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pdilly 2008:
Type of Undergrad: BA from a less prestigious liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.75
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE: 770M/590V
Math Courses: Cal I-III (A's), Linear Algebra (A), Applied Stats (A), Probability Theory (B). Taking Differential Equations this semester.
Econ Courses: A's in Macro I, Intermediate Macro, Intermediate Micro, Urban Econ, Labor Econ, American Econ History, Law and Economics, B's in Micro I and Regional Econ.
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: Very strong, but not from well-known professors. My best came from my statistics prof, who is also the dean of natural sciences.
Research Experience: None
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Urban, applied Micro
SOP: Not especially strong. I have only a vague Idea of what I want to do at this point.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Syracuse ($$), UConn (MA only, at this point)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Texas, Boston College, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, UC Boulder
Pending:
What would you have done differently?
I probably shouldn't have aimed quite so high... I didn't have much of a shot at BC and Texas. I would have applied to more schools in the 40-60 range.
I'm actually putting off grad school for a little while. Syracuse agreed to hold my offer till next year, and I'm going to work on improving my resume. I'm taking advanced cal and complex analysis at my dinky liberal arts college in the fall, and I'm planning to transfer to UT-Austin in the spring to take real analysis and econometrics, among other things. Hopefully I'll be able to work some research experience in at some point too.

econjkt 2010:
Institution: Vanderbilt
Program: PhD Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: N/A
Notification date: 2/19
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: Yes
Comments: Not totally shocked but still disappointed.

corolla09 2009:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Math/Econ Good Eastern liberal arts college
Undergrad GPA: 3.28 (3.45ish for Econ & Math)
GRE: 720Q, 470V, 5.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus Sequence, Vector Calculus, Intro to Proofs, Linear Algebra, Ring Theory, Real Analysis, Applied Stats, Probability, Mathematical Statistics, Stochastic Processes
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro & Macro, Labor, IO, Econometrics, Environmental, Experimental, Behavioral, Econ of Conflict
Letters of Recommendation: 2 econ, 1 math all senior faculty whom I knew very well
Research Experience: Senior thesis in Probability Theory/Stochastic Processes
Teaching Experience: none
Research Interests: Public, Labor, Experimental/Behavioral
SOP: I think this was a 'good' deciding factor for some schools showing a fit/common research interest with their program and I believe it matters a lot more for smaller non top-30 programs.
Concerns: A lot, low GRE/GPA low grade in Analysis
Other: had to wait a year to apply for good senior grades, take GRE
RESULTS:
Attending: Florida State Univ ($$)
Admitted, Declined: Binghamton ($), Kentucky (WL$), Oregon (WL$), NC State (no$), Mississippi ($), UNH-masters
Waitlists: Va Tech
Rejections: Vanderbilt, Virginia, Syracuse (never heard back)
No Word: Louisiana State
What would you have done differently? A lot, actually study in undergrad for one. Had difficulty figuring out where to apply with my profiles and increase in apps, should've applied to places like Purdue, Pitt, Riverside and research schools with experimental more. Results almost identical to what I thought they would be. Had random safety's. Originally started with math major then added econ very glad I did both. Very happy with results considering my profile and for those similar to mine it is possible to get a decent funded offer without perfect transcript especially if you're looking for a LACish placement like me.

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

wajihc 2010:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 20 National University
Undergrad GPA: Below 3.0 with double majors in ECON & PSCI
Type of Grad: Northeastern University
Grad GPA: 3.5
GRE: 770 Q, 520 V
Math Courses: Calc I, II (B+), III (B+); Math & Stats for Economists (A-), Differential Equations (audited)
Grad Econ Courses: Micro (B), Macro (A), IO (B-), Ph.D. level Econometrics (A-), US Economic History (A)
Ugrad Econ Courses: Intermediate Microeconomics (F then B), Intermediate Macroeconomics (B-), Intro to Stats (A), US Economic History Seminar (B), International Trade (C+)
Other Courses:
Letters: Ugrad Professor with Ph.D. from Iowa, Associate Professor in Ph.D.
econometrics with Ph.D. from Indiana, Grad Professor in econometrics with Ph.D.
from UC Berkeley
Research: Ph.D. econometrics course paper on sources of multifactor productivity
Teaching: None
Research Interests: Economic growth and development
SOP: Discussed my journey to get to economics, what I'm doing to augment
my math skills, and personal motivation from ethnic background
RESULTS:
Acceptances: NC State (no $), GWU (no $), American (no $), CUNY (no $)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Indiana, Iowa State, CO-Boulder, Syracuse, Notre Dame, FL Int'l, Brandeis
Pending:
What would you have done differently?
If I were to do ugrad all over, I would have minored in math and accounting, and gotten better grades in undergrad. Assuming my ugrad mistakes, in grad school, I would have taken Real Analysis.
Final call: I deferred NC State, GWU, American, and CUNY. I got tired of being a broker in NYC, and will start at American this coming January.

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

urbanecon2011 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Economics and Math Major from a non-Ivy research university in New England
Undergrad GPA: 3.56/4
Type of Grad:
Grad GPA:
GRE:800 math/720 verbal/5.5 writing
Math Courses: A bunch but my grades were all over the place. Linear Algebra, Multivariate, Proofs, Stochastic Calculus, Probability Theory, Statistics, Groups, Introduction to Mathematical Research, Real Analysis I, Differential Equations
Econ Courses (grad-level): None
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): 7 Courses with A/A-, three B+s
Other Courses: Odds and ends. Spent a semester abroad
Letters of Recommendation: Mostly unknown, but one is from a math prof for whom I did an inspired bit of research on Catalan numbers.
Research Experience: Wrote one paper where I was a single author, still being reviewed for publication. Research assistant on a paper that was published in a peer review journal on law and economics.
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Urban economics and all related fields. Passing interest in several other areas, such as econometrics and labor economics.
SOP: Nothing extraordinary, I don't think, although as a native speaker of English with a few writing awards under my belt, I suspect mine would read a bit better than most.
Concerns: Where to start. I was often distracted and unfocused as an undergrad, so I didn't do extraordinarily well in either major compared to most who are applying for economics Ph.D. programs. None of my recommenders are particularly famous. My post-college life has been pretty productive, however, and my GRE scores are where they should be, so I think that should help me.
Other:
Applying to: UCSD, Brown, BC, UIUC, Pitt, Irvine, and Syracuse Ph.D., and Cornell's city and regional planning MA as a backup.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Irvine, Cornell City & Regional Planning Masters
Waitlists: Boston College, Syracuse (sort of, anyway)
Rejections: UCSD, Brown, UIUC, Pitt
Attending:: UC Irvine
What would you have done differently?
Two things stand out:
1) Gotten much better grades in math and econ. For both majors, I really did a terrible job of spacing out of my course load appropriately, so I was both unfocused and overwhelmed during a few critical semesters.
2) Gotten to know the department better and sooner. I never had many professors I was incredibly close with until my senior year of college. If I had to do it over again, I would have started forming relationships sooner and maybe gotten even stronger LORs.
Like the poster above me, it's been a wild ride; I have no true regrets about any of it, even through the often frustrating process of realizing I needed two years off to burnish my resume, taking two different jobs (one of which involved a couple of 80+ hour weeks), and writing my own academic paper down to the wire. I am very happy to be going to UC Irvine, and I look forward to moving to California come August.