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Should I stay in undergrad for an extra year?


neuroeconomist

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So I am in a bit of a dilemma. I am trying to figure out what courses to take in the fall and whether to apply for graduate school in this cycle or the next one (stay in undergrad for a fifth year). Unfortunately, I am having trouble taking upper-division economics at my current university (I'm a transfer student majoring in Neuroscience).

 

I took the basic econ courses at my last university (ranked much higher than my current one): intermediate micro, intermediate macro, and econometrics. However, the Faculty Advisor refuses to acknowledge my courses as equivalent to the ones here. With a lot of fighting, I managed to get the Faculty Advisor here to give me a pre-requisite waiver for Micro Theory (allowing me to take economics courses that require it), but she still won't give me the waivers for Economic Statistics (Intro to Econometrics) or Macro Theory. I am appealing to the department chair to overturn this decision, but I'm preparing for the worst.

 

 

So these seem like my two major options. Which do you think is better, or do you think an option not listed here is best?

 

 

(A) Take a rigorous mathematics schedule this fall: Real Analysis, Stochastic Processes, and Applied Linear Algebra. Then apply this cycle for PhD programs without upper-division economics coursework

 

 

(B) Retake my econ basics in the fall: Micro, Macro, and Economic Statistics. Then spend take an extra year of undergraduate to complete an economics degree (in addition to my neuroscience degree), hoping to take graduate-level econ/mathematics courses and to find an economics professor to take me as a Research Assistant. Then apply in Fall 2015 for economics graduate programs.

 

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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If I recall correctly you are missing a lot of math as well, so to me it seems obvious that you would be much better off staying another year. That would allow you to take more math (IIRC you were interested in studying theory), take more economics, and get research experience.

 

Also, do you have to take applied linear algebra? Is there no more rigorous version offered at your school?

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If I recall correctly you are missing a lot of math as well, so to me it seems obvious that you would be much better off staying another year. That would allow you to take more math (IIRC you were interested in studying theory), take more economics, and get research experience.

 

My math background is: Calculus (I, II, and III or however you want to put it), Differential Geometry, and the courses I take this fall: Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, and some course on probability theory.

 

Also, do you have to take applied linear algebra? Is there no more rigorous version offered at your school?

 

This is the most rigorous version, from what I've heard.

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That is why I think that you should stay another year. While, as can be seen from my math course post earlier, I don't think that most people need to take math beyond real analysis, if you are interested in theory then that is an exception. I think you would be better off staying another year and taking both more economics courses and more math courses.
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