Roll Call 2012

[BScMAPhD]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Bachelor of Science in Math(With Honors)

Undergrad GPA: 3.78 (ranked 1)

Type of Grad: MA Economics

Grad GPA: 3.9 (ranked 1)

Math Courses: Calculus(Mathematical Analyses) I- III (A), Linear Algebra I&II (A), Probability Theory I & II (A), Diff. Equations I & II (A), Numerical Analysis I & II (A)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Econ Growth, Time Series I & II, Advanced Micro, Advanced Econometrics (A)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): none

Other Courses: None relevant.

Letters of Recommendation: 1) Well-known Mathematician(I served as TA),

2) Professor,my MA Thesis Advisor,

3) Professor of Econometrics (should be very nice letter)

Research Experience: Published math paper

Teaching Experience: TA for Macro, Math, Econometrics.

Research Interests: Macro, Econ Growth.

SOP: Standard

Concerns:

Other:

Applying to: Princeton, Chicago, Columbia, NYU, Yale, U of Michigan, UC Berkley, UCLA, Brown, Boston U, Northwestern U, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper), Ohio State U, Cornell, U of Wisconsin Madison, Duke.

[Gouverneur]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA Economics w/ minor in Mathematics (Rutgers: ~50th US university, ~50th econ)

Undergrad GPA: 2.9 (cumulative of all four undergrad institutions I've attended); 3.7 (from the college I will graduate from)

Type of Grad:

Grad GPA:

GRE: 161Q, 159V, 4.0AW

Math Courses: Calc i-iii, Linear algebra, Differential equations, Intro to proofs, Probability theory, Abstract linear algebra, Intro real analysis

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro/Intermediate micro/macro, Econometrics, Industrial organization, Financial economics, Market discipline, Development, Game theory

Other Courses: intro stats

Letters of Recommendation: all 3 from econ professors: decent, good, and outstanding, I believe

Research Experience: none

Teaching Experience: none

Research Interests: microeconomic theory, game theory, io, labor, development

SOP: brief

Concerns: failed tons of classes my first two years of college

Other:

Applying to: U Washington Seattle, U Oregon, Cornell, Western Ontario, Queen's, Warwick, Cemfi, Tilburg, Bonn

[Hubble]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in economics and BS in mathematics from top undergraduate institution in my country (Double degree)

Undergrad GPA: 3.98/4.0 (ranked first in my class)

Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0 (just took a few classes)

GRE: 690V, 800Q, 4.0AW

Math Courses(undergrad-level): Cal, Vector Cal(A+,A), Linear Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Abstract Algebra 1,2(A+,A+), Applied Algebra(A+), Real Analysis 1,2,3(A,A+,A), Topology(A+), Intro/Diff eq,Ordinary Diff eq1,2, Partial Diff eq1(A+,A+,A+,A), Probability theory(A+), Stochastic Processes(A), Set theory(A+), Mathematical Reasoning(A+), Scientific Computing(A+)

Math Courses(grad-level): Stochastic Processes(A), Mathematical Statistics(A+)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Macro1(A+), Topics in Macro(A+)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): a whole bunch

Other Courses: a few programming classes with all A+

Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors

Research Experience: summer research internship at top 15 Econ program in the U.S., 2 working papers

Teaching Experience: TA for an undergraduate math class

Research Interests: applied macro, time-series analysis

SOP: standard. I talked about how my previous research experience led me to have current research interest.

Concerns: didn't take graduate micro classes

Other:

Applying to: MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, Upenn, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, Wisconsin-Madison, Brown

Edited February 16, 2012 by Hubble

[Anon1]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: 1st BA in French (Minors in Russian and Spanish) from Top 10 US Liberal Arts College; 2nd BA in Economics and Management from Oxford

Undergrad GPA: 3.87/4 in US. Formal Oxford examinations in May/June.

Type of Grad:

Grad GPA:

GRE: 760Q, 690V, 6AW

Math Courses: Mathematical Methods (covers Lin Al., Differential Equations, Probability and Multivariable Calculus - not Real Analysis or Proofs)

Econ Courses (grad-level):

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Game Theory, Quantitative Econ, Econometrics, Microeconomic Theory

Other Courses: Typical liberal arts stuff; a ton of languages in my first degree

Letters of Recommendation: 2 from Oxford professors (not super well-known, but quite respectable), 1 from US Liberal Arts Professor/Thesis Advisor in French Department

Research Experience: Independent Research Fellowship in Mali on Literary Topic. Published translation. Nothing in economics.

Teaching Experience: TA in French and Tutor in Russian

Research Interests: Game Theory, Time Inconsistency, Bounded Rationality

SOP: Short and direct. Research focused, with some customization for each program.

Concerns: 760Q was done a couple of years ago, and I'm confident I'd do better now. That said, it might hurt. Lack of research in Econ another big issue. Can they be sure that I have the mathematics and passion necessary for economics PhD? I do, but that might not be self-evident from the application.

Other: I thought I was a pretty atypical candidate, but looking at other profiles, I've noticed that many have non-standard paths to PhD in Econ

Applying to: PhD: Carnegie Mellon (SDS), Caltech (Social Science), MIT, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan; MA: Queen's, UBC, UWO

[LUDuckling]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Well-respected LAC

Undergrad GPA: 3.99 Economics/Maths

GRE: 730/800/4.0

Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, ODE, Probability, Math Stat, Real Analysis

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, IO, Economic Thought, Development, Money Banking

Letters of Recommendation:professor of grad micro class; econ prof; math thesis advisor

Research Experience:REU; RA; math thesis

Teaching Experience: TA math & econ for 2 years

Research Interests: micro, behavioral, not really set

Applying to: H, HBS, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Stanford GSB, MIT, Columbia, NYU, JHU, UMD, Brown, UCLA, CIT, Cornell, CMU, Berkeley, NW, Chicago

[darcular21]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Unknown China University, BBM in Logistics Management, BA in Finance

Undergrad GPA: 3.74(LM)/3.85(Finance)/4.00(Full Mark)

Type of Grad: UK good econ school

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: Q168 V150 AW4.0

Math Courses: Calculus I © Calculus II (A) Linear Algebra © Probability (A) Statistics (A) Operational Research (A)

Econ Courses (grad-level): micro, macro, metrics(90 mid-term), maths, IO, game theory, empirical methods

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro(A) Macro(A) Metrics(B) International Trade(A) International Finance(B for major and A for minor)

Other Courses: regular finance courses

Letters of Recommendation: one from UK metrics professor (IDEAS 6%), one from China LM professor (unknown), all should be positive

Research Experience: Chinese National Contest of Logistics Design (can be ignored)

Teaching Experience: no

Research Interests: IO, law and economics, finance

SOP: regular, mentioned the reserach currently doing

Concerns: Low GRE Verbal, unknown LOR, unknown undergraduate, lack of econ background

Other:

Applying to: Tinbergen, Tilburg, UC3M, UAB, BONN, Mannheim, Bocconi, Frankfurt

[dbeef]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, econ + math double major.

Undergrad GPA: 3.82 (3.83 econ, 3.58 math)

Type of Grad: 3 math field courses, and a masters/advanced undergrad micro theory course; additional econ field course at a top 10 program while working.

Grad GPA: 3.62

GRE: 163Q, 163V, 5.5AW

Math Courses: Random undergrad (calc, odes, etc... mostly As), Analysis (B), Algebra (B-), Probability theory (B+), Grad complex w/ some functional (A-), Other grad math (A,A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Labor (A), Micro(B-), Asset pricing (A-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro and macro (A+,A+,A), metrics (A-), some other honors courses (As)

Other Courses: Some chem and physics + some businessy CS courses (As)

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a well known econ professor I took a grad course with (top 1% IDEAS ranking), 2 additional strong (hopefully?), detailed letters from fairly well known economists who observed me in a research setting (one regional fed economist and one thesis advisor), a 4th letter from a math professor I took grad courses from.

Research Experience: A ton. In econ: a few undergrad RAships (over 3.5 years), a solid undergrad honors paper, and 1.5 years as an RA at a regional Fed... a couple of published papers as a coauthor in decent field journals plus a few coauthored working papers, some policy papers, and a couple self-authored (under the guidance of my letter writers) working papers. Other: was part of a math/theoretical physics research team for a while and also did some material chemistry research as an undergrad.

Research Interests: Lots, but mainly labor, health, and theory.

SOP: Standard-ish with some sections individualized for each school.

Concerns: A few bad math grades and a marginal GRE score

Applying to: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, NSF

[econpegasus]

Good post?

http://www.www.urch.com/forums/images/buttons/ha_plus.png | http://www.www.urch.com/forums/images/buttons/ha_minus.png

econpegasus

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad:

B.A. Economics. Unknown Latinamerican university.

Undergrad GPA:

3.8 (first in class of 50). 3.8 econ and math.

Type of Grad:

M.A. Economics Unknown Latinamerican university (only postgraduate studies different than undergrad). M.S.C. Applied Mathematics Unknown Latinamerican university different from the former. All these studies where made in the same country.

Grad GPA:

M.A. Economics (3.87 fist in class of 23). Msc. Applied Math (3.92 first in class of 12).

GRE:

163Q (93%), 160V (90%), 4AW (48%). (I'm international so TOEFL iBT 112/120)

Math Courses:

(listed only the most advanced) Real Analysis (grad 4.0 A), Probability (grad 4.0 A), Stochastic Processes (grad 4.0 A), Stochastic Calculus II (grad 4.0 A), Abstract Algebra (grad B), Linear Algebra, Calculus I,II,III, Diff Equations, Topology I, Numerical Analysis, Math for econ, advanced math for econ (undergrad all A). Plus a lot of stats and econometric courses all A. Time series, Statistics, Econometrics I,II,III.

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I, Micro II (A), Game Theory (A), Macroeconomics (A), Macroeconomics for development (A), Trade Theory (A), Welfare Econ (A),

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Advanced Macro and Micro, and others but less advanced than master's so not included.

Other Courses:

Some programming courses in C++, non parametric methods in R, Stata courses, languages French.

Letters of Recommendation: (weak point)

1. from master's thesis advisor (very strong in content, he tell me that) but relative unknown in the US, however he gained his Ph.D. from Cornell. 2. from master's coordinator of applied masters program, he is Ph.D. in Statistics from Western Ontario, (hopefully strong in content). 3. from econ master's coordinator and professor of econometrics, he has published in top development journals in the field I prefer (impact evaluation) strong in content. He is not a U.S. Ph.D. he graduated from Netherlands Social Studies Institute. 4. from professor in a statistical course, he is from LSE and although new has published in top journals in econ and stats (hopefully strong in content). from professor in statistical course, he is from Virgina Tech, and has published top journals in economics of development, very strong in content.

Research Experience:

Two published papers in local Central Bank Review, one with overlapping generations model and another with instrumental variables. Research assistanship for 2 years for a published paper in convergence. Solid master's thesis using game theory and simulations, recommended for publication in my master's institution. Local economic research contest second place. Working paper sent to regional journal. At the time of application only sent so this does not add value (sigh).

Research Interests: Program evaluation techniques, theoretical and empirical econometrics for development.

SOP:

Standard-ish with last paragraph changed and some sections modified according universities' requierements.

Concerns: Far from stellar LORs.

Applying to:

Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, NYU, UCSD, Duke, Rochester, Cornell, Brown, GWU, LSE, Tilburg, UofT Austin.

[econpegasus]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: B.A. Economics. Unknown Latinamerican university.

Undergrad GPA: 3.8 (first in class of 50). 3.8 econ and math.

Type of Grad: M.A. Economics Unknown Latinamerican university (only postgraduate studies different than undergrad). M.S.C. Applied Mathematics Unknown Latinamerican university different from the former. All these studies where made in the same country.

Grad GPA: M.A. Economics (3.87 fist in class of 23). Msc. Applied Math (3.92 first in class of 12).

GRE: 163Q (93%), 162V (90%), 4AW (48%). (I'm international so TOEFL iBT 112/120)

Math Courses: (listed only the most advanced) Real Analysis (grad 4.0 A), Probability (grad 4.0 A), Stochastic Processes (grad 4.0 A), Stochastic Calculus II (grad 4.0 A), Abstract Algebra (grad B), Linear Algebra, Calculus I,II,III, Diff Equations, Topology I, Numerical Analysis, Math for econ, advanced math for econ (undergrad all A). Plus a lot of stats and econometric courses all A. Time series, Statistics, Econometrics I,II,III.

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro I, Micro II (A), Game Theory (A), Macroeconomics (A), Macroeconomics for development (A), Trade Theory (A), Welfare Econ (A),

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Advanced Macro and Micro, and others but less advanced than master's so not included.

Other Courses: Some programming courses in C++, non parametric methods in R, Stata courses, languages French.

Letters of Recommendation: (weak point) 1. from master's thesis advisor (very strong in content, he told me that) but relative unknown in the US, however he gained his Ph.D. from Cornell. 2. from master's coordinator of applied masters program, he is Ph.D. in Statistics from Western Ontario, (hopefully strong in content). 3. from econ master's coordinator and professor of econometrics, he has published in top development journals in the field I prefer (impact evaluation) strong in content. He is not a U.S. Ph.D. he graduated from Netherlands Social Studies Institute. 4. from professor in a statistical course, he is from LSE and although new has published in top journals in econ and stats (hopefully strong in content). from professor in statistical course, he is from Virgina Tech, and has published top journals in economics of development, very strong in content.

Research Experience: Two published papers in local Central Bank Review, one with overlapping generations model and another with instrumental variables. Research assistanship for 2 years for a published paper in convergence. Solid master's thesis using game theory and simulations, recommended for publication in my master's institution. Local economic research contest second place. Working paper sent to regional journal. At the time of application only sent so this does not add value (sigh).

Research Interests: Program evaluation techniques, theoretical and empirical econometrics for development.

SOP: Standard-ish with last paragraph changed and some sections modified according universities' requierements.

Concerns: Far from stellar LORs.

Applying to: Chicago, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Yale, Berkeley, NYU, UCSD, Duke, Rochester, Cornell, Brown, GWU, LSE, Tilburg, UofT Austin.

Edited February 22, 2012 by econpegasus

[rocker10]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Joint Honours Biomedical Sciences/Economics (Well reputed Canadian university)

Undergrad GPA: 3.5

Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: N/A

Math Courses: Calc I&II (A-/In Progress), Linear Algebra (A-), Intro Stats (A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Mathematics for Economists (A+), Intro Micro/Macro (A/C+), Intermediate Micro/Macro I (A-/A+), Intermediate Micro/Macro II (A/A+), International Finance I (A+), Intro Econometrics (A+), Law and Economics (A-), Advanced Econometrics/Micro/Macro (In Progress)

Other Courses: Lots of science courses as part of the biomedical sciences degree including physics, chemistry and biology

Letters of Recommendation: From two very well known profs at my university.

Research Experience: Lots of biomedical research in various labs for diabetes, alzheimer's, cancer. Hopefully this shows research aptitude?

Teaching Experience: N/A

Research Interests: Development Economics, Public Policy

SOP: N/A

Concerns: Lack of mathematics background and my late transition into an Economics joint degree after being in Biomed for the majority of undergrad.

Other: N/A

Applying to: Western MA, Queen's MA, Toronto MA

 

Good luck to everyone applying!

[applicant12]

Type of undergrad: BS Economics, Finance, Math minor from a mid-sized state university (not flagship), has a well-regarded international business program, econ dept is in the college of art & sciences and has sent some people to some top 20 schools and several people to programs ranked below 20

Undergrad GPA: 3.96/4.00; ranked 1st in both Econ and Finance (my advisers told me this), but rank is not published on transcript

Type of Grad: MA Econ, same school, started Spring 2012

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: 770Q 330V 4.0AWA

Math courses: Cal 1-3, Discrete math, Math stats I, II, Linear Algebra (all A's); Real Analysis (A-); ODE (Spring 2012)

Econ courses (all undergrad): Intro micro-macro, Intermediate Micro-Macro, Intro to Econometrics, Money Banking, Game theory, International Economics (all A's); Applied Econometrics (A-)

Other courses: a bunch of business courses for the Finance major

LORs: should all be good to strong

1) Econometrics prof (PhD Illinois) - I did an independent research with her and presented it at the school's undergrad research symposium; working as an RA for her right now

2) Applied econometrics professor (PhD Arizona)

3) International econ prof (PhD Iowa State). Took a class with him and he likes me.

Research exp: presented a research at the school's Undergrad Research Symposium, 1 semester of RA by the time of application, a few papers in classes

Teaching exp: taught short courses on many topics related to computers (MS Office, Web-page building, Photoshop, etc.) at the place where I work

Research Interest: Macro, Monetary, public finance, international finance

SOP: standard. Didn't mention professors' names or anything too particular

Concerns: from a not-so-well-known school, no grad courses yet, low GRE, no ODE

Other: won some university-wide and departmental scholarships; can't attend any school without funding

Applying to: Michigan, Cornell, Maryland, BU, BC, WUSTL, Vanderbilt, Toronto DSMA

[TutorDude]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 10 US University, Double Major Math and Economics

Undergrad GPA: 3.75

Type of Grad: None

Grad GPA: None

GRE: 163 Q, 161 V, 5.5 AWA

Math Courses: Calc I - III (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Diff Eq (A), Real Analysis (B), PDE (A-), Algebra (A-), Math Modeling (A), Chaos Theory (B), Complex Adaptive Systems (A)

Econ Courses (grad-level): None

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics (A, A, A-), Adv Micro, Macro, Econometrics (A, A-, A-), IO (A), Game Theory (B), Finance (A-)

Letters of Recommendation: Adv Micro Prof (MIT PhD) [hopefully very strong], Adv Metrics Prof (MIT PhD) [strong], Current Boss at Econ Consultancy (MIT PhD) [very strong], Math Thesis Advisor (Harvard PhD) [very strong]

Research Experience: Two term RA as undergrad, handful of advanced seminars (math and economics) with significant research components, math thesis (awarded high honors), two plus years at an economic consulting company.

Teaching Experience: Tutored and lead study groups in various math and economics courses; co-own a tutoring company focused on quantitative subjects.

Research Interests: Varied - IO, applied micro and econometrics, development, urban economics

SOP: Nothing extraordinary, tailored to research interests relevant for each program.

Concerns: Real analysis grade and some A-s, borderline GRE score.

Applying to: MIT, Princeton, UC-Berkeley, NW, UVA, NYU, Stern, Columbia, Michigan, UCLA, Brown, Duke, Yale

[2percentmilk]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 20 US, Social Science Major, Economics Minor

Undergrad GPA: 4.0

Type of Grad: 1 Year Masters in related field (but not econ, in retrospect was dumb)

Grad GPA: 4.0

GRE: 165 Q, 167 V, 5.5 AWA

Math Courses: Calc I, II, III; Linear Algebra; Differential Equations; Real Analysis I (lowest grade A-)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Econometrics I (A-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro courses; Intermediate Micro; Intermediate Macro; Econometrics; Labor; Development; Public (lowest grade A-, highest A+)

Other Courses: History

Letters of Recommendation: economists at top 20 schools.

Research Experience: Two research assistanships. 1 in finance, 1 in economics.

Teaching Experience: Tutor for labor econ and undergrad stats

Research Interests: Labor / Macro

SOP: Dull laundry list

Concerns: my masters not in econ; math

Other:

Applying to: 18 of the top 25. My top choices are Princeton and Berkeley.

[mofk20a]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 50 US, Economics and Mathematics major

Undergrad GPA: 3.97

Type of Grad: N/A

GRE: 165 Q, 164 V, 4 AWA

Math Courses: Calc I, II, III; Linear Algebra; Differential Equations; Abstract Algebra, Computability Theory, Real Analysis I, II, Measure and Integration Theory (Grad), Numerical Analysis (Grad)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Industrial organizations (A-)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): A bunch

Other Courses: Mathematical Statistics I, II (Grad level)

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from an IO associate professor (MIT Phd), taught me IO grad and IO undergrad, 1 from a very well-known International Economics Professor who I RA for 2 years, 1 from my independent research adviser. The latter 2 are strong, not sure the first one but probably strong as well (however he submitted it 1 month late)

Research Experience: research assistanship for professor in 2 years, for a research institute in 1 semester, 1 independent research paper, 1 honor thesis paper.

Teaching Experience: math tutor, math TA

Research Interests: Micro theory, IO

SOP: so so

Concerns: average profile.

Other:

Applying to: 12 in top 20. .

[waxwings]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top 5-10 US, political economy major (a not-very-quanty mix of poli sci and econ)

Undergrad GPA: 3.82

Type of Grad: n/a

Grad GPA: n/a

GRE: 800Q 800V 6.0AWA

Math Courses: Calc II (A+), Calc III (B+), Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis (A) (taken at GWU, after undergrad), Probability Theory (B) (also at GWU)

Econ Courses (grad-level): n/a

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): micro (A-), macro (A), econometrics (A-), economic development (A), economic history (A-)

Other Courses: everything else was blend of poli sci, English, and other humanities classes.

Letters of Recommendation: 1 from assistant professor whom I did some research with and who was also my thesis advisor (he said it was really strong!), 1 from an economist I worked with at the Fed (not very much substantive research to commont on, but should have been relatively strong), and 1 from one of my supervising economists at my current research job (potentially more substantive research to comment on, probably also fine). Nobody particularly famous, and only one rec from academia proper.

Research Experience: wrote an undergraduate thesis which my advisor liked a lot. I submitted this as a writing sample to HKS, but nowhere else. I had also done some more qualitatively-oriented work for my advisor previously. I was an RA at the Fed for about two years. I would say I gained a lot of RA skills while there and saw a lot of interesting work, but at the same time didn't engage in a lot of substantive research. I'm currently an RA in the well-respected research department of a different institution, and have been doing more research here. I've also done a bit of fieldwork as well, which I mentioned I was going to be doing on my app.

Teaching Experience: n/a

Research Interests: development, specifically private sector development in low-income countries, industrial policy, export diversification

SOP: talked about my research experiences and research interests. Tried to spin my "interdisciplinary" background as a positive.

Concerns: I didn't seriously consider getting a PhD in economics until my senior year of undergrad, so my concerns stem mainly from my late start. I had a strong relationship with my advisor but didn't really know anyone else in my department, so I had to get my other two LORs after undergrad. I didn't properly major in econ, and only started taking the necessary math classes my senior year (and after undergrad). (I only took a handful of econ classes at all!)

Other: I'm writing this only after having received some of my results, which I think is definitely coloring this post (in a positive way). I assume the place to go into greater detail is in another thread.

Applying to: Harvard, MIT, HKS public policy, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Berkeley ARE, Michigan (econ/public policy), Brown, UCSD, LSE, Oxford, Maryland, Maryland AREC. Also HKS MPA/ID, Princeton WWS MPA, and JHU SAIS MA.

[MojiMoji]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics with minor in Mathematics at a "Public Ivy" with no graduate level Economics program.

Undergrad GPA: 3.4

Type of Grad: NA

Grad GPA: NA

GRE: 164Q 165V 4.5A

Math Courses: Calc I-III, Proof Theory, Linear Algebra, Applied Statistics, Operations Research

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro Micro (B), Intro Macro (A-), Intermediate Micro (B-), Intermediate Macro (B+), Econometrics (B-), Time-Series Econometrics (A), Cross-Section Econometrics (A-), Trade Theory (A), Labor Economics (A), Game Theory (A-), Development & Industrialization (A), Open Macro (A-), Advanced Micro (A), History of Economic Thought (A).

Letters of Recommendation:

1- Professor Emeritus, who I've worked with for almost two years & the former graduate dean at my university. More known for his public policy research than economic research.

2- Assistant Professor who taught Labor Economics, very fresh out of (a top 5) grad school, so not super well published yet.

3- Professor who taught Trade Theory, pretty well known among development economists and well published in development journals.

Research Experience: Two years with LOR writer #1. Unfortunately, because he's more of a public policy person, this work has mostly yielded government reports for various agencies, though some have been submitted for publication in public policy journals.

Teaching Experience: None.

Research Interests: International Labor Migration, Game Theory, Microeconomics.

SOP: I was told it was very strong by my LOR writers, but I didn't mention who I wanted to work with at specific schools, which has now started to worry me.

Concerns: I had a rough first two years of undergraduate, and it shows in my Intro/Intermediate grades. Also, most of my math courses were taken in my first two years and as such are almost all B/B- grades. Also, I got a C+ in Linear Algebra, but I'm hoping that the advanced econometrics classes cancel that out. I haven't done any original research outside of term papers, and most of the research I've done as an RA has been public policy related. Also, my school is fairly well known for having less grade inflation than most schools, but I'm nervous that some adcoms may not know of this reputation.

Other: I'm starting to think that it would be better to go to one of my MA programs for a gap year and reapply, since most of my schools didn't get to see my Advanced Micro, Cross-Section and Game Theory grades. Also, I'm pretty sure I could now get better/more well known LORs in place of #2 and #3, because at the time I didn't have great relations with many professors (I'm rather introverted).

 

Applying to: Wisconsin, NYU, UPenn, Chicago, U-Washington, UT Austin, UNC-Chapel Hill, UI-Chicago, BC, UBC [MA], U Toronto [MA], SSE, UCD [MA], U-Edinburgh [MA]

[SpontDisorder]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: MA Economics Single Honours from top Scottish University (MA technically but pretty much recognized as a bachelor's)

Undergrad GPA: On a weird 20-point scale, but essentially translates to 3.65-ish

Type of Grad: N/A

Grad GPA: N/A

GRE: 162Q (87%), 157V (77%), 4.0 AWA

Math Courses: MV Calc, Advanced Statistics, Econometrics, Advanced Econometrics

Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Macro, Intro to Micro, Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, Economics of Social Life, Labour Economics, Economics of Innovation, Economic Analysis (advanced course combining game theory and macro growth theory), Contemporary Issues, Law and Economics, Dissertation in Economics

Other Courses: Some, but only economics classes taken junior and senior year

Letters of Recommendation: 3 professors, two of which I built close relationships with and the other was my assigned advisor.

Research Experience: 12,000 word dissertation on inter-industry wage differentials, competitive internship at education reform think tank, other research internship at policy think tank

Teaching Experience: Currently a middle school math tutor

Research Interests: Labour economics, economic history

SOP: Pretty good, talked about my demonstrated love of the subject and how I did a "single-honours" degree in undergraduate to take the maximum number of economics courses possible and to be able to write a substantial dissertation.

Concerns: GRE quant score could be better, grades could always be better and I'm not sure how they'll interpret my university's weird grading scale. Recommendations were from professors who knew me well but aren't too well-published. I took all the possible econ courses I could, but was it enough math?Applying to: PhD: Vanderbilt (rejected), UC-Davis, UCSD, U Texas, Minnesota, NYU, Michigan

[nickilla]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BSc. in Economics at Top 3 German University, 2 semesters exchange at Top 2 Canadian University.

Undergrad GPA: 1.2 ~ 3.9 (if counted by ECTS grades); 94% avg in Canada.

Type of Grad: NA

Grad GPA: NA

GRE: 170Q 162V 4.5A

Math Courses: Probability and Statistics I and II (A, A), Linear Algebra I (A), Analysis I (B), Differential Eqs. (A), Maths for Economists (A)

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (A), Advanced Micro (A) Intermediate Macro (A), Advanced Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (B), Trade Theory (A), Labor Economics (A), Game Theory (A), Development Economics (A), Capital Market Theory (A), History of Economic Thought (A), Optimization and Economics Theory (A), Public Finance (A), Taxation (B), Political Economics (A).

Econ Courses (grad-level): Advanced Game Theory (A), Experimental and Behavioral Econ (A), Advanced Maths for Economists (A)

Other Courses (undergrad): Bunch of Commerce classes (compulsory for my degree - mostly As, one B), some soft skills stuff (also compulsory, A and C).

Letters of Recommendation:

1 - Advanced GT Prof. Worked for him for almost 2 years, also had im in undergrad advanced micro. Well known in his field, some top 5 pubs.

2 - Behavioral Econ Prof. Started working for him this fall. (Well) known in his field, some top 5 pubs.

3 - Theory of Capital Markets Prof. Relatively unknown, was post-doc at #1's chair.

Research Experience: Two years with LOR writer 1, 6 mths with LOR writer 2. I work however almost exclusively with their PhD students. Wrote a long seminar thesis and recently a honors thesis.

Teaching Experience: Two semesters Intermediate Macro.

Research Interests: Information Economics, Game Theory, Networks, Labour, Experimental.

SOP: Solid, slightly adjusted for different schools (whom I would like to work with, which courses interest me).

Concerns: Coming from Europe w/o MA, B in Analysis I (first semester at uni) and Advanced Econometrics; don't know how well LOR writers are connected at US universities.

Other: Grad courses don't show on transcript (university policy), however hope that the LOR writers whom I took the courses with mentioned my relative performance.

 

Applying to: Harvard, MIT, Yale, UCBerkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, NYU, NYU Stern, Columbia, UPenn, Chicago, Princeton, Caltech, U Toronto [MA], UPF (BGSE) [MA], BonnGSE

[tim22]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics/Mathematics, mid-size us university without econ grad program

Undergrad GPA:3.89

Type of Grad: NA

Grad GPA: NA

GRE: 170Q, 166V, 4.5AW

Math Courses: 3 quarters calculus, 2 quarters linear algebra, 2 quarters math stats, differential equations (all A- or higher)

Econ Courses (grad-level): NA

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate micro/macro, 2 quarters econometrics

Other Courses:

Letters of Recommendation: All from econ professors, not especially strong

Research Experience: none

Teaching Experience: none

Research Interests: not sure, possibly development

SOP: Generic

Concerns:

Other:

Applying to: Stanford, Berkeley, U Wisconsin, U Michigan, U Maryland, Davis, Brown, Cornell, Santa Barbara, Irvine

[heconomics]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BA Economics, from a little known university in South Asia

Undergrad GPA: Couldn't convert it into GPA. Overall score was 73 per cent

Type of Grad: MA Development Studies from a premier social sciences institute of my country

Grad GPA: Couldn't convert it into GPA. Overall score was 70 per cent

GRE: 157 Q (Yes, I know), 161 V, 4.0 AW

Math Courses: Mathematical Economics, Quantitative Techniques (These courses had very heavy loads and covered most of the relevant topics)

Econ Courses (grad-level): N/A

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate/Advanced Micro, Intermediate/Advanced Macro, Development Economics, Monetary Economics, International Economics, History of Economic Thought, Econometrics

Other Courses: Advanced Quantitative Research

Letters of Recommendation: All of them should be decent. One from Harvard PhD, well known, especially in heterodox circles. Another one from my MA thesis advisor. Final one from well known economist from my country.

Research Experience: 1 year RA work - climate change economics

Teaching Experience: N/A

Research Interests: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Philosophy of Economics, Heterodox (Left-wing) Economics

SOP: Wrote about my exposure to a various schools of economic thought, discussed the research skills I gained while doing RA work, mentioned my self-study of advanced mathematics

Concerns: Abysmally low GRE quant score. It was a bad day. But too late for a retake. Limited formal training in mathematics. Virtually unknown undergrad institute

Applying to: UMass and UMass (Resource Economics), University of Utah, American Univ, New School of Social Research, University of Wyoming, Simon Fraser Univ (MA), University of Oxford (MSc Economics for Development)

[csalriv]

Type of Undergrad: BA in Economics of a Chilean university (best in Chile, top-3 in Latin America).

Undergrad GPA: 6.1/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked 1^st).

Type of Grad: MA in Economics of the same Chilean university (top-3 MA Economics Program in LatAm, probably best).

Grad GPA: 6.5/7.0, Maximum Distinction and Highest Honors (ranked T-1^st).

GRE: Q 170 (99%); V 148 (40%); AW 4.0 (48%).

TOEFL: 112 overall. 30 R, 30 L, 23 S, 29 W.

Math Courses: Calculus I-II, Algebra I-II, Statistics I-II, Operations Research + 4 Grad School courses + 1 ½ courses in a Summer Exchange in a top Math Grad School in Brazil.

Econ Courses (grad-level): Microeconomics I-II, Macroeconomics I-II, Econometrics I-II, Financial Economics.

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): All usual.

Other Courses: Accounting and Management stuff.

Letters of Recommendation: 6 Recommenders total: 4 professors at my University (2 outstanding letters, 1 very good, 1 quite good) + 2 other research economists (1 quite good letter plus a standard one).

Research Experience: RA for a top Chilean economist (known worldwide) and for a young University economist. MA Thesis approved with honors. Currently working at the Econ Research Dept. of a top Chilean facility.

Teaching Experience: Professor of Microeconomics I at the best Chilean university, plus over 10 TAs in Undergrad School and 1 Grad School TA.

Research Interests: Game and Contract Theory, Financial Economics.

SOP: Bloody long.

Concerns: Almost no own research (but MA Thesis). Disperse interests and experience. Few years ‘lost’ working. Being Chilean.

Other: Useless but cool stuff: political leadership, a second foreign language and Math Olympics honors, among others.

Applying to: Econ PhD at 9 of the top-15 places. Social Sciences PhD at Caltech. PhD in Economic Analysis and Policy at Stanford GSB. MEDS PhD at Kellogg.

[revilo]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: Top Australasian University, BA/BE(Hons) in Economics and Engineering Science (Operations Research)

Undergrad GPA: 7.8/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.8 on US scale)

Type of Grad: Same university, BA(Hons) in Economics, MA in Economics

Grad GPA: 8.25/9 on my university’s scale (about 3.88 on US scale)

GRE: V 164, Q 167, AWA 5 (on third attempt...)

Math Courses: Engineering Maths 1-3, Real Analysis 1-2, Measure Theory, Functional Analysis

Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro Theory 1-2, Macro, Econometrics, Energy Economics

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro, Macro, Econometrics, Trade, Game theory, Environmental, Financial Economics

Other Courses: 4 Grad operations research courses, 3 grad statistics course (inc time series and probability theory), Some other engineering stuff

Letters of Recommendation: Professor from Northwestern, Head of Department, Thesis Supervisor

Research Experience: 1.5 years of RA work on electricity markets for two different professors includes co-authoring two papers. One summer of RA work on nutrient trading schemes. Honours Dissertation on climate IAM modelling.

Teaching Experience: Two semesters introductory micro, Three semesters introductory macro, One semester introductory programming for engineers

Research Interests: Applied Micro, IO, Environmental

SOP: full of typos!

Concerns: general mediocrity, much competition

Other: Semester on exchange to Hong Kong

Applying to: Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Northwestern, Columbia, NYU, Penn, Michigan, Berkeley ARE, Duke, Maryland, UBC, Toronto

[MaxUnited]

PROFILE:

Type of Undergrad: BSc in international economics from relatively well-known Russian university (top-10 in the country, probably top-5)

Undergrad GPA: 3,8/4 (US scale) – 4,8/5 (Russian scale)

Type of Grad: -

Grad GPA: -

GRE: Q 790 V 450 AWA 3.5

Math Courses: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Probability, Statistics (all 5/5)

Econ Courses (grad-level): -

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intermediate Micro (5/5), Intermediate Macro (4/5), History of Economic Thought (4/5), Economics of the Firm (5/5), Econometrics (5/5), International Economics (5/5), Money and Banking (5/5). Still have to pass several finance courses.

Other Courses: lots of not-so-necessary, but obligatory stuff

Letters of Recommendation: 2 from professors unknown outside the country, I believe

Research Experience: none, except for course works

Teaching Experience: none

Research Interests: behavioral finance, public finance (but really open at this stage)

SOP: nothing special

Concerns: scores not great, unknown professors, lack of economics/finance courses, no real research experience

Other: -

Applying to: Tinbergen (MPhil), Tilburg (MRes), GSEFM Frankfurt (MSQE) – finance tracks.

[microtheory1227]

Type of Undergrad: Dual-degree BS/BA in Accounting and Economics from large public state school (decently ranked among public schools, though from experience I can say the economics undergrad program was pretty poor)

Undergrad GPA: 4.000/4.000

Type of Grad: Economics PhD program at a non-top-50 state school; will leave with MA

Grad GPA: 3.96/4.00

GRE: Q 800 V 630 AWA 5.0

Math Courses: Calculus I+II, Applied Prob+Stat I, Math for Economists I+II (Graduate)

Econ Courses (grad-level): Full micro and macro sequences; passed both PhD theory comps, including micro with honors; Econometrics I+II; 6 credits independent study

Econ Courses (undergrad): Intermediate Micro+Macro, Game Theory, IO, Development, Banking, Econometrics I+II

Other Courses: Lots of business courses

Letters of Recommendation: PhD Rochester (Micro Theory); PhD UToronto (Macro, Labor, Search); PhD CMU (Applied Micro, IO) - all graduate professors

Research Experience: Nothing formal beyond my own work

Teaching Experience: TA in accounting and game theory while undergrad

Research Interests: Micro theory, Behavioral

SOP: Honest expression of my previous experience and research interests

Concerns: Got rejections all around from top schools in 2010, presumably because of inadequate mathematical background and ill-defined research interests

Other: Had to "serve time" for two years in a relatively crappy program, but my concerns from two years ago are largely remedied. Got tremendous letters because I was a big fish in a lousy program. Also decided to put in applications very late and missed out on schools with December 15 deadline.

Applying to: Kellogg MECS, Cornell, Brown, Rochester, Wash U, Purdue

[umeconapplicant]

PROFILE: umeconapplicant

Type of Undergrad: Top 20 US, in the Big Ten

Undergrad GPA: 3.83

Type of Grad: n/a

Grad GPA: n/a

GRE: 800 Q, 650 V, 5.0 A

Math Courses: Calc I, II, III (A's), Linear Algebra (A), Differential Equations (B+), Probability (A), Advanced Theoretical Statistics (A), Abstract Algebra (B+), Real Analysis (A-), Grad-level General and Differential Topology (W for Early Withdraw)

Econ Courses (grad-level): none

Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Standard major requirements (all A's), Econometrics (B+), Honors Seminar in Microeconomic Modeling (A), Honors Thesis Research (A)

Other Courses: Minor/Fluency in German

Letters of Recommendation: 1 Very Strong from UPenn Prof, very well known, 1 Average from thesis advisor from Stanford (younger professor), 1 Average from Real Analysis professor who probably wrote a very enthusiastic letter

Research Experience: 1 year of writing undergraduate honors thesis; very well-liked by my econ letter writers

Teaching Experience: n/a

Research Interests: Microeconomics, Industrial Organization, Energy/Natural Resource Economics

SOP: Not sure about... my thesis advisor told me it was fine

Concerns: W in Topology, B+ in Econometrics, letter of recommendation from a math professor, limited research experience

Other:

Applying to: U Chicago, MIT, Princeton, Northwestern, U Penn, Columbia, NYU, U Wisconsin, Carnegie Mellon, U Maryland, Johns Hopkins