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MarshallCh · 2009 July 17th, 04:39 AM

Hello, I'm entering into a university and I've been interested in the study of economics. I'm just wondering about the various academic backgrounds of different people studying economics - I'm wondering since I've never been really strong in mathematics.

Thanks

walt526 · 2009 July 17th, 05:03 AM

I was a Political Science major who only discovered Economics late in my undergraduate career. After five years in the workforce (purchasing agent for an electrical contractor), I was basically bored to death of my job and decided to quit my job and go back to school.

Up until a year ago, my last math class had been my first semester of college (Fall 1998), not including statistics. But my undergrad Econ courses were calculus heavy and I had taken a bit of Chemistry (during my premed phase), so I had some practice with it since then. But I was really, really rusty. I needed Math courses to bolster my background, so I'm working on a MA in Economics (heading into my second year this fall). I warmed up by taking Linear Algebra last summer.

But last year and this year I'm basically taking a full load of grad courses while 2-3 Math courses. The MA Econ has been a nice refresher (it had been 5-6 years since I had done Intermediate Theory), although it has not been an optimal use of time in terms of prepping for PhD. But the biggest advantage is that I've connected with some academic economists who will provide strong LORs.

I never really thought of myself as a math person either. When I took Calculus in high school, I mastered the mechanics but never really felt like I understood the point. That was until I took my Intermediate Micro class.

My suggestion for any undergrad (regardless of major) is to take at least Calculus I (from the sequence intended for math/science majors, not Business Calc or Social Science Calc). It's really not that bad (at least not when you're just doing derivatives, which is mostly Calc I).

The thing is, if you can survive the lower-division math (Calculus sequence, LA, ODEs), then the upper-division math is completely different. It's no longer plugging and chugging, you get to be creative (to a degree) with proofs and whatnot. You probably did proofs in your high school geometry course. Well turns out you use a similar approach to numbers, functions, set, etc. It can be a little intimidating at first, but you might actually find it kind of fun.

And if you get to a point where formal math is fun and starts to become intuitive, then you can start thinking about a PhD in Economics.

But seriously, start with Calculus I and do it before Intermediate Micro (even if you're not technically required).

MarshallCh · 2009 July 17th, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walt526

I was a Political Science major who only discovered Economics late in my undergraduate career. After five years in the workforce (purchasing agent for an electrical contractor), I was basically bored to death of my job and decided to quit my job and go back to school.

Up until a year ago, my last math class had been my first semester of college (Fall 1998), not including statistics. But my undergrad Econ courses were calculus heavy and I had taken a bit of Chemistry (during my premed phase), so I had some practice with it since then. But I was really, really rusty. I needed Math courses to bolster my background, so I'm working on a MA in Economics (heading into my second year this fall). I warmed up by taking Linear Algebra last summer.

But last year and this year I'm basically taking a full load of grad courses while 2-3 Math courses. The MA Econ has been a nice refresher (it had been 5-6 years since I had done Intermediate Theory), although it has not been an optimal use of time in terms of prepping for PhD. But the biggest advantage is that I've connected with some academic economists who will provide strong LORs.

I never really thought of myself as a math person either. When I took Calculus in high school, I mastered the mechanics but never really felt like I understood the point. That was until I took my Intermediate Micro class.

My suggestion for any undergrad (regardless of major) is to take at least Calculus I (from the sequence intended for math/science majors, not Business Calc or Social Science Calc). It's really not that bad (at least not when you're just doing derivatives, which is mostly Calc I).

The thing is, if you can survive the lower-division math (Calculus sequence, LA, ODEs), then the upper-division math is completely different. It's no longer plugging and chugging, you get to be creative (to a degree) with proofs and whatnot. You probably did proofs in your high school geometry course. Well turns out you use a similar approach to numbers, functions, set, etc. It can be a little intimidating at first, but you might actually find it kind of fun.

And if you get to a point where formal math is fun and starts to become intuitive, then you can start thinking about a PhD in Economics.

But seriously, start with Calculus I and do it before Intermediate Micro (even if you're not technically required).

Thanks for the reply, I see what you mean about the "plugging and chugging" kind of math. I actually do enjoy doing mathematics, but the plugging and chugging part really turns me off. I'm currently doing some kind of precalculus
math course that runs for 3 days a week, 5 hours a day and the program is 6 weeks long. I've never encountered calculus in my life, I never had to take it to graduate from high school. I guess I like mathematics, I just never had the background. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up before September or something. I've heard that university first year mathematics would cover calculus from the beginning of the topic?

walt526 · 2009 July 17th, 06:04 AM

It depends on the university. More selective universities require at least pre-calculus; less selective universities can offer remedial classes as far back as pre-algebra.

Covering Calculus freshman year is standard expectation, but by no means universal. A lot of students will have taken AB or BC in high school.

zshfryoh1 · 2009 July 17th, 08:59 AM

You are just starting college. Look around and see what other majors at your college interest you besides economics. Taking the intro economics sequence and calc 1 early on are never bad ideas, especially since the calc is useful in a number of majors. Talk to advisors in various other departments too.

You are probably interested in economics due to exposure to either a very basic level high school course or reading blogs. That type of stuff is radically different from formal undergrad econ beyond the intro level, let alone grad econ. Don't lock yourself into econ PhD track before you have even taken a single college course in any subject. Look around and see what else interests you. I entered college intending to major in something that interested me and that had good job prospects, and I ended up talking with departmental advisors from 7 departments (math, econ, physics, CS, chem, neuroscience and accounting), and took courses in my freshman year in three of them (math, econ and accounting) and chose to major in econ and math early in my sophomore year once I realized I wanted to do econ and finance research and therefore go for a PhD.

SlowLearner38 · 2009 July 17th, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walt526

But seriously, start with Calculus I and do it before Intermediate Micro (even if you're not technically required).

Couldn't agree more. Having Calculus I under your belt before Intermediate Micro, regardless if its required or not, gives you the chance to really focus on the fun part of the course, the economics, since the math won't seem daunting. Intermediate Micro was my favorite class I've taken in college.

About your question regarding the background of economics students, I started college as a Computer Science major. I found the material boring and couldn't stand the math required because the application wasn't interesting. Then I found economics, and I could stand the math courses because I could immediately see how it is applied to what I'm studying in economics. The biggest part about taking all the math is to try your best to recognize the ways in which the material is relevant to what you will eventually be using it for. Though some sections of some math courses may not be the most relevant, just truck through it.

2009 July 17th, 04:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
MarshallCh I JUST got here. Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 3	Economics and academic background Hello, I'm entering into a university and I've been interested in the study of economics. I'm just wondering about the various academic backgrounds of different people studying economics - I'm wondering since I've never been really strong in mathematics. Thanks

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2009 July 17th, 05:03 AM	#2 (permalink)
walt526 TestMagic Guru Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,306	I was a Political Science major who only discovered Economics late in my undergraduate career. After five years in the workforce (purchasing agent for an electrical contractor), I was basically bored to death of my job and decided to quit my job and go back to school. Up until a year ago, my last math class had been my first semester of college (Fall 1998), not including statistics. But my undergrad Econ courses were calculus heavy and I had taken a bit of Chemistry (during my premed phase), so I had some practice with it since then. But I was really, really rusty. I needed Math courses to bolster my background, so I'm working on a MA in Economics (heading into my second year this fall). I warmed up by taking Linear Algebra last summer. But last year and this year I'm basically taking a full load of grad courses while 2-3 Math courses. The MA Econ has been a nice refresher (it had been 5-6 years since I had done Intermediate Theory), although it has not been an optimal use of time in terms of prepping for PhD. But the biggest advantage is that I've connected with some academic economists who will provide strong LORs. I never really thought of myself as a math person either. When I took Calculus in high school, I mastered the mechanics but never really felt like I understood the point. That was until I took my Intermediate Micro class. My suggestion for any undergrad (regardless of major) is to take at least Calculus I (from the sequence intended for math/science majors, not Business Calc or Social Science Calc). It's really not that bad (at least not when you're just doing derivatives, which is mostly Calc I). The thing is, if you can survive the lower-division math (Calculus sequence, LA, ODEs), then the upper-division math is completely different. It's no longer plugging and chugging, you get to be creative (to a degree) with proofs and whatnot. You probably did proofs in your high school geometry course. Well turns out you use a similar approach to numbers, functions, set, etc. It can be a little intimidating at first, but you might actually find it kind of fun. And if you get to a point where formal math is fun and starts to become intuitive, then you can start thinking about a PhD in Economics. But seriously, start with Calculus I and do it before Intermediate Micro (even if you're not technically required).

2009 July 17th, 06:04 AM	#4 (permalink)
walt526 TestMagic Guru Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,306	It depends on the university. More selective universities require at least pre-calculus; less selective universities can offer remedial classes as far back as pre-algebra. Covering Calculus freshman year is standard expectation, but by no means universal. A lot of students will have taken AB or BC in high school.

2009 July 17th, 08:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
zshfryoh1 Within my grasp! Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 385	You are just starting college. Look around and see what other majors at your college interest you besides economics. Taking the intro economics sequence and calc 1 early on are never bad ideas, especially since the calc is useful in a number of majors. Talk to advisors in various other departments too. You are probably interested in economics due to exposure to either a very basic level high school course or reading blogs. That type of stuff is radically different from formal undergrad econ beyond the intro level, let alone grad econ. Don't lock yourself into econ PhD track before you have even taken a single college course in any subject. Look around and see what else interests you. I entered college intending to major in something that interested me and that had good job prospects, and I ended up talking with departmental advisors from 7 departments (math, econ, physics, CS, chem, neuroscience and accounting), and took courses in my freshman year in three of them (math, econ and accounting) and chose to major in econ and math early in my sophomore year once I realized I wanted to do econ and finance research and therefore go for a PhD.

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