platonicity

I have become more interested in higher-level theoretical mathematics throughout my junior year. Obviously being too late to complete a concurrent math major, is it possible to do an Economics PhD that heavily stresses mathematics (such areas as Game Theory, Mechanism Design, CompSci) over well...empirical economics? I have little interest in econometrics unfortunately and find math theory to be more interesting and 'beautiful'. Are there any areas of economics like this and could you point me to some journals that would have such papers? Sorry if I hijacked this thread a little bit.

These are the programs I'm looking at (tentatively), roughly ranked in order of rankings: Chicago, CalTech, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, Boston College, UVA and as a hedge possibly Cambridge mPhil, BU MA and Tufts MA. Do these look about right as enough 20-30 range schools or should I add more on the low end? Any suggestions?

That gives me a lot more confidence! Though I'm sure your profile was stronger than mine. jz722: Grades in math courses like Calculus and Calc III are often representative of the work you put into them. You can definitely not do much work and get by, but an A in CalcIII requires a lot of time doing practice problems, homework problem sets, etc. while Real Analysis is indicative of not only hard work but pure mathematical thinking strategies. I was bored in CalcIII, did bad in the class (well, the final. I had a B+ going into the final), Real Analysis sparked my interests and I worked hard to do well.

I have not asked the sources of my LOR yet because I have yet to work very closely with a few of them, one hopefully being my research mentor this summer and also my honors adviser in the fall. The other I know will write me a good rec. I will try to establish a good relationship with both of them this summer and hopefully can convince them of my abilities (1 phD in Math from PSU/1 phD in Econ from Harvard). I hope taking grad level micro will help as I go to a top 25 school in Economics. My fall semester should look as follows: Honors Econ 4XX level, Honors Thesis (2 credits), Graduate Micro I, and two of either: Real Analysis II, Complex Analysis, Linear Programs in Optimization, Theory of Games, Discreet Math, or Classical Analysis I (Topology) Any suggestions on what courses would make my application a little more competitive and prepare me for graduate work?

Do most schools wait until they receive grades from the Fall for admission decisions or are last year grades largely ignored? I think I'd be able to raise my GPA a little bit (~.3) and show very strong grades in important classes. Any advice on some math classes to supplement my transcript?

Here is my profile guys, Top State School (Flagship) B.S. in Economics (Honors Program) Undergrad GPA: 3.70 (Currently a Junior) Math Courses: Calculus I-III(A/A/C+), Linear Algebra(A), Real Analysis I (A) Econ Courses: Intermediate Macro/Micro(A/A-), Econometrics I/II(A/A), Money&Banking(A), Advanced International Trade (B+), Advanced Labor Economics(A) Other Courses: Physics(B-), Chemistry(A), Computer Science C++(B+) Research: Summer RA (this summer), Senior Thesis GRE: (Taking this summer/fall) Does my C+ in Calc III significantly hurt my chances at a top 20 program? Are there any courses I should take next semester to try to make up for it, such as Concepts of Geometry, Linear Optimization, Complex Analysis, etc.? I am really down on myself about it, I really grasped the material but the tests were impossible with a high F average for the class. My professor even remarked how absurd it was but could do nothing since many teachers taught the class and only a few actually created the test, so their classes did well on it and ours did not. My interests are in micro theory and game theory, which I am doing research on this summer and plan on doing my senior thesis on also. Where should my "range" be focused on based on this information (Top 20, 30, etc.)? I plan on taking graduate level micro next semester. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate any advice any of you have for me. I've learned so much from these boards, keep up the great work and best of luck to you all starting programs in the fall!