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I would rethink the way you are making this decision. . In my opinion, you are trying to build a wall before ever laying a brick. Most people who say they are going to build the biggest wall never succeed. Either they give up or it topples over from a poor foundation. Getting a phd is a marathon not a sprint. You are probably about 8-10 years away from attaining one if you do pursue one. I would advise to not make a decision about getting one until following the steps in my other post. I would consider making this your goal: I am going to learn as much as I can from my economics and mathematics courses at my state university and gain as much information from my professors so I can make the most informed decision with my career. The way you are trying to decide is by looking at the entrance of each path from a glance and deciding which one you will go on for the rest of your life. I am trying to tell you to walk a mile on a path, maybe back track and even go down different paths for a little bit before you choose. It is a lot easier to turn around after a mile on a path than 10 or 20 miles down the road. One step at a time. It will become more clear what you should do once you get into your state university and actually get your feet wet. In addition,reading these forums is in NO WAY SUFFICIENT in deciding whether to pursue a phd from your current standing. Good luck dutchdisease:tup:

You are thinking to many steps in advance. You are deciding whether you want to become an economist without being in a state university. If you want to consider becoming an economist this is my advice 1. Get into an affordable state university 2. Take economics courses as well as many math. If you don't enjoy doing calculus or mathematics, a phd in economics is not for you. Economics at the graduate level is basically all mathematics. 3. After a year or 2 of economics and math courses take upper level math courses such as advanced calculus. If you dont enjoy working with giant complex equations and being stuck on a single problem for over an hour then you should rethink your path as an economist. 4. Talk to economics professors at your university and get advice from them about how research works, try to become a research assistant. 5. Maybe take a masters or phd level economics course to get a feel for phd level work 6. Now you can decide if you want to pursue a phd in economics. Regarding your dream of getting into a "top 20" school, chateuheart's advice is on point. It is possible you dont enjoy advanced economics and mathematics after a year at a state university and you find some other passion