Index of Schools AnalysisAbout the Site 2012 20112010 20092008 2007all years
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Most Recently Selected profile:

The data below comes from testmagic forums and shows accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants for 2010 for economics graduate school. Clicking on points in the graph above will make the most recent profile appear in the space below the graph.


Acceptances:

Cinzia 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc Economics & Math from large Canadian university
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (not finished yet)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 620V, 800Q, 4.5AW
Math Courses: Calculus (A+), Advanced Calculus (A+), Linear Algebra II (A+), Nonlinear Optimization (A+), Real Analysis -- undergrad (A), Real Analysis -- grad (A+), Advanced ODE (A-), Concepts in Abstract Math (A), Intro Math Logic (A+); Prob & Stats I (A+), Prob & Stats II (B), Probability -- no measure theory (A+), Mathematical Stats (A+). (all undregrad except "grad real analysis")
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (A), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Advanced Micro -- game theory (A+), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Economic Analysis of Law (A+), Political Economy (in progress); graduate courses: PhD Micro Theory II -- game theory, contract theory (A), Advanced Micro Theory (in progress).
Other Courses: 1st year bio + chem + physics (I wanted to study molecular biology), Italian language courses.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well-known prof who taught me graduate game theory and supervised a summer research project; 1 from a young prof who taught me intermediate micro and undergrad game theory; 1 from a law & econ prof who taught me economic analysis of law.
Research Experience: summer research project in game theory --> uninteresting small paper.
Teaching Experience: none.
Research Interests: micro theory, political economy.
SOP: talked about how I got interested in economics, in particular micro theory, what I learned from my courses and research, and my own interests (not very well-defined interests); didn't mention any specific faculty.
Other: Note: the Canadian grading system is a bit different from the American one: here 90-100 ~ A+, 85-89 ~ A, 80-84 ~ A- etc., and 85-100 ~ 4.0 GPA, so it seems easier to get high GPA, but my friend told me the grades aren't inflated as much as in the States (which I don't know, but it is true that in my school, a large public school, they try to keep the course average low).
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Stanford, NYU, UPenn (waitlisted for funding), Wisconsin, UCSD (they didn't talk about funding), Toronto MA(doctoral), Toulouse M2.
Waitlists: MIT.
Rejections: Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Yale, Berkeley.
Pending: Northwestern (what happened to my application???)
What would you have done differently?
I wouldn't say doing sth. could get me into better schools (e.g. Harvard, MIT), but some things could certainly prepare me better for a PhD program, e.g. taking "analysis" instead of "calculus" courses, graduate probability, and more econ courses.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Stanford, NYU, UPenn (waitlisted for funding), Wisconsin, UCSD (they didn't talk about funding), Toronto MA(doctoral), Toulouse M2.
  • Institution: U Wisconsin-Madison Economics Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 02/22/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: U Penn Economics Decision: accepted Funding: waitlisted Notification date: 02/24/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: U Toronto MA Economics (Doctoral Stream) Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 03/03/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: Stanford Economics Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 03/07/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: NYU Economics Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 03/08/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: Toulouse Master 2 Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 03/10/11 Notified through: mail I haven't heard from Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern or UC San Diego yet, but I expected to be rejected by at least 3 of them. Probably going to Stanford.
  • Institution: UC San Diego Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: not mentioned (???) Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: email By the way ... what happened to my Northwestern application???
Rejects:
    Rejections: Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, Yale, Berkeley.
  • Institution: Yale Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 02/16/11 Notified through: email to check website
  • Institution: Berkeley Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/04/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: Chicago Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/07/11 Notified through: email
  • Institution: Princeton Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/10/11 Notified through: email Comment: Congrats to the admits! I really like this school but they rejected me so I'll probably go to Stanford.
  • Institution: Harvard University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14/11 (sent on March 11) Notified through: mail
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: MIT.
  • Institution: MIT Economics Decision: waitlisted Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/07/11 Notified through: email

Elliephant 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: business (Canadian school, econ dept. ranked >100 worldwide)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0 or 3.98/4.0, depending on conversion scheme
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800, V790, AWA 6.0
Math Courses: calc I-III, linear algebra I-II, applied stats, real analysis I-II (all A or higher)
Econ Courses (grad-level): none
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): intro micro, intro macro, international econ, advanced micro, advanced macro, metrics (all A+); supply-side macro (B+); did a term in China's top econ department (roughly speaking, >85 = A): international trade (90), information econ (91), Chinese development (93), urban and regional econ (98); applied metrics and forecasting (spring); managerial econ (spring)
Other Courses: none relevant
Letters of Recommendation: micro prof (reasonably well-known in IO and a past department chair); research supervisor in Beijing (used to be tenured at UNC, well-connected in health policy); UG director at b-school
Research Experience: summer fellow at an econ think tank in Beijing, one RAship at my home school, two conference presentations of my sole-authored papers
Teaching Experience: TAed micro and business statistics
Research Interests: still fluid; currently economics of human capital (education, health), transition economies, other applied micro
SOP: standard
Concerns: credibility of LORs; insufficient math background; low visibility of UG econ department
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wharton health, Kellogg MECS, Penn, UMich, Toronto MA, Queen's MA, UBC MA
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, NYU (implicit)
What would you have done differently? If I had known in high school that I wanted this, I would have gone to a better UG school and done a double major in math and econ. However, given my constraints, I'm very happy with my results, and it's entirely possible that I would not have ended up with equally good offers if I'd had the option of slacking off in UG (by being in a better department, say). I'll write up a detailed "lessons learned" thread for applicants from low-ranked UG departments, non-quantitative majors, and internationals without a master's in the next couple of weeks.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Wharton health, Kellogg MECS, Penn, UMich, Toronto MA, Queen's MA, UBC MA
  • Institution: Northwestern - Kellogg Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences (PhD) Decision: Accepted Funding: TBA Notification date: 2/21/2011 Notified through: phone (unofficial) Posted on GF: no Comments:
  • Institution: Penn - Wharton Health Care Management and Economics (PhD) Decision: accepted Funding: yes Notification date: 2/21/2011 Notified through: email/phone Posted on GF: no Comments: absolutely awesome department
  • Institution: UPenn Economics PhD Decision: Admitted Funding: Waitlisted Notification date: 02/24/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comment:
  • Institution: Toronto MA Decision: accepted Funding: no Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GF: no Comments: waitlisted for doctoral stream
  • Institution: Michigan - Ann Arbor Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: tuition waiver, funding after first year Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Queen's MA economics Decision: accepted Funding: yes, lots Notification Date: 3/14/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: UBC MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: TBA Notification date: 3/18/11 Notified through: email from the grad school Posted on GC: No Comments: still no word from the department (on funding, etc.)
  • Institution: UBC MA Economics Decision: accepted Funding: yes, TA Notification date: 3/24/2011 Notified through: E-mail Comments: apparently they were having email issues last week
Rejects:
    Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, NYU (implicit)
  • Institution: Yale Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 16 February Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: UC Berkeley Economics Decision: rejected Funding: Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: c'est la vie
  • Institution: MIT Economics PhD Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/7/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC : no Comments:
  • Institution: Stanford Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/09/11 Notified through: email Posted on GF: no Comments:
  • Institution: Columbia University Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: 3/09/2011 Notified through: email to check website Posted on GC: No Comments: certainty is good
  • Institution: Princeton Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/11/11 Notified through: Email Comments:
  • Institution: Harvard Economics PhD Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: snail mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: NYU Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: March 22, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: finally!
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: none

econchef 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small Liberal Arts University, Atlantic Canada (Honors Econ, Minor Math)
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (4.0 Econ) (4.0 Math) (Converted) (top graduate in Econ)
Type of Grad: MA Econ, Queen's University
Grad GPA: 4.0 (Converted) (top graduate)
GRE: 800Q 570V 5.5AW
Math Courses: calculus (I,II,III), linear algebra, ODE, Discrete, Intro Stats, History of Math, Intro to Game Theory (All A or higher)
Econ Courses (grad): Micro, Macro , Econometrics, Resource, Applied Econometrics, Research Problems and Methodology, Empirical Micro (All 90%+)
Econ Courses (u/g): Adv Micro, Adv Macro, Uncertainty and Strategy (Adv Micro II), Econometrics (full-year), All intermediates and Intros, a bunch field courses (All A or Higher)
Letters of Recommendation: All positive, 2 full professors (1 resource econ, very well established; 1 applied time series), 1 associate professor (gaining a big rep in time series), I supplement with three other profs who know me well at universities where they have contacts.
Research Experience: master's essay, summer research paper in u/g, Internship at Inter-American Development Bank (Poverty Research / HH Exp'd Surveys), 3 applied metrics courses in Grad, very strong STATA programming skills and LATEX knowledge
Teaching Experience: Taught tutorials for principles (Micro and Macro) for 2 years in u/g; environmental econ and principles macro at Queen's
Research Interests: Econometrics, Labor, Education
Concerns: Could have taken more math; Small unknown undergrad
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Berkeley ($$$), Princeton ($$$), BU ($$), U Toronto ($$$), Queen's ($$$), Chicago (3rd year)
Waitlists: MIT, U Penn, U Mich
Rejections: Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, NYU, Yale, Columbia
What would you have done differently? Well if I had a time machine, I would have gone back to the start of first year and convinced myself not to take any political science courses in second year and instead replace them all with math courses. I also might have convinced myself that I should have taken more math in fourth year instead of taking basic sciences for med school (I applied and got in but decided to continue with econ grad school). The only other thing I might have changed regarding my record with said time machine would have been to write my MA essay on a time series theory topic as opposed to one in applied micro but I'll be honest these wouldn't be the first things I would do with a time machine. Perhaps with those changes I might have had a better shot at Harvard but there's always some noise in the dgp so who knows. Overall, I'm very excited by my results and can't wait to visit my top two offers.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Berkeley ($$$), Princeton ($$$), BU ($$), U Toronto ($$$), Queen's ($$$), Chicago (3rd year)
  • Institution: UofT Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: fellowship/teaching assistant/ra-ship ($31K first year, $28K 2-4) Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: First acceptance albeit expected. Exciting nonetheless!
  • Institution: Queen's University (Kingston) Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Fellowship/TAship/Summer Stipend Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: No Comment: Good to know I have a couple fall back options.
  • Institution: Berkeley Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: 25000 for first year + tuition/fees Notification date: 3/6/2011 Notified through: E-mail (attached letter is dated 1 March 2011) Posted on GC : no
  • Institution: Chicago Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: No funding until phase two (3rd year) Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Really exciting to get in to Chicago but no funding first and second year is a hard sell with other funded offers.
  • Institution: BU Ph.D. in Economics Decision: accepted Funding: tuition/fees and stipend Notification Date: 3/10/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: I'm surprised. I thought this would come much later.
  • Institution: Princeton Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Yes Notification date: 03/10/11 Notified through: Email Comments: Incredible!
Rejects:
    Rejections: Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford, NYU, Yale, Columbia
  • Institution: Yale Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: Feb 16 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comments: On the bright side, the rule of complements holds true - much rejoicing ensues.
  • Institution: Northwestern University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: no Comments: certainty...at last
  • Institution: Stanford Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: The sign off on the reject letter is first class
  • Institution: Columbia University Ph.D. Economics Decision: Rejected Notification Date: 3/09/2011 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: No Comments: I haven't read White Man's Burden...they must have known...
  • Institution: Harvard Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/16/11 Notified through: Post Posted on GC: no Comments: Unfortunately I'm not a 6'5" crew star nor did I revolutionize social networking. Ex post I should have spent more time trying to prove the Riemann Hypothesis before applying.
  • Institution: NYU Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: March 22, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: certainty..at last!
  • Institution: MIT Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Rejected from waitlist Funding: NA Notification date: 04/07 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Makes the deciding easier.
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: MIT, U Penn, U Mich
  • Institution: U Penn Economics Decision: Waitlist Funding: Notification date: 02/25/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: placed high on the waitlist for admission (I'm sure they say that to everyone)
  • Institution: UMich Economics Decision: waitlisted Funding: 1st year tuition waiver, TA/RA 2nd year onward (if admitted) Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Enthusiastically placed on the waitlist!
  • Institution: MIT Economics PhD Decision: Waitlist Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/7/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC : no Comments: I hope it's not a fake

EastCoastGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Canadian research university with a low-ranked econ dept, BSc Economics & Math
Undergrad GPA: ~3.86
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 760Q, 530V, 6.0 AWA (did not submit, only applied to MAs in Canada)
Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A, A, A-, B), Linear I-II, (A, B+), Intro to Analysis (A-), Real Analysis I-II (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), Graph Theory (ditto)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Public Economics (A), Economics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Math for Economists (A+), Advanced Micro (B+), Advanced Macro (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), lots of field courses (mostly A+)
Other Courses: Wrote on an honours thesis, did well; lots of stats course, did okay.
Letters of Recommendation: Honours advisor who is well-known is his field in Canada, and my metrics prof who has been around for a while
Research Experience: none, aside from my honours thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: labour, macro
SOP: n/a except for one school. I mostly talked about why economics was attractive to me as a discipline.
Other: Recommended for the SSHRC by my school. That probably did not have affect admissions, but it may have helped schools increase my funding after I was admitted.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially
Rejections: none
Pending: none
What would you have done differently?
I would have prepared more for the GRE last year so I could have done better (I did not really prepare and that was a poor choice), and I probably would have applied to more schools (like LSE). That said, I got into my first choice with their top funding offer, and I wasn't looking at applying to Phd programs, anyway, so I have no complaints or regrets.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Rejects:
    Rejections: none
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially

2011applicant 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 US liberal arts college (Economics and Political Science double major). Graduated more than 2 years ago.
Undergrad GPA: 3.87 (3.9 in majors)
Type of Grad: Math Certificate Program
Grad GPA: 3.6
GRE: 790 Quant. 800 Ver. 5.5 Writing
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (Pass), Multi-Var (Pass), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A-), ODE (A-), Masters Level Math Stat I (B+), taking Masters Level Math Stat II
Econ Courses (grad-level):n/a
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): all the basics, except only intro to econometrics. Took advanced IO seminar (A) and advanced Micro theory seminar (B+/A-)
Other Courses: Lots of Political Science, History, and Philosophy courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Professors: One MIT graduate and UMD graduate, who both know me well, but only from classes. One Penn State professor who doesn't know me well. Supervisor at work (economic consulting firm) who has a PhD in Econ from UVA.
Research Experience: research position at think tank, analyst/associate position doing antitrust work at economic consulting firm, 1.5 years doing non-quant research for political science professor.
Teaching Experience: TAed three economics classes.
Research Interests: Industrial organization and Public Finance. Plan to do joint JD/PhD.
Concerns: Letters of Recommendation, Lack of academic research experience, inadequate econometrics background.
Decided to apply to no safeties for PhD programs (all schools I would definitely want to go) and Masters programs as my backups. I also may consider taking econometrics and doing research over the summer and going to a law program next year (since I want to get the law degree too), and then reapply next year from law school.
Applying to: Berkeley, Stanford GSB (Political Economics), Harvard Political Economy, Yale, Michigan, Maryland, Duke, Minnesota, Northwestern, Chicago; Cambridge MPhil, Oxford Mphil, LSE Msc EME, U Toronto Mphil (Doctoral track), UPF/Barcelona GSE + many associated law schools.
Accepts:
  • Institution: Stanford GSB Political Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Not discussed yet Notification date: Feb 15 Notified through: Phone Posted on GC: no Comments: Ecstatic! I think they let me know today because the JD program just admitted me this morning, and the two programs most likely wanted to coordinate their responses.
  • Institution: Minnesota Economics (PhD) Decision: accepted Funding: yes (TAship + insurance) Notification date: 2/22/2011 Notified through: email with formal acceptance (pdf) Posted on GF: no Comments: very excited! I was expecting to just get into MA programs.
  • Institution: U Michigan Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: nominated for diversity funding, as of right now, tuition waiver + insurance first year and TAship after that Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Very excited! Definitely will visit.
  • Institution: U Maryland College Park Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: First year fellowship, TAship after Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Admitted Students Day is Wednesday, March 30th.
  • Institution: Oxford MPhil Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Not decided; haven't even been put through college selection yet. Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: not optimistic about funding.
  • Institution: Barcelona GSE (UPF) Masters in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No tuition waiver or TA offer (even though I speak Spanish) Notification date: 2/25/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: Disappointed about no funding (loved the idea of being in Barcelona for a year), but since the PhD apps have been going better than expected, I'm not about to cry. In: Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Stanford GSB (PE) Out: Berkeley, Duke, Harvard PEG, Yale, Cambridge MPhil Waiting: Chicago, Northwestern, LSC EME, Toronto MA
  • Institution : Chicago Program : Economics PhD Decision : Acceptance Funding : Only for 3rd year forward Notification date : 3/8/2011 Notified through : E-mail Posted on GC : no Comments : Surprised I got in. Not surprised about the lack of funding.
  • Institution: LSE MSc EME (Res) Decision: Acceptance Funding: None mentioned. Notification Date: March 22, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Great program, but since it was only a backup in case I was rejected by PhDs, I will be declining.
Rejects:
  • Institution: Cambridge MPhil Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 1/31 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: Emailed asking why (saying I was considering reapplying) and was told that they were worried about my "insufficient background in theory, maths/econometrics"
  • Institution: Yale Economics (PhD) Decision: rejected Notification date: 2/16/2011 Notified through: email to check website Posted on GF: no
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: NA Notification date: 2/25/2011 Notified through: E-mail to check website Posted on GC: No Comments: Not surprised.
  • Institution: UC Berkeley Economics Decision: Rejected. Funding: NA Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: "If you are looking for feedback on the admissions decision, please send your inquiry after June 1, 2011."
Waitlists:
  • Institution: Northwestern Economics Decision: Waitlist Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14 Notified through: response to email requiring about status Posted on GC: No Comments: Was told to email a professor in the department as April 15th gets closer. This is still probably my top choice school, but I like my other options so I am not stressing.

eiad77 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Business Economics from UBC
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: Law degree from UBC
Grad GPA:3.4
GRE:800 math/670 verbal/4.5 writing
Math Courses: Calc 1 A+, Calc 2 A-, Calc 3 A-, Calc 4 B- (Vector Calculus), Proofs B, Differentials C, Econ Stats 1/2 (A), Econ Math A-
Econ Courses (grad-level): None (Law and Economics in law school (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): 15 Courses with A/A+ (top student in several classes)
Other Courses: Mostly Business classes
Letters of Recommendation: One from well known economics professor, one from sessional lecturer, one from well known law professor (feminist law, ie completely unrelated to economics), not sure how enthusiastic they are.
Research Experience: 2 years for law professor (unrelated to economics), 1 year at business school, one peer reviewed publication, one short co-authored non-peer reviewed publication.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Not sure
SOP: Average
Concerns: Math marks, had a business degree, took a break to do a law degree, recommendation letters, no research experience
Other:
Applying to: UBC (MA), Toronto (MA), McGill (MA), Queen's (MA), Ottawa (MA)
Accepts:
  • Institution: Toronto MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: no money, but I can inform them if I get financial offers from other places, also I can apply for a teaching position Notification date: 3/2/11 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Really Exciting! I am glad and very surprised that I got accepted even thought I have some very mediocre math marks (C/B/B-).
  • Institution: Queen's University MA in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: $8700 TAship Notification Date: 3/09/2011 Notified through: email (PDF of acceptance letter dated March 10) Posted on GC: Yes Comments: Pleased, it would have been nice to get more money, but I think my poor math grades limited me. I just need to hear back from UBC now.
  • Institution: UBC MA Decision: Accepted Funding: None (Notified March 22) Notification date: March 17 Notified through: Mail, then email Posted on GC: Yes Comments: I first got notified by the graduate school then got an email from the department about five days later. Moderately disappointed about the lack of funding.
Rejects:
Waitlists:

jeffgoldbloom 2011:
Institution: University of Toronto
Program: MA in Economics
Decision: Accepted Regular Stream, wait-listed Doctoral Stream
Funding: None for Regular Stream
Notification Date: 3/3/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I was hoping for Doctoral Stream, but still excited to be accepted
Institution: Queens University
Program: MA in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $15,000 support package
Notification Date: 3/9/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I am unsure, waiting to see if Toronto will move me off the Doctoral Streamwaitlist
Accepts:
  • Institution: University of Toronto MA in Economics Decision: Accepted Regular Stream, wait-listed Doctoral Stream Funding: None for Regular Stream Notification Date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: I was hoping for Doctoral Stream, but still excited to be accepted
  • Institution: Queens University MA in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: $15,000 support package Notification Date: 3/9/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: I am unsure, waiting to see if Toronto will move me off the Doctoral Streamwaitlist
Rejects:
Waitlists:

daniprami 2011:
Institution: University of Toronto.
Program: MA Economics.
Decision: Accepted.
Funding: N/A.
Notification date: 3/16/11
Notified through: E-mail.
Posted on GF: Yes.
Comments: Regular stream.
Accepts:
  • Institution: University of Toronto. MA Economics. Decision: Accepted. Funding: N/A. Notification date: 3/16/11 Notified through: E-mail. Posted on GF: Yes. Comments: Regular stream.
  • Institution: UBC. MA Economics. Decision: Accepted. Funding: 10,914$ TA, tuition fees lowered to domestic ones. Notification date: 3/17/11. Notified through: E-mail. Posted on GC: Yes.
Rejects:
Waitlists:

Econ Bob 2011:
Sorry for the delayed post. Hopefully helpful to future applicants.
Institution: Toronto
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Possible TA; Option to submit other funding offers
Notification date: March/2/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Regular stream. PHD Stream wait listed.
Institution: Queen's
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Lots
Notification date: March/4/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No
Institution: UBC
Program: MA Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Lots
Notification date: March/16/2011
Notified through: email from econ dept
Posted on GC: No
Accepts:
  • Institution: Toronto MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Possible TA; Option to submit other funding offers Notification date: March/2/2011 Notified through: email from econ dept Posted on GC: No Comments: Regular stream. PHD Stream wait listed.
  • Institution: Queen's MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Lots Notification date: March/4/2011 Notified through: email from econ dept Posted on GC: No
  • Institution: UBC MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Lots Notification date: March/16/2011 Notified through: email from econ dept Posted on GC: No
Rejects:
Waitlists:


Rejections:

petecheese 2011:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Business Finance. Top Univ in middle east
Undergrad GPA: 82/100 (3.4/4.0)
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics from same university
Grad GPA: 91/100 (4.0/4.0)
GRE: 780Q 470V 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc 1 (AP), Calc 2 (AP), Calc 3 (98/100), Linear Algebra (87/100), ODE (83/100), Econ Stats (80/100)
Econ Courses: Intermediate micro (87), Intermediate macro (99), Econometrics (80). Lots of grad courses (Micro, Macro, econometrics, monetary, etc...) Almost all 90+
Other Courses: A lot of finance courses (although lost interest in finance as field of study but had them from Ugrad)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from professor and chair, PHD York (Really good letter), 1 from assistant prof, PHD Princeton (Very enthusiastic), 1 from assistant professor PHD Toulouse (standard), 1 from visiting professor (Should be good)
Research Experience: RA for about a year. Recent conference presentation in Poland (awaiting scientific board for publication in conference proceedings)
Teaching Experience: GA/TA for 2 years (undergrad and grad econometrics)
Research Interests: Development, Applied micro (empirical mostly), and applied econometrics
Concerns: Low Ugrad GPA, No proof based math courses, semi unknown school
RESULTS:
Attending: Texas A&M (TAMU)
Acceptances: Iowa State, Virginia Tech, BGSE (UPF), Tinbergen, Uconn
Rejections: UIUC, PSU, Wisconsin-madison, Rice, Toronto (doctoral Stream), Tilburg, Arizona, BC, UNC (initially wait listed)
Comments:
Honestly, i was really happy with my results and quite surprised. I had a weak-average Undergrad performance to make up, and come from a relatively unknown Middle Eastern school.
I think what did it for me was LORS. I cannot emphasize how important LORs are, and how important it is to build good relations with professors (RA, TA, visit office hours and talk about research, etc...).
Also for some smaller programs (specifically Vtech if anyone is ever interested in that school ), i think what got me in was my SOP. Very tailored to their school. I think people underestimate the role of the SOP. Outside of the top 10, i think it can be a very useful tool and should be taken seriously (ofcourse this does not apply to all schools outside the top10, but for some of the smaller programs, "fit" is very important.
In the end, Thank GOD this whole process is done, and i am more than happy to attend TAMU , although the location i am not so ecstatic about :P.
Accepts:
    Attending: Texas A&M (TAMU) Acceptances: Iowa State, Virginia Tech, BGSE (UPF), Tinbergen, Uconn
  • Institution: Barcelona GSE MSc in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification date: 01/24/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Shocked since I applied 5 days ago and another student from my university got in as well!
  • Institution: Virginia Tech (VT) PHD economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Full funding TA Notification date: 02/24/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: yes Comment: Still waiting on a lot of schools.
  • Institution: Tinbergen Institute MPhil Econ Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification date: 03/03/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: None
  • Institution: Texas A&M Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: None Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Iowa State Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Waitlist Notification date: 3/18/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: Iowa State Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Waitlisted Notification date: 03/21/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Uconn Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Yup-TA Notification date: 03/23/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
Rejects:
    Rejections: UIUC, PSU, Wisconsin-madison, Rice, Toronto (doctoral Stream), Tilburg, Arizona, BC, UNC (initially
  • Institution: Rice Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: Feb 15 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comment: Bummed.. Did not even know they only had place for 7 people. Shouldn't have applied
  • Institution: UIUC Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: Feb. 17 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC:No Comments: Crappers.. I actually liked the school a lot. thought it was a good fit. Oh well
  • Institution: Washington University in St. Louis Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: Penn state university (PSU) Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: hmmmm Notification date: 03/11/11 Notified through: Email Comment: Last name starts with M in case any penn staters still waiting for their decisions. Good luck
  • Institution: Wisconsin-Madison Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: They have really cut down on acceptances this year. But still expected
  • Institution: u Arizona Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/17/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: Yes Comments: What a great year to be applying to econ PHDs. Really rough season. Happy with my admits though.
  • Institution: UNC - CH Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 04/14/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Toronto MA (Doctoral Stream) Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 04/8/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: International = nightmare for canada. Weird system
  • Institution: Tilburg Mphil Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/18/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
Waitlists:
    wait listed) Comments: Honestly, i was really happy with my results and quite surprised. I had a weak-average Undergrad performance to make up, and come from a relatively unknown Middle Eastern school. I think what did it for me was LORS. I cannot emphasize how important LORs are, and how important it is to build good relations with professors (RA, TA, visit office hours and talk about research, etc...). Also for some smaller programs (specifically Vtech if anyone is ever interested in that school ), i think what got me in was my SOP. Very tailored to their school. I think people underestimate the role of the SOP. Outside of the top 10, i think it can be a very useful tool and should be taken seriously (ofcourse this does not apply to all schools outside the top10, but for some of the smaller programs, "fit" is very important. In the end, Thank GOD this whole process is done, and i am more than happy to

fj217 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BBA Applied Economics/Applied Mathematics (minor) from a mid-sized university in Hong Kong
Undergrad GPA: 3.76/4.00 (#1 in the program)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: Q800 V530 AW4.0
Math Courses: Calculus & Linear Algebra (A); Mathematical Analysis I (A); Mathematical Analysis II (B+); Linear Algebra (A); Statistical Methods & Theory I (A-); Differential Equations (A-); Real Analysis (B); Numerical Methods I (A-); Mathematical & Statistical Modeling (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Microeconomics (A); Principles of Macroeconomics (A); Intermediate Microeconomics (B+); Intermediate Macroeconomics (A); Mathematical Economics I (B+); Applied Econometrics (A); Money & Banking (A-); International Economics (A); Industrial Organization (A); Aisa-Pacific Economies (A-); Public Finance (A); Money & Finance in China (A)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: One professor from another local university (Stanford PhD); one regionally well-known professor (UW Madison PhD); one statistics professor with a PhD from Germany. At least the latter two letters are very strong.
Research Experience: Summer research at another local university; honors degree project
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Macroeconomics, International Economics
SOP: I put much effort into writing it; mainly explaining my interest in economics and my past learning experience
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: IUB PhD ($$, attending), Albany PhD ($$), Simon Fraser MA ($$)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Cornell PhD, PSU PhD, UPitt PhD, USC PhD, Notre Dame PhD, etc.
Pending: CUHK MPhil
What would you have done differently?
I think Id have done better had I picked Mathematics as my major and Economics as minor. That way not only could I have taken more math courses, but I also could have taken them systematically. Now I often had to taken advanced math courses early on without the basic courses. If I could have taken them systematically I would have better math grades.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: IUB PhD ($$, attending), Albany PhD ($$), Simon Fraser MA ($$)
  • Institution: University of Hong Kong MEcon Decision: Admission Funding: None Notification date: 2/28/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Don't know if institutions in HK are of any people's concern here. Just saw some non-US schools so I thought it doesn't hurt to post anyway...
  • Institution: Simon Fraser University MA Economics Decision: Acceptance Funding: Yes Notification date: 3/10/11 Notified through: Email
  • Institution: University at Albany Economics Decision: Acceptance Funding: Tuition Waiver + 13k Assistantship Notification date: 3/16 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments:
  • Institution: Indiana University Bloomington Economics Decision: Acceptance Funding: Waiting list Notification date: 4/4 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No. Comments: Really hope I can get funding... Update: I was informed of funding for five years at around 2:30am (UTC+8) Apr. 16. Very happy and have already accepted their offer!
Rejects:
    Rejections: Cornell PhD, PSU PhD, UPitt PhD, USC PhD, Notre Dame PhD, etc.
  • Institution: University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Applied Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification date: 2/11/11 Notified through: Email directing to website Posted on GF: No. Comments: My first certain response. Still waiting for the rest.
  • Institution: Yale University Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification date: 2/17/2011 Notified through: Email -> website Posted on GF: No. Comments: My reach school.
  • Institution: Duke University Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification date: 2/25 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GF: No Comments:
  • Institution: Pennsylvania State University Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/7/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Just another rejection.
  • Institution: Iowa State University MS in Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/9/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Sad.
  • Institution: Cornell University Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/23 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments:
  • Institution: University of Iowa (Tippie) Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/16 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No. Comments:
  • Institution: University of Pittsburgh Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/24 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments:
  • Institution: Emory University Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/14 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments:
  • Institution: University of Notre Dame Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 3/30/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: -
  • Institution: University of Toronto MA Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: - Notification date: 5/5/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Not going even if admitted. Got better plans.
Waitlists:
    Waitlists:

s1391470 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. Comp Sci, B.Sc. Mathematics (Average Canadian Uni)
Undergrad GPA: 8.9/10 (Comp Sci), 8.7/10 (Math)
Type of Grad: MBA - Top Canadian Program, M.A. Econ (Average Canadian Uni)
Grad GPA: 3.8/4 (MBA), 4.25/4.33 (Econ).
Other Education: CFA
GRE: 800 Q / 720 V / 6.0 W (native English speaker)
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A), Real Analysis (A), ODE (A-), Probability (A), Stats (A), Complex Analysis (B+), Linear Algebra (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Finance, International Trade, Environment, Public Policy, Labour Economics,
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro
Other Courses: During MBA, Game Theory and Micro/Macro
Letters of Recommendation: 4 from M.A. econ. 2 Minnesota Grads, 1 Queens Grad, 1 Toronto Grad
Research Experience: Patent, Masters Thesis, R.A. in Econ and Comp. Sci
Teaching Experience: TA'ed bunch of courses
Work Experience: Nearly 10 years in a variety of roles in technology and finance
Research Interests: international trade and development
SOP: Pretty strong, I think.
Concerns: I have some pretty poor grades in upper level math courses (not listed) including several Cs. However, in my SoP I mentioned how I was working full time while completing this degree, and how my patent is directly related to my math degree (it is related to obfuscation/encryption and group theory).
Other: I'll be 35 when I start my PhD, so I'm a bit older than the average grad student.
Applying to: Columbia, NYU, U Penn, Minnesota, University of Michigan, Brown, Cornell, Wisconsin (Missed funding date), Cornell, Queen's, Toronto, Carnegie Mellon
Accepts:
  • Institution: Queen's University Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: $$$ Notification date: 3/15 Notified through: mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Happy!
  • Institution: Cornell Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification Date: March 23, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Says no funding for 5 years! Ouch
  • Institution: Minnesota Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: N/A Notification date: 04/19/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: In response to email inquiry. I had sent them an email asking for confirmation of my status (expecting a rejection) since I had to confirm with schools by April 22. Instead, I received an offer!
Rejects:
  • Institution: University of Michigan Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Columbia Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: Would have been nice but a real stretch
  • Institution: Brown Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: Eh, was a bit of a throwaway app
  • Institution: Wisconsin - Madison Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/12 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: NYU Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: March 22, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Carnegie Mellon Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/29/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GradCafe: No Comments: Expected at this point
  • Institution: UPenn Ph.D. Economics Decision: Rejected from the waitlist Funding: N/A Notification date: April 12 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Response to email request on status
  • Institution: Toronto Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 04/15/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: In response to email inquiry
Waitlists:
  • Institution: Minnesota Economics Decision: Waitlist Funding: ? Notification date: 02/23/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comment: Not the "short" list, so a little disappointed
  • Institution: UPenn Economics Decision: Waitlist Funding: ? Notification date: 02/28/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comment: "high" on waitlist. not sure if that means anything.

Irrational 2011:
Institution: Barcelona GSE
Program: MSc in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Partial tuition waiver (9,000 €)
Notification date: 01/24/2011
Notified through: e-mail
Posted on GC: no
Comments: Decision until 23/02/2011, which is very early. Still, it's my first admit, so I am kind of happy :-)
Accepts:
  • Institution: Barcelona GSE MSc in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Partial tuition waiver (9,000 €) Notification date: 01/24/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Decision until 23/02/2011, which is very early. Still, it's my first admit, so I am kind of happy :-)
  • Institution: University of Warwick MSc in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification date: 01/27/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Another safety accept, which is nice. However I would probably prefer UPF as Warwick does not have any experience with placements into US PhD programs.
  • Institution: University of Oxford Master of Philosophy in Economics (MPhil) Decision: Accepted Funding: Not yet specified Notification date: 03/10/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Does Oxford offer an exchange semester/year? Edit: Called them, they don't.
  • Institution: Duke University AM Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No information yet Notification date: 03/10/2011 Notified through: e-mail to check website Posted on GC: no Comments: Sweet. But it felt strange, when they sent me my password in plain text.
  • Institution: University of British Columbia MA Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: TA (10,914$) and possibly reduced tuition fees Notification date: 03/17/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: -
  • Institution: Boston University Master of Arts in Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Nope Notification date: 03/23/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: University of Cambridge MPhil in Economic Research Decision: Accepted Funding: no Notification date: 03/31/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: It is conditional on finishing my Bachelors with minimum 1.5/5.0. This was the same for Oxford, might be interesting for future applications from my country who consider applying to Oxbridge.
  • Institution: London School of Economics and Political Science MSc Economics and Philosophy Decision: Accepted Funding: no, will not apply for funding. Notification date: 04/19/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: It is conditional on finishing my Bachelors with minimum 2.2/5.0. This was my second preference after the EME. They asked me via e-mail to shortly state the reasons for my interest into the program, since my SOP did not mention any philosophy.
  • Institution: University College London MSc Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: no Notification date: 04/26/2011 Notified through: snail mail Posted on GC: no Comments: It is conditional on finishing my Bachelors with minimum 1.5/5.0.
Rejects:
  • Institution: London School of Economics Master of Econometrics and Mathematical Economics (2-year) Decision: Rejected Funding: No Notification date: 03/07/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: Queen's University Master of Arts Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 04/13/2011 Notified through: e-mail after I inquired about my application status Posted on GC: no Comments: I guess they have only very few places for international students. Maybe, I should've said in the application, that I do not require funding.
  • Institution: University of Toronto MA Economics (Doctoral stream) Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 05/05/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:
Waitlists:


Waitlists:

EastCoastGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Canadian research university with a low-ranked econ dept, BSc Economics & Math
Undergrad GPA: ~3.86
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 760Q, 530V, 6.0 AWA (did not submit, only applied to MAs in Canada)
Math Courses: Calc I-IV (A, A, A-, B), Linear I-II, (A, B+), Intro to Analysis (A-), Real Analysis I-II (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), Graph Theory (ditto)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Public Economics (A), Economics I (A+), Econometrics II (A), Math for Economists (A+), Advanced Micro (B+), Advanced Macro (taking now, grades weren't available for schools), lots of field courses (mostly A+)
Other Courses: Wrote on an honours thesis, did well; lots of stats course, did okay.
Letters of Recommendation: Honours advisor who is well-known is his field in Canada, and my metrics prof who has been around for a while
Research Experience: none, aside from my honours thesis
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: labour, macro
SOP: n/a except for one school. I mostly talked about why economics was attractive to me as a discipline.
Other: Recommended for the SSHRC by my school. That probably did not have affect admissions, but it may have helped schools increase my funding after I was admitted.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially
Rejections: none
Pending: none
What would you have done differently?
I would have prepared more for the GRE last year so I could have done better (I did not really prepare and that was a poor choice), and I probably would have applied to more schools (like LSE). That said, I got into my first choice with their top funding offer, and I wasn't looking at applying to Phd programs, anyway, so I have no complaints or regrets.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Queen's MA ($$$), UofT Doctoral Stream ($$$), UBC ($)
Rejects:
    Rejections: none
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: UofT Doctoral Stream initially

HealthEconGirl 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Econ from top-30 U.S. university
Undergrad GPA: 3.76 / 4.0, magna cum laude
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800, V720, AW5.5
Math Courses: Calc I&II (AP), Multivariable Calc (A), Diff Equ (A), Intro to Proofs (A), Upper-level Probability Theory (A), Lin Alg (A), Intro to Analysis (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Regular econ major courses (mostly A's, one B+ and one B), IO (B+), African Development (A-), Econ Reforms and Corruption (A-), Pol Econ of Growth, Redistribution and Poverty (A-), Intermediate Econometrics (A), Senior thesis seminar (A)
Letters of Recommendation: Senior thesis advisor (Columbia Ph.D.), one Assoc Prof (Foreign Ph.D.), one Epidemiologist (Berkeley Ph.D.), one former supervisor
Research Experience: Senior thesis, RA for epidemiologist since August 2010, Paid Internship where I basically do standard RA work (data cleaning, analysis) since June 2010
Teaching Experience: none really, but LORs talked about my potential for teaching
Research Interests: economics of global health, specifically HIV and sexual behavior in developing countries
SOP: Highlighted my senior thesis, significant time working in a developing country, and well defined research interests; customized to each school
Concerns: While I have extensive work experience that is relevant, it's not the standard econ RA work; no graduate econ classes despite being in a research univ.
RESULTS:
Attending: UCSD
Acceptances: UCSD ($), UBC ($$$)
Waitlists: U Mich (Withdrawn), UCLA (Withdrawn)
Withdrawn: BU, U Toronto
Rejections: UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Harvard, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, UPenn, UMD College Park, NSF (Honorable Mention)
Comments:
Overall, I am very pleased with this result. Even though I had a lot of rejections (and that was hard), you only need one good admit, and I am extremely excited about UCSD. I applied to all of the top ten on the advice of my undergrad advisor, but I knew that cracking the top ten was a long shot.
The best thing I did was apply for the NSF GRFP. The application process, and particularly the process of developing a research proposal, really helped me crystallize my objectives and research interests, and I believe the experience made my SOPs that much stronger.
Taking my choice of undergrad institution, GPA, GRE, and work experience as given, there isn't much I would have done differently. However, writing the SOPs took me much, much longer than I expected. If I could do it again, I would start drafting SOPs over the summer.
A note about my LORs: a lot of people say that LORs from non-economists are useless. But I decided to go with an letter of recommendation from an epidemiologist who is extremely well know both within and outside her field, knows me really well, has a good sense for my research ability, and wrote me a glowing recommendation. I believe that if they are relevant to your research interests, LORs from disciplines that are close to econ, such as math, poli sci, or epidemiology, can be acceptable, and may even be preferable to letters from econ profs who barely know you.
I'm so glad the waiting is over!
Accepts:
    Attending: UCSD Acceptances: UCSD ($), UBC ($$$)
  • Institution: UCSD Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: Not yet specified Notification Date: 3/10/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Didn't get an official admission letter, but an invitation to their open house that says "Congratulations on being nominated for admission to the Economics Doctoral Program at the University of California San Diego for Fall 2011. You should receive a formal admission email from the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) soon and we want to welcome you!" I am so, so happy.
  • Institution: University of British Columbia Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: 25k Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GradCafe: no Comments: Deadline to respond is Mar 29!
Rejects:
    Rejections: UC Berkeley, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, NYU, Harvard, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Northwestern, Duke, UPenn, UMD College Park, NSF (
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 02/28/2011 Notified through: website (saw above and checked) Comments: really disappointing, I thought I had a good chance of getting in
  • Institution: UC Berkeley Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: My first choice. This sucks.
  • Institution: Northwestern Economics, PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: No Comments: Finally!
  • Institution: Stanford Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/5/2011 Notified through: Mailed letter Posted on GC: no Comments: Expected but still disappointing, as this was my last shot at staying in the SF Bay Area.
  • Institution: MIT Economics PhD Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/7/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC : no Comments: Expected.
  • Institution: UMD College Park Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: Testudo website Posted on GC: No Comments: Still no admits.
  • Institution: Columbia University Ph.D. Economics Decision: Rejected Notification Date: 3/09/2011 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: No
  • Institution: Princeton Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/11/11 Notified through: Email Comments: I appreciate their promptness. Take note, NYU.
  • Institution: Brown University Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No
  • Institution: Harvard University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14/11 Notified through: mail Posted on GC: no Comments: The letter finally came.
  • Institution: NYU Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/17/11 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Finally.
  • Institution: Cornell Economics Ph.D. Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: 03/25/2011 Notified Through:Email Comments: Waiting on two more.
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: U Mich (Withdrawn), UCLA (Withdrawn) Withdrawn: BU, U Toronto
  • Institution: UCLA Economics Decision: Waitlisted Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GF: No Comments: Even though it's only a waitlist, feeling better about my chances.
  • Institution: UMich Economics Decision: Waitlist Funding: Yes, if accepted Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments:That letter is seriously confusing. Like others, it says I would have been admitted without funding last year. I wonder what happens if I am able to find an external source of funding (will call tomorrow).
  • Institution: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Decision: Honorable Mention Funding: No Notification date: 4/5 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: Obviously funding would have been great, but I knew it was a long shot, so I'm happy with this result.
Admit summary statistics:
As submitted and recoreded from Test Magic:
There were 9 accepted out of 15 applicants.Of those accepted, average GPA was 3.89, average GREQ was 793.3.
No link to department posted statistics has been added, please let me know if these exist and I will add them.

Links:
Test Magic Econ Forums
econphd.econwiki.com
Last Updated: 14:58:1, Fri May 11, 2012