At what point does undergrad reputation hurt you?

[jeeves0923]

I only recall one such case (not on TM), but a guy got into Princeton with a mediocre record but a rec from Stan Fischer.

Also, the OP may be referring to Levitt, who only had one semester of calculus.

[GymShorts]

Originally Posted by jeeves0923

Also, the OP may be referring to Levitt, who only had one semester of calculus.

Econ admissions was very different 25 years ago.

[jeeves0923]

Agreed. Just speculating as to what the OP was referring to.

[Golden Rule]

Originally Posted by GymShorts

Econ admissions was very different 25 years ago.

Since Levitt was a summa Harvard grad in economics, at least three Harvard thesis readers thought his work was top notch and he had a great GPA. Some top schools today would still take him, despite the lack of math. Yeah, I know what that thread said, and I know what he said on his blog. Nevertheless, I don't consider that as an example of a weak overall profile getting accepted by MIT, not one bit -- just weak in one dimension that some schools might emphasize more than others.

OK, I vaguely remember this Fischer rec. story on this board before, now that you mention it. But this board has led me to believe this is not a widespread phenomenon.

[jeeves0923]

Agreed. I have no reason to believe it is widespread.

[pookie bear]

Originally Posted by Golden Rule

Ok, so this is where I don't think we're quite on the same page. I don't recall these cases. But you could be right.

When I say minimal preperation I mean that someone from a top school took only the standard calc sequence, lin alg, analysis, a stats course, and the standard econ courses. Of course they could still have LORs that preach about their potential from respected researchers which could overcome these hurdles.

YE, that is what i was trying to explain. Thank you for putting it more clearly. The information assymetry is something that LORs can remedy if they come from well respected researchers.

[jeeves0923]

I'd say that isn't minimal preparation at all. I'd say thats good preparation... especially from a top school...