ambitiousandstupid

Yeah I'm not sure what you mean by "RA II" but over three quarters we cover through the end of Rudin's Principles of Math Analysis and everything at the Roydin level is a graduate class.

I have to second Pugh's excellent book. My school is a bit mixed up - two quarters of Ross and the last couple chapters of Rudin. When we got to Rudin, Pugh was the textbook I studied from. If I'd studied from Rudin, I don't think I would have gotten an A.

Hi kids, not directly related to phd but: Last summer I did a great REU (research experience for undegraduates) on convex polytopes and optimization, and I'm trying to find summer research programs in econ for next summer. It's easy to find them in math via the NSF's website, but they don't really have anything econ related. Any leads?

Congrats on actually getting points! My school gave an little award to a guy that got a 10 last year.

Either way I need to to finish my math degree. I don't have to take diff eqs, but I have to take something and it was recommended for me. I also can't do grad analysis instead of diff eqs, because grad classes don't get major credit here. My school is silly. I need three more econ classes to finish my degree, and I can finish it with grad econometrics series, but not grad micro (which uses MWG).

So here's the deal: The math department tricked me into loving math, and now I can't decide whether I want to apply to apply to math phD programs or not. The plan until now was to apply to econ phd programs now (starting my senior year), but if I apply to math grad programs I'm not really ready. The subject GRE has abstract algebra, which I won't take until this coming fall, and the test is in November. I'm not ready for it (nor the general, for that matter) because I've spent the summer working on my math and econ honors theses. So how much would it hurt to wait a year? I feel like I'd do better on the GRE (much better on math subject test), get better LORs, and possibly better grades if I don't have to focus on this now. I posted a profile on here earlier, basically 3.87 GPA, two honors theses, one publishable, analysis (3 courses), linear/integer/dynamic programming, probability theory, abstract algebra, diff eqs (2 courses), lin alg (2 courses), point-set topology, combinatorics, convex geometry, some other shit. Oh and I'd probably spend the year off studying for the GREs, working a low-level web programming job, and helping to launch a new free wiki-hosting service (think geocities or wikicities, but actually usable). Now unrelated questions: for econ grad school preparation: I've taken analysis through the end of baby Rudin, his smaller one (can't remember the title, but we finished by proving Stokes' Theorem). Should I take graduate analysis? I don't know a ton about metric spaces or lebesgue integration, and the class would cover this. Also, a professor said diff eqs are important for macro theory. For my second diff eqs class, would it be more useful to take ODEs or PDEs? I had a lower division class in it, but I literally remember nothing (and got an A+).

Admissions aside, it would be good to get an analysis course with a textbook at the level of baby Rudin. I had two quarters with Ross' 'Advanced Calculus' and did the end of baby Rudin for a quarter. It really teaches you to stretch your brain and read extremely dense and concise analytical texts. It helped to read Charles Chapman Pugh's analysis book along with Rudin.

No offense taken. Thanks for the help!

For MIT and Princeton, what would not be a stretch? Just being from a prestigious econ department for undergrad?

Hi there, I just finished my junior year and I'm starting to think about where to apply. I want to do the best I can but I want to be realistic. Here's my info (none of this is final of course) At a UC (think cows and bicycles...) 3.87/4.00 GPA (major GPA slightly higher) Double Major Econ/Applied Math -3 Quarters of Real Analysis, and "baby real analysis" as my advisor calls intro to proofs (A,A,A,A) -1 quarter of probability theory (A) - 3 courses in numerical analysis, two courses in linear algebra, one in diff eq's, and one in point-set topology, one in time-invariant linear systems (electrical engineering class, but recommended by my advisor as very useful for econometrics) (most of these pending) -honors thesis in economics, hopefully publishable according to my advisor -planning on taking graduate econometrics series (3 quarters) in 06-07 -Summer Research Fellowship in optimization in the math department -planning to do honors thesis in math in optimization as a continuation of summer research -Meritorious winner in COMAP Mathematical Contest in Modeling, hopefully oustanding winner next year - 100 on the putnam (just kidding, checking to see if you're still reading) -no GRE yet, but I'm studying my *** off so pretend it's close to or at 800Q -100% Mexican (I know this probably won't matter) LORs will be from the three research advisors, not from a prof who gave me an A. Is it okay if one is from a mathematician and not an economist? Should I take ODEs or PDEs for my second diff eq's class? The first one was lower division ODEs and I learned nothing. Also, I know numerical analysis isn't the most rigorous choice for math classes, but I can't just make my major consist entirely of real analysis. My options were either a series in groups, rings, and fields, classes towards the teaching credential, or optimization stuff, and this interests me. So anyway what should I be aiming for? I'm really interested in education and labor economics, and also could see myself focusing on econometrics. Also I'm going to be applying for Teach for America. Anyone have experience with deferring enrollment to do Teach for America? Lots of departments in other subjects have automatic contracts to allow it, but no economics departments do. UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UT-Austin are schools I definitely want to apply to. Oh and what should I be doing differently?

To all that are years ahead of me in economics: I'm just finishing my second year at UC Davis. I'm doble majoring in math/econ, and I'd like to get a phd in econ one day. What should I be doing that I'm not? I've got a 3.8 GPA cumulative, about 3.8 in only math/econ also, and I'm starting real analysis and mathematical stats in the fall. What should I be doing in my junior year other than trying to get the best grades I can? Advisors have pretty much just told me 'take lots of math and do a senior honors thesis'. Just trying to get on the right track before it's too late. Thanks.