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The format to use is here. Please only post profiles, anything else will be deleted as these profiles are used for data analysis by one of our members.

 

 

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad:

Undergrad GPA:

Type of Grad:

Grad GPA:

GRE:

Math Courses:

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level):

Other Courses:

Letters of Recommendation:

Research Experience:

Teaching Experience:

Research Interests:

SOP:

Concerns:

Other:

Applying to:

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Type of Undergrad: Small liberal arts college; relatively unknown with no graduate program in economics.

Major(s): B.A. Economics & Political Science Minor in Mathematics

Undergrad GPA: 3.953 Cumulative, Economics 4.0, Mathematics 4.0

Relevant Honors: Honors Program, International Honor Society in Economics (Omicron Delta Epsilon), Dean's List.

GRE: Q 163 =( V 161 AW 5.0 (registered to take again)

Math Courses: Differential Calculus (A), Integral Calculus (A), Multivariable Calculus (A), Differential Equations (A), Discrete Mathematics and Intro to Proof (A), Linear Algebra – proof based (Fall 2015), Probability and Statistics I – calculus based (Fall 2015), Probability and Statistics II (Spring 2015), Abstract Algebra (Spring 2015), Numerical Analysis (Spring 2015).

Planned on having Real Analysis this fall but it conflicted with a required course in my major and neither department could change times or offer a directed study. Not offered again before I graduate. =,(

Econ Courses: Principles of Micro (A), Principles of Macro (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), Managerial Economics (A), Money and Finance (A), International Economics (A), Econometrics (A), Public Finance (Fall 2015).

Other Courses: Coursework in Constitutional Law, Foreign Policy and International Relations.

Letters of Recommendation: I'm expecting very strong recommendations from three professors whom I have taken multiple classes with. One professor is the department chair, who I have done research with, one is the co-founder of a well-known journal on heterodox economics, and the third also teaches at a significantly more prestigious college in Boston.

Research Experience: Did econometrics research under the department chair measuring the contribution of exports to economic growth in Germany. Utilized time series data from FRED and cited other studies that employed Granger Causality and unit root cointegration tests. Currently writing Honors Thesis on a topic in Public Finance.

Teaching Experience: Economics department tutor for over two years, assisting students in principles as well as Intermediate courses and upper-level electives. Mathematics tutor in the college’s drop-in tutoring center, helping students in courses ranging from pre-calculus to Differential Equations.

Research Interests: Econometrics, Growth Theory, Public Finance

SOP: Work in progress; want to touch upon how far I've come in terms of math background since I started college (I placed into pre-calculus).

Other: Sometimes I wonder how aliens would allocate scarce resources that have alternative uses.

Familiar with R and a few other programming languages.

Applying to: Boston College, University of Virginia, Boston University, Brown University, UCSD, UCLA, Harvard (why not?), MIT (why not?), Clark, USC (maybe), Duke (maybe), Tufts (MA).

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in Econ from small state school.

Undergrad GPA: 3.56

Type of Grad: MA in Econ

Grad GPA: 3.67

GRE: 163Q 155V 4.0AW (results from 2yrs ago; will retake)

Math Courses (grad-level): Matrix Analysis (A), Optimization (A), Mathematical Statistics I (B), Applied Statistics I (B+), Multivariate Methods (A), Time Series (A)

Math Courses (undergrad-level): Calc sequence (As), Linear Algebra (A), Diff Eq. (B), Real Analysis I & II (A,A), Probability Theory (A), Mathematical Statistics (B)

Econ Courses (grad-level): PhD Micro at Hopkins (B-), Master’s Micro & Macro (A,A), Metrics I & II (A,B), Labor (A), Independent Study in Econ Development (A-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): the usual.

Other Courses: Nothing Relevant

Letters of Recommendation: Should be good. This time my recommenders actually know me and I tried to make a good impression.

Research Experience: Capstone project. I tried to impress the department with my project, which involved a combination of theory and econometrics, with some simulations and even a small proof. Also, I worked as an RA for a government agency. It wasn’t econ-related but there was plenty of stats and data.

Teaching Experience: Might teach at a community college this coming spring, but not sure yet.

Research Interests: Micro and Metrics

SOP: Standard. Will try to explain some of the deficiencies in my record.

Concerns: My grade in the micro course I took at Hopkins. Won’t get into the details of how I managed to get that grade, but I do believe it will hurt me a lot in the admission process. Also, my academic record is incredibly patchy, with a lot of mixed signals. I literally have every grade you can get, aside from an F.

Other: Currently taking a year off to work as a data analyst for a state government. I'm proficient with R and SAS, but barely know how to use Stata.

Applying to: Everywhere below Hopkins per the US News ranking. Also applying to some public health programs. Realistically, my ideal school would be something like Georgetown or Notre Dame.

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in math, flagship state university ranked 80's in US News, no econ grad program.

Undergrad GPA: 3.63

Type of Grad: MA in Econ at a flagship state university in a different state with a masters but no doctoral program

Grad GPA: 4.0 after first year

GRE: 170V /168Q /5 AW

Math Courses (undergrad level): Calc I/II/III (A-/B/B) Linear Algebra (B+) Fundamentals of Math (intro to proofs) (A) Ordinary Differential Equations (B+) Combinatorial Theory (A) Abstract Algebra I (A-) Applied Probability (A) Elementary Number Theory (A-) Mathematical Biology and Ecology (A) Real Analysis I (A) Probability and Statistics I (A)

Math Courses (masters level): Mathematical Statistics (Fall 2015)

Econ Courses (undergrad level): Intermediate micro (A)

Econ Course (masters level): Micro I/II (A/A) Econometrics I/II (A/A) Macro (Fall 2015)

Letters of Recommendation: One from the prof I RA for, one from a micro prof and one from an econometrics prof. I think they will be strong but probably not phenomenal.

Research Experience: 2 years as an RA in my master’s program and master’s thesis, both unrelated to my stated research interests.

Teaching experience: Taught high school math for a few years

Research Interests: Public Economics, Health, Labor … all highly malleable at the present time.

SOP: Decent I suppose. I'd like to believe I write well but lack of definite research interests made it difficult.

Applying to:Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, NC State, Rice, U of Oregon, Syracuse, Iowa State, UI Chicago, Georgia State, UConn, UMN Applied Econ. If this seems an odd list, it’s because my husband is also applying to PhD programs in another field. We are applying to some schools that work very well for me, but not as well for him, and vice versa.

 

Concerns: Innumerable. B's in many of the key math classes during the first two years of undergrad exacerbated by less than prestigious undergrad and master’s institutions. Master’s thesis and RA work unrelated to my stated research interests. Applying to some schools that aren’t a great fit due to my partner’s needs. Also that we may not end up being accepted at any matching programs.

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  • 2 weeks later...

PROFILE: Current undergrad at top 15 Econ Department U.S.

Type of Undergrad: Double major in Economics (With Honors) and Mathematics - Currently in senior year

Undergrad GPA: 3.85

Type of Grad: None

Grad GPA: None

GRE: 170 Q 158 V 4.5 AWA (International student)

Math Courses: Calc I-II-III (A,A,A) Linear Algebra - (proof) (A), Abstract Algebra (Proof) (A) , Diff EQ (B+), Real Analysis - Undergrad (A), Next semester Topology (Grad) and Optimization Theory (Grad)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Phd - Currently (Expected A/A-), and a couple of field PhD classes.

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A), Game Theory (A-), Econometrics 1 (B+), Econometrics 2 (A), Financial Econometrics / Time Series (A+) and a few As in "non-relevant" undergrad econ classes.

Letters of Recommendation: 3-4 Stellar faculty in department that get published really often. Know me really well and will provide awesome rec letters.

Research Experience: Honors Thesis, Supervised research under stellar faculty, 1.5+ years of relevant RA experience with one top faculty in department (2+ years by the time I graduate).

Outcome of research experience: 4+ original research papers.

Teaching Experience: Summer tutoring Undergrad classes in Math, Stats and Econ.

Research Interests: Macro, Econometrics

SOP: I talk about my research, experiences

Concerns: I have a couple of B+s.

Other:

Applying to: Top 10 (MIT, Harvard, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, etc)

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Economics and Physics (with Honors), top 15 Econ department

Undergrad GPA: 3.31

Type of Grad: M.S. Economics, top 15 Econ department

Grad GPA: 3.85

GRE: 166Q / 163V / 5.0W

Math Courses: Real Analysis (AB), Differential Equations (AB), Linear Algebra (AB), Calculus-II/III - (A/AB).

Econ Courses (grad-level): Math for Economists (AB), Microeconomics-I/II - (A/AB), Econometrics I/II (A/A), Macroeconomics (A). Taking Econometrics III, PhD Microeconomics I, PhD Macroeconomics I right now. Confident of an A in Metrics.

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Game Theory (BC), Econometrics (BC), Economic Growth (AB), Honors Thesis (A), Wealth Economics (A), Markets with Frictions (A)

Other Courses: Have a B.S. in Physics as well, so various Physics related courses with a 3.5 GPA.

Letters of Recommendation: Two stellar/brand name professors, one of whom I've RA'ed for for 2 years now. A third under whom I've written my writing sample - also widely published.

Research Experience: Honors Thesis on macroeconometrics, Working paper with a PhD student on public economics, Masters Thesis on health economics.

Teaching Experience: N/A

Research Interests: Empirical Micro/Microeconometrics, Macroeconometrics

SOP: Talk about research mostly. Should I address bad undergraduate performance, or excuse it?

Concerns: Bad, bad undergrad performance, my undergrad GPA graph is a nice U shape. Hoping graduate courses kind of reflect "true" ability. Lots will depend on how I do on the PhD courses I'm taking right now.

Other:

Applying to: Broadly to top 30, will probably throw in a top 10 or two (Berkeley, NYU - why not?). Really hoping for a top 20 school (UCLA, Michigan, Cornell). Will probably have one or two safeties from 30-40 (Washington, Virginia).

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PROFILE: repave

Type of Undergrad: top Canadian

Undergrad GPA: 3.90 / 4.00

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: 168Q 166V 5.5AWA

Math Courses: Analysis (single-variable A+ multi-variable A+), Algebra (A+ B+), Probability and Statistics (C A- A-), ODE (A-), Topology (A), Real Analysis (A), PhD Real Analysis (halfway done, A+)

Econ Courses: lower level courses (As), Advanced Micro (A+), Advanced Macro (A+), Econometrics (A A+ A+), a number of undergrad field courses (As all round). PhD Micro I (halfway done, A+)

Other Courses: nothing worth mentioning

Letters of Recommendation: very very amazing people who think I’m ok (I hope)

Research Experience: RA 1 year for a “cute but useless” project part time, RA 2 years for development research center, 1 year RA for prof

Teaching Experience: virtually none

Research Interests: political, health, urban

SOP: nothing special

Other: a number of computer programs

 

Applying to: who knows

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.Sc. in Economics and Management Science, not well-known German university with small Econ dept (perhaps Top 20 in Germany)

Undergrad GPA: 3.95 (WES converted); 1.5 in German system (1=best, 5=worst), ranked 11/419

Type of Grad: M.Sc. Economics (two years) from same university,

Research Master Dev Econ (1 year) from relatively well-known French uni (Top 20 in Europe)

Grad GPA: 3.7 (WES converted), 2.0 (German grade) for the 2-year Master, 3.5-3.6 (WES converted), 14.7/20 (French grade) for the 1-year Master

GRE: 167Q/166V/awaiting AW (4.0 at first try)

Math Courses: all I could choose, 'Math for Economists' (A-), 'Statistics and Probability theory' (B),

Econ Courses (grad-level): countless, most rigorous ones were 'Advanced Macro'(A), 'Advanced Micro'(B-), 'Advanced Stats and Econometrics' (B+), 'Microeconometrics' (A), 'International Economic Policy' (A+)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): too many to name them all, for example 'Intermediate Macro' (A+), 'Intermediate Micro'(A), 'Econometrics' (A+)

Other Courses: some BA and Law courses at undergraduate level

Letters of Recommendation: 1st very strong from Master thesis supervisor (active in research, but not famous, knows me very well),

2nd very strong from Bachelor thesis supervisor (same qualities as the 1st recommender, but knows me longer),

3rd letter is shared between 3 Macro and Econometrics Profs, should be good, but not too detailed

Research Experience: BSc and Msc thesis, countless term papers, short-term RA at Econometrics chair, short-term research intern at famous research institute

Teaching Experience: TA for Intermediate Micro and Intro Econ, around 1 year

Research Interests: Development, (Empirical) Macro, Applied Econometrics

SOP: one customized paragraph explaining my research interests and experiences, one generic paragraph trying to explain my math background (which is not as bad as it looks at first sight) and a few very disappointing grades at the grad level (especially the 'Advanced Micro' red flag)...but to be honest, my explanation is not very convincing

(Main) Concerns: 1.) Bad grade in Graduate Micro 2.) graduate GPAs are lower than undergraduate (although the conversion of the French grades seems very unfortunate, I was among the best students there) 3.) my German uni is unknown in the US, and I don't think our small Econ department has sent many PhD student there in the last years 4.) I did not really include safeties, mostly applying to 'long shots' and perhaps a few 'reaches', I would say, especially considering the fact I'll need full funding

Other: will use a part of my Master thesis as a writing sample, I think it isn't too bad and can only work in my favor at those programs who allow for it (and actually read it)

Applying to: UMinn, Brown, Boston U, Boston C, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, UCSB, UC Boulder, also 3 Swedish Universities (SSE, Stockholm U, Uppsala U)

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  • 4 weeks later...

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in Human Resource Management at a well-known university in my country

Undergrad GPA: 3.43/4

Type of Grad: MA in Applied Economics at a top Asian university

Grad GPA: 4.75/5

GRE: Q168 V157 AWA 3.5

Math Courses: Calculus I/II (A/A-) Linear Algebra (D) Probability and Statistics (A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level): micro macro econometrics (master-level) econometrics (phd-level) financial econometrics public finance, all A or A+. Advanced international trade (phd level) B+

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): micro labor all A-

Letters of Recommendation: one from my current employer and one from my co-author, both are faculty members at a top asian university. We are working on a research paper in health economics and they know my academic ability very well, should be quite strong. The third one is from a faculty member of the department where I received the master's degree, should be good (but who knows)

Research Experience: 6-months graduate RA. 2-year full-time RA for the first LoR, have one working paper in health economics, and one research project in labor in progress.

Teaching Experience: none

Research Interests: labor, development, environmental

SOP: Only talk about my research experience and interests, and some future plans. Mentioned one professor for each school whom I'd like to work with. I didn't mention my math background as I don't know how to explain the atrocious linear algebra grade in a good way. Anyway, I suppose they could know my ability from my grad GPA, research experience and LoRs.

Concerns: A lot, AWA, math background, undergrad major, and the third LoR.

Applying to: Northwestern, Columbia, UC Berkeley ARE, Maryland AREc, Maryland Econ, Brown, Rochester, UCSD, Boston U, Boston C, Virginia, U of Washington, UIUC, Rice, HKUST

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Unknown International University

Undergrad GPA: 3.67

Type of Grad: Northwestern University, Kellogg

Grad GPA: 3.12

GRE: 331

Math Courses: Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Dynamic Programming, Measure Theory

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Theory, Econometrics, Optimization Methods

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): The usual bunch, a lot of electives

Other Courses: Random business school classes in undergrad

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from undergrad, 1 from grad, and 1 from the uni which I am working at

Research Experience: pretty scattered. now on philanthropy and social enterprises.

Teaching Experience: in undergraduate studies.

Research Interests: applied micro

SOP: talked about research ideas

Concerns: out of school for 4 years

Other:

Applying to: vanderbilt, rand, etc

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  • 3 weeks later...

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA (Eco) - well known and reputed institute in India

Undergrad GPA: Indian - 70.17%

Type of Grad: MA (Eco), India, - well known and reputed university in India and abroad

Grad GPA: 7.88/10

GRE: Q-162, V-160, AWA-4.0

Math Courses: Descriptive Statistics (1 yr), Operations Research (1 yr), Probability and Sampling (1 yr), Elementary Maths and Statistics (1 yr, Calculus, Matrix Algebra), Introduction to Econometrics (1 yr), Basic Econometrics, Advanced Econometrics, Time Series and Spectral Methods (Most coursework includes proofs)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Micro, Advanced Micro, Int'l trade, New Institutional Economics, General Equilibrium, Public Finance etc.

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): many - Advanced economic theory, micro, macro,

Other Courses: M. Urban Planning, India (71.23%) - highly reputed both India and abroad

Letters of Recommendation: Two economics professors who teach quant courses, one from urban planning prof who was on my thesis committee. All three know me very well.

Research Experience: 1.5 years full time. Worked on 4 projects. Largely analyzing data - transport/ housing/ consumption exp. Two project reports published. Co-authored one paper, submitted for initial review. ,Currently employed since 6 months in a corporate workplace - analyzing data, modifying/ creating new metrics etc.

Teaching Experience: -

Research Interests: Applied economics, econometrics, urban economics, spatial economics,

SOP: Done. Largely explains my interest in econometrics and reasons for doing a Masters in Urban Planning

Concerns: Getting through somewhere. Not a good grade on my urban planning dissertation. (I was later employed by her for 1.5 years as an RA. Wonder if that mitigates it somewhat.) Feel I have inadequate mathematical preparation.

Other:

Applying to: Syracuse, CUNY, Brown, Northwestern, UNC - Chapel Hill, UI - Urbana - Champaign, ASU, U Texas - Austin and Houston. [Duke?, Rutgers?]

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA/MA(Dual Degree) in Economics at top Indian University

Undergrad GPA: 8.23/10 (3.5/4.0 US Scale)

Type of Grad: MSc Quantitative Economics from Top European University (No.7 school in RePEC Ranking)

Grad GPA: 3.67/4.0

GRE: 153V/163Q/4.5AWA

Math Courses: Linear Algebra (A), Math for Eco (A), Real Analysis and dynamic optimization (Phd level - B), Probability Theory (Phd level - B), Stats (A+)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Eco'trics (A), Empirical Economics (A), Non Linear Ecotrics (A), Two advanced Macro (Phd level - B and A), Two advanced Micro (Phd level - B and A), Political Economy (A), Environmental Economics (A), Game Theory (B)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate macro and micro (A+),

Other Courses: Corporate Banking, Law, Management (All A's)

Letters of Recommendation: 1 PhD Princeton and co-chair IPCC, 1 Phd UPenn, 1 Canadian PhD. (All spoke about math and eco'trics preparation, research skills and motivation)

Research Experience: RA for the canadian and princeton prof, two international conferences, 1 paper under review

Teaching Experience: TA at top B-School in India (Top 30 in the world)

Research Interests: Environmental Economics, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Microeconomics.

SOP: Usual. Talked about interest in economics, academic coursework, research experience and future goals. 2-3 sentences for why the univ is fit for me and the prof's I'd like to work with. (1300-1400 words)

Concerns: No explicit calculus course (had advanced calculus in high school and in almost all the courses at grad level). Couple of D's at undergrad level. Couple of B's in phd-level courses.

Other:

Applying to: UMinn Applied Econ, Maryland arec, UC-Davis ARE, Yale FES, Oregon State Applied Econ, UIUC-ACE, Penn State ARE, Boston College, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill,Michigan State University AFRE, Purdue ARE, UArizona,Iowa State, Wisconsin AAE, Virginia Tech-Applied Econ

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Type of Undergrad: B.S. Business Administration, Major in Economics from medium private religious school with no PhD program. Math classes have since been taken at a large state school, not highly ranked, with an unranked PhD program.

Undergrad GPA: 3.94 (Summa Cum Laude); Econ: 3.88; Math & Statistics: 3.66 (all A’s except C in Calc II); including all classes I’ve taken since my undergrad: 3.91

Type of Grad: NA

Grad GPA: NA

GRE: Q-170, V-162, AW- 5.5

Math Courses: Business Statistics I & II (A, A), Honors Calc I (A), Calc II (C, explaining in SOP), Calc III (A), Differential Equations (A+), Intro to Linear Algebra (A), Intro to Probability (A), Intro to Real Analysis I @ grad level (A)

Econ Courses (grad-level): NA

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro (A), Macro (A), Money and Banking (A), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (A), Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A-), Independent Study/Thesis (A), Economic Development (A-), Honors Econ Seminar (A), History of Economic Thought (A),

Other Courses: Honors Program and Business Core Curriculum

Letters of Recommendation: My thesis advisor (Econ PhD), game theory professor (Math PhD), and real analysis professor (Math PhD). The first two should be strong, not sure about the third. None are well known, but all are well published within their fields.

Research Experience: Co-authored thesis on migration with professor using 2000 and 2010 census and a variety of crime data, presented at a conference. Familiar with Stata and R.

Teaching Experience: 2 years teaching with Teach For America.

Research Interests: development, applied micro (labor, public finance, urban)

SOP: Nothing noteworthy.

Concerns: No statistics other than business statistics; working for 5 years by the time I would enter a program (but, all math besides Calc I and II taken recently); not a highly ranked undergrad institution; most of my math was taken at state school that is also not highly ranked; intermediate micro and macro grades, not a ton of math; not a lot of research experience; letters of recommendation are strong but not from big shots and only one from an Econ PhD; previous PhD applicants from my undergraduate institution have not placed in top 50, but have done very well on the job market.

Other: Familiar with basic programming.

Applying to: Boston College, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, Duke, University of North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State University, Maryland, Georgetown, George Washington, George Mason.

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I'm basically posting this for those who might be in a similiar situation to mine who bombed their ugrad and who recovered later on. I don't know what will work but I applied to lots of schools for mathematics, finance, and economics. the economics programs are the only ones listed here, the math ones will be on another forum, let me know if you are interested. If nothing works I guess I have my Bachelors now, for what it's worth . . .

Type of Undergrad: public uni in the midwest, has Msc and PhD in economics

Major(s): B.Sc Physics

Undergrad GPA: 2.4 :victorious:

Relevant Honors: Dean's List fa14,spr15,fa15

GRE: not taking it, hate it, hate it ! lol

Math Courses: calc 1 (A-), calc 2 (B+), calc 3( D-D-F lol for real I took it 3 times), LinAlg (C, skipped so many lectures, prof was an ex korean soldier who fought in the ww2, his english was formidable /s), Vector Calc (A), ODE (B+), Num Analysis (B+), Grad Num Meth ODE/PDE (B), Grad Nonlinear dynamics (A-), Mathematical Biology (B-)

Econ Courses: Grad Micro Theory and Grad Macro Theory (Spr16), the profs told me the courses are mostly self contained so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Other Courses: tons of physics courses, that's my major lol and also another course in python programming.

LOR: no idea how strong my recommendations are so yeah . . . lol

Research Experience: research assistant for 2 summers, 1 in nuclear engineering, and 1 in medical physics: cancer radiotherapy.

Teaching Experience: lol none

 

Research Interests: agent based models, economic theory, financial economics, business cycle, financial crises, complexity theory, macroeconomic emergence.

SOP: I bombed my undergrad, I dropped out of school, I came back & now my GPA is 3.5 I'm hoping admission will look at that more than my cgpa which is 2.4 :grief:

Applying to:

Manchester Financial Economics Msc

University Tech Sydney PhD Economics

Essex Computational economics Msc - rejected in 2 days, record?

York Financial Economics Msc

City Financial Economics Msc

Science-Po/Paris 1 Dual degree Msc in quantitative economics

Kingston Financial Economics Msc

Edited by Tehraio
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Type of Undergrad: top 3 University of California (UC) with top 15 economics program

Undergrad GPA: 3.67 overall, 3.75 econ; Economics w/ highest distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude

Type of Grad: Master's in Math & Stats unranked program but well-known east-coast institution

Grad GPA: 3.85

 

GRE: 165 Q, 163 V

 

Math Courses: gradudate: Real Analysis A, Mathematical Statistics A, Probability Theory A, Stochastic Simulation A, Generalized Linear Models A, Intro to Operations Research A-;

undergrad: Linear Algebra B, Calc 3 B, BC Calc AP Exam 5

 

Econ Courses (grad-level): NA

 

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro ABC-A, Econometrics ABC A-, B-, A-, Financial Markets, Corporate Finance A+, Senior economics thesis (2 quarters) A+, Linear Optimization A, Macro (ap exam score of 5); Environmental Economics A-

 

Other Courses: 3 years of Mandarin Chinese; Minor in Accounting

 

Letters of Recommendation: UC Econ Prof who has Ph.D in econ from MIT and was my thesis advisor; graduate Math prof with a Ph.D in math from Princeton who was my Probabilty professor and I T.A.ed the course for him; Economist who is my research supervisor at a federal agency, my co-author on a working paper, and who has a Ph.D. in Econ from UCI

 

Research Experience: Undegraduate econ thesis; qualitative research asssitant 6 months, quantiative R.A. at federal agency 6 months. Proficient with R, Matlab, SAS, Stata

 

Teaching Experience: 2 year teaching fellowship with Teach for China; Graduate Probabiltiy Theory T.A.

 

Research Interests: education policy, teacher labor markets, teacher training.

 

SOP: I think it is pretty strong and shows a clear path of the developemnt of my research interests and record of research. May be more of a public-policy SOP than economics SOP.

 

Concerns: lack of math courses in undergrad and freshman year Bs in math courses, B- in Econometrics B. I hope my Master's in Math & Stat will make up for these low grades. Because I taught abroad for 2 years my time spent as an RA is less than that of typical applicants.

 

Other: have a working paper (replication and extension of published JBES article) with two economists from two federal agencies which I presented at an econ conference. Applying to fellowship for interdisciplinary quantitative education research that is funded by Education Department and granted to a few economics departments

 

Applying to: U Mich-Ann Arbor (joint Public Policy & Econ), University of Chicago and Duke (Public Policy), U Wisconsin-Madison, NYU, Boston University, UT Austin, University of Washington, UCSD, Berkeley (Economics); Stanford (Economics & Education)

 

I think I'm competitive for public policy but some of the Econ programs are likely a long shot.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Type of Undergrad: Large state school, with Phd program (not ranked though)

Undergrad GPA: 4.0

GRE: Q (167) - V (163) - AW (5.0)

Math Courses: Calculus I,II,III, Linear Algebra, Intro DEs, Discrete Math, Foundations of Analysis I, II, Real Analysis, Probability (calc-based), Mathematical Stats I, II; all As

Econ Courses (grad-level): Phd-Level Metrics I and II, Masters Micro, Masters Development Economics; all As

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Metrics, intermediate micro/macro, principles micro/macro, econ stats, probably others I can't recall; all As

Other Courses: Phd level quant methods courses in Poli-Sci

Letters of Recommendation: Two from econ guys in the department, they're both fairly reputable. One is my mentor who I've done a lot of work with, other is one I took Phd metrics from a wrote a pretty good paper for. Third guy is from math dept, took foundations of analysis from him; said he could vouch for my mathematical maturity.

Research Experience: Senior thesis with mentor, wrote a paper for the development class that got published in an undergrad journal at my school (no biggie, I know), research assistant for my mentor (see above), mostly programming/data cleaning work so far (hopefully we'll start some statistical analysis soon!)

Teaching Experience: Math tutor during my entire undergrad, private math tutoring

Research Interests: (In order of preference) Econometrics, Development Econ, Labor Econ.

SOP: Pretty standard, probably more emphasis on actual research I've done/findings than standard letter (or not, I guess I don't really know), longer than most allow, but I don't think it will count against me, didn't say anything that didn't need to be said.

Concerns: Getting funded offers, will not attend without funding. Also concerned about summer funding.

Applying to: UCD, UCSB, MSU, UM, UIUC, UIC, NIU, IU, UND, UK, OSU, PU.

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Type of Undergrad: Mid-rank Canadian school, Honours program in economics

Undergrad GPA: B+

Type of Grad: Mid-rank Canadian school, MA in economics

Grad GPA: slightly higher than B+ but not an A-

GRE: N/A (applying within Canada, probably worth mentioning that I'm also a Canadian citizen)

Math Courses: Intro to Calculus for Social Science ©, Linear Algebra ©, Calculus Calculus 1(A-), Probability and Stats for Economists (A+), Mathematical Economics(C+), Calculus 2 with intro to real analysis (failed - no point in hiding it and I talk about it in my SOP), Applied Linear Algebra (C+)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Labour 1 (A+), Labour 2 (A), Microeconomics (B-), Econometrics(B-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro 1&2 (C, B+), Intermediate Macro1&2 (B+, C+), Advanced Micro (B), Advanced Macro (A), Applied Econometrics(A-), Financial Econometrics ©, Intro to Econometrics (B), History of Economic Thought (A-), Central Banking (A), Fiscal Policy (A-), Region and Urban Economics (A), Labour Economics (B+), International Trade (A-)

Other Courses: French Grammar ©, Political Science Research Methods (D+), Modern Political Thought (D+) and some other electives.

Letters of Recommendation: 1 full professor, 2 associate professors. Two are the professors I did my MA labour classes with and the other is the professor I did my undergraduate Applied Econometrics with.

Research Experience: One semester as a research assistant, about to start a second. Professor in my graduate labour class asked me and my partner to continue working on a paper and is sponsoring us for confidential data access.

Teaching Experience: One semester of TAing a managerial economics class that required weekly tutorials. Assigned an intermediate micro and a labour class this semester(half assignments each).

Research Interests: Labour economics, Indigenous economic policy, applied econometrics

SOP: Nothing unheard of - Started in political science and had 50s in math in high school, didn't know what a derivative was. Fell in love with economics and switched. Math is my weakness but I'm working on improving it.

Concerns: My GPA isn't great at either level and my math skills (or lack thereof) are a big red flag.

Other: Undergrad program was a CO-OP and so I have several years of experience working for the Canadian government

Applying to: Simon Fraser University, University of Ottawa/Carleton University (joint program), Dalhousie University, University of Victoria

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Non-Flagship State University (Unranked Econ Program)

Undergrad GPA: 3.6

Type of Grad:

Grad GPA:

GRE: [169V 165Q 4.5W]

Math Courses: Calc I (B) Calc II (B-) Calc III (A-) Discrete Math (A-) Diff-EQ (B) Linear Algebra (A) Real Analysis I (A) Real Analysis II (A-) Topology (A) Probability (A) Financial Math (B+) Statistical Theory (A) Abstract Algebra (A-) Differential Geometry (A) Galois Theory (A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (A) Intro Macro (A) Stats for Econ (A-) Intermediate Macro (B+) Intermediate Micro (A) Intro Math Econ (A)

Other Courses:

Letters of Recommendation: 3 Letters none from undergrad, all from RA gigs. Writers on the level of those tenured top 15 universities. All very strong, one in particular is extremely, extremely strong.

Research Experience: Undergrad pure math research, 3 years as an RA

Teaching Experience: High school math tutor (employed by the school) all through college

Research Interests: Macro theory, macro finance, heterogeneous agent models

SOP: Does this matter? I spent a decent amount of time trying to write it well.

Concerns: I went to a bottom tier university and have no letters from my undergraduate experience. It's intimidating competing against kids who went to IVY league schools and it's intimidating being classmates with them.

Other:

Applying to: 10 out of the top 15 universities.

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 40 U.S. Econ Department; B.A. in Mathematics and Economics

Undergrad GPA: 3.56

Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: Q170, V168, AWA 5.5

Math Courses: Calculus BC (A, took in high school), Multivariable Calculus (A, took in high school), Linear Algebra (A, took in high school), Ordinary Differential Equations (B), Basic Real Analysis (B), Probability (B), Statistics (B+), Survey of Algebra (B), Mathematics of Derivative Securities (A-), Introduction to Stochastic Processes (A-), Applied Linear Models (A), Applied Time Series (A), Investment Science I (A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): too many to list; Intermediate Micro (A-), Intermediate Macro (A-), Game Theory (A), Econometrics (B),

Other Courses:

Letters of Recommendation: Should be ok? Two from professors who I took classes with and one for whom I was a Research Assistant (but mostly data collection and cleaning)

Research Experience: As stated above, I was a research assistant, but nothing with coding. Mostly transferring old numbers to excel.

Teaching Experience: Economics Club Tutor – tutored students in Intro/Intermediate Macro/Micro; also a private tutor, usually for Intermediate Micro

Research Interests: Labor, Development, Game Theory, Micro

SOP: Decent? I worked on it a lot, but probably kind of boring

Concerns: Many – my numerous B’s in math, unknown strength of LORs (but would have to be at least decent)

Other:

Applying to: UC – Davis, Washington, UC – Irvine, UT – Austin, Boston College, Boston University, Emory, UGA, University of Houston, University of Colorado Boulder, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh, Rice, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Purdue, UIC

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Ranked over 180 state university, unranked in Economics.

Undergrad GPA:3.52 (3.82 economics, 3.42 math)

Type of Grad:NA

Grad GPA:NA

GRE: 163 Q,147 V, 3.0 W

Math Courses: Cul 1-4, Stat, Intro Concept Math, Matlab, Algebraic Structures, Linear Algebraic, Compounded Interest, Complex variables, Actuaries Sciences, Independent Study

Econ Courses (grad-level): NA

Econ Courses (undergrad-level):Intro Macro, Intro Micro, Inter Macro, Inter Micro, Stat, Math economics, Economtrices, Public Economics, International Economics, Urban Economics, Economics History

Other Courses:

Letters of Recommendation: Three from professors in my univeristy.

Research Experience:NA

Teaching Experience:NA

Research Interests: International

SOP:

Concerns: Low GPA, and low GRE score.

Other:

Applying to: VU, VT, MSU, UCD, UCI, UIC, UF, Huston University

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: medium sized Catholic institution with an MS program

Undergrad GPA: : 3.7

Type of Grad: MS Applied Econ completed (same place - 5 year BA/MS program)

Grad GPA: 3.8

GRE: Q161 V 158 AW 5.0

Math Courses: calc 1-3, diff eq, elementary stats, currently a non degree seeking student taking linear algebra

Econ Courses (grad-level): econometrics I & II, micro, macro, handful of electives in Econ - public, urban, monetary policy, financial econometrics, etc

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): intermediates, mathematics of economics, handful of electives - development, ethics of economics, etc.

Other Courses: Poli Sci as second major

Letters of Recommendation: stellar, well loved at my former institution, my school has faculty from most schools I'm applying to and they will flex their connections, LORS from department chair, dean/urban prof/thesis advisor, & public prof/thesis committee member.

Research Experience: masters thesis, former economic researcher in private sector for large business

Teaching Experience: GA in masters program

Research Interests: public, urban, and labor

SOP: decent. Brief mention of low scores relative to how much I've prepped.

Concerns: low GPA and scores relative to other posters on here but I'm OK with it and am very realistic with my choices/options. Plus maybe my non stellar stats will give someone hope! Math barely meets the minimum. Was initially afraid of a shut out but that's no longer the case!

Other: nervous about $$ too.

Applying to: Small handful of dreaming big might as well try schools but the rest are lower ranked. SU Econ, SU public admin, UND, UO, Boulder, UConn, UKY, UT Knoxville, GWU, Brown, UCD, MSU, UIUC, Boston College

Edited by barista1234
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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Large Flagship University (Top 15 Econ Phd)

Undergrad GPA:3.9

Type of Grad:

Grad GPA:

GRE:166V, 166Q, 4.5 AW

Math Courses: Calc 1 (A), Calc 2 (A), Multivariate Calc (AB), Linear Algebra and Diff Eq (A) Non-degree credits (returned after RA gig to supplement math): Probability Theory (AB), Theory of Single Var Calc (A), Analysis I (in progress), Intro to Stochastic Process (in progress)

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro/Macro (A's), Economics of Healthcare (A), Directed Study (A), Game Theory and Economic Analysis (AB), Behavioral Economics (A), Intro to Economic Statistics (A), Econometrics (AB)

Other Courses: Various Political Science and Southeast Asian Studies courses (my other two majors)

Letters of Recommendation: 1 Chicago Econ Phd who oversaw my directed study and taught by beahvioral econ course, 1 Stanford Econ Phd who I worked as an RA for at economic think tank, 1 cosigned famous Psychology professor/Graduate student who I worked as an RA for doing behavioral econ experiment

Research Experience: 1 year RA undergrad helping design and run behavioral econ experiment, 1 year at economic focused think tank after undergrad

Teaching Experience: TA College Algebra while taking non degree math courses

Research Interests: Behavioral/Experimental

SOP: Focused on research and methods of behavioral econ experiment and attempt to draw cohesive narrative emphasizing my research experience and mathematical preparation

Concerns: Behavioral and Experimental econ might be seen as a negative as it is quite a specific sub field. As always could have more math/stats.

Other: I got very lucky to run into the right people at the right time. I owe a lot to so many for the opportunities I have had.

Applying to: Pitt, Arizona, UCSD, Berkeley, Stanford, Caltech, Cornell, Brown, Oregon, UCSB, NYU

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Unknown Liberal Arts College

Undergrad GPA: 4.0

Type of Grad: Large, Unranked State University

Grad GPA: 4.0 (Summer/Fall Only…Spring in-Process)

GRE:165V, 170Q, 5.5 AW

Math Courses: Calculus 1-3 (All A’s), Linear Algebra (A), DEQ (A), Probability (A), Mathematical Statistics (A), Intro to Analysis (A)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro/Macro (A's), Economic History (A), Comparative Economic Systems (A), Game Theory (A)

Econ Courses (grad-level): PhD Micro I (A), PhD Math for Economics (A), PhD Advanced Math for Economics (A), MA Macro (A), PhD Econometrics I (A).

Other Courses: Introduction to Programming (A), Various Other Business Courses (All A’s)

Letters of Recommendation: Undergrad Advisor – not terribly active researcher, but very enthusiastic. Two for my MA program, which should be fine. Nothing special, no one famous.

Research Experience: Senior thesis…

Teaching Experience: TA for MA Program

Research Interests: Health, Applied Micro, IO, Business Econ

SOP: Tailored to each program’s strengths, nothing special

Other/Concerns: Spent several years working in an unrelated business field, which was discussed in my SOP. This is my greatest concern, other than lack of research experience and relatively unknown nature of institutions attended.

Applying to: NYU Stern, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, WUSTL (Olin), Texas, Illinois.

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: A Chinese Institution and transfer to Top 30 US private institution with small PhD program

Undergrad GPA: 3.89/4.00 (US)

Type of Grad: None

GRE:157V, 167Q, 3.5 AW

Math Courses: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability taken in China; Intro to proofs (A-), Mathematical Statistics (A), Intro to Real Analysis (A-), Intro to Topology (A) taken in US

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro,Macro (A), Econometrics (A), IO (A), Intro to Adv.Macro (A) in US and bunches of electives in China

Econ Courses (grad-level): PhD Econometrics I (A-).

Other Courses: Senior Research-I (A)

Letters of Recommendation: professor of Econometrics and Adv.Econometrics class; RA supervisor; Senior Thesis advisor. All three are graduates of Top 10 Econ PhD program; all letters are claimed to be strong.

Research Experience: RA for one small project lasting 10 months and senior thesis

Teaching Experience: TA for Labor Economics course

Research Interests: Labor Economics.

SOP: Nothing special.

Other/Concerns: Bad GRE. Only applying to top 20 programs. Don't really expect getting into them this year.

Applying to: Berkeley, Penn, NYU, UCSD, Michigan, Cornell, Brown and several master programs

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PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Flagship state school with top-40 PhD program

Undergrad GPA: 4.00

Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: Q 167 V 161 AWA 5.0

Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Diff eq, Methods of Proof, Two Semesters of Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics, Real Analysis I, Topology

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro, game theory, health econ, IO, econometrics, behavioral econ, public finance

Other Courses: Intro to Python

Letters of Recommendation: Senior thesis advisor, Grad Micro Professor, Current RA supervisor. Their respective strengths are probably: very strong, very strong, strong

Research Experience: Senior thesis, two unpaid summer RA gigs, one-year RA at a school with top-10 econ program

Teaching Experience: Undergrad TA for introductory micro and senior-level game theory.

Research Interests: Game Theory, IO, Behavioral, and maybe Health and Labor.

SOP: Standard. Described senior thesis and current RA. Described my what kinds of research questions I want to study in grad school.

Concerns: Lack of undergrad prestige, GRE isn't as high as I'd like.

Other:

Applying to: Essentially the entire top-25, give or take a few schools.

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