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Type of undergrad- BS - MS dual degree in Mathematics from a reputed science institute in India. Master's thesis project done at Computer science dept in India's top most institute. Undergrad GPA- (so far) 9.0 on a 10 point scale. GRE - 169 Q, 156 V, 3 AW Math Courses- [We have A-B-C-D scoring pattern] Calculus - I,II (A); Linear Algebra(A); Probability and Statistics- I (A), II (B); Analysis - 4 courses (B); Group Theory (B); Point Set topology (B); Graph Theory, Algorithms, Mathematical Biology (A); ODE(A), PDE(B) ; Calculus on Manifolds, Differential Geometry (A); Combinatorics (B); Stochastic Processes (A) Economics Courses- None. But I have done a few online courses and took up some related projects M-S Thesis Project- Mainly studying economic models using extensive mathematics including Optimization and Game Theory. Should lead to a publication eventually. LOR - One from my MS guide who is in CS dept, but has done algorithmic game theory previously, One from a prof who has taught 4 courses and guided for a semester project. Third from my statistics Prof, who taught 2 courses and guided for a semester project. Research Experience - Currently doing my MS project which is mostly about forming new theories and computations, which can definitely count as a research experience. Took up one summer project in Game theory. Have worked on 4 semester projects studying Learning theory, complex analysis, Game theory etc. No other formal research experience. Teaching Experience- No formal experience. But confident about teaching maths. Research interests - Development Economics, Microeconomic Theories, Game Theory. I know that I have nothing to show my economics skills, but I have been reading Economics since last three years. I have taken all courses which can help me in doing economics. I have read and studied various parts of Game Theory since last two years. Also, the ongoing project involves a lot of economic understanding and I need to read some research papers for that. I aim to apply to various universities in the US for Econ PhD. I'm confused about my odds at getting into one because of formal training in extensive maths. No one from my institute has studied economics further, except a student who took up MS in Finance at Oxford. Could you please give any inputs as to how I should proceed? Also, I won't be able to apply to more than 13-14 universities, so which universities should I be applying to? Thank you very much in advance.

Hey y'all Can y'all give me advice on what range of schools I should be shooting for? This is my first posting here. I'll keep the intro short and sweet. I am an undergrad student graduating in December with a BS in Economics and a minor in Math. I go to a small private "teaching" university that has some recognition in certain circles, though Economics is not one. In high school, I always did well but had no idea what I wanted to do. I choose my university based off my interest at the time: music. Fortunately, I wised up and fell in love with econ and math. Because not many of our graduates go on to grad school, I really have no idea where I should be shooting, hence this post. I do have two data points though. One of my friends just got accepted in FSU's Ph.D. program. He had a perfect econ GPA and some math classes (calc 1-3, discrete, and diff equ). Also, one graduate just got accepted to Vandy's Ph.D. program after he got a masters from UT Austin. He did not have much math background from my understanding. With that outta the way, my profile. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: US small, private, "teaching" university Undergrad GPA: 3.96 Type of Grad: N/A Grad GPA: N/A GRE: Not yet, getting ready to take it now. Scoring perfects on math practice tests. Math Courses: Calculus I, II, & III (As), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (A-), Discrete Math (A), Elementary Stats (A), Data Analysis Lab (A), Introduction to Analysis (A, essentially Set Theory & Topology of the Reals up to Continuity), Introduction to Analysis 2 (A, independent study, from Continuity/Uniform Continuity, Derivatives and Integrals, and Series with pointwise convergence). Econ Courses: Micro & Macro, Principles and Intermediate (As), Labor (A), International (A), Forecasting (A), Public Economics (A), Mathematical Economics (A), Managerial Economics (A), and a 1 hour research independent study this fall (almost certain will be A. Other Courses: Nothing that really matters I think. Letters of Recommendation: I do not think my professors are really that well know, however, I have VERY good relationships with all of them. My first will be from a professor that I have the best relationship with. He got his PhD from LSU and is essentially a mentor. I have had him for 3 courses and he is also the professor I am doing my research independent study with. We plan on trying to get it publish via some sort of channel. He will be mentioned a few more times in this post so I will refer to him as Doc from now on. I will probably have my second one by the chair of our department who is also my academic adviser. I have pulled data for one of her papers and will be a co-author when it is published. I had her for Forecasting. Lastly, I am thinking about having my 3rd letter be from my analysis professor who I did the independent study with. She got her PhD from Purdue and is the "analysis expert" in our math department. Research Experience: I have presented a paper at NCUR (the national undergrad research conference) along with two presentations at the Federal Reserve of Dallas's ESP undergrad research conference. I also served on the peer review board for the ESP conference last year. As mentioned above, I have pulled data for one professor and will be a co-author on her paper. As well, I am doing that research independent study with Doc and we hope to present it at a conference and get it published. I have had two research oriented internships: one with the Nashville Mayor's Office (guess that kinda gives away my location, oh well) where I built a model that helped estimate the ROI of various business incentives the city offers and one with a market research firm where I am doing a bunch of stats (both "standard" hypothesis testing of samples and regression analysis) and report writing this summer and in the fall as well. Doc also had me review and evaluate a paper for a journal he peer reviews. Obviously he guided me very carefully along the way and had to approve everything, however, I did a lot of the evaluation by myself. Was not a technical paper or anything outside of my current abilities. Teaching Experience: N/A Research Interests: Definitely micro, I do not like macro that much. However, I have not solidified the exact areas yet. Will be fleshing this out sometime soon. SOP: Not exactly sure what to say here. It will be the best SOP they've ever read? :) Software: Proficient in R, familiar with SAS and SPSS. Obviously Excel haha I am a little worried that since there is no formal Econometrics course on my transcript, they will think I have had no exposure to it. However, I have self taught myself everything that is taught in a standard undergrad Econometrics course, plus a little more. Econometrics hasn't been offered in awhile at my university... I know, strange. I am hoping that since I am have done a lot of activities that require me to know Econometrics, it will signal that I do know Econometrics. Similarly, I do have Forecasting on my transcript, so I guess that helps. That's it. Tell me what you think. Obviously, I'd like to shoot as high as possible. Thanks for any feedback! (Sorry for any typos or bad grammar, kind of tired but want to get this out there)

Hi everyone, I'm currently filling out applications for PhD in accounting for 2015 Fall. The following is my profile summary. Any comment or help is much appreciated. International applicant Undergrad: Regional State College in the US GPA: 3.95/4.00 Double Major in Accounting and Economics GMAT: 650 (V29, Q49) (My practice tests scores were higher but I never got more than 700. I screwed up further during the actual test. And I did put more more than 3 months in preparation. I believe 650 +/- 30 is my range. I do not plan to retake GMAT for my fall 2015 applications,) LoR: 1 from Accounting, 1 from Economics, and 1 from Mathematics Department. I am pretty sure they are going to be excellent. SOP: Mediocre Work: Did 3 internships (at small regional tax firms). Taught a class of 20 11th-grade students in 2009 for a year. That experience is my inspiration for teaching. Research assistant: Worked as a research assistant with a professor (International Business related) Extracurriculars: 400+ volunteer and leadership hours in the past 6 years. University Employment: Official Tutor for the School of Business for 4 years at my college. Math background: Calculus I, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, Independent Study: Sotchastic Calculus (All A's except an A- in Linear Algebra) Accounting Background: Intermediate Acct I & II, Tax I & II, Auditing, Cost Accounting and Advanced Financial Accounting (All A's except a B+ in Tax I) Economics Background: Intermediate MicroEconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, International Economics, Environmental Economics, Money and Economic Activity, Econometrics (All A's) Awards: Academic Achievement Award- Economics Class of 2014, Best Economics Student- 2013. I am interested in researching in Archival Financial Accounting. As of now I think I will be more interested in areas related to Disclosures in Publicly Traded Firms. I have sent my scores to UT Austin, University of Houston, Texas A&M, Penn State University, University of Central Florida, and Morgan State University. I plan to apply to 2 more TOP schools, 4 more schools matching my profile strength, and 3 more Safety Schools. My broader list includes: NYU, Northwestern, Uni of Illinois Urbana, Temple Uni, Florida St Uni, Florida international Uni, University of Florida, All of Uni of Texas with accounting, Arizona state, University of arizona, University of Gerogia, Georgia State Uni. The list was basically based on Availability of Accounting programs as mentioned in their websites and cost of living. (I suffered a lot living in NJ for my undergrad). Any suggestions on this list and addition to is more than welcome. P.S. I cannot afford to attend the program if I do not get tuition waivers and stipends. I found the related information is well stated in the top universities but not clearly mentioned in the lower ranked universities. I was wondering if sufficient funding is available in lower ranked universities. Again, I will appreciate any help or comments. Thank you, Zikxy

Hey guys, thanks for taking the time. Good luck to you all !! Type of Undergrad: Best South American – Economics B.A., some grad courses. Minor in Art History. Undergrad GPA: 3.6 Type of Grad:N/A Grad GPA:N/A GRE: Q: 167, V: 160, AW: 4.0 Math Courses: Multivariate Calculus (3 Courses)(A), Linear Algebra (A), Probability Theory (A), Mathematical Statistics (B), Real Analysis (B), Differential Equations (A), Variation Calculus (A). Econ Courses: Intro Micro/Macro (A, A), Intermediate Micro/Macro (A,A), Advanced Econometrics (B), Advanced Macro/Microeconometrics (B/C), International Trade (A), Advanced Microeconomics I ©, Advanced Microeconomics II (A), Advanced Microeconomics III (A), Advanced Macroeconomics (B), Development (A), Optimal Taxation Theory (A). Research Experience: RA for researcher in finance (Chicago PhD). BA thesis. Work Experience: 1 year intern at federal research department 1 year at finance firm (working for a bunch of PhD alumni) Letters of Recommendation: (Possible letters) 1 Junior Faculty (not a really strong letter, not so well connected) 1 Thesis Advisor, Senior Faculty (I don’t know how good his LOR could be) 2 Current job (Harvard and Stanford PhD alumni should be good, some connections at certain Universities) 1 PhD Chicago researcher (might be good) Research Interests: Macroeconomics, Macroeconometrics, Finance (secondary). SOP: Standard Comments: I suck at PR and I didn’t do as good as I should have at school, so it’s really likely that my academic LORs will be weak. Also, I’m willing to do M.A. programs to boost academic LORs and re-apply to PhD programs, hopefully having a better shot at high-rank PhD programs (Top 12). Applying to: Clueless, please make suggestions. Biggest concerns: Possible weak LORs GPA could be better.

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Business Administration. Best Italian University Undergrad GPA: 108/110 Type of Grad: Top UK University - Master of Public Administration Grad GPA: Merit GRE: 96%Q, 80%V,92%AW Math Courses: Undergraduate courses in Math (A-), Financial Math (A), Statistics (A-) Econ Courses (grad-level): Applied Econometrics (pass), Micro and Macroeconomics (Distinction) Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Macro (A), Micro (A) Other Courses: European Political Economy (Merit, graduate), International Finance (Merit, graduate) Letters of Recommendation: 2 lecturers at the graduate institution I attended, and 1 at the undergraduate institution Research Experience: Summer intern in a think-tank in Brussels, Research Consultant for Deloitte Teaching Experience: 0 Research Interests: Political Economy, Macroeconomics SOP: ok Concerns: No strong math and econ coursework. Very interdisciplinary background (started a social impact business in Italy, and 1 year I.B. in London) Other: Applying to: most of the Top 20 universities Can you please help me figuring out my chances to get at a top school and where to apply? Thank you.

Undergrad: Top 10 schools of economics in Turkey Took more than 70 courses and made one year internship during undergrad Overall GPA:3.87/4.00 Major GPA: 3.94/4.00 Math GPA: 3.85/4.00 Masters : Top 3 schools of Economics in Turkey 13 students admitted only two of us survived. GPA: 3.56/4.00 Research Publications Have 6 ongoing project one is at final stage I am about to summit it to one of the top journals it is incredible according to my professors. GRE: 164 Quan,142 Verbal,3 AW TOEFL: 98 and 99 worse parts are different so I think about sending both. I took real analysis graduate level and get A. Teaching Experience: I was TA since my second year in undergraduate study for different courses like micro macro econometrics Software: STATA,E-Views, SPSS, Gretl, Matlab excellent level for all Research Experience: I work 8 months in Experimental Lab and I started to write a paper on macroecomics in my third year,in which I used PSID(Panel Study of Income Dynamics) and write a piece of code which corrects the mistakes of this well-known data set. Please tell me where to apply I want to work on macro, development or international economics.

Academic Profile (I apologize for any ambiguity, but I wish to inquire anonymously :shy:): BA in Business Administration w/ concentration in International Business BS in Accounting Minor in Spanish Masters of Accountancy w/ concentration in Tax GPA:3.4 I attended the same university for undergraduate and graduate degrees, and it routinely finishes in the top 10 of scoring nationwide on the CPA exam. Additionally, I was very involved with a number of organizations on campus; I assume, however, that this fact is nearly irrelevant at this point. GMAT: 650 (79th percentile) (42 Verbal, 36 Quantitative). I scored WELL above this on all simulated exams (GMAT provided and 3rd party), but honestly I don’t do well under lots of pressure. I’m wary of retaking the exam, as it’s always possible I’ll do worse. After graduating I studied full-time for the Uniform CPA Exam, and passed all parts on my first attempts (avg. score of 82, again, not great under pressure). I do not have my license quite yet, as my state board requires new CPA’s to work a full year for licensing. I know that ideally programs would like applicants to have experience in Big 4 accounting, but I for a multitude of reasons I chose to work in industry, and honestly feel I have learned more than many of my peers who went Big 4. I began working in the tax department of a fast-growing Fortune 500 company after completion of my exam in November 2011. Our department is comprised of 7 employees responsible for all income and sales taxes, and I report directly to the head of the department. I deal with assignments on both the income and sales tax sides and have taken the lead on several important research projects, cost-benefit analysis/tax planning projects, as well as general compliance and reporting. I am very involved in my community, as a volunteer with BBBS and my parish’s youth ministry. I am also very active in general, playing for a men's rugby team, and running 2 marathons per year. (Again, this may be completely irrelevant, but may come in hand during an interview). I am interested in applying to: Arizona State, University of Memphis, Ole Miss, Florida International, Southern Illinois, LSU, & Arkansas I realize I’m not a shoe-in for any of these schools (and four of them are probably “reach schools”), but am I completely unrealistic with where I’m looking? If so, where would you suggest? Thanks!

Hello, I'm going to be a senior this upcoming academic year and was looking into PhD programs. I have researched many economics, marketing, decision science, etc. programs and all of them seem to fit my interests a little bit but I am not sure which would be the best fit. My research interest is explaining the causes of obesity--specifically, applying the economic model to answering such questions in terms of effect of obesity on changes of income, the decision of whether or not to exercise, the effect of a tax on unhealthy foods, etc. However, I am more interested in applied work than I am developing theory--i.e. I enjoy statistics more than I do mathematics. If any of you could at least recommend a suitable field, let alone one from a specific university that would be suitable, I would be much obliged. Here's my profile: Undergrad: University ranked in 90-100 Undergrad GPA: 3.86 Math Courses: Calc I: B+, Calc II: A, Multivariate: B+, Elementary Number Theory: A- [taking DiffEQs and Linear Algebra this semester--plan to take Real Analysis next semester if necessary] Econ Courses: Intro to Micro: A, Intro to Macro: A, Intermediate Micro: B+ (studied abroad--taken at top 100 university in the world); History of Economic Thought: B (same story as previous); Intermediate Macro: A; Labor Economics: A I am taking econometrics, international economics, and economics of development this semester. Statistics: Business Statistics: A, Introduction to Statistics (calculus based): A Honor Societies: Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Alpha Sigma Nu (national Jesuit honor society--only 4% of graduating class inducted) I haven't taken the GRE yet because I planned to work for a few years while studying for the GRE so I can focus on schoolwork.