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delimitless 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 60 Economics UG
Undergrad GPA: 3.75 (3.85 math & econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q/640V/5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc series; Linear Algebra; UG Analysis; Grad Analysis I; Grad Topology I-II; Dynamical Systems
Econ Courses: Grad Macro; Grad Micro; Grad Metrics; standard UG classes
Other Courses: Philosophy minor
Letters of Recommendation: Grad Macro Professor; two economists at regional fed where I worked
Research Experience: 2 Years at Regional Fed. Couple co-authored papers in the works. Felt this was instrumental to my intent/results
Teaching Experience: Tutoring and Grading at UG
Research Interests: Macro, Labor, Computational
SOP: Customized for a little while then just got lazy and sent the same one
Other: good to be moving on
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NSF; UPenn(after NSF); UCLA($); Ohio State($$)
Waitlists: Maryland (Accepted after NSF); WUSTL
Rejections: Yale; Northwestern; NYU; Chicago; Stanford; Minnesota; Columbia; Duke
Pending:
Attending: U Penn
What would you have done differently? Probably would have customized my SOP a bit more. It just got so dull. Second-guessing the past is easy...I guess work harder in UG is the easy answer; but I wasn't so sure that I wanted a PhD at that time.

Peot 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math/Econ double major at a Top 40 Econ, top something US News... too lazy to check. We like experimental econ and college basketball.
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: Just classes
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 760Q/640V/4.0 Attempt #1, 165Q/161V/5.0 Attempt #2
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Intro to Analysis I-II, Abstract Algebra, Honors Linear Alg, Honors ODEs, Applied Stat, Probability Theory, Math Stat, Stochastic Processes, Grad Analysis I, Topology, Combinatorics, Number Theory. All A's except an A- in ODEs and a B in Grad Analysis
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I, Micro II, Political Economy, Topics in Micro Theory. All A's except an A- in Micro II
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A whole bunch
Other Courses: A bunch of English classes
Letters of Recommendation: 1 extremely well known (multiple publications in AER/'metrica/JET), 1 very well known (publications in AER, 'metrica, JET), 1 not as well known. All 3 are micro theorists and have had me for at least one grad Econ class and at least two are advising me with my thesis/research projects.
Research Experience: 2 summer research grants from my university to work on independent projects in micro theory/game theory, another grant to work on that same project during this academic year, some independent studies over the years, all of which will be aggregated into a special degree/honors thesis
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Game Theory, Mechanism Design, Formal Political Theory, Algorithmic Game Theory. How information affects games and how mechanisms can incentivize information acquisition.
SOP: Cookie cutter with one paragraph tailored to each place.
Other: Varsity letterman/spent 4 years on a perennial top 15-25 Division I team in my sport. That made this all so much harder than it needed to be!
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Caltech, Wisconsin, Kellogg MECS, UT-Austin, UCLA, NYU, Berkeley (no first year fellowship), Penn (wl for first year funding)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB Econ Analysis + Policy
Attending: Caltech
What would you have done differently?
Can't say I could have changed anything drastically. Maybe done marginally better in a course or two, or not messed up my first GRE. But those are ninth or tenth order concerns. RA or a Masters wouldn't have done anything for me. I'm thrilled and fortunate to be where I am!

backtowork 2012:
Type of undergrad: BA in Econ and Math from non-HYP Ivy
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/4.00
GRE: 800Q/710V/5.0W
Math courses: honors calc (B), honors linear (A), honors ODE I and II (A, A), operations research (A), statistical inference (B), information theory (A), real analysis (A+), grad stochastic processes (A-)
Econ courses (all undergrad): intro (A), micro (A), macro (A), health (A), int'l (A), financial institutions (A), corp finance (A), honors econometrics (A), economic growth (A), theory of general equilibrium (A), public econ (A), Labor (1st-taken at an oxbridge), Political Econ (1st-taken at an oxbridge)
Other courses: mostly random poli-sci
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from my thesis adviser (not well known). 1 from my former boss as an intern at the Fed Board (pretty well known, but I only worked there for a couple months and he didn't know me all that well). 1 from my current boss at regional fed who is somewhat well known and knows me quite well.
Research Experience: thesis, a little RA work in UG, internship at the Fed BoG, currently an RA at a Fed Bank. No publications.
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interest: Macro, labor, IO, pretty much open to anything
SOP: eh
Other: elected phi beta kappa junior year, magna cum laude, honors;
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Penn (wl for funding, asked to be removed), UCLA ($$$), Princeton($$$)
Waitlists: Minnesota (asked to be removed)
Rejections: NYU, Harvard, HBS, MIT, Stanford, Stanford GSB, UC Berkeley, Yale, Northwestern, Chicago, Columbia,
Attending: Princeton!
What would you have done differently?
I would have decided during college that this is what I wanted to do and made an effort to work with some of the big name professors at my UG institution. I was very fortunate to get such favorable results without having done so. After going through the whole admissions process, it has become abundantly clear that it's all about the letters; not just what's in them, but also who writes them. Not that your letter writers have to be famous or anything, but they need to be well-connected. Looking at my admissions results, the process looks almost random (rejected from Columbia, accepted at Princeton?), but in fact my results were quite predictable; if one of my letter writers personally knew someone on the admissions committee, I was accepted. If they did not, I wasn't. Simple as that. So my advice to the next generation of applicants is the same that has been given all over this board: LETTERS ARE EVERYTHING! If I had followed that advice a little earlier, I might have cracked the Harvard/MIT barrier, but Im certainly not complaining!

Aha 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University in Australia; B Ec/LLB
Undergrad GPA: N/A; first class honours
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 790 Q; 610 V; 5.0
Math Courses: Linear algebra, vector calculus, real analysis
Econ Courses: Grad equivalent courses, particularly micro theory and econometrics
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: probably strong
Research Experience: undergraduate honours thesis, published paper in a low ranked journal; various small research projects from work
Teaching Experience: Taught intro micro, macro; various econometrics courses
Research Interests: various
SOP: nothing special
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, NYU, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Cambridge, Oxford, Toulouse, UBC, Penn
Attending: Harvard
What would you have done differently? Nothing really...

dbeef 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, econ + math double major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.82 (3.83 econ, 3.58 math)
Type of Grad: 3 math field courses, and a masters/advanced undergrad micro theory course; additional econ field course at a top 10 program while working.
Grad GPA: 3.62
GRE: 163Q, 163V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: Random undergrad (calc, odes, etc... mostly As), Analysis (B), Algebra (B-), Probability theory (B+), Grad complex w/ some functional (A-), Other grad math (A,A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Labor (A), Micro(B-), Asset pricing (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro (A+,A+,A), metrics (A-), some other honors courses (As)
Other Courses: Some chem and physics + some businessy CS courses (As)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well known econ professor I took a grad course with (top 1 0EAS ranking), 2 additional strong (hopefully?), detailed letters from fairly well known economists who observed me in a research setting (one regional fed economist and one thesis advisor), a 4th letter from a math professor I took grad courses from.
Research Experience: A ton. In econ: a few undergrad RAships (over 3.5 years), a solid undergrad honors paper, and 1.5 years as an RA at a regional Fed... a couple of published papers as a coauthor in decent field journals plus a few coauthored working papers, some policy papers, and a couple self-authored (under the guidance of my letter writers) working papers. Other: was part of a math/theoretical physics research team for a while and also did some material chemistry research as an undergrad.
Research Interests: Lots, but mainly labor, health, and theory.
SOP: Standard-ish with some sections individualized for each school.
Concerns: bad math grades and a marginal GRE score
Applying to: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern (wl $), Wisconsin ($$$$), Michigan ($$$$), NSF($$$$$), Penn (off wl post NSF)
Waitlists: Penn
Rejections: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Carnegie Mellon
Attending: Northwestern

ecoetz 2012:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics with Mathematical Economics Concentration (Minor?) from Private Latin American University (Five year degree) (Not well known internationally, known locally).
Undergrad GPA: 4.8/5.0 (Graded on a 5.0 scale, but graded on a percentage basis) (~4.8/5.0 last two years) (~4.8/5.0 maths) (Ranked first in my class).
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q164 (790, 91%) / V161 (620, 89%) / AWA 5.5 (96%).
Math Courses: Differential Calculus (5.0), Integral Calculus (4.5), Multivariable Calculus (5.0), Linear Algebra (4.7), Statistics I,II (4.7, 5.0), Advanced Math for Econ (Covers Intro to Proofs, Elementary Topology and RA) (5.0), Dynamic Optimization (4.9), Stochastic Processes (4.5).
Econ Courses (grad-level): Topics in Modeling (Grad Econometrics) (4.5).
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I,II,III (4.8, 4.8, 4.7), Macro I,II,III (4.5, 4.2, 4.3), Econ History and Thought (4.3, 4.7, 4.4), International Econ (4.9, 4.9), Game Theory (4.9), Public Sector Econ (4.8), Monetary Theory and Policy (4.8), Dynamic Macroeconomics (4.7), Business Cycles and the Firm (IO) (5.0), Econometrics I,II (5.0, 4.7), Time Series Econometrics (4.7), Advanced Econometrics (Multiple Time Series Econometrics) (4.7), Applied Econ and Math Seminar (Microeconometrics) (5.0). There is some grad content in the more advanced courses, but they are still UG-level.
Other Courses: Economic Theory (Epistemology) (5.0), Financial Mathematics (4.9), Financial Analysis (4.8), Five course Politics Sequence, and some other not-as-relevant courses.
Letters of Recommendation: Harvard Prof (PhD Yale, well known), Local Econometrics Prof (PhD UCSD, Co-author, was his TA for grad macro course, former supervisor at work), Local Macro Prof (Former head of Econ Department at my UG school, was his TA for five semesters), and, where a fourth letter could be sent in, Local Summer School Prof (Recent PhD MIT, RAing for him now, TAing for his Fiscal Policy course). All should be strong (hopefully!).
Research Experience: Co-authored paper in top local Journal. RA for over a year at my UG school, with co-authored working paper. Currently RA at top local University in Econ Department. Worked as regional macro research analyst for Citibank for a year after a six-month internship (don't know if this counts towards research experience, since it is not academic. Lots of writing though!).
Teaching Experience: Intermediate Macro TA for five semesters. Advanced Macro (Grad) TA, Fiscal Theory and Policy TA (at top local University).
Research Interests: Political Economy, Comparative Development, Macro Policy.
SOP: Talked about my research interests and how a PhD would be appropriate right now. Run-of-the-mill IMHO.
Concerns: UG school is not very well known, though hopefully LORs will make up for it, since 3 of the 4 recommenders are not from my UG school, but do know it well. Very few grad courses for an international applicant (as mentioned above, while many courses do have grad content, the grad program at my UG school is not as big and, since the UG program is long, grad content is taught at UG level, which is hard to signal to adcoms).
Other: \end{anxiety}
RESULTS
Acceptances: UPenn
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, Stanford, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, Harvard, NYU.
Attending: UPenn
What would you have done differently? Well, the plan was to apply to the top 10 (didn't apply to Chicago though) and see what happened. If I got shut out, I would have gotten an MA in my home country at a good school with good placements and tried again. As fellow TMers have said before, I just needed the one, and I got it. So, in that regard, I played my cards right. However, I went to a very unknown UG school, so in retrospect I probably should have gone to a more known school. I won't say a better school because I believe my undergrad education was very good. I had excellent classmates and I'm sure the more advanced undergrad content was at least, in part, at the MA level, so I don't regret doing my UG there. However, a better known school would have meant better LORs, although I got a very good one from a very good professor I hope to keep working with. For sure more math. I'm still dreading that one going into a PhD program like Penn's. I hope to get caught up in their long math camp though! All in all, I'm thrilled!

mar412 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 15 US ( Top 10 Econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Type of Grad: MA from Top 20 Econ
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 790 Q, 800 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc 3 (A), Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A), Probability (A), Analysis (A)
Econ Courses: Lots of Undergrad Econ with A/A-s, MA Level: Micro (A-), Macro (B+), Econometrics (A), Advanced Micro (A), Computer Modeling for Policy Analysis (A); Phd Level: Real Analysis for Econ (A), Micro I (A), Econometrics I (B+)
Other Courses:Phd Stats Intro Course (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from unknown undergrad prof who knew me really well, 1 from unknown MA prof who knew me really well, 1 "institutional letter" from phd profs.
Research Experience: Worked about 2 years as RA estimating tax revenues for a state agency...if that counts
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Wasn't sure..., claimed labor topics in micro and macro
SOP: Pretty standard, I'm sure. I didn't have much time to work on it due to an illness in the family.
Other: Didn't know what I wanted to do as an undergrad and after getting some work experience, I decided to pursue my Phd. Most of my math and Phd courses were taken in my MA program
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Minnesota ($), UCSD ($), Penn (w/l but got $), UNC(?)
Waitlists:UVA, Michigan
Rejections:Princeton, MIT, Yale, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Duke, Northwestern
Pending:None
What would you have done differently?
I think in terms of my research experience and grades I did as well as I could given my circumstances. To me, being there for my family during a time of stress was the most important thing, and I still feel proud of the choices I made. In an ideal world, I would've realized that I wanted to get my Phd as an undergrad and taken as many math classes as possible then. But, it didn't happen that way. Overall I am happy with what I achieved and am excited to start my studies next fall.
Attending: Penn

george 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Double major: Math/Econ from a top 50 us.
Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (4.0 Math/Econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q: 170 V: 166 AWA: 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III high school, Real Analysis 1-2 (A), Linear Algebra 1-2 (A), Abstract Algebra 1-2 (A), (A), Combinatorics (A), Number Theory (A), Topology (A), Graph Theory (A), Algebraic Topology grad (A), Combinatorics grad (A), Functional Analysis grad (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): MicroTheory 1-3 (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro(A), Macro (A), Principles Micro (A), Principles Macro (A), Labor Economics (A), Crime Economics (A), Game Theory (A), International Econ (A), Research seminar (A), Econometrics (A).
Other Courses: Symbolic Logic (A).
Letters of Recommendation: 2 that are very well known, and 1 that is brilliant, all very strong.
Research Experience: Did research in both math and econ
Teaching Experience: TA for a math course
Research Interests: Micro, applied micro, risk
SOP: awesome.
Concerns: Strength of undergrad institution
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Brown, Penn off wl, Chicago off wl, UCSD, Columbia.
WL: Chicago, Duke, Penn
Rejections: Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Berkeley, Princeton
What would you have done differently?
I got brought in and told the reasons for my poor results at one of the schools, and he said it was all institution. All you have to do though is take a couple years off and ra with someone famous, if youre in this position but I want to head straight to grad school plus new york is pretty swanky.
Attending: Columbia

The Blueprint 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: U.S. Public University Top 50 Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 (4.0 Math, 4.0 Econ)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790Q 800V 6.0 (first time) / 170Q 170V 6.0 (retake)
Math Courses: Calc I-II (exam), Intro. Computer Science (A), Linear Algebra (A), Calc III (A-), ODE (A+), UG Real Analysis (A+), Prob. and Stats (A), Grad Analysis I (A), Numerical Analysis (A), Math. Stats I (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro (A+) & Macro, Intermediate Micro & Macro, Public Sector Economics, Game Theory, Industrial Organization (A+), Intro. Econometrics, Labor Economics (A+)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 2 well known senior faculty who advised me on research, 1 AP who taught the grad micro course
Research Experience: One year as RA, senior thesis
Teaching Experience: Math tutor
Research Interests: Theory or applied micro
SOP: Standard, but well-written
Other:
Concerns: Reputation of institution, strength of rec. letters (explained below)
Applying to: All Top 10, Some Top 20
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Penn ($$), Minnesota ($$), Duke ($), Princeton ($$$, from WL)
WL: Princeton
Rejections: Stanford, Northwestern, S. GSB, Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Yale, Berkeley, NYU, Columbia, Wisconsin, Michigan
Attending: Princeton
THOUGHTS:
First of all, I am over the moon to be attending Princeton given my background. I think that for students who come from lesser-known U.S. schools, it's incredibly important to apply to a broad range of programs; I could not have predicted, when the process began, that Michigan and Wisconsin would reject me. I was unsure that my rec. letters would be strong enough to crack the Top 10not because the content was weak, but because my recommenders (who are wonderful) might not have as much influence or credibility as "famous" people from top institutions who write many letters. However, if your recommenders are willing to go to bat for you, I think that you will have a shot at most programs.
If I had realized my ambitions in economics earlier, I would have made sure to serve as an RA for a famous professor at a top department (during a summer or academic term). I had no desire to spend time after my bachelor's researching for a top professor or for a Fed in order to dress up my resume for future application cycleswhich I am sure would have helpedbut that is personal preference.
Finally, a thought about the Princeton waitlist. I kept in good touch with the department and sent them notes intended to demonstrate (1) that the program was an excellent fit for me, and (2) my writing style, which, while trivial compared to "real" qualifications for the PhD in economics, should at least set me apart from the field of candidates. While I am sure that many waitlisted candidates send notes explaining point (1), I would encourage them also to pick out some aspect about their candidacy which is unique or different, and express that as well. It just might make a small but material difference.
Also, I should have applied for the NSF. What was I thinking?

csalriv 2012:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics of a Chilean university (best in Chile, top-3 in Latin America).
Undergrad GPA: 6.1/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked 1st).
Type of Grad: MA in Economics of the same Chilean university (top-3 MA Economics Program in LatAm, probably best).
Grad GPA: 6.5/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked T-1st).
GRE: Q 170 (99%); V 148 (40%); AW 4.0 (48%).
TOEFL: 112 overall. 30 R, 30 L, 23 S, 29 W.
Math Courses: Calculus I-II, Algebra I-II, Statistics I-II, Operations Research + 4 Grad School courses + 1 courses in a Summer Exchange in a top Math Grad School in Brazil.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomics I-II, Macroeconomics I-II, Econometrics I-II, Financial Economics.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All usual.
Other Courses: Accounting and Management stuff.
Letters of Recommendation: 6 Recommenders total: 4 professors at my University (2 outstanding letters, 1 very good, 1 quite good) + 2 other research economists (1 quite good letter plus a standard one).
Research Experience: RA for a top Chilean economist (known worldwide) and for a young University economist. MA Thesis approved with honors. Currently working at the Econ Research Dept. of a top Chilean facility.
Teaching Experience: Professor of Microeconomics I at the best Chilean university, plus over 10 TAs in Undergrad School and 1 Grad School TA.
Research Interests: Game and Contract Theory, Financial Economics.
SOP: Bloody long.
Concerns: Almost no own research (but MA Thesis). Disperse interests and experience. Few years ‘lost’ working. Being Chilean.
Other: Useless but cool stuff: political leadership, a second foreign language and Math Olympics honors, among others.
Applying to: Econ PhD at 9 of the top-15 places. Social Sciences PhD at Caltech. PhD in Economic Analysis and Policy at Stanford GSB. MEDS PhD at Kellogg.
RESULTS
Acceptances: NYU, UCLA, Penn. Finance PhD at Kellogg (redirected from MEDS). Caltech (off the waitlist). All fully-funded with stipend, luckily.
Waitlists: Caltech.
Rejections: MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Stanford GSB.
Attending: NYU!
Random Thoughts
I am really happy with my decision, though I had a hard time deciding between NYU and Caltech. I appreciate weather a lot (and being from the Pacific coast of South America, California's climate conditions are quite similar), even more than living in THE big city. Besides, Caltech's Social Science Program is outstanding, specialized in my main Econ interests, with good placement records and close interaction between (the few) students and Faculty. Nevertheless, NYU is quite good as well and their placements are improving constantly... but most importantly, there is a rich interaction between Theory and Macro and I can have a close link to Finance just by crossing the street to Courant or Stern. Besides, I really loved the Faculty-students relationship. And all students I met were really nice and easygoing, with high social skills (maybe that's because they're living in NYC!).
My advice for all admitted, if possible: go to the visit days, without any doubt you'll have a good time and you'll collect relevant information for your decision (eventually unknown before).
What would I have done differently?
- Applying 1 or 2 years earlier instead of losing time working (in a Research unit, but still).
- Taking more time to apply: I just took the GRE by mid-October and wrote my SOP in late-November!
- Because of the latter, writing an specific SOP. I am totally sure that some features of my profile were cons in some places. You don't need (want) to lie, but sometimes you should hide some (potentially irrelevant) information. It could be misleading.
- Apply to UC Berkeley and to more Business Schools.

DGSE 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Public, unranked PhD program
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Grad: same
GRE: 650V, 800Q, 6.0
Math Courses(undergrad-level): CalcII,III, IV (B+, A+, A), Intro to Proofs (A), Linear Algebra(A+), ODE(A), Probability (B+), Intro to RA (A), Stats (A), Prob. II (A), Stat II (A), RA I (A)
Econ Courses(undergrad-level): Intro Micro,Macro(A,A), Intermediate Micro,Macro(A+,A), intro stats (A+), enviro econ (A+), Labor (A), Math econ (A), Trade I (A+), Trade II (A+), Directed Research (A, A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro TheoryI,II (A-,A), Math Econ (A-), Metrics(A), Metrics II (A)
Letters of Recommendation: One was my advisor for my thesis, another was my Micro I prof, and the last I RAed with and took graduate classes from
Research Experience: RAed a summer and a semester with one professor. Did a thesis. Not sure if it helped, but I interned under a govt. economist
Research Interests: Development, risk, political economy, labor (my main interest is in development)
SOP: nothing special just communicated my research interests
Results:
Accepted: UPenn (very high waitlist for funding--declined), Berkeley ARE ($, off waitlist), Cornell ($$$), Vanderbilt ($$$$), Maryland ARE ($$$$), Georgetown ($$), USC ($$)
Waitlisted: UVA (declined)
Rejected: MIT, Princeton, JHU, PSU, Maryland Econ, Michigan, Wisconsin
Attending: UC Berkeley ARE
What I would have done differently?
I had way too many safeties (USC, Georgetown, Maryland ARE). I kind of wish I'd applied to Duke, Columbia and NYU. I have the usual, "I wish I knew when I was a freshman", but my results are nothing to complain about, and if I'd really wanted to shoot for the top 10 I could've been more patient and done a European/Canadian masters.
Comments:
My interests also changed even during the short time while I was applying (I lost interest in growth and grew interested in political economy). I was surprised I got into UPenn, but not even a waitlist from places like PSU or Wisconsin, which should be easier than its ranking indicates since it has such a large class size. UPenn apparently with its large class size and tough comps doesn't mind taking chances on people from nowhere like me.

econcr 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics at a large LA University
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (First in my class)
Type of Grad: -
Grad GPA: -
GRE: Q: 800, V: 450, AW: 3.0
Math Courses: Math for economics I-IV (A). Calc. I-III (A+,A,A+), Algebra (A-), Probabilities (A+).
Econ Courses (grad-level): -.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I-IV (A, A+, A+, A). Macro I-IV (A, A, A+, A). International economics I-II (A+, A). Development Economics (A+). Monetary Theory (A-)
Other Courses: -
Letters of Recommendation: VERY strong. Two well-known (in the USA) economists (Berkeley and UPenn).One well-known (but only in my country) economist (UCLA).
Research Experience: 2 years as a R.A.
Teaching Experience: 3 years as T.A.
Research Interests: International economics, Macroeconomics.
SOP: Decent.
Other: 3 published co-authored paper. One of them published for the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies.
Results:
Accepted: UPenn, Maryland ($$$), Oxford, CEMFI ($$$)
Waitlisted: Penn State (declined)
Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, UCLA, Michigan, Toronto
Attending: CEMFI
What I would have done differently?
I think that never had taken grad level courses in my live is what hurt me the most. From UMDs flyout I learned that nowadays more and more people are doing a masters degree before their PhDs. Besides that I think the poor reputation of my school hurts me too. So, I consider that if do a masters I would have more chances at the Top10. Because of that, I accepted CEMFIs offer.

Hubble 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in economics and BS in mathematics from top undergraduate institution in my country (Double degree)
Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4.0 (ranked first in my class)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 (just took a few classes)
GRE: 690V, 800Q, 4.0AW
Math Courses(undergrad-level): Cal, Vector Cal(A+,A), Linear Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Abstract Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Applied Algebra(A+), Real Analysis 1,2,3(A,A+,A), Topology(A+), Intro/Diff eq,Ordinary Diff eq1,2, Partial Diff eq1(A+,A+,A+,A), Probability theory(A+), Stochastic Processes(A), Set theory(A+), Mathematical Reasoning(A+), Scientific Computing(A+)
Math Courses(grad-level): Stochastic Processes(A), Mathematical Statistics(A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro1(A+), Topics in Macro(A+)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): a whole bunch
Other Courses: a few programming classes with all A+
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors
Research Experience: summer research internship at top 15 Econ program in the U.S., 2 working papers
Teaching Experience: TA for an undergraduate math class
Research Interests: applied macro, time-series analysis
SOP: standard. I talked about how my previous research experience led me to have current research interest.
Concerns: didn't take graduate micro classes
Other:
Applying to: MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, Upenn, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin-Madison, Brown

sba 2012:
Institution: Caltech
Program: Social Sciences PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: fee waiver +28k $ stipend
Notification date: 1/29/2012
Notified through: email, then phone
Posted on GC: no
Comments:

ededo 2012:
Institution: Ohio State
Program: PhD in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: ??? needs to find out
Notification date: 02/08/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: I need to send GAO some financial forms follow on. This makes the following weeks much easier ^_^.

salatariov 2012:

Institution: LSE
Program: MSc in Economics
Decision: Accepted
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/17/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: Yes
Comment:.... Unexpected... waiting for 16 more...

chechyccc 2012:
Institution: Harvard Kennedy School
Program: PhD in Public Policy
Decision: Wait-listed No.1
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/16/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comment: Hopefully!

wronskiano86 2012:
Institution: Caltech
Program: Social Science PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: february 24
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: oh well.
Institution: Berkeley
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: february 24
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Totally Expected.
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: february 22
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: Expected.
Institution: UPenn
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Waitlist
Notification date: february 24
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: UT Austin
Program: Economics PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: tuitio waiver, health insurance and 15k stipend
Notification date: february 26
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:

unreal analysis 2012:
Institution: UPenn
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 24K
Notification Date: February 24
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: First Admit
Institution: Penn State
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 30K
Notification Date: February 27
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Nice dept for theory.
Institution: Caltech
Program: Social Sciences
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification Date: February 24
Notified Through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Who cares.

MathEcon12 2012:
Since it seems like the season is coming to an end for some TMers, and because last year's thread was also started on the second Saturday of March, I think it's a good time to get the annual Profile and Results Thread started.
I'll take a page out of Italos' playbook and quote asquare's post from the 2009 thread:
"This thread is meant to be a reference thread only. Please fill out the information below, but post any comments or questions in a separate thread. Other comments will be deleted from this thread. Note that you can only edit your posts for about one hour after you make them. This means that if you are still waiting on admissions decisions, you should wait to post your profile on this thread. Otherwise, your profile will be incomplete."
Without further ado,
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Math Courses:
Econ Courses:
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests:
SOP:
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Waitlists:
Rejections:
Pending:
What would you have done differently?

Econfan 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics from a top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.53 (3.1 freshman year, 3.8 sophomore-senior years)
Type of Grad: Non-degree math coursework at a top 10 math department
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 790 Q, 670 V, 4.5 AW (New Scoring: 164 Q, 164 V)
Math Courses: Undergrad: Calc II electives (C+/B), Linear Algebra (B), Calc III (A), Diff Eq (A), Analysis (B), Bridge to Advanced Math (A-), Probability (B+) Grad: Probability (A-), Linear Algebra (B)
Econ Courses: Econ Principals (A-), Intro Macro (A), Intermediate Macro (A-), Econ Stats (A-), Intermediate Micro (A), Intro Econometrics (A), International Econ (A), Advanced Macro (A), Thesis (A-/A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Advanced Micro (W)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 economics professors from undergrad, one of whom I was very close with (RAed, TAed, thesis adviser); economics professor at a top 50 econ department who's active in research (top 50r something on IDEAS)
Research Experience: RA for two summers for a professor in college doing labor research; senior thesis; worked for 3 years at a top econ consulting firm after graduation
Teaching Experience: TAed for Intro Macro and Intro Econometrics during undergrad
Research Interests: IO, ???
SOP: Pretty standard; I didn't personalize it by department.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), UT-Austin ($)
Waitlists: UVA (withdrew)
Rejections: Penn, Northwestern, Duke, NYU, Columbia, Maryland, Brown, Michigan, Wharton (after interview), Cornell
Attending: Wisconsin!!
There were plenty of things I would have done differently (not withdrawing from advanced micro, not taking analysis while taking 5 classes, working 2 jobs, and interviewing for jobs senior year), but there is one thing I definitely wouldn't have done differently. I made the decision to take a consulting job over a job at the Fed after college, knowing that it wouldn't be as good for my application, because it felt like a better fit. It turned out to in fact be a great fit for me, and I've grown from the experience in a lot of ways that have made me better prepared for grad school. My advice from this is that you should definitely make sure you have everything you need to get into grad school (math, research, etc.), but you shouldn't base all of your decisions on getting into grad school, because it may be the thing you do that doesn't help your resume that may indirectly make you better a better student in grad school or a better researcher later in life.
Despite the painfulness of the process, I'm very happy with the end result. I can't say there weren't times when I wished I'd never heard of this forum (for example, when I was neurotically checking posts at 2 am), but I'm glad this great group of people was hear to take away some of the pain from the horror that is economics phd applications.

Blerg 2012:
Thanks, TM community for being such a valuable resource. I was a lurker, but I'll submit my results for posterity and such. All of the results below are what was put on my applications, i.e. the first 6 semesters of college.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Flagship Public (Top 5 math, Top 10 econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.63
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q/680V/5AWA
Math Courses: Intro Bus. Stats (A-)/Calc III (B+)/Linear Algebra (B)/Discrete Math (A-)/Numerical Analysis (B)/Probability (A)/Intro to Analysis (B)/Linear Algebra (B+)/Stochastic Processes (A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A-)/Intermediate Macro (A)/Transition Economics (B-)/Mathematical Economics (A-)/Econometrics (A)/International Trade (A-)/Advanced Microeconomics (A)/Development (In Progress as of Fall)/International Monetary Econ (IP as of Fall)/Thesis (IP as of fall)
Other Courses: N/A
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from the guy who taught me mathematical economics/1 from a guy I was a RA for/ 1 from the guy who taught advanced micro, with whom I also wrote my thesis. All are well respected Microeconomists who are still publishing
Research Experience: Several semesters as RA for various profs, Was writing my thesis while applying
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Development, Micro
SOP: Cookie cutter, nothing special at all
Other: I had been worried about that 1 really bad grade on an econ class, as well as my rather average grades in math classes
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UCSD (ATTENDING!) (full tuition, 25% TAship first year, 50% after), BU (Nothing first year, full tuition and ~18k TAship years 2-5)
Waitlists: UCLA (I asked to be removed)
Rejections: NYU, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Michigan, Penn, NW, Chicago, UCB, Columbia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown
Pending: N/A
What would you have done differently?
Let me count the ways...The main point would have just been doing better in classes. I don't know that I could have gotten A's in all of those classes, as the math department is very competitive and very bright, but I'm sure I could have bumped Bs up to B+s, etc. Writing a thesis was key, as I think it got my by far my best letter of rec. I also would have lowered my expectations, and applied to some lower ranked schools.
Regardless, I am ecstatic with my outcome. La Jolla is going to be glorious.

art_vandelay 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Econ/Math
Undergrad GPA: 3.9 (4.0 Econ , 3.9 Math)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q 730V 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus (1-3), Probability, Math Stats, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis I , Real Analysis II. All As except an A- in Analysis 1 and a B+ in Probability
Econ Courses: Standard courses + some electives (A), Phd Micro (A) , Phd Metrics (A), Phd Math for Econ (A)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 2 well-known, pretty strong. 1 probably somewhere between lukewarm-strong, in retrospect.
Research Experience: RA'd for two summers + a few papers
Teaching Experience: TA'd a couple of courses
Research Interests: Education, IO, Health, Development ... in that order
SOP: A little too standard
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan ($), Duke ($), BU (none first year), Texas ($) , UVa ($)
Waitlists: Maryland
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, MIT, UPenn, Princeton, Stanford, NYU
What would you have done differently?
Would have started writing this paper I have due in 2 hours, last night... Apart from that, not much.
I pulled schools I expected to get into, and got shafted at places I didn't. Yale stung a bit, but I'm otherwise quite happy with how the cycle turned out.
To future generations of TMers, temper your expectations, it really makes the cycle a lot more tolerable.

revilo 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Australasian University, BA/BE(Hons) in Economics and Engineering Science (Operations Research)
Undergrad GPA: 7.8/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.8 on US scale)
Type of Grad: Same university, BA(Hons) in Economics, MA in Economics
Grad GPA: 8.25/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.88 on US scale)
GRE: V 164, Q 167, AWA 5 (on third attempt...)
Math Courses: Engineering Maths 1-3, Real Analysis 1-2, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Theory 1-2, Macro, Econometrics, Energy Economics
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, Trade, Game theory, Environmental, Financial Economics
Other Courses: 4 Grad operations research courses, 3 grad statistics course (inc time series and probability theory), Some other engineering stuff
Letters of Recommendation: Emeritus Professor at Northwestern, Head of Department, Thesis Supervisor
Research Experience: 1.5 years of RA work on electricity markets for two different professors includes co-authoring two papers. One summer of RA work on nutrient trading schemes. Honours Dissertation on climate change IAM modelling.
Teaching Experience: Two semesters introductory micro, Three semesters introductory macro, One semester introductory programming for engineers
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO
SOP: full of typos!
Concerns: a smattering of crappy grades
Other: Semester on exchange to Hong Kong
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UChicago (attending), Columbia, UC Berkeley ARE, U British Columbia, U Toronto
Rejections: Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, NYU, Penn, Michigan, Duke, Maryland

chatlunatique 2012:
Type of undergrad: BA in Econ, minor in Math, from large public school in the midwest (top 60 econ)
Undergrad GPA: 3.85/4.00
GRE: 170 Q /160 V /6.0 AWA
Math courses: Multivariate calc (A), Vector calc (A), Diff EQ (A), Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (A+; taken at Ivy)
Econ courses: Econometrics I-II (A,A), Honors thesis (A), Financial econ (A), Trade (A), Development (A), Seminar in Monetary econ (A), Seminar in trade/devo (A), Statistical analysis (A), Intermediate Macro/Micro (A,C+), Intro Macro/Micro (A,A+)
Other courses: Some African studies, some French, others from across the humanities/social science spectrum
Letters of recommendation: 2 from professors who I have managed field research projects for in the past 2 years (I am co-authoring a paper with one; both are junior but fairly well known in their sub-fields and earned their PhDs from top programs). 1 from undergrad professor who I took two classes with and excelled.
Research experience: UG thesis; 6 months RA at a regional Fed; 2 years RA managing research projects in an African country; co-authoring paper with one of my current bosses.
Teaching experience: 2 semesters TA for Intro to Micro
Research interest: Development, IO, Personnel, Micro
SOP: Talked about my research interests and how they developed, and explained my grade trajectory.
Other: Phi Beta Kappa, Summa cum laude, econ departmental honors
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NSF ($$$$), HBS Bus-Ec ($$$$), Stanford ($$$$), LSE ($$$), Northwestern ($$$), UCSD ($$$), UCLA ($$$), Duke ($$), Michigan ($$), Maryland ($$)
Rejections: Harvard econ, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Stanford GSB, Chicago, Chicago GSB, Columbia, Columbia GSB, NYU, NYU Stern, Penn, Penn Wharton, UCL, Berkeley, Brown
Attending: HBS!
What would you have done differently?
Nothing? I’m thrilled with my acceptances, and managed to get into my top 2 choices, even with such high variance in outcomes. Above all else my results show that even with a shaky and unfocused first couple years of undergrad, it is possible to get into good programs. I did not take any math or serious econ courses until my fourth year of university, and ended up overcoming some poor early grades (including a C+ in intermediate micro) to finish strong in my last two years, and then go on to earn RA positions where I was able to work with top economists on research that fascinated me. Should be a fun few years ahead!

wantchi 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5, Top 5 Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.58
Type of Grad: A few courses at a top 5 program while working
Grad GPA: 3.33
GRE: 800Q, 700V, 4.0W
Math Courses: Real Analysis (B+,A,A-), Abstract Algebra (A,B), Complex Analysis (B+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics (B,B) Microeconometrics (A), Game Theory (B-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (B,A-), Intermediate Macro (B,B+), Game Theory (A)
Other Courses: Stat Methods and Applications (A), Stat Theory and Methods (A-, A-), Mathematical Probability (A-), Applied Linear Statistical Methods (Grad Course, B+), Categorical Data (A), Probability Models (Grad Course, A)
Letters of Recommendation: Best from Professor in Top 20f IDEAS rankings, 2 very strong letters from well published economists at a regional Fed (each program received only one of these), 1 decent letter ("He got an A in my class which was a tough class") from a Very Famous economist ("just" top 50n IDEAS but a big name)
Research Experience: Lots. Undergrad Honors Thesis Paper, 2 Years as an undergrad, 2+ years at a regional Fed. Coauthored paper accepted at a good journal and several other coauthored projects in the works.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Inequality, Labor, Econometrics, Public
SOP: Individualized to each school. Mentioned a few professors whose research I'm interested in.
Concerns: Grades (obviously!).
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NWU (Fellowship starting 2nd year), Wisconsin ($$), Harris School of Public Policy ($$), UCL MSc
Waitlists: Penn (Rejected), UCLA (Withdrew), Maryland (Withdrew), Washington (Withdrew)
Rejections: Chicago, Booth, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, NYU, Berkeley, Michigan, UCSD
Attending: Harris School of Public Policy
What would you have done differently?
I'm actually quite happy with how things worked out. The Harris School is a perfect fit for my research interests. I am really excited about every aspect of the program. It is more flexible than most econ programs, so they are letting me take whichever Econ department courses I want, but I can skip the one's I'm not interested in (i.e. Macro). Now, I just need to prove that you can get a job coming out of a policy school!
I probably would have done better for myself by taking 2nd year courses while working instead of the core econometrics courses. The grading would have been less brutal (decently high above median = B) and I would have been able to talk to the professors more and maybe gotten a better letter.

TA89 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Dual Major in Economics/Mathematics from Top 10 liberal arts college. Transfer from a top public after one year, Summer Coursework at an ivy, top 15 national university, and another top public.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85 (Math: 3.90, Economics: 3.85)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q:780 V:570 AWA:6.0 (second attempt)
Math Courses: Calculus I (A+), Calculus II (B+), Calculus III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Introduction to Analysis (A), Analysis & Optimization (A), Probability (Fall 2011), Principles of Real Analysis I (Fall 2011)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Microeconomics I (A), Advanced Microeconomics II (A): The first semester course used MWG and covered consumer theory/producer theory/GE topics. The second semester course used half the class to cover Gibbons' Game Theory, and the second half covered Contract Theory using Bolton and Dewatripont, as well as Berkeley lecture notes. Both were Ph.D. level courses.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles of Microeconomics (A), Principles of Macroeconomics (A), Experimental Economics (B+), Intermediate Microeconomics (A-), Intermediate Macroeconomics (A-), Economics Statistics (A), Econometrics (A-), International Trade (A),
Other Courses: Not sure what to say here, but I took a year of Chinese (A/A), and a Philosophy Seminar/Tutorial double course (A-/A-)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Adviser. TA'd his UG Advanced Microeconomics class. I will be doing my thesis under him and have spent this summer working on a research project for him.
2. Advanced Microeconomics I-II Professor. Took both my Ph.D. Micro classes and have discussed my graduate school plans with him.
3. Analysis Professor: I took intro Analysis and Principles of Real Analysis I with him.
All should have been very good.
Research Experience: Summer research project in Health Economics for adviser. Will continue this project as my senior thesis. The plan is to submit as a co-author.
Teaching Experience: TA'd undergraduate Advanced Microeconomics.
Research Interests: Micro Theory, International Trade, Applied Micro (very open)
SOP: I haven't written in yet, but will be good.
Concerns: Typical concerns of a liberal arts applicant. Not really sure what to think or expect.
Other: Again, not really sure what to put here. Unlikely it's relevant, but President of Model UN for two years, and lots of Model UN awards.
RESULTS:
Accepted: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences ($$$), Wisconsin ($$), Cornell ($$$), WUSTL ($$$), UT-Austin (?), LSE MsC Econ (-)
Waitlists: Michigan (high on WL, but withdrew), UCLA (rejected), Penn (rejected), UVA (withdrew)
Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Chicago, Yale, Northwestern MEDS, Columbia, NYU, Caltech, UCSD, Duke Econ, Brown, LSE MsC EME
Attending: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I could not be happier with the way the process turned out. I am so fortunate to have been presented with so many great offers. Thanks TM for all the guidance along the way.

whatdoido 2012:
I think its time to start the Roll Call for 2012. After reading last year's roll call introduction, it seems as though it is easiest for untitled to scrape the profiles for analysis if all three sections of the GRE are reported here, and the GPA is reported as first on a 4-point scale, and then in your native scale. So, let's get it going, here's the template.
EDIT: Also, let's do our best to keep this thread clean of everything except profiles.
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:
Undergrad GPA:
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:
Math Courses:
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level):
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience:
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests:
SOP:
Concerns:
Other:
Applying to:

AusEconGuy 2012:
Another data point (for Australians)
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:Econ with first class honours from Go8 Australian Uni
Undergrad GPA: 3.8 for standard Bachelor, 4.0 in Honours (Converted to US scale)
Type of Grad: M Phil in Economics
Grad GPA: Coursework: 4.0 (US converted)
GRE: 159V, 168Q. 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Math for Economists (B, undergrad), econ students dont do pure math courses in my institution
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro (A+), Micro (A), Metrics (A+)
Econ Courses (honours-level): Macro (A+), Metrics (A+), Advanced Math Econ (A+); Behavioural Game Theory (A+); Micro (B; whoops!)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I/II (B+; A+); Macro I/II (A+, A+); Metrics I/II/II (A+;A+;B); Econ Theory (B); Trade II/II (A+;A+); Econ History (A); Development (A); Money & Banking (A); Public Econ (A);
Other Courses: Finance I/II (A+;A) and some politics stuff
Letters of Recommendation:
- thesis supervisor for Hons and MPhil thesis, also taught me
- Prof I RA'd for over 2 years
- Assist Prof whom i tutored with for three years
- Head of School .... All should be positive
Research Experience: 6 years as RA for various profs (since 2nd year undergad); 3 conference presentations in 2011 for MPhil thesis; 2 thesis in experimental econ
Teaching Experience: TA for 4 years in range of courses from first year through third year
Research Interests: Behavioural Econ and Experiments, Political Econ, Information Econ
SOP: These are hard work! But its over
Concerns: Lack of obvious maths training (hons and Mphil courses are all at graduate level... LORS hopefully mention this), occasional B's in theory classes - These aren't horrible grades, I was still in top few students in these courses but no scaling
Applying to:
Phd: Northwestern, NYU (Econ and Stern), Cornell, Brown, UCSD, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Stanford ,Caltech, U Penn
Masters: Oxford; U College London; Autonoma, UC3M; Barcelona GSE; LSE; Toronto

mdecon 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Basic Medical Sciences (in the top medical school in our country [SE Asia])
Undergrad GPA: I'm not sure how to convert it but I graduated cum laude and the 2nd in our batch
Type of Postgrad: Doctor of Medicine (yes I'm a doctor)
Grad GPA: Again, not sure how to convert it but I'm in the top 250f my class
Type of Grad: MA Economics (top Econ department in our country, not strongly ranked in Asia though)
Grad GPA: Unsure how to convert it (maybe B+/A- level)
GRE: 160 V (around 600 in the old scheme based on a comparison of the percentiles), 164 Q (around 790 in the old scheme based on a comparison of the percentiles), 5.5 AW
TOEFL: 118/120
Math Courses: Calculus/Elementary Analysis I-III, Linear Algebra, Elementary Differential Equations, Elementary Statistics, Intro to Proving (all taken alongside by grad econ courses)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomic Analysis I-III, Macroeconomic Analysis I-III, Math Econ I-II, Econ Statistics, Econometrics I-II, Health, Labor, International I-II, Monetary, Environmental
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Elementary Macro, Math Econ, Introductory Econometrics
Other Courses: Lots of sciences (bio, chem, physics), medicine
Letters of Recommendation: PhD from Yale, PhD from Northwestern, PhD from Columbia and PhD from my university
Research Experience: Did some scientific research (unpublished) in physiology, pharmacology and biochemistry during med school, RA in the Asian Development Bank's Economics and Research Department
Teaching Experience: 2 sems TA (Intro to Econ, Intro to Micro), 2 1/2 years in the Health Sciences Program of the country's second-ranked university
Research Interests: Health, Health and Development, Behavioral, Experimental, Neuroeconomics
SOP: Addressed my not so stellar math grades, highlighted my unique background, discussed my potential strength in health, experimental and neuroeconomics research because of my MD
Concerns: Not so stellar math grades (only around ~B+), lack of economic research papers, admissions committees might see me as better off in a public health PhD or a health policy/health econ PhD rather than an econ PhD program
Other: Got awarded as an outstanding student in my country in 2008
Applying to: Many of the top 25 schools (especially those with Neuroeconomics labs like NYU, Duke, Berkeley, Stanford), some in the 30-60 like UCSB, UCR, USC, Georgetown, WUSTL, Claremont (because of their neuroecon program), some MPP programs in public policy schools (Princeton, Chicago), Harvard PhD Health Policy

gemmy 2012:

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 50 undergrad, top 40 in Econ, top 30 in Math
Undergrad GPA: 3.84 (Econ 3.85, Math 3.85)
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 670 V, 800 Q, 4.0 W
Math Courses: Cal I-III (A, A, A-), Differential Equations (B+), Linear Algebra (A-), Linear Analysis (A), Math Reasoning (Intro to Proof) (A-), Multivar Cal I-II (A, A), Real Analysis I (A), Discrete Modeling (A), Statistics (A), Prob Theory I-II (A, A), Stochastic Cal (A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I (A-), Macro I (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): a lot
Other Courses: Computer Programming (Java)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Grad Macro Prof: Ph.D from Harvard, very very well-known. I did well in the class, and he knows me well. The letter should be strong.
2. Econ Prof: Ph.D from Chicago, very well-known. I did well in his undergrad class and talked to him a lot about this whole process. Hi is really enthusiastic and supportive. The letter should be very strong.
3. Research Advisor: Assistant Prof, Ph.D from Harvard. I have been working with her for more than a year. She knows me very well. The letter should be strong.
4. Econ Prof: Ph.D from Columbia, well-known. I did well in his undergrad class, but he doesn't know me that well as compared to the other Profs.
Research Experience: RA'd for more than a year.
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: International Macro (Trade and Finance), Macro
SOP: Standard, about two pages long.
Concerns: I'm not sure how strong the letter from recommender 4 will be. No grad-level Math classes.
Other:
Applying to: Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley, Northwestern, UPenn, Columbia, Minnesota, NYU, Michigan, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown, Duke, Maryland, BU, JHU, Penn State.

northpaw 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 40 undergraduate university, not real well known for econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.94 overall/3.88 econ
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA:
GRE: 770Q, 750V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-II (A), Multivariate Calculus (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Math Reason (A), Real Analysis (A), Mathematical Statistics I (A), Mathematical Statistics II (Spring)
Econ Courses (grad-level): ​N/A
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Introduction to Microeconomics (A), Introduction to Macroeconomics (A), Advanced Microeconomics (A), Advanced Macroeconomics (A), Econometrics (B), Labor Economics (A), International Economics (A), Development Economics (N/A), Senior Thesis (A)
Other Courses: International Political Economy (A, technically an international affairs course), Spanish minor
Letters of Recommendation: Senior Thesis advisor (International Affairs professor), Fed Economist, Analysis professor (not from my undergraduate institution). On the whole, they should be strong, but not well known. In terms of well written vs. well known references, I am heavily skewed to the well written side (hopefully).
Research Experience: Three years as a research assistant at a regional Fed
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: macroeconomics, development economics, labor economics...really hoping to crystallize my interests after my first year
SOP:I spent a lot of time on it...does that mean anything? I had some help from people who know a fair amount about the process, so it should be fine.
Concerns: Not enough math, could have had a more rigorous undergraduate experience in econ, recommendations are not well known, less than stellar gre.
Other: I wish I would have taken more math in undergrad. I have learned a lot through this process about how little I know, which is both daunting and exciting
Applying to: Penn, UCLA, Cornell, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Duke, Maryland, UBC, Toronto, Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Arizona State, UWO

huneba 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: International bachelor (me and the degree)
Undergrad GPA: ~3.7
Type of Grad: Masters
Grad GPA: ~3.9
GRE: 166Q, 156V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calculus II (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): ​Microeconomics I (A), II (B), Macroeconomics I (A), II (A), Econometrics I (A-), II (A), Thesis (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Microeconomics (A), Macroeconomics (A-), Econometrics (B-), Advanced Microeconomics (B), Advanced Macroeconomics (B), Advanced Econometrics (A-), Time Series (A), Microeconometrics (A), Maths Econ (A)
Other Courses: N/A
Letters of Recommendation: Thesis advisor and a couple of other professors that taught me (reasonably well-known)
Research Experience: Research assistant
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Microeconomics, industrial organization, econometrics
SOP: 2 pages -- mainly discussed my research experience and interests
Concerns: Isn't it obvious? The only maths on my transcript is calc 2!
Applying to: Chicago, Northwestern, Yale, Penn, NYU, Columbia, UCSD, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Duke, Maryland, Boston, Cornell, Brown, Penn State

2percentmilk 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 US, Social Science Major, Economics Minor
Undergrad GPA: 4.0
Type of Grad: 1 Year Masters in related field (but not econ, in retrospect was dumb)
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 165 Q, 167 V, 5.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III; Linear Algebra; Differential Equations; Real Analysis I (lowest grade A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics I (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro courses; Intermediate Micro; Intermediate Macro; Econometrics; Labor; Development; Public (lowest grade A-, highest A+)
Other Courses: History
Letters of Recommendation: economists at top 20 schools.
Research Experience: Two research assistanships. 1 in finance, 1 in economics.
Teaching Experience: Tutor for labor econ and undergrad stats
Research Interests: Labor / Macro
SOP: Dull laundry list
Concerns: my masters not in econ; math
Other:
Applying to: 18 of the top 25. My top choices are Princeton and Berkeley.

MojiMoji 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics with minor in Mathematics at a "Public Ivy" with no graduate level Economics program.
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: NA
Grad GPA: NA
GRE: 164Q 165V 4.5A
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Proof Theory, Linear Algebra, Applied Statistics, Operations Research
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (B), Intro Macro (A-), Intermediate Micro (B-), Intermediate Macro (B+), Econometrics (B-), Time-Series Econometrics (A), Cross-Section Econometrics (A-), Trade Theory (A), Labor Economics (A), Game Theory (A-), Development & Industrialization (A), Open Macro (A-), Advanced Micro (A), History of Economic Thought (A).
Letters of Recommendation:
1- Professor Emeritus, who I've worked with for almost two years & the former graduate dean at my university. More known for his public policy research than economic research.
2- Assistant Professor who taught Labor Economics, very fresh out of (a top 5) grad school, so not super well published yet.
3- Professor who taught Trade Theory, pretty well known among development economists and well published in development journals.
Research Experience: Two years with letter of recommendation writer #1. Unfortunately, because he's more of a public policy person, this work has mostly yielded government reports for various agencies, though some have been submitted for publication in public policy journals.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: International Labor Migration, Game Theory, Microeconomics.
SOP: I was told it was very strong by my letter of recommendation writers, but I didn't mention who I wanted to work with at specific schools, which has now started to worry me.
Concerns: I had a rough first two years of undergraduate, and it shows in my Intro/Intermediate grades. Also, most of my math courses were taken in my first two years and as such are almost all B/B- grades. Also, I got a C+ in Linear Algebra, but I'm hoping that the advanced econometrics classes cancel that out. I haven't done any original research outside of term papers, and most of the research I've done as an RA has been public policy related. Also, my school is fairly well known for having less grade inflation than most schools, but I'm nervous that some adcoms may not know of this reputation.
Other: I'm starting to think that it would be better to go to one of my MA programs for a gap year and reapply, since most of my schools didn't get to see my Advanced Micro, Cross-Section and Game Theory grades. Also, I'm pretty sure I could now get better/more well known LORs in place of #2 and #3, because at the time I didn't have great relations with many professors (I'm rather introverted).
Applying to: Wisconsin, NYU, UPenn, Chicago, U-Washington, UT Austin, UNC-Chapel Hill, UI-Chicago, BC, UBC [MA], U Toronto [MA], SSE, UCD [MA], U-Edinburgh [MA]

umeconapplicant 2012:
PROFILE: umeconapplicant
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 US, in the Big Ten
Undergrad GPA: 3.83
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800 Q, 650 V, 5.0 A
Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A's), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (B+), Probability (A), Advanced Theoretical Statistics (A), Abstract Algebra (B+), Real Analysis (A-), Grad-level General and Differential Topology (W for Early Withdraw)
Econ Courses (grad-level): none
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Standard major requirements (all A's), Econometrics (B+), Honors Seminar in Microeconomic Modeling (A), Honors Thesis Research (A)
Other Courses: Minor/Fluency in German
Letters of Recommendation: 1 Very Strong from UPenn Prof, very well known, 1 Average from thesis advisor from Stanford (younger professor), 1 Average from Real Analysis professor who probably wrote a very enthusiastic letter
Research Experience: 1 year of writing undergraduate honors thesis; very well-liked by my econ letter writers
Teaching Experience: n/a
Research Interests: Microeconomics, Industrial Organization, Energy/Natural Resource Economics
SOP: Not sure about... my thesis advisor told me it was fine
Concerns: W in Topology, B+ in Econometrics, letter of recommendation from a math professor, limited research experience
Other:
Applying to: U Chicago, MIT, Princeton, Northwestern, U Penn, Columbia, NYU, U Wisconsin, Carnegie Mellon, U Maryland, Johns Hopkins

emanuele 2012:
Institution: California Institute of Technology
Program: Social Sciences PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition waiver + 28k Stipend
Notification date: 1/28/2012
Notified through: Phone
Posted on GC: No
Comments: ​​

lessgiraffe 2012:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N.A.
Notification Date: 2/10/2012
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GC: No
Comments: -

troy43 2012:
Institution: WUSTL
Program: Econ
Decision: Rejection
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/15/2012 (16:30 EST)
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: First official notification. Not what I expected but plenty more to go

lexeg 2012:
Institution: WUSTL
Program: Econ. Ph.D
Decision: Waiting Listed
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 02/15/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No
Comments: not what i expected, still better than being rejected

wbuelow 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/22
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments: First decision. 12 more to go. Too bad, I wanted to do metrics.

ohwhy 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: Econ PhD
Decision: Rejected
Funding: -
Notification date: 02/22
Notified through: Email to check website
Posted on GC: No
Comments:

wyatt 2012:
Institution: UPenn
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/24/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: N/A
Institution: Berkeley
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding:
Notification date: 2/24/2012
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: no
Comments: N/A

douglasxu 2012:
Institution: Yale
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: February 22
Notified through: Email to check webpage
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Penn
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: February 24
Notified through: Email to check webpage
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: Chicago
Program: Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: NA
Notification date: February 29
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:

OutOfGame 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.96
Type of Grad: Part-time student at a top 5
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: Q800/ V580/ AWA 5.5
Math Courses: Calc, Modeling, Linear Algebra, Intro to Proofs, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis, Topology, Abstract Algebra, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Probability, Stats, Stochastic Processes, Math Problem Solving
Econ Courses: Principles, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Finance, Game Theory, Accounting, Econometrics, PhD Econometrics
Other Courses: Intro to CS, Data Structure, Algorithms, Data Mining
Letters of Recommendation: 3 research supervisor (top young professors in econ / finance), 1 PhD Metrics professor (department chair at top 5), 1 undergrad professor (took 3 classes with, and TAed for).
Research Experience: ~2 years full time RA at top 5
Teaching Experience: TA for intermediate macro
Research Interests: using empirical methods to answer macro / finance questions; IO
SOP: professors say it's very good
Other: rejected by all top 10 schools two years ago
RESULTS:
Attending: MIT
Acceptances: MIT, Harvard, Stanford GSB, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, Chicago, NWU, Columbia, NYU, Booth (finance / joint), Sloan (finance)
Waitlists: Penn, Wharton (finance), Michigan
Rejections: None
Never heard back after interview: Stern (finance)

reddavies 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA/BS International Affairs and Economics, Math minor at top 50 U.S.
Undergrad GPA: 3.92
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 168Q, 164V, 5.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Proofs (A), Computing in Math (A), Math Finance (A), Real Analysis (A-), Math Stat I-II (A,A)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A), Game Theory (A), Economics of Crime (A), Money and Banking (A); Taken Abroad: Public (1st), Econometrics (1st), Dynamic Optimization (1st), International (1st), Advanced Macro (1st)
Other Courses: C/C++ (A), plus a bunch for my international affairs major that probably aren't relevant
Letters of Recommendation: two economics professors, one stat professors. Think they were okay.
Research Experience: one semester RA, the work wasn't very technical though
Teaching Experience: N/A
Research Interests: Applied Micro (education, crime, etc.)
SOP: okay, definitely could have been better
Other: Studied abroad for a year in the UK
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Duke ($$), Cornell ($$), UT Austin ($), Brown (no $)
Waitlists: Penn (eventually rejected off the list)
Rejections: NYU, Yale, Caltech, UCLA, Michigan, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, Berkeley, UCSD, Northwestern
Attending: Duke!
What would you have done differently?
Hard to say. I'm really happy with my results. Personally, I wish I had dropped my international affairs major and done just econ and math, but I'm not sure that would have necessarily helped my profile. I went into the process thinking it was almost all about the math background you had, but I think more and more that your letters and research background count for a lot more. I think schools look at fit as well. The schools I got into seemed to fit me really well and a few that I thought I'd get into but didn't, turned out not to fit me all that well. Also, I wish I had been more active in finding research opportunities. My results might have been better if I took a year or two offer to work as an RA, but honestly I really want to move straight into the PhD and Duke is an amazing place with great placements so I'm really happy with how things turned out.

fina 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top Canadian School
Undergrad GPA: 4.25/4.33
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q800/V770/AW5.0
Math Courses:Calculus I (A level), Calculus II (A+), Advanced Calculus I(aka honours vector calculus, A), Vector Calculus II(A), Matrix Algebra (A+), ODE (A+), RA I (A), Number Theory (A)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro&Macro (A level), Honours Intermediate Micro I&II (both A+), Honours Inter Macro I&II (A, A+), Maths for Econ (A+), Intro Econometrics (A), International Finance (A+), Environ Econ (A), Econ Transition (A-), Grad Econometrics (A+), Game Theory (A+), International Macro (A-), Trade Theory (A-), Market Structure [aka IO] (A+), Tax (A+)Other Courses: languages, literature classes, all A+
Letters of Recommendation: One from a young professor, one from well-known labour economist, one from well-know micro theorist, all know me well personally
Research Experience: Honours Thesis, senior research
Teaching Experience: tutor for intro and intermediate econ contracted by department; grader for maths
Research Interests: micro theory/IO/Policy
SOP: Standard
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin($), UT Austin($), UCSD($), Minnesota($), Cornell($), Brown
Waitlists: Michigan, UPenn, CMU, NYU
Rejections: Yale, Princeton, Northwestern, Columbia
Pending: Toronto (what the hell....)
Attending: Wisconsin!!!

dbeef 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, econ + math double major.
Undergrad GPA: 3.82 (3.83 econ, 3.58 math)
Type of Grad: 3 math field courses, and a masters/advanced undergrad micro theory course; additional econ field course at a top 10 program while working.
Grad GPA: 3.62
GRE: 163Q, 163V, 5.5AW
Math Courses: Random undergrad (calc, odes, etc... mostly As), Analysis (B), Algebra (B-), Probability theory (B+), Grad complex w/ some functional (A-), Other grad math (A,A-)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Labor (A), Micro(B-), Asset pricing (A-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro (A+,A+,A), metrics (A-), some other honors courses (As)
Other Courses: Some chem and physics + some businessy CS courses (As)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well known econ professor I took a grad course with (top 1 0EAS ranking), 2 additional strong (hopefully?), detailed letters from fairly well known economists who observed me in a research setting (one regional fed economist and one thesis advisor), a 4th letter from a math professor I took grad courses from.
Research Experience: A ton. In econ: a few undergrad RAships (over 3.5 years), a solid undergrad honors paper, and 1.5 years as an RA at a regional Fed... a couple of published papers as a coauthor in decent field journals plus a few coauthored working papers, some policy papers, and a couple self-authored (under the guidance of my letter writers) working papers. Other: was part of a math/theoretical physics research team for a while and also did some material chemistry research as an undergrad.
Research Interests: Lots, but mainly labor, health, and theory.
SOP: Standard-ish with some sections individualized for each school.
Concerns: bad math grades and a marginal GRE score
Applying to: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, NSF
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern (wl $), Wisconsin ($$$$), Michigan ($$$$), NSF($$$$$), Penn (off wl post NSF)
Waitlists: Penn
Rejections: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Carnegie Mellon
Attending: Northwestern

hebe 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top Canada Research University
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0 (We have 4.0 for 85-100 and 3.7 for 80-85)
Type of Grad: Same University DSMA
Grad GPA: All A/A+
GRE: Q168/V152/AWA 3.5
Math Courses: Calculus I (98), Calculus II (96), First-year Real Analysis (93), Linear Programming (96), Probability (98), Mathematical Stats (100), Linear Algebra I & II (89, 96), Grad Stochastic Processes (A+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): MA Micro, Econometrics,Financial Economics, Macro-econometrics, all A+, PHD macro (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Specialist in Econ, with intermediate Macro/Micro/Econometrics, Game Theory, Advanced Macro, I.O, Contract Theory, Empirical IO, Risk mgt, financial economics...etc...All 90+
Other Courses: French, Geography, Anthropology, Classics....(All A/A+..)
Letters of Recommendation: One from Chair of the department (very famous economist), One NBER fellow and One thesis supervisor
Research Experience: Almost zero except for undergrad thesis + Master thesis. Doing my first RA now with well-known macro professor
Teaching Experience: TA for numerous stats/econ courses for more than two years
Research Interests: I.O, Micro theory/Contract Theory
SOP: Pretty Standard, but customized for each school and spent a lottt time writing them
Concerns: No advanced Math courses. No ODE, Topology, upper year real analysis. Letter is not strong enough for Top 5. No research experience! Low GRE verbal and writing.
Other: Finish my undergrad in three years. Not Canadian...
RESULTS
Acceptances: Wisconsin ($), Minnesota($), Toronto($), NYU($)
Waitlists: Upenn (ask to be removed), Cornell (rejected from waitlist)
Rejections: Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Michigan, Brown
Attending: NYU
What would you have done differently?
I have lurked in this forum for a couple of months and recerived a lot useful info from TMers! I would like to thank you all first. Also, since a lot of TMers would like to know the placement result for my master program, I think it is useful to post my result for you guys/future TMers. What would I have done differently, maybe slow down my undergraduate a bit, taking more advanced math/stats courses and doing some RESEARCH!!! Also, I would not complain too much about the GRE, as an international (non-native English speaker), I prepared almost 3 months for the revised GRE verbal and writing part but still received low grade...at least I tried. I would say NYU is my top choice without a doubt, I am planning to take more advanced math in the summer and prepare for the new chapter of my life at NYU!! Good luck all TMers, all the best!!

wantchi 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5, Top 5 Econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.58
Type of Grad: A few courses at a top 5 program while working
Grad GPA: 3.33
GRE: 800Q, 700V, 4.0W
Math Courses: Real Analysis (B+,A,A-), Abstract Algebra (A,B), Complex Analysis (B+)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics (B,B) Microeconometrics (A), Game Theory (B-)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (B,A-), Intermediate Macro (B,B+), Game Theory (A)
Other Courses: Stat Methods and Applications (A), Stat Theory and Methods (A-, A-), Mathematical Probability (A-), Applied Linear Statistical Methods (Grad Course, B+), Categorical Data (A), Probability Models (Grad Course, A)
Letters of Recommendation: Best from Professor in Top 20f IDEAS rankings, 2 very strong letters from well published economists at a regional Fed (each program received only one of these), 1 decent letter ("He got an A in my class which was a tough class") from a Very Famous economist ("just" top 50n IDEAS but a big name)
Research Experience: Lots. Undergrad Honors Thesis Paper, 2 Years as an undergrad, 2+ years at a regional Fed. Coauthored paper accepted at a good journal and several other coauthored projects in the works.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Inequality, Labor, Econometrics, Public
SOP: Individualized to each school. Mentioned a few professors whose research I'm interested in.
Concerns: Grades (obviously!).
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NWU (Fellowship starting 2nd year), Wisconsin ($$), Harris School of Public Policy ($$), UCL MSc
Waitlists: Penn (Rejected), UCLA (Withdrew), Maryland (Withdrew), Washington (Withdrew)
Rejections: Chicago, Booth, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Yale, NYU, Berkeley, Michigan, UCSD
Attending: Harris School of Public Policy
What would you have done differently?
I'm actually quite happy with how things worked out. The Harris School is a perfect fit for my research interests. I am really excited about every aspect of the program. It is more flexible than most econ programs, so they are letting me take whichever Econ department courses I want, but I can skip the one's I'm not interested in (i.e. Macro). Now, I just need to prove that you can get a job coming out of a policy school!
I probably would have done better for myself by taking 2nd year courses while working instead of the core econometrics courses. The grading would have been less brutal (decently high above median = B) and I would have been able to talk to the professors more and maybe gotten a better letter.

ptf 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics (Minor: Mathematics) from an unknown SE Asian university (Top 2 in my unknown country)
Undergrad GPA: 3.83 (Econ: 3.76, Math: 3.81)
Type of Grad: MSc Economics from a Top 3 UK university
Grad GPA: Pass (Average: 58.5%)
GRE: 800Q/320V/3.5AW, 800Q/500V/3.0AW
Math Courses (Undergrad): Calculus 1-3 (A, B+, A), Logic and Set Theory (A), Abstract Algebra (B+), Linear Algebra (A), Ordinary Differential Equation (A), Partial Differential Equation (A), Mathematical Analysis (B+), Vector Analysis (A), Statistics 1-2 (A, B+)
Econ Courses (Undergrad): Principles of Microeconomics (A), Principles of Macroeconomics (A), Microeconomic Theory (A), Macroeconomic Theory (B+), Mathematical Economics 1-2 (B, A), Econometrics 1-2 (B, B+), Public Economics 1-2 (A, B+), Seminar in Public Economics (A), International Economics 1-2 (B+, A), Seminar in International Economics (A), Monetary Economics 1-2 (A, A), Industrial Organization (A), Agricultural Marketing (B+)
Econ Courses (Grad): Microeconomics (Merit), Macroeconomics (Merit), Econometrics (Pass), Public Economics (Pass)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from senior lecturer at my grad program (PhD Harvard) + 1 from assistant professor at my undergrad program (PhD ANU) + 1 from lecturer at my undergrad program (PhD Indiana)
Research Experience: 2 years of part-time RA in public economics and international economics during my undergrad
Teaching Experience: 2 semesters of TA in microeconomics during my undergrad
Research Interests: public finance, education, inequality, macroeconomics
SOP: Standard statement talking about my preparations, explaining bad grades in my master's degree, and describing my research interests with some (minor) modifications for each school (Not so specific in terms of research topics and hardly mentioned any particular names)
Other: (1) Participated in a summer internship at the central bank (2) Got funding for my graduate studies from the government scholarship (3) Had a second bachelors in political science and is currently doing a second masters in political theory
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Chicago
Waitlists: Pennsylvania, UC-Davis, Washington
Rejections: UC-Berkeley, Northwestern, Columbia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, UCLA, UCSD, Duke, CMU, Marryland, Rochester, UT-Austin, Oxford, UCL
Pending: UIUC
Attending: Chicago
What would you have done differently?
Well, I've always thought that my life would be much easier if I did my undergrad in the US. Anyway, I'm more than happy -- and very surprised -- with this bizarre result.
Some advices from my experience!
If you're from an unknown country, a master's degree from a well-known program does help a lot! Coming from a university outside the US, you'll get more chance if there've been some students from that university in a program to which you are apllying. Also, things get easier if you've got external funding. Another important thing is to note that all this process is extremely subjective; therefore, you should apply to quite a wide range of schools. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, pray hard... I think it helps!

TA89 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Dual Major in Economics/Mathematics from Top 10 liberal arts college. Transfer from a top public after one year, Summer Coursework at an ivy, top 15 national university, and another top public.
Undergrad GPA: 3.85 (Math: 3.90, Economics: 3.85)
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q:780 V:570 AWA:6.0 (second attempt)
Math Courses: Calculus I (A+), Calculus II (B+), Calculus III (A), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Introduction to Analysis (A), Analysis & Optimization (A), Probability (Fall 2011), Principles of Real Analysis I (Fall 2011)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Microeconomics I (A), Advanced Microeconomics II (A): The first semester course used MWG and covered consumer theory/producer theory/GE topics. The second semester course used half the class to cover Gibbons' Game Theory, and the second half covered Contract Theory using Bolton and Dewatripont, as well as Berkeley lecture notes. Both were Ph.D. level courses.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Principles of Microeconomics (A), Principles of Macroeconomics (A), Experimental Economics (B+), Intermediate Microeconomics (A-), Intermediate Macroeconomics (A-), Economics Statistics (A), Econometrics (A-), International Trade (A),
Other Courses: Not sure what to say here, but I took a year of Chinese (A/A), and a Philosophy Seminar/Tutorial double course (A-/A-)
Letters of Recommendation:
1. Adviser. TA'd his UG Advanced Microeconomics class. I will be doing my thesis under him and have spent this summer working on a research project for him.
2. Advanced Microeconomics I-II Professor. Took both my Ph.D. Micro classes and have discussed my graduate school plans with him.
3. Analysis Professor: I took intro Analysis and Principles of Real Analysis I with him.
All should have been very good.
Research Experience: Summer research project in Health Economics for adviser. Will continue this project as my senior thesis. The plan is to submit as a co-author.
Teaching Experience: TA'd undergraduate Advanced Microeconomics.
Research Interests: Micro Theory, International Trade, Applied Micro (very open)
SOP: I haven't written in yet, but will be good.
Concerns: Typical concerns of a liberal arts applicant. Not really sure what to think or expect.
Other: Again, not really sure what to put here. Unlikely it's relevant, but President of Model UN for two years, and lots of Model UN awards.
RESULTS:
Accepted: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences ($$$), Wisconsin ($$), Cornell ($$$), WUSTL ($$$), UT-Austin (?), LSE MsC Econ (-)
Waitlists: Michigan (high on WL, but withdrew), UCLA (rejected), Penn (rejected), UVA (withdrew)
Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Stanford GSB, Chicago, Yale, Northwestern MEDS, Columbia, NYU, Caltech, UCSD, Duke Econ, Brown, LSE MsC EME
Attending: Duke Fuqua School of Business: Decision Sciences
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I could not be happier with the way the process turned out. I am so fortunate to have been presented with so many great offers. Thanks TM for all the guidance along the way.

roadvirusss 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 Liberal Arts College
Majors: BA Math, BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.94/4
GRE: 800Q, 610 V, 6.0 AW
Math Courses: Linear Algebra (A-), Vector Calculus (A), Cryptography (A-), Combinatorics (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A), Probability Theory (A), Statistical Theory (A), Complex Analysis (A), Abstract Algebra I (A), Operations Research (A), Topology (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Macro (A-), Intro Micro (A), Empirical Methods (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International (A), Energy Economics (A), Econometrics (A), Game Theory (A), Advanced Micro (A)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics I (A-)
Research Experience: Departmental honors for theses in both majors; Math thesis will be published. Did econ and math research during undergrad summers.
Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO
SOP: Spent no time on fluff; focused on a particular project.
Letters of recommendation: Four active Harvard PhD economists.
Concerns: Did poorly when I applied two years ago (Profiles and Results 2010).
Work Experience: Two years working as an RA at a top 5.
Results:
Accepted: Princeton, Northwestern, Chicago Booth, Columbia, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin, Duke
Waitlists (all declined): Penn (vh), NYU, Michigan
Rejected: Wharton (Interviewed), Yale, Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, GSB, Chicago, Stern, HBS, Cornell
Never Heard from: UW
Attending: Princeton
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. I was very well informed about the process this time around. I'm definitely happy with my results, and in the end the decision between Princeton and Northwestern was a tough one. It was odd that the only Top 7 I got into was the one worst in IO even though my SOP was spent entirely on an IO topic. My decision to take two years off was in the end vindicated, even though I largely slacked off during this time and at one point almost gave up on the PhD route. I can't help but be an advocate of the liberal arts college -> RA -> PhD route, as the improvement in rec letters alone earned me a jump from the top 25 to the top 5.

gracie 2012:
Type of Undergrad: China
Undergrad GPA: 3.0
Grad School: Top 20
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: Q 800 V 760 A 3.0
Letters of Recommendation:
Research Experience: yes
Research Interests: Labor, Health
SOP: mainly discussed my research experienceApplying to: uPenn Chicago UMich UMN UWM and other 18 schools

econobot 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. in Economics at a top LA University
Undergrad GPA: 3.7
Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics, same institution
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: Q: 800, V: 480, AW: 3.5
Math Courses: Calc. I-III, Algebra, Probabilities, Statistics, ODE, Introductory Real Analysis.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomic Theory I, Macroeconomic Theory I, Econometric Theory I-II, Asset Pricing, Financial Economics, Financial Econometrics, Applied Macroeconomics.
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro. Micro., Micro. I-II, IO, Intro. Macro, Macro. I-II, International Economics.
Other Courses: Finance I-II, Seminar of Finance.
Letters of Recommendation: Should be very strong. Several Professors from Chicago, MIT, UCLA, Cornell.
Research Experience: 1 year as R.A. in different projects + 1.5 year doing applied research in the public sector.
Teaching Experience: Several years as T.A. (grad and undergrad. courses), two semesters teaching Introductory Microeconomics.
Research Interests: Behavioral Finance, Financial Economics, Asset Pricing.
SOP: Partially tailored for each school.
Concerns: GRE: low Verbal and AW scores (although a pretty decent TOEFL), solid but not stellar grades.
Other: Unpublished co-authored paper.
Applying to: Ph.D. Econ: Top 10 + BU, UCLA, Cornell, Duke, Brown, JHU. Master Econ: Toulouse, LSE, Toulouse, PSE