kaveh

Some of the top programs that don't keep a waiting list for their applicants, accept about 7-8 applicants in theory. Then about 3-5 of the applicants accept their offer. University of washington has (I guess) 3 new PhD students in theory for Fall 2013. (I declined their offer.) On the other hand, some programs do not have a waiting list. They accept around 2-4 people at the first place and if someone declines the offer, they get someone else.

You're welcome I suggest you refine your interests for each department you apply to. For example, Harvard has EconCS group. If you apply there, you can concentrate on your economics-related interests in your SoP. But for other places with fewer econ faculty, you can say something like this: "I have a broad interest in theoretical computer science. I'm interested in the interplay between economics, game theory, and algorithms. approximation algorithms and stochastic and combinatorial optimization are also among my interests. ..." For places with only 1-2 professors of interest, write even more broadly, but in the next paragraphs implicitly imply that you're interested in econ and you've prepared yourself for it. But there is something else. If you want to work in cs theory with Economics applications, You sould be looking for Econ-CS groups (like the one in Harvard), not the Theory groups. Theory groups normally do not have many people working in these areas. You can find a few working in algorithmic game theory, which I guess will sometimes be far from economics with real applications. However, Econ-CS groups are rare, so you should also apply to some theory groups. Here are a few more Econ-CS groups. (Maybe you know them yourself). Maybe there are others I couldn't find. CS-ECON@DUKE Economics groups at northwestern ECE

Hi, I applied for PhD in CS theory last year, so I've got some advices for you. Whatever you're going to write in your SOP as your interests, don't make it too specific. There are a few slots for CS theory PhD even in major CS departments (usually less than 5 slots, except for MIT). So don't write as you only like econ/game theory. It's too much risky. Try to be as broad as possible in your research interests. When you'll get in, surely you're free to pursue your specific interests. Having broad interests in your SOP does not mean that your SOP will look weak as an econ/game theory applicant. Somehow show your strength in econ/game theory. You can write about your mathematical abilities and math courses you've passed that are useful in economics and game theory e.g. Real Analysis etc. So you're implicitly claiming that you've prepared yourself for econ. Implementation-oriented project: There is no need to make everything in your SOP economics-related. Admission committees want to see your ability to do research and this could be shown by any kind of research experience (including impl-oriented projects). Just describe your project in a separate paragraph. This is actually good; It shows your ability to do serious implementations when needed in your future theory projects. Also mention your research-oriented in-class project. Talk about your research experiences as much as possible. Very few people work on econ/game theory in CS theory groups. Try to find those you like and contact them before you apply. This is to make sure that they will read your application and it won't be rejected without even been read by your prospective advisors. Of course the final decision will be made by the whole committee but your prospective advisor can definitely help on your admission if he likes your application. Best, Kaveh