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#21 (permalink) |
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Trying to make mom and pop proud
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 28
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Type of Undergrad: None (French system of Grandes Ecoles) Type of Grad: Business School + Paris School of Economics Grad GPA: 1st / 60 GRE: 800/610/4.0 Math Courses: french system Econ Courses: 3 "undergrad", 20 grad Other Courses: business Letters of Recommendation: 3 well-know economists, 2 less-well-known but who know me well Research Experience: Master thesis Teaching Experience: TA Research Interests: Political decision (Roemer, etc.) / political economy SOP: spoke about my research Other: RESULTS: Acceptances: Chicago Waitlists: None Rejections: Columbia, NYU (99%), Harvard (99%) Pending: What would you have done differently? I would have described my math credentials more precisely. This is an advice for all French future applicants: explain how the system works and how good you are in maths in your letter. |
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#23 (permalink) |
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Ooo! Piece of Candy!
![]() ![]() Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Posts: 194
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Oops, accidentally posted this on the 2007 thread... here you go anyway.
PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: B.S. Math, B.A. Econ from top 30 U.S. institution Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4, Summa Cum Laude, In Honors Type of Grad: M.S. Math Grad GPA: 3.8/4 GRE: 800Q, 610V, 4.5AWA Math Courses: All required courses for math degree + Real Analysis I and II, Math for Economists, Graph Theory (graduate), Abstract Algebra (graduate), Measure Theory (graduate) Econ Courses (PhD-level): PhD Micro, PhD Labor Econ Courses (undergrad-level): IO, Public, Econ of China, Environmental and Natural Resource Econ, Game Theory, Micro and Macro Theory Other Courses: History minor, about half of an engineering degree Letters of Recommendation: 3 econ professors (1 Chicago PhD, 1 UMN PhD, 1 UCSD PhD), 1 math prof (Princeton PhD, NSF winner), all extremely solid, though they are all quite old. Research Experience: RA for Econ prof, Theoretical math thesis, Economics thesis, one paper submitted to journal Teaching Experience: GTA for University Writing Coaching Center, Intermediate Micro, and an Honors Colloquium on Game Theory Research Interests: Public Finance, Education, Labor, Theory SOP: Sure Other: I applied only to Princeton, Harvard and MIT, because they are the only ones that can pull me away from my current MS program. I love it here, and will cast a wider net next year once my Master's in math is completed(if MIT ends up saying no). RESULTS: Acceptances: none Keep Your Pants On: MIT Rejections: Princeton, Harvard(for certain now) What would you have done differently? Maybe more statistics. However, I think I have a pretty good shot next year after having PhD metrics, Stochastics, Optimal Control Theory and a Master's Thesis under my belt Concerns: Being rejected isn't fun, even if the process is "random" and I only applied to top programs. Last edited by jeeves0923 : 03-17-2008 at 05:48 PM. |
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#24 (permalink) |
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Within my grasp!
![]() ![]() Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 121
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PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Public university with a top 20 econ program. Math & Econ double degree Undergrad GPA: Overall 3.2 (3.7 my final two years); Econ 3.9; Math 3.2 GRE: 800Q, 550V, 4.5 AW Research Experience: Undergraduate honors thesis (which I think is stellar), currently a statistician for Dept. of Commerce since graduating in May LORs: Two of them great (my thesis advisors) and one probably mediocre, all from senior econ faculty Concerns: Math grades are all over the place... RESULTS: Acceptances: UVa, George Washington U Rejections: Johns Hopkins What would you have done differently? I originally got a 740 on my GRE, so I was sure I would have to reapply next year. Because I didn't want to put my recommenders through two rounds of 10 applications, I applied to just three schools. I retook the GRE a month later (in January) and got an 800, but it was too late to start applications to more schools. Also, I probably should have studied more than 30 seconds before the test for the verbal and AWS, if only for my own vanity. But one thing to keep in mind is that after an entire college career, there is only so much that is within my control. Most importantly, I would have spent more time on this forum before applying. |
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#25 (permalink) |
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Eager!
![]() Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 53
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Type of Undergrad: Top 25 Econ
Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.0 Type of Grad: MA, Top 25 Econ Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 GRE: 800Q, 650V, 5.0 AW Math Courses: calc 1-3, diff eq, linear algebra, stochastic processes, optimization theory, adv. prob/stat (all A's), audit topology, self-study real analysis Econ Courses: Micro, Macro and Metrics (Intermed, Master's and 1st semester PhD), Health (MA), Trade(MA and PhD), Internat'l Finance (MA), Game Theory (MA) Letters of Recommendation: 5 very strong (1 Harvard, 1 Chicago, 2 MIT, 1 Michigan). 4 of the professors are very well known. 4 I took classes from, and 2 I worked with. Research Experience: RA for one year, about to submit co-authored paper with supervisor Teaching Experience: private tutoring Research Interests: no f***'in clue SOP: pretty good, my adviser took a look Other: female, 21 years old, transfer RESULTS: Acceptances: Harvard($$), MIT(waiting on NSF), Stanford($$), Yale($$), UPenn($$, declined), Northwestern($$), Chicago($$) Waitlists: NYU, Berkeley (declined) Rejections: Princeton Pending: NSF/Javits What would you have done differently? Relaxed during the waiting game ![]() |
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#26 (permalink) |
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nothing special
![]() ![]() Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: England
Posts: 127
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Type of Undergrad: UK (top 5 in Economics), 3-year PPE degree (not from Oxford), economics major, second year on exchange in Canada.
Undergrad GPA: "First" (70+) in all first year modules; 91.2/100 overall (all A) in Canada; third-year results in June/July. GRE: 790Q, 520V, 6.0AWA (<--that's why you should do philosophy: philosophers average 5.0 on AWA) Math Courses: quantitative techniques in economics (first-year course in economics department on constrained optimization and some matrix algebra), Analysis I+II, Linear Algebra (first-year courses in the maths department, taken as overload courses this year: in progress) Econ Courses: more micro than macro, one-year econometrics course (in progress), the usual hotchpotch of field courses. Letters of Recommendation: One from Canada, one from the UK. I think that both are very good economists, but I just took their classes and letters cannot possibly have been that amazing/personalized. Research Experience: Nil. Teaching Experience: Nil. (Or, I've actually done quite a bit in the private sector, but I never mentioned that in my applications.) Other: female, 23, non-native English speaker Results Acceptance: Toronto doctoral stream MA (funding with TA/RA duties) <-- attending ![]() Waiting: Queen's MA What would you have done differently? Not stressed out as much. Had a bit more faith in myself. Been a little less obsessed with what people on TM say. ![]() Comment: I suppose Toronto had not filled their quota for females from insignificant Scandinavian countries. |
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#27 (permalink) |
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Trying to make mom and pop proud
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 14
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Been free riding this forum too long. Perhaps this could be useful for someone as it has been for me.
PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: industrial engineering major from top school in small, developing latin american country Undergrad GPA: 6.3/7.0 GRE: 800q, 650v, 5.0w Math Courses: Calculus, Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations, Elements of Vector Analysis, Functions of C in C, Numerical Methods, Probabilities, Statistics, Cue Theory, Optimization, Operations Research Econ Courses: Micro, Macro, IO, Finance Theory, Derivatives Pricing Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a finance professor from MIT-Sloan who I'm working with as an RA, 1 from a locally well known econ prof with whom I co-authored a paper, 1 from a locally well known OR prof from my university Research Experience: RA on two empirical finance projects for an MIT prof, co-authored 3 pol econ paper (not very relevant except for the fact that I got to work with my future recommender) Teaching Experience: I work as a junior faculty member at my former univeristy. I've instructed Finance Theory I and II several times and have extensive experience as a TA Research Interests: Corporate Finance, slightly biased to empirical SOP: I highlighted the fact that I worked at an investment bank prior to my academic interest, found some interesting questions that this experience had given me Other: International student, RESULTS: Acceptances: Columbia GSB Finance & Economics (attending), UCLA Anderson, CMU Tepper, London Business School, Yale SOM, Boston College (interview), UBC Sauder Waitlists: Rejections: MIT Sloan, Chicago GSB, Stanford GSB, Kellogg, Berkeley Haas, NYU Stern, Duke Fuqua Pending: Harvard GSB What would you have done differently? Nothing really, this was by far the best outcome I could have dreamt of |
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#28 (permalink) |
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deciding
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2
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PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 10 Liberal Arts Undergrad GPA: 3.9 overall, 3.9 Econ major Type of Grad: n/a. Grad GPA: n/a. GRE: 770/610/5.5 (taken as an undergrad, never bothered retaking it). Math Courses: Calc I-III, Linear Alg, Complex Analysis, Real Analysis, Math Econ, Stats Econ Courses: All undergrad required for the major, including econometrics Letters of Recommendation: 1 undergrad advisor, 2 economists from my consulting firm. All are PhD economists, none extremely well known, but all know my abilities very well and they write convincingly. Research Experience: undergrad research assistant, 3 years with an economic consulting firm doing applied micro Teaching Experience: undergrad TA Research Interests: environmental economics SOP: stressed research experience, quantitative abilities, and research interests Other: experience in SAS and Stata programming. RESULTS: Acceptances: MSU Ag Econ ($RA), Wisconsin AAE ($RA), Maryland AREC ($RA), Oregon State ARE ($RA), Penn State AERS ($RA), NC State Ag Econ Waitlists: waitlisted for funding at NC State Rejections: None What would you have done differently? Retake GRE. I would have applied to Berkeley or a traditional econ program to get my letter writers off my back about going the ag econ route . |
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#29 (permalink) |
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Heading out West...
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 77
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Type of Undergrad: Large US state university, econ program ranked very low
Undergrad GPA: 4.0 Type of Grad: Currently enrolled in econ masters at a US public university Grad GPA: 4.0 through first semester GRE: 800Q, 690V, 6.0 AW Math Courses: Undergrad: Calc 1-4, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Real Analysis; Grad: Topology, Optimization (IP) Econ Courses: Undergrad: All the standard intro/intermediate, econometrics, electives; Grad: Micro, Macro, Econometrics Letters of Recommendation: All three were from economists and should be very positive. Nobody famous, that I know of... but I get the impression that they were very specific. Research Experience: Summer RA for econometrics professor, currently an RA for a couple of professors working in applied micro Teaching Experience: None, except some grading Research Interests: Development, trade, applied micro SOP: It was very conservative, about a page long, talking about what I had done as a research assistant, what my general research interests were, and my desire to work in academia after graduation. For the AREC programs, I added a short paragraph about my experiences studying abroad in a developing country and my eagerness to do field work (without sounding naive). RESULTS: Acceptances: Berkeley ARE ($, will be attending), UCSD ($), Maryland ($), Michigan (no $), Wisconsin AAE ($), Michigan State ($), UC Davis ($) Waitlists: Brown Rejections: Stanford, Yale What would you have done differently? Things worked out well given that my pedigree was so poor. I got into Berkeley ARE, which is a perfect match for my interests, so I can't think of much to do differently. Probably shouldn't have applied to Stanford and chosen a different reach instead, not that I would have gotten in. Last edited by octavio : 03-21-2008 at 07:14 AM. |
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#30 (permalink) |
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Within my grasp!
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 470
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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% 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: (90% of 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?
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"The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct, which with the addition of certain verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work." John von Neumann Last edited by Valhalla : 03-22-2008 at 02:25 PM. |
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