Ariella

I would recommend a Thinkpad for regular use as well as an inexpensive and lightweight netbook to take to class. Right now I have a 17" HP which was way too big to bring to class each day, so I recently purchased a refurbished Dell Mini netbook to take to school. My only complaint about the netbook is that it runs slow, but that is what I expected given the 1G of RAM.

The engineering prob/stats is calc-based, which is precisely why I am taking it instead of the non-calc. based economic-prob./statistics course.

Note: My school does not have +/- grading Type of Undergrad: Well-ranked state university without a PhD in Economics Major: Economics BA, Math Minor, Instructional Technology Certificate Undergrad GPA: I am a transfer student so it is difficult to say. I am going in to my senior year and only have one B, but because I transferred so late that one B dragged my GPA down from 4.0 to 3.7. GRE: Taking in July Math Courses: Calc I,II,III (A,B,Currently taking - probably A), Linear Algebra(A), Prob/Stats for Engineers (Currently taking- probably A), SAS (second half of summer), Real Analysis I (fall), Real Analysis II (next spring), Diff eq. (next spring) Econ Courses: Micro principles (A), Macro principles (CLEP), Intermediate Micro and Macro (A,A), Grad Micro (fall), Cost/Benefit Analysis (fall), Econometrics (fall), Health Econ (fall), Finance (winter or spring), another econ elective (spring) Letters of Recommendation: One excellent letter from a Hopkins PhD, unsure about the others. Possibly one from my CALC III prof. Research Experience: I will be doing a senior thesis, but I cannot do it until the spring. Teaching Experience: I have taken numerous education courses and have experience in curriculum design Research Interests: Microeconomics, Labor Economics, Economics of Education, Health Economics, Econometrics I am aiming for a school ranked 15-40 or so in the Northeast (DC or further north). How badly will my lack of research hurt me? Where should I apply?

I have that book and like it a lot. It is math-intensive and thus a good supplement for those of us who did not have math-intensive intermediate micro courses.

Thanks. The math courses that I am taking actually are the minimum amount required for the minor. The minor requires most of the courses and allows for two electives, which I am using for my statistics course (which is also required for my econ major) and for Real Analysis II.

I'm currently a junior at a good state college. As of now, I am planning on getting a BA in Economics, a minor in Math, and an Honors College certificate. (I also have a certificate in Instructional Technology that I am completing this semester at another college). After doing the calculations, I realized that with another three courses I can get a math double major (B.A.) instead of a math minor. However, that would involve having a very tight schedule between now and my graduation in Fall 2012. Even with my current plan will require me to graduate with 150 or more credits and I am not sure how many more I can manage to fit in. In order to get the honors certificate, I have to take three more seminar classes. Therefore, it seems to me that I have three options: 1. Keep my current plan 2. Try to fit in three more math classes 3. Substitute the math classes for the honors classes I am not sure which of these is the better option. Here are the math classes that I already have, or will take, as part of the math minor: Calc I (A), Linear Algebra (A), Calc II (taking now-probably a B but I am hoping that I can pull it up), Calc III (this summer), Intermediate Statistics (this summer), Real Analysis I and II (fall and spring), Computer Science (spring), Differential Equations (next summer). Are there any other math classes that would be good to take? I would like to get into a top 25 school if possible. -Thanks

That's precisely the problem. Some schools do not require calculus for intermediate micro. Therefore some textbooks, in a misguided effort to be inclusive, omit calculus from the text. My micro textbook did not include calculus which left me without a reference for calculus-dependent calculations.

Econoecon, All input is appreciated. Thanks!

I am interested in more general areas of interest. I already have a thesis topic related to the field of the economics of education and labor economics. I have a background in curriculum design so I am in a unique position to measure the effectiveness of education versus its costs, but I do not think that I should focus exclusively on education as it seems to be a too specific focus. I feel that I need to broaden my horizons somewhat. I generally prefer micro to macro, and I have not yet taken econometrics (I'm taking it this fall), but I like statistics. I'm not really sure where to go from here.

Hi Everyone, Have you decided on which field or fields to focus on? If so, what made you decide to focus on that field in particular? What was it about that particular field that attracted you to learning it? What skills or talents do you feel are helpful for someone wishing to go into that field? I am an undergrad who is in the process of deciding which field to focus on, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ariella