The chart will appear within this DIV. This text will be replaced by the chart.

myrrh 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University of Maryland - Environmental Economics w/ Math minor
Undergrad GPA: 3.77, magna cum laude
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 770Q 540V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A-,B,A), Linear Algebra (A-), Differential Equations (A-), Number Theory (B), Advanced Calculus I (B), Probability Theory (B), Mathematical Statistics (TBD)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro and Macro (A,B+), Intermediate Micro (B+), Economic Statistics (A+), Intro Econ & Environment (A), Econ of Nat'l Resources (A), Econ of Land Use (A), Public Finance (A+), Game Theory (A+), Econometrics I (A), Intermediate Macro (TBD), Econ of Climate Change (TBD)
Other Courses: Environmental Policy and Philosophy courses, all A's
Letters of Recommendation: 2 AREC and 1 ECON professor, well known and respected in their fields, should have been solid
Research Experience: ~2-3 years as an undergrad RA in the AREC department. Currently and at time of application, working on honors thesis that has been described as "ambitious," hope to have a publishable version this summer.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Environmental/resource economics, computational economics, applied micro
SOP: Tried to make it engaging, explained why I wanted to be an econimist (environmental research!), talked about my own research and what I wanted to in the future, etc.
Other: n/a
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE Ph.D. ($), UW Madison AAE MS (no$), Cornell AEM (no$)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Michigan, UT Austin, UC Berkeley ARE, UW Madison AAE Ph.D., Cornell AEM Ph.D.
Pending: none
What would you have done differently? On hand I would have done nothing differently: you really only need one good admit and I am more than satisfied with UC Davis. On the other hand, if I had to do it all over again I would have made sure to have a 4.0 Econ GPA (because I'm sure those 2 B+'s set off red flags), got at least ONE A in my upper level math and found the time/energy to take the graduate micro series. My QGRE was also at the lower bound of what I would have liked it to have been, but I do not think taking the GRE again would have been worth it. I also would have applied to more mid-range top 20-25 ECON schools instead of Harvard and Yale.
All in all, I feel pretty good about how the whole thing went. I'll be attending UC Davis ARE in the fall!

EnviroEcon 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Mathematics and Economics; UCSD, Top20 Econ/Top10 Public University
Undergrad GPA: 3.73 Overall, 3.67 Major
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 770Q, 620V, 5.0AWA (5.5AWA the first time I took it, like they care)
Math Courses: Calc I,II (B+, A-) Mutil-Var Calc (A+), Diff Eqs (A-), Linear Alg (A), Real Analysis I,II (B,C), Math Stats I,II (A-,A), Probability (B), Adv Linear Alg (A+)
Econ Courses: Intro Econ (A), Inter. Macro I,II (A,A), Inter. Micro (A,A+), Game Theory (A-), Public Policy (A), Metrics III (A), Econ of Oceanic Resources (A)
Letters of Recommendation: Not "A" list profs, but I'm sure enthusiastic: Math prof (UCSD PhD) who I RAed for, History prof (Harvard PhD) from minor in Hebrew Lang and Lit, Senior Analyst from consulting firm
Research Interests: Environmental and Resource Economics
SOP: Relatively strong I'm told, then again, who's to judge but the adcoms.
Teaching Experience: None at the university level, but tutored for two years during BA at local elementary (math/reading/kickball).
Research Experience: Summer RA in Math dept studying mathematical transformations, Independent Research on Economic Sanctions
Work Experience: Research Analyst for 1+ year at consulting firm doing market/econometric research for the housing industry.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland AREc, UCSB, Oregon St. ARE, Ohio St. AED, UArizona, Colorado @ Boulder, Riverside, Cornell AEM MS, Davis ARE MS
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, UCLA, UCSD
Pending: USC (don't care)
What would you have done differently?
Applied to some Top15-20 pure Econ programs. Gotten close to Econ profs for LORs (had 0 among my 3). Relieved at the time, my C in RA II killed me. Taken PhD Micro/Metrics in undergrad. Analogous to the job market, two people concurrently aiming for PhDs in different disciplines while wishing to wind up at the same school is beyond sanity. On a brighter note, I believe my SOP was essential at the margin as many programs noted its strength and appeal to their adcoms. Only found this forum after I sent in most of my apps. Glad I obliviously chose Math/Econ major, otherwise I'd be screwed.

z109620 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics with Minor in Math and Philosophy from a mediocre state school which does have an Econ and Math PhD (NIU)
Undergrad GPA: 3.76/4.00 (Econ: 3.93/4.00 Math: 4.0/4.0)
Type of Grad: Just two masters course Econometrics and Math for Econ
Grad GPA: 3.5
GRE: 750Q, 470V, 4.0AW
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Diff Eqs, Undergrad Analysis I, and Prob. & Stats (also Undergrad Analysis II (W))
Econ Courses: Typical stuff, plus Grad Math for Econ (B) and Grad Econometrics (A)
Other Courses: A couple proof based logic courses (B,A)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 really good letter (Senior Prof., Wisconsin), 1 good letter (Visiting Prof., Penn) and 1 ok letter (Chair, London)
Research Experience: Senior Paper
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: My main focus is Applied Micro Development, however, within the above field I am interested in Agriculture, Trade, Behavioral, Public and Political Economics
SOP: I think it is ok, talked about my Senior Paper, my passion for research and my goals for the future.
Other: I did not get into econ until junior year
RESULTS: (all masters programs)
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE (partial tuition and job as grader), UBC (partial tuition), UPF (no$), Cornell AEM (no $), Purdue ag econ (no $), UIC (no $), U York, U Bristol, U Sussex, USF (20k over two years)
Rejections: Wisconsin AAE and Toronto Doctoral Stream
Pending: Queen’s MA
What would you have done differently?
Well I wish I would have known that I wanted to do Econ earlier, as well as gone to a more prestigious undergrad. However, besides that I feel that I did very well, especially considering the tough year. I am very happy with UC Davis ARE, I plan to work really hard and advance to their PhD, seeing as there program is probably one of the best in the world given my prefers.
Attending:
UC Davis ARE masters

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

takethemoneyandrun 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Mid-ranked liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.7/4.0
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 770Q/700V/5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A/B/A-), Linear Algebra (A-), Probability Theory (B+), Mathematical Statistics (B+), ODEs (A-), PDEs (A), Advanced Calculus (A), Real Analysis (A), Topology (IP), Complex Analysis (IP)
Econ Courses : Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Intro to Econometrics (B), Labor Economics (A), Senior honors thesis (A)
Other courses: Nothing of value
Letters of Recommendation: Three econ professors (PhDs from top 30 programs) who advised me on research papers that turned out pretty well and one statistics professor with whom I did summer research. They are all very nice, helpful people and I get along well with them.
Research Experience: Two econ term papers and a senior honors thesis that I am proud of; one co-authored statistics publication based on summer research.
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 sections of introductory statistics and 2 sections of introductory economics.
Research Interests: Economics of labor, health, aging, and education.
Statement of purpose: I made it clear that I want to become an academic economist, discussing my math preparation and research interests.
Concerns: Low GRE Q and limited undergrad econ background with very shaky grades.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Virginia(wl-$), Texas(wl-$), Washington-Seattle($$), Indiana($$), UC-Davis($$), UC-Irvine($$), Rice($$), Colorado($0), Maryland AREC($$), Cornell AEM($0), Oregon($$)
Rejections: Brown, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, WUSTL
What would you have done differently? I would have applied to more schools in the 15-30 range. I didn't expect to be accepted to at least half of the programs that admitted me and was biased towards lower-ranked schools. I have heard this over and over, but it's worth repeating: The MC of sending out an additional application is extremely low; apply to any and every school that you think matches your research interests!

bostonfan05 2012:
Institution: Cornell
Program: AEM M.S.
Decision: Accepted
Funding: No
Notification date: 2/28
Notified through: email
Posted on GC: No.
Comments: Is funding even possible for the M.S.?

myrrh 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University of Maryland - Environmental Economics w/ Math minor
Undergrad GPA: 3.77, magna cum laude
Type of Grad: none
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 770Q 540V 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III (A-,B,A), Linear Algebra (A-), Differential Equations (A-), Number Theory (B), Advanced Calculus I (B), Probability Theory (B), Mathematical Statistics (TBD)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro and Macro (A,B+), Intermediate Micro (B+), Economic Statistics (A+), Intro Econ & Environment (A), Econ of Nat'l Resources (A), Econ of Land Use (A), Public Finance (A+), Game Theory (A+), Econometrics I (A), Intermediate Macro (TBD), Econ of Climate Change (TBD)
Other Courses: Environmental Policy and Philosophy courses, all A's
Letters of Recommendation: 2 AREC and 1 ECON professor, well known and respected in their fields, should have been solid
Research Experience: ~2-3 years as an undergrad RA in the AREC department. Currently and at time of application, working on honors thesis that has been described as "ambitious," hope to have a publishable version this summer.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Environmental/resource economics, computational economics, applied micro
SOP: Tried to make it engaging, explained why I wanted to be an econimist (environmental research!), talked about my own research and what I wanted to in the future, etc.
Other: n/a
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE Ph.D. ($), UW Madison AAE MS (no$), Cornell AEM (no$)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: Harvard, Yale, Michigan, UT Austin, UC Berkeley ARE, UW Madison AAE Ph.D., Cornell AEM Ph.D.
Pending: none
What would you have done differently? On hand I would have done nothing differently: you really only need one good admit and I am more than satisfied with UC Davis. On the other hand, if I had to do it all over again I would have made sure to have a 4.0 Econ GPA (because I'm sure those 2 B+'s set off red flags), got at least ONE A in my upper level math and found the time/energy to take the graduate micro series. My QGRE was also at the lower bound of what I would have liked it to have been, but I do not think taking the GRE again would have been worth it. I also would have applied to more mid-range top 20-25 ECON schools instead of Harvard and Yale.
All in all, I feel pretty good about how the whole thing went. I'll be attending UC Davis ARE in the fall!

shubhamk 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B. Tech. from IIT Kanpur (Best Techno-Managerial school in India)
Undergrad GPA: 3.0/4
Type of Grad: MBA also from IIT Kanpur
Grad GPA: 3.2/4
GRE: 800Q, 660V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses: All quantitative courses for Electrical Engineering (Communication Systems specialization). That also means related courses on probability, calculus and Linear Algebra
Econ Courses (MBA-level): Micro, Macro and International business economics
Other Courses: 4 Sociology courses (during undergrad). 1 Development Economics course (during MBA)
Letters of Recommendation: 1 econ Prof (IIT Kanpur), 2 other Prof (IIT Kanpur)
Research Experience: 1 research case study was done for UNICEF while I was UN intern for 3 months in India itself. This was published for internal UN circulation. I have been working on development field for 3 years with small IIT Kanpur reports being published internally.
Research Interests: Development Economics, Labor Economics and Public Policy
Results
Will be attending: Penn State ($$, Economics)
Rejections: Wharton (Applied Economics), UCLA (Economics), Columbia GSB (Economics), Cornell (Applied Economics)
Pending: CMU Tepper (Econ and Public Policy), ERIM (Labor Econ)
What would you have done differently?
Nothing!!! I am happy that I am finally going to do research in Economics which is more important than many other parameters we try to judge our acceptances and rejections on.

bravedreamji 2009:
Institution: Cornell University
Program: AEM PHD
Decision: Reject
Funding:
Notification date: 2/16
Notified through: Postal
Comments:
Institution: Duke University
Program: Economics PHD
Decision: Reject
Funding:
Notification date: 2/17
Notified through: Website
Comments:

z109620 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics with Minor in Math and Philosophy from a mediocre state school in Illinois
Undergrad GPA: 3.76/4.00 (Econ: 3.93/4.00 Math: 4.0/4.0)
Type of Grad: M.S. Top Ag. Program (Davis)
Grad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 750Q, 470V, 4.0AW (Oct 2009)
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Diff Eqs, Undergrad Analysis I, and Prob. & Stats (also Undergrad Analysis II (W))
Econ Courses: Typical stuff, also Straight As in PhD econometrics sequence as well as in Masters Micro sequence at master institution.
Other Courses: A couple proof based logic courses (B,A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 really good letters and one ok one from good professors.
Research Experience: Senior Paper
Teaching Experience: Grader
Research Interests: My main focus is Applied Micro Development, however, within the above field I am interested in Risk and Insurance in rural areas, Technology Adoption, Behavioral stuff and Non-Renewable Resources.
SOP: I think it is ok, talked about my Senior Paper, my passion for research and my goals for the future.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE ($$$), Wisconsin AAE (no funding)
Rejections: Cornell AEM and MSU Ag econ.
What would you have done differently?
Well I wish I would have known that I wanted to do Econ earlier, as well as gone to a more prestigious undergrad. However, that being said I am really happy with Davis.
Attending:
UC Davis ARE PhD

simulacra 2010: Type of Undergrad: Engineering from a good university (international)
Undergrad GPA: 76% (ranked 3rd at the university)
Type of Grad: Math (minor in Econ) from a big public university in US
Grad GPA: in progress.
GRE: 770Q, 540V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Lin Alg, Calculus, multivariate, stochastic, statistics, set theory, topology, combinatorics, Mathematical analysis and many more
Econ Courses: Microecon, Optimization, Resource Economics, Macro econ (undergrad)
Letters of Recommendation: From an Econ professor (dont know if she is well known), Another from a prof in the Math dept (my advisor). My summer RA professor who is from the Business school, and my current RA Professor, who can evaluate me on my research skills and mathematical analysis skills.
Research Experience: Currently RA for a very well known professor, but not in economics. I have to do the Data analysis and code in MATLAB
Summer RA for a Business school professor
Publications: Co-authored a paper with a very famous professor in deveopmental econometrics
Research Interests: Econometrics, Trade and development
statement of purpose: Not written yet.
Concerns: Low GRE score, not a solid econ background, diverse recommenders, unconventional background
Applying to: Caltech, UC Davis, Michigan, UMD, CMU, Minnesota, and others

BeautifulLife 2010:
Institution: LSE
Program: MSc Econ
Decision: AD
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 1/06/2010
Notified through: web
Comments:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: GPED
Decision: AD
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 09/2/2010
Notified through: web
Comments:
Institution: Cornell
Program: AEM master
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/11/2010
Notified through: e-mail
Comments:
Institution: Yale
Program: IDE
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 11 Mar, 2010
Notified through: web
comments: so sad!!!!!

EconForeThought 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Managerial Economics and an Ag/Bio subject from a UC school
Undergrad GPA: 3.35, 3.65 in econ
Type of Grad: M.S. Agricultural and Resource Economics from a UC School
Grad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 780Q, 560V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, Adv Calc (RA I), RAII, 3 Stats courses
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Probability Theory, Metrics I (IP at application)
Econ Courses (masters-level): Micro Theory I, Micro II (IP at application)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Micro/Macro, Inter Macro/Micro, Marketing, Metrics, Optimization, Production Management, Real Estate Econ, Econ Sustainability, Finance I,II, Accounting I,II
Other Courses: Many agricultural, biosci, chem, etc. classes
Letters of Recommendation: 1UC Davis ARE, 1 U Minn, 1 NCSU
Research Experience: Geology research, Wine sensory RA, ARE GSR for two qtrs now
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Ag econ, Resource/energy Econ, Sustainability, IO, Micro ...
SOP: Rewriting from last year
Concerns: Not as much math as many, low overall UG GPA, applying with only a quarter's of M.S. grades in
Other: Applied to and got into 3 PhD programs and 1 M.S. program last cycle. One year M.S. and reapplying this cycle.
RESULTS:
Attending: UC Berkeley ARE
Acceptances: UC Berkeley ARE, U Colorado Econ, U Minn Applied Econ
Rejections: U Wash Econ, U Maryland AREc, Cornell AEM, UCSD (implied)
Withdrawn: UC Davis ARE
What would you have done differently? Not be pre-med starting college and know I wanted to do econ from the beginning, but hindsight is 20/20. I got into my dream school (this year with funding) so that regret isn't really a big deal for me in terms of acceptances, more in terms of that I wish I had more math and statistics in my core curriculum. I believe getting my masters really helped me this cycle in terms of securing funding and getting a better math foundation.

valelee 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics, minor history and arts from Peking University, No.1 in China
Undergrad GPA: 86%
Type of Grad: M.S. Agricultural and Resource Economics from a flagship state university
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 780Q, 530V, 3.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus and intro statistics were taught in high school; in college, adv mathematical analysis 1 2, topo, linear algebra, prob theory, adv stats, dynamic programming, things like that (a total of about 30 hours); in grad school, adv stat, topo, real analysis
Econ Courses: In college: pretty much standard as in U.S. schools, and mostly taught by profs with U.S. PhDs (econ 101/102 was taught by a UC Berkeley prof when he was on sabbatical). In grad school: adv micro, two adv metrics, adv environmental field classes
Other Courses: My history and western arts minor classes. Some environmental science classes in grad school.
Letters of Recommendation: four very solid letters
Research Experience: A lot. Undergrad RA since sophomore year, post-undergrad full time RA (10 months), RA in grad school, etc. Have several papers published/accepted in U.S. and in China.
Teaching Experience: In undergrad, TA for intro environmental econ and micro. In grad, econ 101 sort of things for one semester.
Research Interests: Environmental economics and policies, but had also been involved in health, energy and public policies.
SOP: Nothing special, but emphasized my consistent interests and experiences in environmental economics and policies.
Concerns: GRE not so great. Not really solid GPA.
Other: It's my second application cycle. Oh, and I am sort of a writer while in China (I published about 50 articles, prose, short novels, etc., and was editor in chief of a student publication for three years )
RESULTS:
Attending: North Carolina State University
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE (waitlist $), UNC Econ (waitlist $), NCSU Econ ($$$), Wisconsin AAE ($$), Purdue ARE ($$), UMN Applied Econ ($$, declined), Oregon State Applied Econ ($$, declined), Texas A&M AgEcon ($$, declined), VT ARE ($$, declined), Iowa State Econ (waitlist $, declined), Oklahoma State AgEcon ($$$, declined), Washington State Econ ($$, declined)
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, Cornell AEM, UCSD Econ, UCSB Econ
Withdrawn: MSU ARE, Ohio State ARE
No news so far: UFL Econ

spaceship earth 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Double major in Business Economics & Environmental Studies; Top 10 public, top 40 econ
Undergrad GPA: 3.88
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 780Q 640V 4.5AW
Math Courses: calc series (A+/A), diff equations (A)
Econ Courses: intro micro (A+), intro macro (A-), Micro I (A), Micro II (A), Macro (A+), Nat Resource Econ (A), Env Econ (A+), Data Analysis (A)
Other Courses: lots of ecology & environ science for my environ studies major; relevant because of my research interests, but no substitute for more math/stats/econ
Letters of Recommendation: 1 tenured prof known for resource econ, 1 tenured prof who i performed research under (also known in env/resource econ), 1 recent phd in env econ who was probably unknown but was close to me (TA'd several of my econ classes & guided me through admissions process, now teaches at another unranked school)
Research Experience: employed about 9 months doing econ research part time; also got course credit another time for doing not very technical research related to role of competitive social pressures in mitigating climate change
Teaching Experience: nothing formal; just tutoring on & off for a while
Research Interests: Resource Econ, Environmental Econ, Sustainable Development, Energy Econ/Policy, etc
SOP: Talked about why I wanted to be a economist studying environmental issues. Emphasized extra-curriculars & research.
Other: Was president of an undergrad campus org. Also, I've been working at a global financial services firm since undergrad and I got a CPA license. It probably would have been relevant if I wanted an MBA, but I'm thinking it was no use in this PhD application
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE ($), UC Santa Barbara (wl$), U Maryland AREc ($)
Waitlists: None.
Rejections: Stanford, UC Berkeley ARE, Columbia, NYU, Yale, Cornell AEM, UC San Diego
Pending: None.
What would you have done differently? No regrets; I was appropriately placed given my research interests. I reached high and the results were similar to my expectations. Also, you only need 1 good admit. That said, if I knew I was going to get a PhD earlier on here's what I would change (in no order):
1) Take the GRE earlier, so I could retake for an 800Q (I took it in Nov, just weeks before the app deadlines; I'm confident i could have gotten an 800Q since I did on several practice exams)
2) Get a straight "econ" major instead of a "business econ" major (this would mean more math/econ/stats/econometrics instead of more finance/accounting)
3) Get a job post-undergrad that is a better stepping stone to PhD (ie: research job, econ thinktank, econ analyst, certain consulting positions) instead of a job that is a stepping stone to an MBA (ie: finance, accounting, certain banking positions)
4) Realize the importance of LORs earlier and connect with more professors who have connections at top institutions (& do more research under them)
5) Regarding top straight econ depts, I also think I was out competed by alot of people w/ masters degrees. It might have served me well to get a masters to bulk up on econ/math/stats/etc.

econm 2011:
PROFILE: econm
Type of Undergrad: Double major math (top 20) economics (top 30)
Undergrad GPA: 3
GRE: 800, 590, 4.5
Math Courses: all of them
Econ Courses: intermediates + urban, international, game theory, policy, development
Other Courses: year of bio & chem, 2 CS courses (matlab, java, C++, some unix), Thermal Physics & Statistical Mechanics
Letters of Recommendation: 1 semi-famous, 1 young rising star, 1 visiting, 1 emeritus
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Varied
SOP: Bad, just really not good
Other: Rejected by Oregon, accepted by MSU for a difference in ranking of about 30
RESULTS:
Acceptances: MSU ($$), Illinois (MS)
Waitlists: OSU (rejected on 14th after emailing), Purdue (withdrew)
Rejections: Virginia, Washington, Penn St, Oregon, BC, Cornell AEM, Iowa St
Attending: Michigan State University
What would you have done differently?
1) Taken less math
2) Taken math in the right order
3) Drank more milk
4) Not applied to Iowa St, Cornell AEM, Penn State, BC
5) Applied to UC Davis, UBC, Toronto, Texas, UNC

EnvEcon 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Economics and Business in a top economics university in Europe
Undergrad GPA: We have a different grading system, I would say "good" but not "excellent"
Type of Grad: Economics in the same university
Grad GPA: Again, comparison is difficult; I went way better than my undergrad (especially for math and stat classes) but still not at the top.
GRE: 770Q, 630V, 3.5AW
Math Courses: Basic math&stat + dynamic optimization and inferential statistics
Econ Courses: Basic undergrad courses + lot of grad courses, mainly applied econ (labour, development, energy, international econ, applied macro, behavioural economics) and solid econometric background
Other Courses: Some history and law classes, especially during undergrad
Research Experience: About one year RA in a well known European energy research center within an economics faculty.
Letters of Recommendation: All during my RA period: one from my supervisor, one from the head of the research group (very well known in the energy field), one from a Phd now in the US. As far as I know, all of them are very good and detailed.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Applied micro in general, environmental, development, behavioural
SOP: I put a lot of weight on my RA job and my graduate studies. I specified my research interests and career goals but I didn't mentioned any professor in particular with which I wanted to work.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland Econ (waitlist for $), Maryland AgEcon ($), Purdue AgEcon ($), Wyoming Econ ($), Madrid Carlos III ($)
Waitlists:
Rejections: UCB AgEcon, UCSB, UBC, Tinbergen, Cornell AEM
Pending: Stockholm School of Economics
Attending: Maryland AgEcon
What would you have done differently?
1) I feel that I have been ruled out from some programs due to my GRE quant score, just a bit below 90%.
2) Applied to more places, perhaps some more Econ programs.
3) Did an undergraduate in economics. It would have been way more painful, but I would have been much more prepared for the graduate program (and got better grades).
4) For the econ programs only, doing some more theoretical macro/micro stuff could help, but who knows.
5) Prepare applications carefully from the beginning! Actually, for me it was a learning-by-doing process: for UCSB application (the first I sent), for instance, I didn't include syllabus of econ and math classes.
Other considerations
1) I feel that here people overestimate GRE and grades and underestimate the weight AdComs give to how much overall a candidate fit into the program. Maryland AgEcon was an excellent fit for me (given my interests and research experience) and that put me above other candidates with better grades/GRE.
2) LORs are incredibly useful, one of the few things of an application which can show what is your research potential. Being a RA opened many doors, too.
3) Networking with faculty researchers is fundamental, especially if you are lucky enough to be a RA; in the application process, many people see Professors only as LORs writers, but first of all they are experienced people from which you can learn how to properly do research even after your admission. Starting a Phd with a network of young and senior researchers is a tremendous advantage.

nat_resource 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS environmental science with chemistry minor from a public master's granting university
Undergrad GPA: 3.55
Type of Grad: master's in an environmental field from a well recognized program
Grad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 780Q 590V 4.0W
Math Courses: Calculus I & II, Vector Calculus I, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations I (B+ average)
Econ Courses (undergrad): intermediate micro (A)
Econ Courses (master's level): Micro I & II (B+, A), Intro Econometrics (A), Econometrics (A-), Environmental Economics (A-), Natural Resources Economics (A)
Other Courses: a lot of chemistry and environmental science, some biology
Letters of Recommendation: Two very strong letters from economists, one from an ecologist. All three are well known in their fields.
Research Experience: EPA graduate research fellowship, master's thesis
Research Interests: Natural resources and environmental, interdisciplinary environmental economics.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE ($$$), Maryland AREc ($$), Wisconsin AAE ($$), UCSB (none), U Washington (none), NCSU (none)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Yale School of Forestry, Cornell AEM, UCB ARE
What would you have done differently? Not applied to NCSU. Should have thrown an application to UCSD and Michigan as reaches. Overall I did okay for someone with a limited economics background.

Cognazor 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.5
Type of Grad: Geography
Grad GPA: 3.92
GRE: Q-760 V-640 A-4.0
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses (grad-level): 0
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Tons
Other Courses: Lots of GIS/spatial analysis stuff
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from Geography MS (including thesis advisor), 1 from Econ BA. Pretty good I hope
Research Experience: RA during master's, RA for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), graduate thesis
Teaching Experience: TA during MS
Research Interests: Applied Research in Development/Environmental/Regional Economics
SOP: Yes
Concerns: Low undergrad GPA, Low GRE analytical.
Other: I have been out of school for a few years, am probably a little older than most applicants. Hoping my work experience will be beneficial.
Applying to: Berkeley ARE, Davis ARE, Maryland ARE, Oregon St applied, Cornell Applied, Wisconsin Applied, Michigan St AFR, Ohio State AED, Minnesota Applied (MS), George Washington University, Clark

resource 2012:
Type of Undergrad: BA, Economics, English -- liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.6
Type of Grad: MS, Economics -- Top 50 Econ
Grad GPA: 3.1
GRE: 166Q / 165V / 5.5A
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Intro Stat, Math Stat I-II.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I-II (PhD), Macro I-II (PhD), Econometric Theory I (PhD), Applied Microeconometrics (PhD), Env. & Resource Econ (PhD), Agri. Prod & Supply (PhD)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All of them.
Letters of Recommendation:
(1) Exceptional, MS thesis co-adviser, very well-published in Env Econ.
(2) Exceptional, MS thesis co-adviser, among top students in his Env Econ course, very well-published in Env Econ.
(3) Exceptional, UG adviser, served as his TA, took 3 courses with him, not well-known.
Research Experience: 3 working papers, 1 paper published in conference proceedings, MS Thesis (will be submitted to field journal co-authored with letter of recommendation writers 1&2), Summer RAship with well-known environmental economist at mediocre econ department, UG honors thesis. Several presentations (1 of them at a good field conference). Co-investigator on $40k grant for applied work in my field.
Teaching Experience: TA in UG for Principles of Micro, Environmental Econ, and Market Experiments.
Research Interests: Environmental and Resource Economics, Applied Econometrics.
SOP: Discussed research and faculty with whom I'd like to work.
Concerns: C+ in Ph.D. Macro. Failed macro prelim.
Other: Fellowship at graduate institution. MS Thesis won interdisciplinary award.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland AREC ($$ -- originally waitlisted for funding), Wisconsin AAE ($$), Georgia State ($$)
Rejections: Duke, Duke UPEP, Berkeley ARE, Davis ARE, Cornell AEM, Yale FES, Oregon
Attending: Maryland AREC
What would you have done differently? Nuthin' -- I had fun.

greenrebelette 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in International Studies and Chinese, Minor in Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.95
Type of Grad: MA in Economics at top 20 Econ Department, PhD-Track
Grad GPA: 3.49
GRE: Q800, V720, AW5.5
Math Courses: Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Advanced Calculus, Probability
Econ Courses: Econometrics I & II at PhD level, lots
Other Courses: first course in Stat PhD sequence
Letters of Recommendation: 1 excellent (well-known economist), 1 great (unknown instructor), 1 excellent (from political scientist), 1 of unknown (and suspect) quality.
Research Experience: 1 paper, presented at a conference & published on conference website
Teaching Experience: TA for Master’s level class, TA for introductory Chinese course
Research Interests: Environmental Economics, International Economics (Trade)
SOP: Told it was excellent by several profs
Other: none
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Michigan Econ, UMD AREC, UC Davis ARE, MSU AFRE, Ohio State AEDE, Duke UPEP, Iowa State Econ, Wisconsin AAE
Waitlists: Michigan Econ (originally)
Rejections: UC San Diego Econ, Harvard PEG, Brown Econ, Cornell AEM, Berkeley AREC, Georgetown Econ
Attending: Michigan Econ
What would you have done differently? Figured out what kind of career I wanted (in an econ dept or ARE dept) BEFORE I applied!

unfixie 2012:
Type of Undergrad: Private US university, top 100 U.S. News and top 100 Ph.D.-granting econ program. Double-majored in economics and international relations. All math except for Intro Stats and Calc II taken post-bac at a flagship state school known for econ and math.
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: N/A
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: Q 166 V 170 AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Intro Stats (A), Calc II and III (B+, A), Lin Alg (A), Intro to Proofs (A), Probability (B-), Real Analysis (B)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Labor Econ (B+), Math Econ (A)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A), Intermediate Micro and Macro (A-, B+), Intro Econometrics (A), Econ of Africa (A), U.S. Econ History (A), Micro of Econ Development (A), Senior Thesis (B)
Letters of Recommendation: Moderately strong. One from my development econ professor with degree from Berkeley AREC. One from supervisor of senior thesis with degree from UIUC. One from supervisor at work, with MA in econ from Cambridge U.
Research Experience: Senior thesis that included some fieldwork. 2 years working for public policy nonprofit as a researcher.
Teaching Experience: TA 1 semester for intro macro
Research Interests: Applied development
SOP: Tried to demonstrate my long-term commitment to development economics. Explained that B in senior thesis and withdraw from first Calc II course was due to illness. Mentioned specific professors at each department in all SOPs.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Wisconsin AAE ($$), Michigan State AFRE ($$), U Connecticut ARE ($$), Ohio State AEDE ($$$), UC Davis ARE Master's ($)
Waitlists: None
Rejections: Cornell AEM
Attending: Wisconsin AAE
What would you have done differently? I should have aimed a little higher in my application strategy. I underestimated my competitiveness and ended up getting into almost all of the programs I applied to. I should have applied to Berkeley AREC and the PhD program of Davis ARE, and perhaps Maryland AREC. I'm not sure I would have been accepted, but at least I would have the peace of mind that I went as far as I could. I also would have done the Peace Corps instead of working at a nonprofit after college. The research I was doing at the nonprofit wasn't particularly rigorous, and the Peace Corps experience probably would have generated a lot of research ideas and intuition.

EconOldGuy 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 75 U.S. Public
Undergrad GPA: 3.68
Type of Grad: Top 50 U.S. Public
Grad GPA: 3.9
GRE: 780(Q)/610(V)/4.5(AW)
Math Courses: Calculus I-II
Econ Courses: Undergrad -- Micro (2), Macro (1), Environmental (2), Development(1)
Grad -- Micro, Macro, Metrics, Game Theory, Environmental, Int'l Trade
Other Courses: SAS, Logistic Regression
Letters of Recommendation: 2 solid Env. Economists and 1 Trade Prof.
Research Experience: 2 years RA, 3 co-authored papers to be submitted soon
Teaching Experience: 1 semester undergrad Env. Econ. Solid review from students
Research Interests: Environmental: land use policies, climate, energy
SOP: Laid out future research/career plans, summarized research experience
Other: 6 yrs work experience btw undergrad and grad.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NC State Econ ($$), Oregon St. Applied Econ ($ pending), Colorado Econ (No $)
Waitlists: Cornell AEM ($$ and acceptance could happen this week)
Rejections: Harvard, Duke, UC Santa Barbara, Arizona State(implicit), Berkeley ARE
Pending: None
What would you have done differently? Since my MS is in applied econ, maybe work my comparative advantage by applying to more applied programs. Take more MATH period -- don't even bother applying top 20 Econ with as little math as I have. Overall, first funding came today so very relieved. Good Luck to all.