and then apply through a centralized application system. I was going to do Electrical Engineering, but the dot.com crash in 2000/2001 made me change my mind literally an hour before the deadline... only for that decision I would be in a very different place in my life.
I also pursued a Master's degree in Ireland with the intent of 'lecturing' at a community college-type institution but as soon as I returned to the classroom something just changed, I suddenly found myself devouring journal literature, participating in class, loving my TA duties, and acing all my exams... I can only think that the change in my attitude towards classes and college was maturity. As an undergrad I was rarely even in class, never mind an active participant.
Other mistakes - I hurriedly took the GRE as I had no idea how important it was (I took one - paper - practice exam). I decided not to retake as I was worried about not getting an 800 and the signal that might send. I probably could have gotten an 800 with one day of genuine preparation...
In terms of LORs, the three schools I got accepted to, and one of the waitlists were a particular combination of letters, I used that combination for Duke too, but not anywhere else. I know it is a small sample size, but of 5 schools with that specific combination of letters I got 3 acceptances, and 1 waitlist. I got 1 waitlist and 7 rejections when I didn't use that combination of letters. Interesting, very interesting.
However, I can say with all honesty that I am delighted with how things have worked out for me, I am sure I will be very successful and more than intellectually satisfied at UPitt.
Lastly, I am a prime example of the noise associated with applicants coming from unknown schools/countries. I received the top fellowship from 400 applicants to UPitt this year, received full funding at PSU, but was rejected by Syracuse. It is bizarre!
If any forum members, and especially applicants coming from unknown universities, have any questions please feel free to PM me!

ilikefreefood 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Econ major from a top 5-10 Midwestern liberal arts college.
Undergrad GPA: 3.73/4, magna cum laude, distinction in major for senior thesis research.
Type of Grad: first semester of PhD microeconomics at Maryland
Grad GPA: 3.00/4.00 (B+)
GRE: 800Q 640V 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc II-III (A,B+), Linear Algebra (Pass), Statistics (A), Mathematical Structures (A-), Real Analysis (B, taken as a non-degree student at a local school Fall 2008), Probability (A, taken as a non-degree student at a local school Summer 2009)
Econ Courses: Principles Micro/Macro (A-,A), Intermediate Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (B), Econometrics (B+), PhD Micro Theory I (B+), pre-thesis seminar (A-), Ag. & Food Econ. (A), Development Econ. (B+), Econ. of Inequality (A), Econ. of Water Policy (B+), British Econ. history (B+)
Other Courses: A pass/fail seminar on game theory, a Poli. Sci. course on agent-based computer modeling (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Econ. professors (liberal arts college profs but with Chicago/Stanford PhDs), including my thesis adviser who has previously stated that my thesis was one of the best he's ever advised. 1 Partner at my Econ. consulting firm with whom I've worked extensively on econometric analyses (PhD Cornell).
Where possible, a third Econ. professor (PhD Chicago).
Research Experience: ~3.5 years as an RA in a major Econ. consulting firm; I specialize in statistical and econometric analysis within my office.
Awards: Thesis award from state Economics association, thesis presentation award from state science association, college fellowship
for (non-research) work in development related to microfinance.
Research Interests: Development, environmental/resource economics, urban economics, general applied micro.
Statement of Purpose: Well-written but fairly standard; mentioned specifically my interest in development and applied micro fields.
Other: This is my second time applying, and I am reapplying to several schools with the additional Probability and PhD micro courses and a new letter of recommendation. I am deferred at Minnesota ARE from last year.
Applying to: Maryland, Maryland AREC, Duke, UC Berkeley ARE, Washington, Wharton Applied Economics, Michigan, Penn, Yale, Chicago, Michigan State, Northwestern, WUSTL, Georgetown, Texas, Boston University, UCSD, Cornell, Brown, UC Davis ARE, Illinois, Penn State, Virginia
RESULTS:
Attending: Boston University
Acceptances: Boston University (no $), U. of Washington ($), Michigan State ($ waitlist), Illinois ($), UC Davis ARE ($), Maryland AREC ($).
Rejections: Maryland Econ., Duke, UC Berkeley ARE, Wharton Applied Economics, Michigan, Penn, Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Washington U. in St. Louis, Texas, UCSD, Cornell, Brown, Penn State, Virginia
No Response: Georgetown
What would you have done differently?
I would have taken more care to keep my grades in key courses consistently high in college to avoid a few potential red flags. I would have started my math education earlier and taken more classes as an undergrad. I would have worked only 2 years as an economic consultant and timed the business cycle to avoid applying in 2009 and 2010. I would have applied last year to a few schools that just missed my 2009 list (BU, Washington, and Illinois were all nearly on it), and potentially avoided the annoyance of waiting another year. I would have done more research to discount the advice of my advisors who said I would definitely get into schools on my 2009 list. All those things said, i feel that BU is really a fabulous program for my interests, and I am very, very excited to be headed there.

icebear 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, Colorado State University
Undergrad GPA: 3.89 (magna cum laude)
Type of Grad: courses during UG: Foundations of Quant Econ Analysis, Political Economy 1
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 790/560/6.0 (2009), 750/570/4.5 (2006)
Math Courses: Calc 1 (A), Calc 2 (B+), Statistical Methods (A), Matrices and Linear Equations (A), Foundations of Quant Econ Analysis (8 week grad math-econ course which covered Simon & Blume) (A+)
Econ Courses: Micro Prin & Inter, Macro Prin & Inter, Econometrics, Independent Study x 2, Comparative Economic Systems, Recent Economic Thought (i.e. History of Academic Economics), Transformation of Central and Eastern European Countries, Privatization and Foreign Capital (B), Globalization - Social and Economic Aspects (B), Games and Decisions (B), Senior Seminar on Globalization and Trade, Political Economy I (graduate level) [Note: all A's except where noted].
Other Courses: Java Programming, freshman year of Electrical Engineering sequence (A's)
Letters of Recommendation: PhDs from MIT, Cambridge, Harvard, Kansas. 1 is a Lead Economist at a international organization, other three are professors; two recent and enthusiastic (regarding research), two enthusiastic but dated (regarding coursework, especially math ability).
Research Experience: Consulting in the private sector and international organizations for ~ 2.5 years, always in close collaboration/supervision with PhD economists.
Teaching Experience: ~1 year teaching English.
Research Interests: International (trade/finance/macro)
SOP: Standard, with a few lines on my grad econ-math course and how my working experience shaped my interests
Other: Intermediate level Chinese, strong experience/knowledge of Chinese development and trade policy, international trade policy, international organizations.
Knew my chances were almost zero at top 10s, but was strongly encouraged to apply to some anyway, given the relatively low costs of additional apps.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: CEMFI ($$), UBC MA ($), Barcelona GSE MSc, Toulouse M2, Carlos III MA ($$)
Waitlists: -
Rejections: Duke PhD, Columbia PhD, JHU PhD, Harvard PhD, UVa PhD, UCSD PhD, NSF GRFP
Pending: Georgetown PhD
Attending: CEMFI
What would you have done differently?
I probably should have taken grad micro/metrics following my grad math-econ course (as typical grad students did), as that signal would have been much stronger than Political Economy 1. More formal math, of course, but I didn't realize that in UG and have never found a schedule complimentary with my working hours since then (I've lived in non-English speaking countries since graduating, so math courses taught in English are pretty limited). Those two things would have done the most to improve my profile, although I wasn't too concerned about it at the time and am happy with how my UG and professional experience has been since then.
That said, I've had talks with my LORs and done some soul searching and am not exactly certain that sinking 5 years into a PhD is the best way to get me where I want to go. Academia is one interesting career path to me, but economic policy research (government, international orgs) or working in China again (in consulting or similar) also hold my interest, and for the later two a MA coupled with 3 more years of working experience and/or language training make more sense. I initially was set on UBC, unfunded, over UC3M, funded, for reputation issues and a better fit with regards to research interests (plus a bad feeling on UC3M's faculty responsiveness from my interactions with them and students), but had a last minute change...
...long after assuming CEMFI had implicitly rejected me I received a invitation to Madrid for an interview in early May to clear up some question marks in my profile (several years of professional experience and goals with pursuing the MA). Apparently I made a good impression, because I was admitted with the standard (?) CEMFI scholarship and stipend. CEMFI made a great impression on me also, with the faculty very warm, responsive and expressing a genuine interest in and support for my several competing career goals and providing clear examples of how CEMFI is well placed to get me there. I was really impressed with the detail they could provide on professional and academic placements relative to most other master's programs' vagueness at this question. So, the main take away is that it isn't over till its over and I'm very pleased to be moving to Madrid next fall!

2010app9357 2010: Profile:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Econ, Politics top 15 US LAC
Undergrad GPA: 3.92 = probably top 2 or 3 % at my school
Type of Grad: None
GRE: 800Q, 740V, 6.0 AWA
Math Courses (undergrad-level): Real I, Real II, Linear, Calc 1-3, ODE, Probability Theory (calc based) ~ all A or better
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro and Inter Micro and Macro, Trade, M+B, Comparative Labor, Mathematical Econ (simon + blume), Game Theory (gibbons), IO, Honors Thesis, ~ all A or better. Econometrics B+
Letters of Recommendation:3 econ professors from LAC, all actively researching, popular probably only in select circles but they know me well and will probably say nice things
Research Experience: RA one year during undergrad, honors thesis (the department liked it & was impressed), currently RA at regional fed
Teaching Experience: volunteered as peer tutor for econ, stats, politics
Research Interests: micro theory, political theory
Statement of Purpose: Working on one.
Concerns: No graduate courses, average amounts of math, from LAC
Schools: mit, princeton, stanford, berkley, yale, NW, UCSD, U Mich, caltech,wisconsin, duke, MD, rochester, UVA, ohio, UC-Irvine

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)

mariobross 2010: PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Civil Engineering. (Latin America)
Undergrad GPA: 3.57/4
Type of Grad: M.A International Development (Concentration in Dev Economics)
Grad GPA: 3.68/4
GRE: 770Q, 450V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses (Undergrad): Calculus I-III (B+, A-, A-), Real Analysis (A-) , Algebra I (B+) , Linear Algebra (A-), Diff. Eq (A-)
Econ Courses (Graduate): Micro (B+), Macro (A-), Econ Theory (A), Econ Dev (A), Household Econ (A-), Intro Econometrics (B+), App Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ professors (PhD Columbia, PhD Brandeis) and my Supervisor (PhD Harvard).
Research Experience: 2 years as RA in grad school, master's thesis, Research Fellow at the World Bank and IADB (3 years)
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Development Economics and International Trade
Applying to: Maryland(Econ), Maryland (PubPol), Georgetown (Econ), Chicago (Econ), Chicago (PubPol), Brandeis(Econ), Duke (PubPol), Harvard (PubPol), Oxford (Econ), Pompeu (Econ), Columbia (SIPA)

narinka11 2010:
Institution: ASU
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No word yet
Notification date: 2-26-2010
Notified through: Email
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments: Excited though still worried about the funding. Without funding I won't be able to make it!

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?

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.

y1354tyu 2010:
Institution: Univ. of Virginia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Notification date: Mar 4
Notified through: Email (notifying me to check the status)
Comments: such a disaster....

LameDuck 2010:
Institution: Penn State University
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 3/10/2010
Notified through: E-mail (from Lynn Sebulsky)
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Held on for a while.

DaveD 2010:
Institutions: Iowa State
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 26/02/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Comments: Disappointed at a straight rejection.
Institutions: Notre Dame
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 11/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Comments: Disappointed at a straight rejection.
Institutions: University of Virginia
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 03/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Comments: Not to surprised.
Institutions: Wisconsin
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 09/03/2010
Notified through: E-mail
Comments: Fairly disappointed at a straight rejection.
All in all a kick in the balls.

nubbysoques 2010:
Institution: N.C. State
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition + Health + TA + Small Fellowship
Notification date: 03/15
Notified through: E-mail
Institution: UNC-Chapel Hill
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Waiting to hear
Notification date: 2/26
Notified through: E-mail

zjg 2010:
Type of Undergrad: Large, mediocre state university. Econ/math double major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.5 overall, 4.0 economics, 3.0 math
GRE: 780Q/720V/5.0A
Math Courses: Real analysis, linear algebra, probability, statistics, operations research, diff eq, calc.
Econ Courses: Took 2 grad courses (1 field course in public finance, plus grad micro) as an undergrad. Had electives in experimental economics and public choice.
Other Courses: 4.0 in my general education classes.. like anyone cares!
Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors, all taught me as an undergraduate for multiple courses and were highly encouraging
Research Experience: After graduation, worked at a DC think tank evaluating health policy and got listed on some policy papers, presentations. Worked as an undergraduate RA but no publishing credit, just "thank ___ for excellent research assistance" type stuff.
Teaching Experience: None. Did some grading.
Research Interests: Empirical public choice. Behavioral.
SOP: Pretty specific. I finished undergrad in 2006 so I've had a lot of time to think about what I want to research.
Other: I have sort of an unusual list. I chose schools that recently or historically have had successful job placements for people doing research similar to what I want to do and/or had some faculty I really wanted to work with.
Tangentially, after graduating in 2006 I worked at a think tank and then worked 3 years as a systems engineer doing some modeling and statistical analysis.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: George Mason ($15k, accepted), West Virginia ($16k)
Waitlists: Virginia (declined, but I suspect I would not have gotten in)
Rejections: Rochester, Maryland
Pending:
Last year I applied only to George Mason, I was accepted with no $ offer. Pretty stupid move, I applied to a larger net and had a much better result this year. I knew I intended to accept if I got a good offer, and they were able to make one.
If I would have done things differently I wouldn't have taken a senior year of nothing but upper level math classes (I feel I could have performed much better). Also, I wouldn't have bothered getting a taste of the real world after graduation - the real world sucks!