dragoonburst

Hi! I'm about to be finishing my sophomore year at a Private T-10 US University. I'm currently double majoring in Economics and Statistics with a minor in Political Science. I've had a passion for economics and economic research since high school. I find myself constantly reading papers on SSRN/NBER, communicating about economic issues, and engaging in lively debate with my professors. I'm interested in doing a PhD not for anything related to prestige or possible salary but rather that I think I've got a passion for teaching and would really love to contribute research to the field. That being said, I've been really interested in getting a PhD since I entered college and after my academic performance I've become really discouraged. I've found that I've had a hard time excelling academically in school - its not necessarily a lack of effort but I think that I took too many classes a little too early (have "overloaded" every semester) and having had no experience whatsoever with higher level math or computer science coming out of my high school I've faced a pretty steep learning curve. That being said, I would like some realistic advice about what my chances for grad school are as well as wether its worth it to pursue a PhD given my struggles (i.e. will math kill me). Side note: I have some very good opportunities in finance as well for my junior summer and I'm thinking about foregoing possible full time offers to pursue a research assistantship or graduate school. Here's my stats: Type of Undergrad: T-10 w/ top 5 Econ Dept B.S. Economics, B.S. Statistics Undergrad GPA: 3.7 Currently Math Courses: Multivariable Calculus (B+), Linear Algebra (A), Probability (B), Regression (A), will be taking Bayseian Statistics as well as Diff EQ/Analysis later (4.0 in all electives) Econ Courses: Intro Micro (B - no excuses, but got very sick the week of the final with an A leading up to it), Intermediate Micro (B - again, had an A until the final. Tough luck), Metrics (A), will be taking Intermediate Macro this coming fall (4.0 in all electives) Other Courses: Various CS/Polisci/etc. Letters of Recommendation: Have made some connections with professors in my department, including the chair and my metrics professor and have been making an effort to strengthen these. Research Experience: public policy research freshman summer, Work in an Applied Micro lab currently using R/Python and running analysis Teaching Experience: TA for computer Science Class, Teach a basics of investing class Research Interests: Behavioral Economics, Applied Micro Other: Internship at a Fortune 25 Company in Analytics, lot of professional experience related to finance, politics (interned at a think tank), and data science Any advice at all would be appreciated. Thank you!