@MizAZN
I considered all of them, but only fleetingly. Why did you suggest these schools? I did see that both Duke and Northwestern have highly ranked econ depts. According to collegedata.com (is it accurate?) Syracuse considers level of interest very important, so I think I’ll pass. Thank you for your input, though.
@intparent
Would you happen to know if Northeastern considers interest? I wasn’t able to access the common data set. Also, what would you consider a safety? Does >45% acceptance rate sound about right? I don’t know about most of my recs either, but would you be willing to read my essay(s)?