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I would imagine that they just see a B average for the two classes. Taking 25 hours is alot though, so that would score you points. Make sure to mention working in your SOP.

Matrix Algebra by far. It would be nice if you could take a theoretical introductory matrix algebra course.

You have an excellent profile and your list of schools seems reasonable. As others have said, work on getting to know econ professors! It is especially helpful if they have contacts in the department. Perhaps one of your letter writers went to one of these PhD programs? Try to check some of these things out first. Make sure to develop a good talking relationship with at least one of the professors. UCSC seems to me to be a really safe safety I think? Just check out the two years worth of profiles and results that are on this site.

The best practice that I found for the AWA is the book put out by the ETS. Amazon.com: GRE: Practicing to Take the General Test 10th Edition (Practicing to Take the Gre General Test): Educational Testing Service: Books I got 5.5 and 5.0 respectively and I thought the above book was infinitely helpful. The writing section is very formulaic (particularly the logic/reason one).

Some Stafford loans are "subsidized" (i.e. no interest until after graduate). As a grad student, $4250 per semester can be subsidized. Then you can take out an additional $6250 that is not subsidized. Beyond that, you can take out additional loans (plus and private) both of which are not subsidized.

Im just saying that I wouldnt be afraid to talk about the poor grades. But I also don't think that theyre going to hurt you as much as you think (my after F math grades were very good, but not as impressive as yours). The main thing to work on now would be developing relationships with econ profs who can write you great letters. I also didnt tell my writers about my poor math grades (well I didnt go out of my way to hide them, but I didnt openly offer the information). Good luck.

Were there any extenuating circumstances? Your grades were not as horrible as mine, and your As do much of the talking for you. If there were no circumstances, I might mention that you recommited yourself and mention that you have now aced these advanced math classes and that you believe that your math background adequately prepares you for the quantitative nature of econ PhD programs.

I think your profile is good for the places youre thinking. You may want to expand your list (not in range of rank, but just in number). There is no need to get a math masters with your math background, if anything, get into a masters econ program that places at top PhDs. Of my standard advice, I think (1) (3) (4) and (7) may be helpful (1) I think the main benefit of a masters degree, for someone who already has a degree in economics, is to develop relationships with professors who will be able to write strong letters on your behalf. My masters program was particularly small and I took some of the less popular electives, so I wound up having classes with less than 5 students, which provide students with a good deal of interaction with faculty. Also, make use of seminar series and other social interaction opportunities given by the department. If you have smart questions or comments, its not a horrible idea to convey those, either after class or through email (just dont be obsessive about it and dont force it). Probably the single best asset a student can have is a well-written personalized LOR (esp if the professors have contacts at your school of choice) and these steps help to make that a reality. (3) Try to write an economics paper or do some sort of research that you can talk about in a SOP. It doesn't have to be anything that you publish, or even the quality of an honor's thesis, it just helps out in showing that you have an interest in performing research. I wrote two papers in my classes for my masters program, and even though I never did anything with them, I was still able to talk about the research in my SOP. On a related note, make sure to mention that you have an interest in doing research (even if your ultimate goal is govt/consulting/teaching). (4) Take a decent amount of economics electives. I know that profiles like 15 classes in math with intermediate micro/macro can gain admission to a good many econ programs and that PhD econ classes don't resemble (from a methodology/math standpoint) the stuff that is taught at PhD programs, but there are still reasons to think that this a good strategy: (i) As discussed in point (1), it is important to have good letters from econ professors, and by taking upper level econ electives, you improve your chances at this (ii) it is likely, that at some point, you will either teach or ta an undergrad econ class, and by exposing yourself to different teaching methodologies within the field, you may help your performance in one or both of these tasks (iii) you'll have something to say about what topics in economics interest you and why you are drawn to economics as a discipline. (7) Become as informed about a dept as possible through the dept's website. It helps to read infro from dept newsletters and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the information posted about the grad program. Then use this information to your advantage when creating a SOP.....if for nothing else, this puts out a strong signal to the dept that you are very interested in their program (depts are looking for good students who won't reject their offers and this sends the I won't reject signal).

I had two early math F's and I got into Texas and MSU. So if youre otherwise solid, I would think you could probably do better than FSU and Georgia. This is only a guess since I dont have the rest of your profile. Of my standard advice (2), (3), (4), (7), and to some lesser extent (1) apply. (1) I think the main benefit of a US masters degree, for someone who already has a degree in economics, is to develop relationships with professors who will be able to write strong letters on your behalf. My masters program was particularly small and I took some of the less popular electives, so I wound up having classes with less than 5 students, which provide students with a good deal of interaction with faculty. Also, make use of seminar series and other social interaction opportunities given by the department. If you have smart questions or comments, its not a horrible idea to convey those, either after class or through email (just dont be obsessive about it and dont force it). Probably the single best asset a student can have is a well-written personalized LOR (esp if the professors have contacts at your school of choice) and these steps help to make that a reality. (2) If you have messups in your academic record, particularly in math and economics, don't be afraid to talk about the reasons for the poor grades in your SOP. I talked about my poor math grades in 3-5 of my SOPs: Texas, MSU, and OSU and I went 2 out of 3 at those schools (not to mention, I was pretty close to getting in at OSU). Now other things could be at play, but at the very least, I don't think mentioning my poor math grades hurt me. Also, I would think by not mentioning reasons for poor grades, adcoms are likely to assume the worst. (3) Try to write an economics paper or do some sort of research that you can talk about in a SOP. It doesn't have to be anything that you publish, or even the quality of an honor's thesis, it just helps out in showing that you have an interest in performing research. I wrote two papers in my classes for my masters program, and even though I never did anything with them, I was still able to talk about the research in my SOP. On a related note, make sure to mention that you have an interest in doing research (even if your ultimate goal is govt/consulting/teaching). (4) Take a decent amount of economics electives. I know that profiles like 15 classes in math with intermediate micro/macro can gain admission to a good many econ programs and that PhD econ classes don't resemble (from a methodology/math standpoint) the stuff that is taught at PhD programs, but there are still reasons to think that this a good strategy: (i) As discussed in point (1), it is important to have good letters from econ professors, and by taking upper level econ electives, you improve your chances at this (ii) it is likely, that at some point, you will either teach or ta an undergrad econ class, and by exposing yourself to different teaching methodologies within the field, you may help your performance in one or both of these tasks (iii) you'll have something to say about what topics in economics interest you and why you are drawn to economics as a discipline. (7) Become as informed about a dept as possible through the dept's website. It helps to read infro from dept newsletters and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the information posted about the grad program. Then use this information to your advantage when creating a SOP.....if for nothing else, this puts out a strong signal to the dept that you are very interested in their program (depts are looking for good students who won't reject their offers and this sends the I won't reject signal).

My yr of analysis covered most of 1 and 3.

Also, I forgot to mention, if youre curious the course schedule is on the registrar's website, so you can see who the instructors are and what our class times are (at least so far....I imagine things could change)

Math camp begins August 1st. I got that information from the website. At my masters school, they didnt assign our ta positions until about a week before classes, so it wouldnt surprise me if we didnt hear anything on that until math camp has already begun. But to answer your question: no info yet, but I dont think that is out of the ordinary...

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: B.S. Economics and B.S. Geography (did 2 undergrad degrees with minors in Math and History).....Econ dept ranked around 50 in US....large state school. Undergrad GPA: 3.66 Type of Grad: M.A. in Economics from a program that offers a PhD, but its PhD program would be ranked near last in the U.S. Took some undergrad math courses during my time here Grad GPA: 3.88ish I think GRE: 1st Time (2006): 760 Q 520 V 5.5 AWA 2nd Time (2008) 780 Q 540 V 5.0 AWA Courses taken in my last 2 years: Math Economics A Regulation/Antitrust A+ Bridge to Abstract Math A+ Law and Economics A Economic Development A- Economics of Health A Econometrics I A- Econometrics II B+ Econometrics III B+ Linear Algebra I A Math Statistics B+ (School I took this at doesnt give A-'s) Differential Equations A Microeconomics I A+ Aggregate Economics B+ Intermediate Analysis I (Rudin ch 1-4) A Elementary Abstract Algebra A Economic Policy Analysis A Urban Economics A Intermediate Analysis II (Cross-Listed with Grad Real Analysis I) Sp 09 Letters 9of Recommendation: All from Economics professors who are not well-known for research but 2 of the 3 should be very enthusiastic. PhDs from Texas AM (2) and UC San Diego Research Experience: Have papers Ive written.....Havent done anything with them. Teaching Experience: TA for Principles of Microeconomics for 1 yr Research Interests: Microeconomic Theory and IO Concerns: Low Econometrics grades....think I can do better in PhD program....took Econometrics I and II before Lin Alg and Math Stat. Also, had an attendence related F for Lin Alg as an undergrad...had a complicated F in Calc III (was getting a B-/C+, but wanted to use my school's grade forgiveness, so I got the required F) hoping strong math grades in other classes make up for this Applying to: Ohio State, Texas, Michigan State, Virginia, Arizona, and Oregon Admits: Texas (Full TA), MSU (no $) Rejects: OSU, UVA, UAZ Withdrew App: Oregon Attending: Texas Some of the things I learned from the process: (1) I think the main benefit of a US masters degree, for someone who already has a degree in economics, is to develop relationships with professors who will be able to write strong letters on your behalf. My masters program was particularly small and I took some of the less popular electives, so I wound up having classes with less than 5 students, which provide students with a good deal of interaction with faculty. Also, make use of seminar series and other social interaction opportunities given by the department. If you have smart questions or comments, its not a horrible idea to convey those, either after class or through email (just dont be obsessive about it and dont force it). Probably the single best asset a student can have is a well-written personalized LOR (esp if the professors have contacts at your school of choice) and these steps help to make that a reality. (2) If you have messups in your academic record, particularly in math and economics, don't be afraid to talk about the reasons for the poor grades in your SOP. I talked about my poor math grades in 3-5 of my SOPs: Texas, MSU, and OSU and I went 2 out of 3 at those schools (not to mention, I was pretty close to getting in at OSU). Now other things could be at play, but at the very least, I don't think mentioning my poor math grades hurt me. Also, I would think by not mentioning reasons for poor grades, adcoms are likely to assume the worst. (3) Try to write an economics paper or do some sort of research that you can talk about in a SOP. It doesn't have to be anything that you publish, or even the quality of an honor's thesis, it just helps out in showing that you have an interest in performing research. I wrote two papers in my classes for my masters program, and even though I never did anything with them, I was still able to talk about the research in my SOP. On a related note, make sure to mention that you have an interest in doing research (even if your ultimate goal is govt/consulting/teaching). (4) Take a decent amount of economics electives. I know that profiles like 15 classes in math with intermediate micro/macro can gain admission to a good many econ programs and that PhD econ classes don't resemble (from a methodology/math standpoint) the stuff that is taught at PhD programs, but there are still reasons to think that this a good strategy: (i) As discussed in point (1), it is important to have good letters from econ professors, and by taking upper level econ electives, you improve your chances at this (ii) it is likely, that at some point, you will either teach or ta an undergrad econ class, and by exposing yourself to different teaching methodologies within the field, you may help your performance in one or both of these tasks (iii) you'll have something to say about what topics in economics interest you and why you are drawn to economics as a discipline. (5) Take at least the std math load if possible: Calc I-III, Lin Alg, Math Stat and Prob (uses calculus), and Real Analysis. Whenever you are given the choice b/t an applied and a theoretical version of the same math course, take the more theoretical course (i.e. applied lin alg vs. lin alg). Depending on your background and goals, if you are deficient in math, consider taking courses as non-degree seeking undergrad. (6) Use the profile and results section to try and get an idea of the range of schools that you should apply to.....professors who have been out of the game for a bit will tend to think that you can get into schools that are likely better than you can get into....try to apply to a good range of schools (targets, safeties, and possibly some reaches if you feel the need....I would say that if you have a good idea of proper targets, then the third category is least important, especially if you are cash-strapped). (7) Become as informed about a dept as possible through the dept's website. It helps to read infro from dept newsletters and thoroughly familiarize yourself with the information posted about the grad program. Then use this information to your advantage when creating a SOP.....if for nothing else, this puts out a strong signal to the dept that you are very interested in their program (depts are looking for good students who won't reject their offers and this sends the I won't reject signal).

You already have A's in classes beyond the level of those classes and you have all of the std high level math that people will recommend (the three analysis courses and topology). How long ago were the F's? That could weigh into your decision. I wouldnt bother retaking them if they were particularly early on (just chop it up to being early on in your college career or not finding your passion yet). With your otherwise good background in math, I would take more economics electives. The purpose of this is three-fold: (1) It will help you better articulate what draws you to economics in your sop (2) youll develop better relationships with econ professors who will write your LORs and (3) youll expose yourself to a wider array of undergrad econ teaching methods if you ever find yourseld in a ta/instructor position. With these steps, I think you could probably get as high as 10-15 (e.g. Wisconsin or so). At least from my knowledge of forum results.

I had an F in Calc III and Applied Linear Algebra (missed a test in one and was going to get a C in the other and wanted to use grade forgiveness on the course which requires a D or F, so I skipped the final and wound up with an F in that course). After all that, I retook Calc III for an A, took a theoretical lin alg course that I got an A in, and then took Real Analysis, Intro to Proofs, and Abstract Algebra and got As in all of those. In my statements of purpose I talked about both classes and I wound up in at UT Austin and MSU (both ranked around 20-25).... So its not over really....... For my profile, check out the Roll Call.......Ill post profile and results in a couple of days....

Institution: Ohio State Program: PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: NA Notification date: April 29, 2009 Notified through: Website (Your application for admission was not approved) Comments: Took them long enough I suppose....

Institution: Ohio State Program: PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: NA Notification date: April 29, 2009 Notified through: Website (Your application for admission was not approved) Comments: Took them long enough I suppose....

Im not sure if the OP is still around, but if he/she is and is still deciding, Rutgers has pretty poor academic placement and pretty good private placement.

MSU rejected me last year and accepted me this year, so it is not unheard of....(though you may be applying in a different range)....you should do things to improve your profile though....I didnt tell them that my application was a reapplication.

I preferred Princeton Review to Barrons.....though I honestly didnt like either book. I would recommend the book put out by ETS....especially for the writing section. The book will really give you a good idea about what to expect on that (along with sample essays and scores).... Also, you get the benefit of actual past exams......I always felt like Barron's watered down the questions in their final exams (to make you feel like you accomplished something by the end of the book)......maybe its my imagination though :OP

Ditto! I would imagine thatll change in a yr......at least if I get through my first yr.... :)

I will post my take on my admission outcomes in a couple of days....or tonight depending on how I feel.....

Sweet.....Texas is top 25 (barely).

At least its not something out of the ballpark.....like an Econ PhD to an American Literature PhD

South Florida. Nowhere in rankings, but I did well enough for myself I suppose :)