What are my chances?

[hscjoe]

Hi all,

I am a concerned undergrad who is looking for some brutal and honest opinions on my records regarding admissions to the following schools:
- Northwestern
- Umich
- Wisconsin
- U of Chicago
- Berkeley ARE

My biggest concerns are my undergrad's ranking, timing of some of the courses, and the fact that I am an international, but I might get a green card by the time I apply. I am planning to take some of the math courses and the senior thesis after or during the application period. Also I have a bad record (around 3.2/4.0) worth 25 credits from the former institution I briefly attended in a foreign country 5 years ago.

Hope you can help me out. Thanx

Type of Undergrad: Purdue University Econ Honors + MA STAT minors
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 168 Q 160 V 5.0 W
Math Courses: (MA) Calc 1~3, Linear Algebra, Diff Eq, Foundations Analysis, Probability // (STAT) Applied Regression Analysis, Quality Control, Design of Experiments
Econ Courses: Econometrics, Micro, Macro, Game Theory, IO, Banking, International Trade
Letters of Recommendation: possibly from the Dean (UMich), professors in lab and courses (Stanford, Oxford, UMich, Berkeley)
Research Experience: Personal RA to professors, ECON department RA to lab/institution, Honors Thesis
Teaching Experience: ECON department TA for Econometrics, International Trade
Research Interests: International Economics, Trade, Macro

[tbe]

You have a good record. The things you are worried about don't matter that much. What matters much more for admission to those schools is what your references say about you. They are also best-placed to advise you on which schools to apply to. You should take their advise and craft an application strategy.