I believe the letters of recommendation that I submitted help me a lot in the process of being accepted, for I believe it matters a lot what other professors have to say about you and your potential. - UCSD -

I think it is probably important to demonstrate good research skills through your undergraduate thesis and to have good grades in your econ and quant. courses. - Berkeley -

I don't have much to say about this. I have spoken to people on the admissions committees at top 10 schools. As far s I can tell, the statement of purpose is meaningless. What counts are strong GRE scores and demonstrated ability in advanced economics and mathematics. The best advice I can give someone who wants to attend grad school in economics is to take as many mathematics courses as possible. Courses in calculus, real analysis, statistics, linear algebra and any other advanced math course will be helpful in gaining admission and ensuring good performance during the first year of study. - U.Penn -

I think references matter the most, provided you do not get cut off at GRE and GPA level. I did not spend more than one hour for st. of purp. I think it helps to know what fields you are interested in as it shows your motivation. It helps to have a couple of research papers (whether they are published or not does not matter) ON YOUR OWN - not co-authored with your honors thesis advisor. - Berkeley -

Again, talking just about top 5 programs, the only thing that matters is your recommendations. The personal statement pretty much doesn't matter. It helps a lot if the people reading the recommendations know the recommender or at least have heard of him/her. Research experience as an undergrad is a big plus. - Harvard -

Grad schools (at least in econ) could care less about your personal statement...most people have no idea what their dissertation research will be about and even if you do, there's a 90% chance you'll end up changing it before you get to that stage. I've heard that some people talk about wanting to work with a specific professor when they get there or talk about the quality of the faculty and things like that...I didn't do that, but once again, I don't think anyone expects you to really have too much to say during the application stage. In my opinion, what grad schools want is an intelligent person with good analytical skills. They don't care if you hiked through the alps or want to use your degree to help the homeless...none of that stuff will get you through a PhD program. - U.Virginia -

The thing that set me apart was being a female native English speaker. Top programs still don't have many of those. No, I didn't spend hours writing anything, there was too much to do at the time. If my undergrad work experience meant anything to the schools I applied to they never mentioned it. - U.Texas -

One of my letters of recommendation came from a highly respected economist. I am sure that helped. I spent quite a few days finalizing my applications, but the statement of purpose was one of many components, which took a long time. I worked as a research assistant for a distinguished professor as an undergrad, and I have no doubt that helped me get into the top schools. It probably helped set me apart from many of my American competitors, since most of the foreign students accepted in top programs come with a master's degree and extensive experience. - U.Chicago-

The personal statement is close to worthless. Most places prefer everything to look bland and normal. Just don't say you're writing about the economics of space aliens, don't write it on a paper bag, and you're fine. I was finishing up at (blank) College. My gres were 700 verbal, 780 math, 800 quant. my gpa was around 3.5 or 3.6 & I had Bs in some important classes -- multivariable calc, probability, mathematical statistics (B+),intermediate micro (though I took an advanced micro course to compensate). I had not yet taken linear algebra -- I took it over the summer before I started grad school. I did a lot of independent empirical research my senior year. That was my main selling point. and I'd taken a couple interesting politics & math courses & done well in them. - U.Chicago -

I think the most important part of the application is probably the references. Blitzing the GRE is pretty easy really, and there are plenty of substandard academic institutions where getting good undergraduate marks is very easy. But a strong reference from a professor with an established reputation, who is known to the admissions committee, is something you have to earn. Of course, the downside to relying on references is that you can't read them, so you need to be careful with whom you ask. With regard to the Statement of Purpose, I spent many hours writing mine, mainly because I wrote a different Statement for each of the seven institutions that I applied to. Writing different statements enables you to customize your emphasis to appeal more to the different faculty members at each institution. I don't think that work experience outside of an academic environment is likely to matter too much when applying to top universities. - Yale -

I guess my undergraduate research experience helped me to get acceptance. So I suggest you to work in some research projects of your professor if you can. This helps you to know the economics field better and also helps your professors to know you better. I am sure your recommendation letters will be more effective then. - Ohio State Univ. -

I think work/research experience was definitely crucial, as were grades and breadth of math and economics course work. Don't be mistaken, at first in econ graduate school, you really think you are just in a math PhD program, so be prepared for that. Also be prepared for the fact that many of your fellow students may have advanced math degrees already, especially many international students, and it can definitely change class and work experiences in grad school.

As for your statement of purpose, I'd definitely spend time on it, probably not so much time writing as soul-searching to figure out what it is you want to do. Then again, be prepared to change your mind, and be prepared to spend a lot of your time in your first few years not concentrating on your own "purposes." It seems important, but not nearly as important as essays for other grad/prof degrees that place a higher value on the quality of one's writing. - Duke -

I was a math major as an undergrad, and had very good grades and GRE scores. I'd also worked on a project on environmental taxes at a local non profit. I believe that these two things set me apart. I spent a moderate but not huge amount of time writing my statement of purpose. My undergraduate training in math was probably key to my acceptance (and to whatever success I've had in grad school). -U.Washington-

The recommendation letters set me apart. I got a masters degree at a very good place in …(another country)…, where the professors had great contacts with very good American schools. In addition, I had a decent TOEFLS and GRE. I did write a paper in …(another country)… for which I won a national award, and maybe this mattered as well.... but only through the letters. I'm convinced that both for the grad school application and for job applications, once you're on the job market, your recommendations are what matter the most. - Wisconsin -

Emphasize research! Show you can do it. It helps to spend extra time on term papers if you have to write them to make sure they are OUTSTANDING, not just good. Because this will show up in your letter of recommendation. Make sure you get to know your faculty in the field you are interested in, and make sure they know you - helps for recommendations. Visit schools and talk to grad students before choosing among your many options. - Berkeley -

I did spend time considering what to write on the statement of purpose - but the best you can do is be honest - be yourself...the people reading the applications have great experience in that and kind read in between the lines. You usually know what they want to hear, but don't spoon-feed them. I think that undergraduate work is important because it lets them know that you can handle more than just school - especially since in most programs you have to do some sort of work - teaching, grading, etc. if you can work in research, using economic tools such as econometrics - its the best you can do. I focused on my being a minority.... and there is a great lack of "American" students in these programs. For instance, I am the only one in my entering class of 10 at Rice who is considered "American". If you can present a new point of view in the field of economics, you will be greatly sought out. -Rice-

The undergraduate work is important, since it is reflected in your GPA. Previous research is also significant, because if your write a good thesis in your undergraduate (in my country is required) you have a better change to get admission. I think they also consider your extra-curricular activities, so they want to have "balanced" people in the programs. But there is a huge mathematical gap between undergraduate and graduate levels. So, if you are thinking in a PhD you better consider some advanced calculus, probability theory and mathematical statistics in the math department of your school right now - UCLA -

My advising Profs told me that no one reads the statement of purpose. (I've been told that they do for foreign students more than for U.S. ones). Work experience really has little to do with admission unless it is with an economic-based research entity. Research experience in undergrad certainly helps gain an edge in applying to the top ten schools, as they are research oriented. - Wisconsin -

I spent something like two weeks half time on the many versions of my statement of purpose. But I'm not a native English speaker, and I was emailing my drafts back and forth to friends in the US who corrected my English. My undergraduate degree is in physics and philosophy, so although I took a few graduate-level classes in economics during and after my undergraduate studies, I didn't have that much of experience. I was quite far from being even remotely aware of the many sub fields of economics I'm now aware of, and I knew pretty much nothing about even relatively mainstream topics. But I knew what *did* fascinate me about economics, and that's what I wrote about. And that's, by the way, something you should make sure you know about yourself before you even start applying. Graduate school is not a six-month experience and you want to make sure you know why you're doing it. How do you set yourself apart? I was lucky: I guess a physics and philosophy degree pretty much sets you apart among economics applicants. - Princeton -

My research set me apart I believe. I had already published two papers by the time I applied. I was a research assistant for two years before I started my PhD at Berkeley. - Berkeley -

I think one of the most important things you can say in your application is "I would like to work with professor so and so because blah blah blah." They don't care as much about your unique life experiences as

Most schools have websites with all the professors and their research interests, current papers, etc. Use that. I don't think you need to tailor every application, but it can't hurt to tailor to the ones you are most interested in. - UC Santa Barbara -

Find your best "plus" and highlight it in the application. That has to be the eye-opener for the ones reading your statement, make sure you got it loud and clear. Whatever your plus could be: a paper, research, job experience, co-author in a publication, a good recommendation letter, etc. I spent two weeks working statements for different universities, according to their own requirements, style and needs (each Econ Department can be very different).- Vanderbilt -

I did the WRONG thing - saying I knew exactly what I wanted to do, even though it didn't mesh with some departments' strengths. Development is a very dangerous topic, as it's moved primarily into Ag. and Applied Econ programs - btw - don't cite it in a personal statement unless you want to macro-metric growth type stuff. I think it's safe to be honest - say you don't know exactly what you want to do, but that you really enjoy X Y and Z - and you can see developing a passion for P. Sound enthusiastic, but no one expects you to know exactly what you want to do. Be specific enough to show you know exactly what you're getting yourself into (which you probably don't - but that's okay), but try not to narrow yourself. - Wisconsin -

I indeed spent hours on my statement of purpose. However, was told later that the most important factor is the Quant. GRE. So with an 800, I don't think the statement changed anything. Neither undergrad course work nor undergrad research had any impact on my acceptance whatsoever. However they had non-direct effect through the Professors recommendations I was able to get. - Princeton -

I tried to think what a professor might be interested in upon seeing my c.v. Clearly that meant have taken steps close to the kind of things that are required in grad school. Having done some research, being somewhat positive about research. I do not recommend being too much over the top on your achievements. People rarely believe it.

It is good to seem interested, but also to be certain that economics is a profession. Things are required out of choosing a profession that one accepts. Putting them into question is just too repetitive. The whole point of becoming part of a profession is to avoid the errors committed by others in the past and move forward. - NYU -

Here is my thinking about the purpose of a statement of purpose. It's not about my character, and it's not about my extracurricular activities. What they are looking for, I think, is that you show some understanding of what economics is about. They want to hear that you have some realistic expectation of what graduate work in economics means. If you already have research topics in mind that's great as long as they are serious and realistic, but it's probably much more important to indicate, subtly, that you understand that economics is a research "science" in which people make SMALL contributions in their fields of SPECIALIZATION. They want to know that you know that because people who have a mistaken understanding of what economics is tend to drop out of the program after a year or two of frustration for all involved. So don't spend hours crafting your statement but be "serious" in it. - Univ North Carolina -

You application became better if you spend more time. Apply for several applications; the best application that I did it was the last one. It does make a difference if you invest time in your application. About your research experience and your undergraduate experience they said a lot of your skills, E.G. you have to obtain some crucial skills, mathematics, statistics (mathematical statistics), computing skills (LaTeX, SPSS, MatLab, etc), if you can obtain another Degree, for example in mathematics, that make your application very strong. The research is also important because you don't make it by your own; usually you make it with a professor, so that professor become a strong letter of recommendation. - Rice -

That's the part that I didn't do right. I should have spent much more time thinking about and writing statements of purpose. I advise you to write SEPARATE statements for each institution, not just customized. Do your homework on each department, look at senior faculty and think about whom you would like to work with. Look at their vita and write your statement assuming that they will read it. Try to convince them that you will be a perfect MATCH for their department. They will get hundreds of applications from students just as smart as you. You have to communicate that you are already looking past the first 2 years of grad school and have a potential for becoming a first-class researcher. - Rice -

I think your GPA and gres are extremely important, as are recommendations. Math! Show you do a lot of math. Also, knowing what you want to do-- and making it up if you don't-- tells that you are already on your way and very motivated. - Brown -

No, I tried to avoid hours and hours, maybe just a couple. I think they were crucial my previous research experiences. - NYU -

Yeah, you definitely want to distinguish yourself in the application form. The people from Princeton for example read something like 600 statement of purpose. Try to be funny and clever, not a clown, but something that will demonstrate sense of humor. Again, if you are a top candidate it doesn't matter much because you will be accepted. Mention of research experience if you have got one. - Princeton -

I was a math undergrad, and a damn good one at that. I had very little training in econ (only 2 courses as an undergrad), but I excelled as a student before as an undergrad. One thing every student should know about a economics doctorate is it is not only training in economics, but in mathematics. In fact, a lot of the concepts that were taught in undergrad course are not even mentioned in graduate programs. Why? It is assumed that the grad students will do the necessary research themselves for course content. Rather, the student is bombarded with mathematic procedures to SOLVE the problems in question. A student finds out real fast that they must not only learn what is being taught in the class (the math and theory), but also must figure out for themselves what it all actually means (because THAT is what they are tested on!). - Vanderbilt -

Still don't know how admissions works... a family friend (on his own accord) who is an economist made a phone call on my behalf to at least one place and helped, especially with getting money. I did spend a LOT of time on my statement of purpose, partly because I had to delicately explain a poor grade in an undergraduate math course, partly because I wanted to highlight experience living abroad... Had virtually no research experience... But from what I've heard, the toughest aspect to predict is a prospective student's research ability, and so the chance to publish as an undergrad can be very valuable in predicting research ability especially for top universities. - Cornell -

I am guessing that my difficult mathematics honors curriculum was what set me apart from many students (at least the American students). If schools see that one knows a good deal of math above and beyond what is required, I think they are more likely to admit. I also wrote an undergraduate thesis, the abstract of which sounds a lot better than what the final product ended up being. Merely the experience of doing undergraduate research should give the applicant an edge...The personal statement is mostly an example or your writing ability, because faculty know that most undergraduates have no clue what research is really like, and that most people will change their research interests several times. In that respect, it is most important to express interest in something specific, even if you doubt you will end up doing research in that area. - Wisconsin -

Application process is a great mystery to me, and I don't know how it works. As for the statement of purpose, I tried to explain my interests in economics the best I could so that faculty members reviewing my application could decide if I was a good match for their PhD program. - Cornell -

No, I don't believe my undergraduate research experience (which was moderate) nor my undergraduate work experience was crucial. I believe that I was set apart to some degree by a very high quant score, and a personal statement that was very precise as to my goals and research agenda. I think the latter probably a more important part of the distinguishing process than the former.- UCLA-

I think what got me in was, in fact, my GRE scores. I did work hard on my statement of purpose, but frankly, I am not sure anyone ever really read it (just a hunch, though, so do spend a lot of time on it). Your undergraduate experience tends to be important to the extent that it indicates a) you're a top student, and b) you have sufficient math background. On the latter, try to take as much math as possible. Nobody really cares about how much econ you have taken (these days, undergrad econ is quite different from grad econ, and other than providing some jargon, it won't help you much in excelling in grad courses).

Back to the GRE -- I got lucky that I had good GRE scores because I didn't have too much of a math background and American universities tend to have a hard time judging foreign grades/degrees. Being from a US institution, though, your grades etc. might prove VERY helpful compensating for good but not outstanding GRE scores (by which I mean roughly between 700 and 750). - Penn -

Adequate GPA, GRE, and recommendation letters are prerequisite to getting any attention. Only after you've met expectations will top schools look at your essays and prior work. For programs not in the top 10 to 15, a high GPA at a reputable undergraduate institution, high GRE scores (750-800 in quant and logic), and good recommendations are usually enough for acceptance and full fellowships. - Duke -

You should focus on: GRE (try to get 800 on the quant, that helps a lot and over 90% on analytical), letter of recommendation - that's where your work experience may count, if you work as an RA for some prof, for ex, they will give you a good letter. I didn't spend much time on my statement, but you should make it personal to the university you are applying to. At least leave one paragraph to say why you want to go to that place. I am not sure how much grades are important... But if you have good grades most surely you have good letters of recommendation. It is VERY important that you take some advanced math courses, especially real analysis. That helps a lot in places like Northwestern, where the course is pretty technical (more than half of the people in my class have at least a minor in math). Taking math courses is a very good way to differentiate yourself. Other ideas of math courses, which could help but are not essential: more real analysis, measure theory, probability, and optimization - any math helps!! - Northwestern -

The biggest thing in the application process is having a very, very high GRE; especially a high math score. I can't emphasize that point enough. Secondly, make sure your letters of recommendation are glowing and great. Personally, I don't think anybody ever read my personal statement or resume. They must be included though. The point here is, in my opinion, that if you don't have an outstanding math GRE score and overall GRE score, then they'll never even look at the rest of your application. Once they read it (because your GRE score was great), then the recommendations seem to be the more important thing. - Texas A&M -

I had experience in other academic disciplines besides math and economics and had good letters of recommendation. If you fit into a demographic category that your school of choice is lacking, it will help you a lot. I think it is a total crap shoot as to which schools accept you and which ones don't. Odds are a school that appears to be worse than one that you got into will dump you. - Ohio State University -

It's hard to answer this question, since a large part of the application process is having your application read by the right person at the right time. Some faculty only care about your math, some care about GRE, some care about letters. It's hard to say. I think I wrote a fairly good statement, but who knows if that had anything to do with getting into school. If I had to take a guess, I suspect that my work experience meant more than anything, but who really knows. -Wisconsin

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