TestMagic

Big Tuna · 02-27-2008, 03:42 PM

I've been lurking on this forum for a while to get news about admissions, so I guess I should contribute something.

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 25 Public US University with good economics department
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 in all coursework (majors in economics and philosophy, minor in math)
Masters: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 800V, 4.5 AW
Math Courses: Calculus I, II, and III, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Mathematical Modeling, Differential Equations, Complex Analysis, Numerical Methods (A's or A+'s in all these classes except for 2 in progress).
Econ Courses: Undergrad: Mathematical Micro, Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, Game Theory (A+'s in all these classes), plus a bunch of random irrelevant field courses.
Graduate: Just PhD Econometrics I (A+).
Letters of Recommendation: 3 from economists, all with solid reputations, all of whom I've taken classes with and been supervised by on independent research projects.
Research Experience: 2 years working as a research assistant to a faculty member. Empirical paper under review in a decent journal. I've also done two other econ programs at my school that involve substantial independent thesis projects.
Teaching Experience: None, except for tutoring
Research Interests: Mostly public policy economics and labor economics; also a bit of econometric theory.
SOP: Not much to say here; I guess it was fine.
Other: Male

Goals: Probably academia, though I wouldn't mind being involved in public policy for the government at some point.

Concerns. I didn't come from an Ivy like many people applying to the same schools, and I don't have intense graduate math like topology or measure theory. I'm also not really fond of my 4.5 GRE Analytic Writing score.

Applying to: NYU (Admit $), Duke (Admit $), Yale (Admit $), Columbia (Admit but no $ 1st year), UChicago (Admit $ level one), Northwestern(Admit, no word on $ yet), Harvard(Waitlisted), MIT(?), University of Maryland(?), Stanford(?).

AstralTraveller · 02-27-2008, 06:55 PM

Due to popular acclaim (i.e., Olm), I'm re-posting my profile at the Econ PhD forum. Hope I will get in somewhere!!!

Profile
- International applicant (latin america)
- Undergrad (BSc) and MA in Economics from the best university in the country.
- Very strong in Econometrics, and TA for Stats/Metrics for UG, MA, PhD and MBA courses for years.
- Decent math/stats background; sadly, only self-taught Real Analysis (Rudin) and Topology (Ivorra). Probability theory at the level of Spanos's "Statistical Foundations of Econometric Modelling", taken at grad econ.
- Took PhD level micro, macro and metrics
- Quite a lot of research. Sadly, most are empirical papers, and in subjects as varied as Demographic Economics, Business Ethics, Implicit valuation of attributes (hedonic pricing), Growth, Family Businesses, Econometrics. This is because I work as a junior researcher at a local B-school, so I have to work on any assignment that is put in front of me.
- TRUE research interests: Econometrics on one side, IO/Micro on another.
- A great LoR from a professor at a top-30 US B-school who held a Visiting position here and to whom I RA'd.
- Other great LoR's from professors who know me really well who are economists, and not that well-known internationally.
- GRE less than stellar: 780Q, 550V, 3.5AWA (did not have time to prepare or retake)
- GMAT decent: 50Q, 37V, 710 Overall
- TOEFL *really* less than stellar: 99 iBT

Concerns: The superhigh probability of not getting in anywhere. I thought I was a competitive applicant, to at least get admitted somewhere funded.

EconApp2008 · 02-28-2008, 12:14 AM

After the thread about adcoms lurking...I'm starting to get paranoid.

Blondin · 02-28-2008, 03:45 PM

Hi everyone,

I discovered this website two days ago, and I'm really getting mad now, checking updates every two minutes.. I guess it's fair to share my profile:

Type of Grad School (1): Top UK masters in Econometrics and Math Econ
GPA: Merit
Type of Grad School (2): French engineering school, specialized in Stats
GPA: N.A, but scored above 70% on most courses with 100% in metrics, time series

GRE: 800Q, 470V, 4AW
IBT: 112

LORs: 2 or 3 from the UK (1 teacher in contract theory, 1 in game theory,1 in corporate finance). 1 from France (top French econometrician)
Research experience: none
Teaching experience: undergrad metrics in the UK. Undergrad micro and macro in France.
Work experience: 1 1/2 year in economic consulting (london and paris)
Fields of interest: micro theory

Concerns: No RA experience. Did not get the distinction to my masters program (missed it by 2%). Getting rejections...

Applied to: Harvard, MIT, Northwestern (rejected), UPenn, Columbia, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale (rejected), Stanford, Chicago, UCSD, UCL, LSE

Applying to: Toulouse

wheeler · 03-01-2008, 12:46 PM

Hey all! I've been reading the threads for over a week now, and decided it's time to join in!

Profile

International applicant (Europe)
Maths/Econ undergrad (BA, joint honours)
lots of maths (Analysis I & II, Algebra I & II, Probability/Measure Theory, ODEs) and statistics (Prob & Stats I & II, GLMs, Classical & Bayesian Inference)
No research
Interested in lots of things, monetary and growth theory and econometric theory probably topping the list
Enthusiastic LORs from my professors (they actually convinced me to apply)
GRE 800Q, 620V, 5.0AWA
Top of my class (almost all subjects firsts)

Applying to:
NYU, Duke, Chicago, NWU, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Berkeley, MIT, Oxbridge, LSE.

semischolastic · 03-02-2008, 05:46 AM

BigTuna, that's a fantastic profile (and obviously, the adcoms think so too). The AWA is obviously an anomaly, and I don't think anyone will take it too seriously, especially coupled with your 800 Verbal score. I'd be surprised if you didn't get into MIT.

yishii1986 · 03-03-2008, 07:56 AM

Just wanted to let you guys know that I've heard back from Harvard, Penn, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago. Let me know if anyone's heard from Princeton or MIT. Thanks.

Pessimist · 03-04-2008, 01:09 AM

PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Ivy League (2nd tier econ dept)
Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Masters: N/A
GRE: 800Q, 720V, 5.0 AW
Math Courses: Calculus I (A), II (A), and III (A+), Linear Algebra (P), Real Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Statistical Inference (A)
Econ Courses:
Undergrad: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Econometrics I (A) and II (A), Game Theory (A+), Population Economics (A), Economic Growth(A)
Graduate: Development (B), Labor and Population (A) -> I just got the A last fall and it doesn't count!!!
Letters of Recommendation: All 3 from junior faculty, 2 of whom I've worked with as an RA
Research Experience: Participated in a summer research program
Teaching Experience: None, except for tutoring
Research Interests: development, labor
SOP: Nothing special, but I don't think it was bad
Other: Female

Goals: Probably academia

Concerns: I took linear algebra my freshman year before deciding to get an Econ PhD and chose to took it pass/fail because I screwed up the first test, would have gotten an A+ in the end if I had switched back to getting a grade (not sure if getting an A in Real Analysis would help undo the damage); getting a B in Graduate level development while indicating that my research interest is development; all LORS from junior faculty

Applying to: Yale (reject), U Penn (reject), UC Berkeley (reject), Harvard(?), MIT(reject), Stanford(reject), Princeton(?)

At this point I don't think I'll get in anywhere, but I just wanted to share my profile for the sake of current/future applicants.

Olm · 03-04-2008, 04:50 AM

Pessimist, your profile is amazing. However, nobody is guaranteed a place in the top 10, regardless of profile. What really sets you apart, especially in the top 10, is the strength of your LORs.

israelecon · 03-04-2008, 07:16 AM

pessimist, your profile is strong. I think there are only 2 weaknesses, your B in a grad course and the fact that the LORs are all from junior faculty, i think you need at least one from senior faculty especially since you are in a well known university the adcom might be wondering why you didn't get those.
other than that i think you do have a chance to get into a top school, i just don't think you applied to enough schools. if you would have applied to all the top ten (or fifteen) schools I would think you would have gotten in somewhere. that being said, you still might get in somewhere this year.

02-27-2008, 03:42 PM	#111 (permalink)
Big Tuna Digging for money beets Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 45	I've been lurking on this forum for a while to get news about admissions, so I guess I should contribute something. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Top 25 Public US University with good economics department Undergrad GPA: 4.0 in all coursework (majors in economics and philosophy, minor in math) Masters: N/A GRE: 800Q, 800V, 4.5 AW Math Courses: Calculus I, II, and III, Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Mathematical Modeling, Differential Equations, Complex Analysis, Numerical Methods (A's or A+'s in all these classes except for 2 in progress). Econ Courses: Undergrad: Mathematical Micro, Intermediate Macro, Econometrics, Game Theory (A+'s in all these classes), plus a bunch of random irrelevant field courses. Graduate: Just PhD Econometrics I (A+). Letters of Recommendation: 3 from economists, all with solid reputations, all of whom I've taken classes with and been supervised by on independent research projects. Research Experience: 2 years working as a research assistant to a faculty member. Empirical paper under review in a decent journal. I've also done two other econ programs at my school that involve substantial independent thesis projects. Teaching Experience: None, except for tutoring Research Interests: Mostly public policy economics and labor economics; also a bit of econometric theory. SOP: Not much to say here; I guess it was fine. Other: Male Goals: Probably academia, though I wouldn't mind being involved in public policy for the government at some point. Concerns. I didn't come from an Ivy like many people applying to the same schools, and I don't have intense graduate math like topology or measure theory. I'm also not really fond of my 4.5 GRE Analytic Writing score. Applying to: NYU (Admit $), Duke (Admit $), Yale (Admit $), Columbia (Admit but no $ 1st year), UChicago (Admit $ level one), Northwestern(Admit, no word on $ yet), Harvard(Waitlisted), MIT(?), University of Maryland(?), Stanford(?). Last edited by Big Tuna : 03-04-2008 at 03:41 PM.

02-27-2008, 06:55 PM	#112 (permalink)
AstralTraveller Waiting for the crumbs! Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 502	Due to popular acclaim (i.e., Olm), I'm re-posting my profile at the Econ PhD forum. Hope I will get in somewhere!!! Profile - International applicant (latin america) - Undergrad (BSc) and MA in Economics from the best university in the country. - Very strong in Econometrics, and TA for Stats/Metrics for UG, MA, PhD and MBA courses for years. - Decent math/stats background; sadly, only self-taught Real Analysis (Rudin) and Topology (Ivorra). Probability theory at the level of Spanos's "Statistical Foundations of Econometric Modelling", taken at grad econ. - Took PhD level micro, macro and metrics - Quite a lot of research. Sadly, most are empirical papers, and in subjects as varied as Demographic Economics, Business Ethics, Implicit valuation of attributes (hedonic pricing), Growth, Family Businesses, Econometrics. This is because I work as a junior researcher at a local B-school, so I have to work on any assignment that is put in front of me. - TRUE research interests: Econometrics on one side, IO/Micro on another. - A great LoR from a professor at a top-30 US B-school who held a Visiting position here and to whom I RA'd. - Other great LoR's from professors who know me really well who are economists, and not that well-known internationally. - GRE less than stellar: 780Q, 550V, 3.5AWA (did not have time to prepare or retake) - GMAT decent: 50Q, 37V, 710 Overall - TOEFL really less than stellar: 99 iBT Concerns: The superhigh probability of not getting in anywhere. I thought I was a competitive applicant, to at least get admitted somewhere funded. _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." --Mt 15, 25-28a Last edited by AstralTraveller : 03-05-2008 at 10:15 AM.

02-28-2008, 12:14 AM	#113 (permalink)
EconApp2008 Eager! Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 36	After the thread about adcoms lurking...I'm starting to get paranoid. Last edited by EconApp2008 : 02-29-2008 at 06:14 PM.

03-01-2008, 12:46 PM	#115 (permalink)
wheeler baffled Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Europe Posts: 14	Hey all! I've been reading the threads for over a week now, and decided it's time to join in! Profile International applicant (Europe) Maths/Econ undergrad (BA, joint honours) lots of maths (Analysis I & II, Algebra I & II, Probability/Measure Theory, ODEs) and statistics (Prob & Stats I & II, GLMs, Classical & Bayesian Inference) No research Interested in lots of things, monetary and growth theory and econometric theory probably topping the list Enthusiastic LORs from my professors (they actually convinced me to apply) GRE 800Q, 620V, 5.0AWA Top of my class (almost all subjects firsts) Applying to: NYU, Duke, Chicago, NWU, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Berkeley, MIT, Oxbridge, LSE.

03-04-2008, 01:09 AM	#118 (permalink)
Pessimist Eager! Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 36	PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Ivy League (2nd tier econ dept) Undergrad GPA: 3.9 Masters: N/A GRE: 800Q, 720V, 5.0 AW Math Courses: Calculus I (A), II (A), and III (A+), Linear Algebra (P), Real Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Statistical Inference (A) Econ Courses: Undergrad: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+), Econometrics I (A) and II (A), Game Theory (A+), Population Economics (A), Economic Growth(A) Graduate: Development (B), Labor and Population (A) -> I just got the A last fall and it doesn't count!!! Letters of Recommendation: All 3 from junior faculty, 2 of whom I've worked with as an RA Research Experience: Participated in a summer research program Teaching Experience: None, except for tutoring Research Interests: development, labor SOP: Nothing special, but I don't think it was bad Other: Female Goals: Probably academia Concerns: I took linear algebra my freshman year before deciding to get an Econ PhD and chose to took it pass/fail because I screwed up the first test, would have gotten an A+ in the end if I had switched back to getting a grade (not sure if getting an A in Real Analysis would help undo the damage); getting a B in Graduate level development while indicating that my research interest is development; all LORS from junior faculty Applying to: Yale (reject), U Penn (reject), UC Berkeley (reject), Harvard(?), MIT(reject), Stanford(reject), Princeton(?) At this point I don't think I'll get in anywhere, but I just wanted to share my profile for the sake of current/future applicants. Last edited by Pessimist : 03-09-2008 at 01:40 PM. Reason: updated admission results

02-28-2008, 03:45 PM	#114 (permalink)
Blondin Eager! Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 52	Hi everyone, I discovered this website two days ago, and I'm really getting mad now, checking updates every two minutes.. I guess it's fair to share my profile: Type of Grad School (1): Top UK masters in Econometrics and Math Econ GPA: Merit Type of Grad School (2): French engineering school, specialized in Stats GPA: N.A, but scored above 70% on most courses with 100% in metrics, time series GRE: 800Q, 470V, 4AW IBT: 112 LORs: 2 or 3 from the UK (1 teacher in contract theory, 1 in game theory,1 in corporate finance). 1 from France (top French econometrician) Research experience: none Teaching experience: undergrad metrics in the UK. Undergrad micro and macro in France. Work experience: 1 1/2 year in economic consulting (london and paris) Fields of interest: micro theory Concerns: No RA experience. Did not get the distinction to my masters program (missed it by 2%). Getting rejections... Applied to: Harvard, MIT, Northwestern (rejected), UPenn, Columbia, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale (rejected), Stanford, Chicago, UCSD, UCL, LSE Applying to: Toulouse

03-02-2008, 05:46 AM	#116 (permalink)
semischolastic cool as ice Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 86	BigTuna, that's a fantastic profile (and obviously, the adcoms think so too). The AWA is obviously an anomaly, and I don't think anyone will take it too seriously, especially coupled with your 800 Verbal score. I'd be surprised if you didn't get into MIT.

03-03-2008, 07:56 AM	#117 (permalink)
yishii1986 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1	Just wanted to let you guys know that I've heard back from Harvard, Penn, Yale, Columbia, and Chicago. Let me know if anyone's heard from Princeton or MIT. Thanks.

03-04-2008, 04:50 AM	#119 (permalink)
Olm Requiem for a Dream Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 840	Pessimist, your profile is amazing. However, nobody is guaranteed a place in the top 10, regardless of profile. What really sets you apart, especially in the top 10, is the strength of your LORs.

03-04-2008, 07:16 AM	#120 (permalink)
israelecon TestMagic Guru-in-Training Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 537	pessimist, your profile is strong. I think there are only 2 weaknesses, your B in a grad course and the fact that the LORs are all from junior faculty, i think you need at least one from senior faculty especially since you are in a well known university the adcom might be wondering why you didn't get those. other than that i think you do have a chance to get into a top school, i just don't think you applied to enough schools. if you would have applied to all the top ten (or fifteen) schools I would think you would have gotten in somewhere. that being said, you still might get in somewhere this year.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

TestMagic

Free GMAT, GRE, SAT Test, TOEFL practice tests