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wobo82 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 research university per USNWR
Undergrad GPA: 3.33 (electrical engineering BS)
Type of Grad: Top 100-ish research university without an econ PhD program
Grad GPA: 3.87 (economics MA)
GRE: 790Q/670V/5.0A
Math Courses: Calc I through III, Diff Eq, Matrix/Linear Algebra, Math Stats, Stochastic Proc, Analysis
Econ Courses: Micro Theory, Applied Econometrics, bunch of field courses
Other Courses: Bunch of undergrad EE courses (lots of Matlab, some C++)
Letters of Recommendation: Three from econ profs at grad school. (They were not alumni of the schools I applied to so where they got their PhDs was of no consequence.)
Research Experience: Very insignficant.
Teaching Experience: None.
Research Interests: Development, broadly speaking.
SOP: I liked it.
Other: Male, international
RESULTS:
Acceptances: USC (fellowship), UMD AREC (RA), UMN APEC (fellowship), UVA (waitlisted for aid), GWU (waitlisted for aid), UW-Seattle (no aid)
No news as of Apr 3rd (not that I care anymore): UNC-CH, Pitt, Purdue
Rejections: Berkeley ARE, Brown, Georgetown, Vanderbilt
What would you have done differently?
Nothing. (Well, perhaps tried the PowerPrep tests.) My personal circumstances were such that I couldn't have done things differently. I do feel that I had overestimated the difficulty of getting in (to the departments I chose) but underestimated the difficulty of getting funding. But hindsight is 20-20. The biggest holes in my profile going in were: unknown grad school, bad undergrad record, lack of research experience, complete absence of a macro course (taking my first one right now). I feared the lack of macro would shut me out from the straight econ depts. All in all I am happy with my acceptance tally.

mtjsvc 2007:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: 3rd-tier liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.8
Type of Grad: straight from undergrad
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 650V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses:
calc I-III (A-/A-/B), linear algebra (A), ordinary & partial diff eq (A), complex variables (A), topology (A-), real analysis I-II (A/IP), prob & stats (A), interest theory & financial math (IP)
Econ Courses:
micro/macro principles (A/A), intermediate micro/macro (B+/A), advanced micro/macro (A/A), econometrics (A), game theory (A), experimental econ (A), int. trade (A), int. finance (A)
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ profs (thesis advisor, advanced micro/macro prof), 1 math prof (real analysis/topology prof)
Research Experience: senior thesis (experimental/labor), summer RA for experimental economist at a different university
Teaching Experience: tutor and grader for micro/macro principles, tutor for advanced macro
Research Interests: experimental econ, micro theory
SOP: I talked about my experience with experimental econ (course, thesis, RA)
Other: My undergrad school is small and not very good overall, but the econ training is focused on preparing us for PhD programs. About half of the econ majors here go for a PhD after graduating, with a good success rate in actually completing the degree.
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
Ohio State (fellowship) <attending>
Purdue (fellowship)
Arizona (TA-ship)
Penn State (TA-ship)
Texas A&M (RA-ship)
Virginia (TA-ship)
Rejections:
probably Carnegie Mellon, Indiana, and Pitt since they haven't admitted me yet
What would you have done differently?
I would have applied to a few higher ranked schools and not applied to a few lower ranked schools.

kgreene1906 2007:
Type of Undergrad: Big 10 midwestern School
Undergrad GPA: 3.32
Type of Grad: Smaller BIG 10 school with a Ph.D program in the top 50
Grad GPA: 3.599
GRE: 800 V, 780 Q, 4.0 wirting
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Diff Eq, Linear Algebra, Proof Writring, Abstract Algebra, Advanced Calculus I and II, Real Analysis(B-), Math Stats I and II, Engineering Stats, Grad Complex Analysis, Grad Real Variable Theory.
Econ Courses: MA Micro and Macro, Monetay Theory, Growth and Development, Game Theory and Firm Behavior
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Pretty Solid, one came from a UCSD grad, one came from a Cal-Berkley Grad and one came from a Michigan Grad
Research Experience: None...
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 semesters
Research Interests: Trade, Development, IO
SOP:
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: SIU-Carbondale, Howard, Purdue, UIUC, Northern Illinois, Michigan State
Waitlists:n/a
Rejections:WUSTL, Berkley, Harvard
Attending: SIU-Carbondale(they are waving me out of alot of classes, it should take me 1.5 years to finish my course work and 1.5 to 3 to do my dissertation)
What would you have done differently? I waited until the LAST MINUTE to apply to places. And basically I wish I had took school alot mroe seriously. But dont underestimate the power of good reconomentation letters...by looking at my GPA, i really shouldnt have gotten into a few places, but letters will get u in.

pevdoki1 2008:
Type of undergrad: Mid-sized state university (SUNY Binghamton)
GPA: 3.99 (math/econ double major)
Type of Grad: none
GRE: Q800, V470, AWA 4.5
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Intro to Higher Math, Complex Analysis, Real Analysis I-II, Mathematical statistics I-II
Econ Courses: The usual. No graduate level courses.
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 1 really good one from an economics professor who knows me well, 2 from math professors
Research Experience: Virtually none. Started a thesis, never finished
Teaching Experience: TA intermediate macro for 1 semester. 1 year of tutoring experience.
Research Interests: Macro and monetary, but these can change
SOP: Pretty good, I think. Standard 1st page, customized second (mentioning professors and all)
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
University of Minnesota ($)
WUSTL ($)
UT Austin ($)
U Toronto (MA, $)
UBC (MA, $)
Indiana ($)
Rutgers ($)
Purdue ($)
Virginia (no funding)
Cornell (no funding)
Waiting list: none
Rejections: University of Western Ontario
No word: Queen's
What I would have done differently:
Applied to less lower ranked schools. However, I'm quite happy with getting into Minnesota (and WUSTL, for that matter).s

rvalchev 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Small private school. First tier according to US News but dead last in that tier
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 - I have another 2 weeks till graduation but hopefully it'll stay this way
Type of Grad: n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 530V, 5.0 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Real Analysis, Topology, Probability Theory, Computational Statistics, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, Econometrics and Forecasting, Game Theory, Money and Banking, Public Economics
Other Courses: Assortment of Business core classes.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Letters from Econ Profs and 1 from a math prof. I think letters will be good to great, math professor has taught me for 2 years and I've conducted research for an year together with one of my econ profs.
Research Experience: Honors Thesis, RA for two summers but I wasted those summers so nothing really came out of it.
Research Interests: Metrics, applied metrics ... i am open to anything
SOP: It was weak, unfocused and not customized for schools
RESULTS:
Attending: Duke ($$$)
Acceptances, declined: Wisconsin ($$$), Cornell ($$$), Ohio State( $$$), UNC -Chapel Hill ($$$), Michigan State ($$$), Pitt ($$$), Tinbergen Institute ($$$), LSE EME (Research), Oxford MPhil, Michigan (no $), Texas(no $), USC ($$$),
Waitlists: Duke funding waitlist, BU funding waitlist, Princeton Waitlist, Texas Waitlist, Michigan waitlist
Rejections: MIT, Princeton (rejected from waitlist), Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Chicago, UCSD, Penn State, Boston College, Cambridge
What would you have done differently? First, read jeeve's thread about suggestions for people from less known undergrads (it was impossible since it was not written until a couple of days ago, but that's what future people should do). Second, apply to NYU, Columbia and Northwestern (but most probably I would have only taken Northwestern over Duke. But still, my portfolio of schools was a little unbalanced). Third, write a much, much better SOPs that would be much better tailored to different schools. You'll be surprised how much SOPs matter (heard it directly from admissions directors at TOP10 and TOP20 schools).Fourth, don't get RA positions that are in the network of your schools and professors because you are already part of this network, so it doesn't add much to your profile. Go out and work for somebody different.

EconDev137 2010:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Quantitative Economics. & B.A. Political Science
Undergrad GPA: 3.36
GRE: 770Q 570V 4.5 AWA
Math Courses: Calc I-III, (AP, AP, A) Linear Algebra (A), Real Analysis (D), Probability (B+)
Econ Courses: Intro Micro (C), Intro Macro (C), Elementary Econometrics (A), Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro(A+), Economic Growth (A), Economic Development (B+), Environmental Economics (B+), International Monetary Policy (A)
Grad Courses: Advanced Micro (A), Advanced Macro (A-)
Letters of Recommendation: All very good, from top 10.
Research Experience: Work at a public policy think tank. Thesis in Political Science.
Research Interests: Applied micro, development
Statement of purpose: Way better than average
Other: LORs are the most vital part of your application. Do not overlook the importance of building quality relationships with a few profs. However don't use this as an excuse to be a kissa$$.
RESULTS:
PhD Accepts: Arizona (tuition waiver and assistantship for years 2-5), Purdue (nothing official, but presumed tuition plus 18k), Colorado-Boulder (waitlisted for $),
PhD Waitlists: Boston College (Decent Chance of admit, but won't know until after deadlines for other schools), OSU (acceptance not probable)
PhD Rejections: Duke, Maryland, Penn State, Vanderbilt and Indiana,
Masters Accepts: Michigan, Boston University, Tornoto
Masters Rejections: Tufts (really?)
Masters Pending: UBC
What would you have done differently? The most glaring thing would be not to have gotten a D in real analysis, I think I could have pulled vanderbilt without that. Other than that I think I had a pretty solid plan. Take the most useful classes you can, do as well as you can and spend your free time having fun. I think people on TM get too worked up about not having an 800Q or a 4.0 at the expense of living life.

unc_jesse 2010:
Institution: Oregon State
Program: Applied Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: TBD
Notification date: 2/22
Notified through: E-mail & Post
Posted on grad cafe: Unfortunately yes - Had to let you guys know somehow, right?
Comments: Good program, hoping for money.
Institution: Wisconsin Madison
Program: ARE Economics PhD
Decision: Reject
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/24
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments: kind of sad because it's a good program, but seriously wisconsin is cold.
Institution: Texas A&M
Program: ARE Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: 1700 per month = 20,400
Notification date: 2/25
Notified through: Phone
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments: Safety, but still a relatively good program. Up in the air about this one.
Institution: Purdue
Program: ARE Economics PhD
Decision: Accepted
Funding: $21,000 RA
Notification date: 12/16
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on grad cafe: Yes
Comments: Also a safety, we have a lot of Purdue people in my department. visited, and loved the people there though, but resource is not their strong point.

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

bassmantin 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. Accounting/Finance at a Big 10 school
Undergrad GPA: 3.97
Type of Grad: M.B.A. Accounting/Finance
Grad GPA: 3.91
GRE: 800Q, 700V, 5.0AW
Math Courses: Calculus I, II, II, Linear Algebra, Intro to Advanced Math (all A) After submission of application: Differential Equations, Real Analysis (all A expected)
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, lots of grad level business school classes that overlap somewhat: managerial econ, real options, valuation, corporate finance, international monetary systems and hedging (all A) after submission: History of Economic Thought, Monetary Theory (all A expected)
Other Courses: Lots of business
Letters of Recommendation: Accounting professor, math instructor, former employer
Research Experience: N/A
Teaching Experience: two semesters intro to managerial accounting
Research Interests: macro/monetary
SOP: addressed my somewhat unique situation
Concerns: no econ prof letter of recommendation, not too much math before submitting app
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Vanderbilt, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa State, George Mason, Missouri
Waitlists: WUSTL (eventually accepted), Minnesota (withdrew)
Rejections: Chicago, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame
Attending: WUSTL
What would you have done differently? Take more math. Get letter of recommendation from economists. Get a mentor to guide me through the process.

acoustickel 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA Business Administration & Public Accounting (tiny liberal arts college in South Dakota)
Undergrad GPA: 3.92
Type of Grad: MS Economics from private Texas school
Grad GPA: 3.96
GRE: Q 750 / V 590 / AW 4.5
Math Courses: Er...Cal I-III, Prob & Stats, Linear Algebra (currently taking)
Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics, Micro, Health Econ, Development, Intl Policy, Econ of Information, Macro Analysis, Urban, Thesis
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro, Econ of Religion, Intl Trade
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: None well known. Two are pretty enthusiastic about helping me get in somewhere and the other is supportive but probably didn't write a glowing letter.
Research Experience: RA for 3 semesters, Master's thesis
Teaching Experience: TA for 2 semesters and tutored for 2 semesters
Research Interests: IO, education, labor, maybe behavioral
SOP: I tried to make myself sound interesting even if I may not be all that qualified
Concerns: Obviously math...and my GRE score...
Other: I think I win the least math award
Applying to: Minnesota (Applied), Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas State, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan State, Colorado, U of Illinois - Chicago, Vanderbilt, Purdue
In: Minnesota (Applied), Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas State ($), Missouri

johndoe12 2011:
Institution: University of Minnesota
Program: Applied Economics PhD
Decision: admitted
Funding: no information
Notification date: 2/10/2011
Notified through: E-mail
Posted on GF: no
Comments: apparently funding decision to be made in a few weeks
Institution: Cornell University
Program: Applied Economics and Management AEM PhD
Decision: wait list
Funding:
Notification date: 2/23/2011
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: no
Comments: apparently high on the list, not sure if this is meaningful

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

Pranvi 2012:
Institution: Purdue University - West Lafayette
Program: Economics (PhD)
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition/fees + Stipend
Notification date: Feb 20, 2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
Institution: University of Iowa
Program: Economics (PhD)
Decision: Accepted
Funding: Tuition/fees + Stipend
Notification date: March 7, 2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: No
Comments:
In: Purdue, U of Iowa, UCSC, NIU; Wait list: Virginia; Out: Yale, Minnesota, Rochester; Waiting: Cornell, Michigan, Penn State, Arizona, Stony Brook, UIC, Albany

treasuries 2007:
PROFILE
Type of Undergrad: No. 1 university in my country in southeast asia
Undergrad GPA:
B.S. Economics: 3.44 (major 3.62)
B.S. Statistics: 2.98 (major 3.45)
B.S. Electronics Eng'g:
Type of Grad: No. 1 university in my country in southeast asia
Grad GPA:
M.S. Statistics: 3.40
GRE: Q 800, V 580, AW 4.0
IELTS: 7.5 overall
MATH Courses:
Undergraduate:
Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, Finite Differences, Theory of Interest, Mathematics of Life Contigencies
ECON Courses:
Undergraduate:
Intermediate Micro & Macro, Mathematical, Quantitative, Monetary, Public, Labor, International, Development Economics
STAT Courses:
Undergraduate:
Probability Theory I/II, Matrix Theory, Parametric/Nonparametric Inference, Bayesian Inference, Regression Analysis, Sampling Designs, Experimental Designs, Categorical Data Analysis, Time Series I, Multivariate Analysis
Graduate:
Real Analysis, Probability Theory, Parametric Inference, Applied Multivariate Analysis, Linear Models, Sampling Designs, Time Series II, Multivariate Analysis, Econometric Methods, Stochastic Processes, Stochastic Calculus, Survival Analysis (Martingale Approach), Wavelets
Letters of Recommendation:
All my referees came from Statistics but they are unknown and do not publish in international journals. These are all strong recommendations because I've worked with them in at least one research paper. One referee was my graduate thesis adviser.
Research Experience:
Proposed a new econometric model in my graduate thesis. Several applied statistics papers with co-graduate students and also with graduate faculty members. Research associate at a World Bank funded research project headed by a senior faculty. Done market research consulting with Fujitsu and Motorola. My undergrad thesis in economics won a college and a national award and was presented at a local economic society conference.
Teaching Experience:
Taught statistics subjects for more than 4 years.
Research Interests:
Financial Econometrics
SOP:
There was a severe weakness in my application: bad engineering grades. I told them the truth in three sentences, that I lost interest in the course and no matter how I tried I just didn't do well in it. Then I proceeded to elaborate on how I overcame this and eventually did well in my two undergraduate degrees. I presented a logical justification of jumping from stat to econ to stat as a strong preparation for PhD in econ later. I also highlighted whatever academic achievements I have to drown doubts about my intellectual ability and emotional maturity.
Others:
Presented paper to an Econometric Society meeting and it was then published in a local statistics journal. This paper consists of a proposed econometric model with derivations, monte carlo simulations and empirical evaluation.
RESULTS:
Acceptance: Singapore Management U MSc by Research (full $), Toronto MA (?)
Waitlist: QEM Erasmus Mundus (got in eventually but declined)
Rejections: Purdue, SSE
What would you have done differently?
I was able to apply to only one U.S. and one Canadian universities because I took the IELTS instead of TOEFL for some reasons. I decided not to apply to some others that accept IELTS because I knew my chances were slim to nil. If I had TOEFL I would have applied to some more in the lower end of some U.S. programs. Yet, based on my current performance I guess I would not have done any better.
What lesson did I learn?
The quality of my research experience counted a lot more than my academic record. I had strong recommendations but not from well-known professors so research experience itself did not offset my weak spots. Perhaps real analysis and functional analysis from the Math department would have helped.
The admission to SgMU for another MSc will help me in my chances of getting admitted to a PhD program in the U.S. & in Canada. Of course, that is under the assumption that I'll do well there. I'm pretty much inclined to doing economic research so I guess that will be a natural motivation.
...

econphp06 2008:
Type of Undergrad: Business Major, Economics Minor
Undergrad GPA: overall GPA: 3.33 (bad freshman year, excluding freshman it is 3.55)
GRE: 800Q, 330V,AWA 4.0
Math Courses: Math for Econ I-II (AA)Calculus I-II (CB), Differential equations (CB), Linear Algebra (The GRE Big Book), Operations Research (AA), Decision Support Systems( AA)
Econ Courses: Int. Micro-Macro, Econometric, Financial Markets Institutions etc..
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ prof and 1 math prof
Research Experience: RA for 3 months.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Financial Economics, Financial Econometrics, Econometrics.
SOP: ok.
Concerns: Not having great grades and math courses
RESULTS:
Attending: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$)
Acceptances: CEMFI Master in Economics and Finance ($$), University of Houston Economics Phd, North Carolina State University Econ Phd, Washington State University Econ Phd($$), UPF Msc Finance, Vanderbilt GPED, Central Michigan MA Economics
Rejects: University of Virginia Econ Phd, Boston College Econ Phd, Purdue Econ Phd, Carlos III MA
What would you have done differently? Studied in freshman year, applied only masters programs...

decide_aposteriori 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Large State School in the US
Undergrad GPA: 3.69 (overall including math and econ majors)
Type of Grad: MA Economics (Canadian Uni)
GRE: 760 Q, 670 V, 5.0 W
Math Courses: Calc III, Intro to Proofs, Abstract Algebra, Numerical Analysis I&II, Differential Equations, Analysis, Probability, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses: Micro (grad), Macro (grad), Econometrics (grad), IO, Topics in Micro, Econ history
Other Courses: Java
Letters of Recommendation: Math PhD Duke, Econ PhD LSE
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Experimental, Labor, Neuro, applied econometrics
SOP: Standard
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Uni Arizona, Uni Hawaii
Waitlists:
Rejections: MSU, Purdue, OSU, Pittsburgh, UCSC
What would you have done differently? I would have started the process earlier. Since I couldn't make any December deadlines I was constrained on the places I could apply to. I'm really happy with Arizona, it fits my interests really well.

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

goose88 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 15 undergrad, Top 30 Econ PhD
Undergrad GPA: 3.5/3.76 for econ
Type of Grad:n/a
Grad GPA: n/a
GRE: 800Q, 620V, 4AW
Math Courses: Calc(I-III: B+,B-,B-), Linear Algebra(B+), Intro to proofs(A-), Real Analysis(A), Lebesgue Integration (In progress with an A so far)
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro and Macro, IO, Property Rights, Intro and Applied Econometrics, Game Theory etc. (all A-/A's except for one B)
Other Courses: MATLAB(in progress)
Letters of Recommendation: All econ PhDs...2 well Known professors (one Stanford and another from Rochester), and one ok recommendation (Stanford)
Research Experience: Award winning Honors thesis, summer fellowship
Teaching Experience: Teaching Assistant for a intro level macro class
Research Interests: Development econ, Applied Micro/IO
SOP: Good but didn't bother to customize it for each school...highlighted my diverse background
Concerns: Weak GPA and Math grades...I was not the best student for the first two years of my college career and my grades suffered...hopefully they can also see the radical change in my grades from B's to A's
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Northwestern($$), WUSTL($$), ASU($$), UWO-PhD stream MA($$)
Rejections: Brown, Duke, Georgetown, Michigan, NYU, Queens, Rochester, Stanford, U Minnesota, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, U Wisconsin, Yale
Withdrawn: Columbia, Purdue
Attending: Northwestern
What would you have done differently? So, so many things. I think I was ridiculously lucky given how marginal my profile looks (but I promise, I am not as bad as I look on paper)
i) I would have started out as an Econ major instead of waiting till junior year to switch out of the Business school (no offense to business majors but that place drained my soul and made me super lazy)
ii) I would have taken my Calculus classes seriously or at the very least attended them for more than the first week
iii) I would have taken some more stats classes than the basic courses such as Stochastic Processes or Probability Theory
iv) I would have done more research/get to know more professors but then again, this is tied to (i)

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

Chevrox 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: State flagship
Undergrad GPA: 3.68
Type of Grad: Non-degree (part time classes while working)
Grad GPA: 3.66
GRE: V650Q800W4.0
Math Courses: Very limited; took AP Calc I&II in high school; intro statistics (A-) and into econometrics (A) only in college; and Calc III (A+), Math methods in Econ (B+), and linear algebra (right now) after college
Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro, math methods
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): 2 micro, 2 macro, 2 environmental, 1 natural resources, 3 public finance, 1 developmental, among others
Other Courses: Second major was French and Spanish; took 1 accounting class
Letters of Recommendation: 2 professors from undergrad econ department and 1 from a former manager from a well-known financial services company
Research Experience: was a volunteer at a medical lab
Teaching Experience: taught classes at the company where I'm working
Research Interests: local environmental regarding habitat destruction due to land/resource use, alternative energy, environmental legislation, open to secondary concentration in public finance and developmental economics
SOP: Got a really bad review from one of the letter of recommendation writers which prompted a semi-rewrite. Realized what they are but couldn't part with some cheesy cliches that are too dear to me. One paragraph dedicated to justifying wanting to attend each school. Identified general learning and research goals. Identified unique situation (working while taking more math classes)
Concerns: have 1 non-academic letter of recommendation; not enough math; so-so undergrad grades; typos in SOP sent to 2 schools; generally didn't research enough prior to applying
Other: TOEFL ibt R30/L30/S30/W29 (only a couple schools required it despite undergrad in US); having been working FT for almost 3 years since undergrad; native of China
Applying to: UTAustin, UPitt, Purdue, CUBoulder, UOregon
RESULTS:
Acceptances: CUBoulder (no$), Uoregon ($?)
Waitlists: none
Rejections: UTAustin, UPitt, Purdue
Pending: none
What would you have done differently?
1. Should have applied to more schools. I picked 5 public schools on a ranking gradient from the Association of American Universities and thought it would have sufficed. I wasn't wrong, but I probably would have had a much better chance at funding if I applied to at least 10.
2. More math! I took Calc I & II in high school and didn't take Calc 3 until 2 years after graduating college. The only math class I took during my undergrad was statistics, and at the time I was applying I didn't even have a grade for either Calc III or Linear Algebra, which are requisites for almost all schools.
3. Should have done a lot more research before applying. I pretty much just winged it; had I known about this forum when I was applying I think I would have done better as well.

econsd 2012:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BSc in Economics with a Business Minor
Undergrad GPA: 3.731
Type of Grad: MSc in Economics from same school
Grad GPA: 4.00
GRE: First try: 740Q,410V,4.5AWA Second try: 158Q,152V,4.0AWA
Math Courses: Intro to Prob and Stats (Calc Based) (A), Cal 1-3 (B,B,A), Differential Equations (B), Elementary Logic and Sets (Intro to Proofs) (A), Matrix Algebra (A), Linear Algebra (B), Real Analysis (A), Statistics 2 (A)
Grad Econ Courses: Marketing Research (A), International Econ (A), Industrial Organization (A), History of Econ Thought (A), Labor Econ (A), Advanced Micro (A), Research Methods (A), Time Series Econometrics(A), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics (A)
Econ Courses: Principles of Micro (A), Principles of Macro (A), Marketing (A), Money and Banking (B), Inter Micro (A), Inter Macro (A), Public Finance (A), Math Econ (A), Stats II (Econ Department) (B)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Grad advisor and 2 from Grad professors. All are from top 50 schools or very close but are not well known in researching or publications. I believe all were very strong.
Research Experience: Graduate Thesis, Co-Author with a professor ( Published ), class: Research Methodology in Applied Econ, Conference Presentation w/ thesis advisor
Teaching Experience:
Research Interests: Health Economics/Applied Micro
SOP: I spent a lot of time on this because of setbacks in my profile and modified it for each school
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UK($), UGA($), FL St. ($), CO(-), NCSU(?), OR(?), Kansas($), WA St($), IUPUI($), OR St.(?), MO(-)
Waitlists:
Rejections: WI-Madison, Duke, VA, Vandy, MSU, AZ, UNC Chapel Hill, Purdue
Pending: 1
Attending: Emory ($)
What would you have done differently? The weaknesses, in my opinion, in my application were my GRE score and my undergraduate/MSc university. I wouldn't have transferred based on friends, relationships, and a co-authorship. The only thing I would have done differently is study more for the GRE instead of taking its impact so lightly. If you would have told me I had a choice between 12 acceptances at the beginning of the cycle I wouldn't have believed it. I'm thrilled with my results and very excited to attend Emory. Thanks for everyone who was there to talk it out in tiny chat for the past few months and good luck with your programs.

simonsou 2012:
Institution: Lund University
Program: Ph.D. in Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: No
Notification Date: 2/27/2012
Notified through: Email
Posted on GC: Yes
Comments: Sad

simonsou 2012: simonsou<

indyecon 2007:
I've been avoiding posting my profile because of slight paranoia (and the fact that I do not compete with most of these profiles), but I guess now that I know where I'll be next year what is there to lose?
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: small liberal arts college no one has heard of (unless you're from Indiana - and even then it's a stretch). Majors: Economics, Math Education (I'm licensed to teach 5-12...basically a math degree plus student teaching)
Undergrad GPA: 3.85 (overall), 3.95 (Econ), 3.75 (Math Ed), summa cum laude, top 10%
GRE: 800Q/570V/4.5A
Math Courses: Calc I (high school), Calc II & III, Linear Algebra, Math Models, College Geometry, Discrete Math, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis
Econ Courses: Intro to Micro, Intro to Macro, International, Intermediate Micro, Money & Banking, Topics in Contemporary Econ (focused on corporate tax policy)
Letters of Recommendation: two from professors (one math and one econ) - I'm pretty sure they were good and spoke very highly of me - they're just from lesser-known profs, and one from my boss at my current job (consulting) - also good, and I know because he asked me to proof it
Research Experience: none to speak of, other than a research paper (junior year) on none other than...college admissions
Teaching Experience: only tutoring at the college level (math and econ), but LOTS if you include middle and high school (math and history). I also taught linear algebra when I student taught (at an IB school in Australia).
Research Interests: mainly economics of education, lots of areas of public economics
SOP: I think it was good, but who knows? I tailored it for every school (for the most part)
Other: I'm a white female from the states, which I've heard is rare and might help, although I don't think it did. I was awarded the top econ student of my class and graduated with honors in math ed. I've been working for three years, but not in the field of econ.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Georgia State ($26K + tuition), Indiana (no money at first...then$13K...then it was $15K...then $17K)
Waitlists: well, I'm waiting on Purdue
Rejections: Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Stanford (School of Education - Economics of Education PhD)
I'll be attending Georgia State in the fall!
What would you have done differently? I probably would have branched out of the 'I want to go to a Big 10 school' mentality. It just so happens that the Big 10 is more competitive than I had considered, which I didn't realize until the rejections started rolling in. I think I got caught up in reading posts on this site and the idea of a 'safety' for many on here is just not realistic for those of us who went to no-name schools and have little research experience. I probably would apply to more schools, but I'm happy with my final result, so I guess the money I saved can go towards moving to Atlanta.

Valhalla 2008:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BA in economics in continental europe, huge public university but internationally not very well known I'd say.
Undergrad GPA: 3.72/4 (using WES-conversion table), top 5&#37; in my university
Type of Grad: MA Economics (I'm currently in the second year)
Grad GPA: 3.77/4 until now
GRE: 790 Q, 600 V, 4.5 AWA
Math Courses:
(900f those courses were not required in the economics-track (BA and MA) but I did those courses additionally as offered by the math department for math-students)
UG-Level: Mathematics I,II, III (dealing basically with integral calculus, differential equation systems, vector calculus...), Real analysis I, II, III, Functional Analysis I, II, Probability theory I,II,III, Linear Algebra I, II, III, Topology I, II, Differential Topology, Measure Theory, Optimization Theory,
Graduate Level: Real Analysis, Topology, Linear Algebra, Operator Theory, Recursive Methods/ Dynamic programming, Statistics I (using Casella and Berger), Statistics II (using Davidson's Stochastic limit theory)
Econ Courses: That's just an endless list... but some highlights:
UG Level: Micro I,II,III, Macro I,II,III, Game theory I, II, Evolutionary Game Theory, Cooperative Game Theory, Industrial Organization I, II, International Trade I, II, III, Monetary Economics I, II, ...
Graduate level: Micro I,II, (using MWG) Macro I,II, (using Ljungquvist and Sargent/ Stokey and Lucas), General Equilibrium Theory, Incomplete markets, Asset pricing, Public choice theory, Auction theory, Game theory, Voting theory, Industrial Organization
Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ profs, 2 are well known
Teaching Experience: TA UG Level for elementary economics, TA Graduate level in math and macro
Awards: 2 merit based awards from my UG - university, scholarship from my graduate institution, award from our central bank for my diploma thesis,
Research Interests: Micro-theory
SOP: talked about personal interests/ hobbys and connected it with some papers I read... but I don't think someone cared about it
Schools I applied to:
NW
UPenn
UCSD
Tilburg
UIUC
JHU
Purdue
U Arizona
BC
UC Davis
Toronto
IUB
RESULTS:
Acceptances:
UPenn (nada $)
Tilburg ($)
UIUC ($$)
U Arizona ($$)
BC ($$)
IUB ($$)
UC Davis (?)
Rejections:
NW... (I'm still shocked)
Pending:
Toronto, Purdue, JHU, UCSD
What would you have done differently?
A lot! I wouldn't underestimate me anymore and I would apply for some top ten universities. My tip: aim as high as possible otherwise you get a lot of acceptances from middle-ranked universities and what can you buy with that?

nnweconphd 2010:
Type of Undergrad: BS in Mathematics and Economics, Top 80ish public university
Undergrad GPA: 3.5-3.6
Type of Grad: None
Grad GPA: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 350V, 4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calculus Sequence(A/A+), Linear Algebra(A), Discrete Math(A), Abstract Algebra(B), Geometry(A), Real Analysis(A), Graph Theory(A), Intro to Statistics(A-), Probability Theory(B), Differential Equations(In progress), Optimization(In progress)
Econ Courses (Undergraduate): Intro Micro(A-), Intro Macro(B), Intermediate Micro(A-), Intermediate Macro(A), Econometrics(A-), some others, grades vary, two A+, one B+, and one C+(sigh), three in progress
Econ Courses (Graduate): None
Letters of Recommendation: I don't think any of them is really well known and I actually have no idea how the letters are.
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: Tutor math and hold review sessions
Research Interests: Micro theory, econometrics, international
Concern:
1.Bad GRE Verbal and writing grade. I am international and graduating in three years with double major so I didn't have time preparing for the test. I might have been better off taking a TOFEL test at least to show that I don't have trouble with English.
2.Bad Econ grades. My econ gpa should be around 3.5, very bad. I even got a C+ in one course. I was too aggressive and took too many courses each semester which resulted in bad grade.
3.LORs. I had a hard time finding professors that can write me good letters. I rarely talked with econ professors but spent more time in the math department. So I don't think the letters were good.
4.No research experience, not even senior thesis
RESULTS:
Acceptances:None
Rejections: Cornell, Brown, UW-Madison, UPitt, BU,UW-Seattle, UCI(they said my GRE Verbal was too low and it's not likely that I be accepted)
Pending: Purdue
What would you have done differently?
Except for the listings above under Concern, I would have done some more research before choosing schools, say, at least wouldn't have put UCI on the list since they are strict with students' verbal and TOFEL grades. I would also have applied to a larger number of schools and put some more safeties.
It's a very disappointing result but I am not despair. I am not waiting for Purdue and I've decided to stay at school for one more year to take some graduate level econ courses to convince adcoms that I can do well in economics. Hopefully with the grades of current semester and next fall, my GPA can go up a little bit. And my summer might mostly be contributed to GRE Verbal and AWA.

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