marshmellowcat

PROFILEType of Undergrad Institution: state schoolMajor(s)/Minor(s): IR, EconUndergrad GPA: 3.9 Major GPA: 4.0GRE: 165V/166QAny Special Courses: lots of quant courses in Econ-econometrics, game theory, forecasting, etc Letters of Recommendation: 2 advisors + 1 retired prof. I took classes with the first two and worked on research with the other.Teaching/Research Experience: TA in intro econOther: had a lot of internships/professional experiences because I wasn't set on applying to phd programs until the last minute ? RESULTS:Acceptances: Harvard, MIT, UCSDRejections: Princeton, StanfordLESSONS LEARNED: 1) Echoing what @honeymoow and @LatinAmericanFootball said, I also structured my SOP entirely around research interests and questions. I was getting mixed messages on this when I applied because an undergrad program advisor explicitly told me to 'focus on your story and personality'. In the end I chose to be non-personal at all and I think it worked well. SOP Structure: 1. big research question+summary of my qualifications; 2. sub-research question 1+how my past experiences could help me answer it; 3. sub-research question 2...; 5. mentioning faculty and how my interests tie with their work 2) The polar opposite of @zoooxu, I did not decide to apply until the last minute! I did research throughout undergrad but I never took any grad courses, had 0 RA experience, and spent a lot of my time doing policy work. Many aspects of my application could be improved. However, I think it went well because I have great fit with some faculty in all 3 programs and I have articulated my interest well in my SOP. So don't panic if you are applying with a short time span.