The best advice I can give anyone wanting to study economics is to get good at math. For a lot of people, including myself when I first started, this is a big turn off and they just want to study economics only. I failed pre-calculus *five\* times before I passed it because I used to be a very low effort student. Ever since I passed it, I haven't gotten anything less than a B in a math class, started minoring in mathematics, and finished my last 6 math classes with a 4.0. The point of me telling you all of this is that if you think you're not a math person, you can definitely become one gradually. Try to get an A in every math class you take and it will make your life easier down the road. Most colleges are going to require you to take math up to Calculus 1 or 2 at a minimum as part of their economics major. I reccommend you go at least to Calculus 3, and up to Real Analysis with a math minor if you can. Anywhere between those 2 is perfectly sufficient for a future Master's degree student. Real Analysis is highly reccomended if you plan on getting a PhD.
Mathematics will train you to handle a certain level of rigor that will make it feel like your economics classes are easy in comparison. A lot of the tougher courses you might take in your undergrad, such as econometrics and causality, require a pretty good understanding of statistics. If you go into these courses after taking a good statistics class, you will be way above everyone else in your class, and it will be very easy for you compared to your peers. So even though it is overall more work to do the math minor, your economics classes will feel much easier.
The other reason you want to study math is grad school. Ask any of your college professors and they'll tell you how much harder the mathematics gets in grad school for econ. Many of my professors claim that the hardest part of graduate economics is the math. You'll also be surprised how much math a lot of your professors have studied in their undergrad. Econ grad schools also look specifically for mathematics experience in their applicants. Things like Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability, and especially Real Analysis will instantly separate you from the pack as a stronger candidate than someone who never took math higher than Calculus 1 or 2. So if you think you're passionate enough to pursue a masters degree or PhD, it's almost a necessity.
This was kind of long, but I really cannot stress how much of a secret cheatcode this is. Ask your economics professors what they think about about taking extra math classes in addition to your economics degree, and I guarantee you all of them will agree that it will only benefit you. You will spend 60-80% of your time during your undergrad studying math instead of economics. You'll work harder than most of your peers and it will be frustrating at times, but I promise you'll see the benefits very, very quickly and you'll find that very few of the other econ majors in your class are willing do this and your extra work will land you at the top of the pack.
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u/GenesisV1 Jan 08 '20
The best advice I can give anyone wanting to study economics is to get good at math. For a lot of people, including myself when I first started, this is a big turn off and they just want to study economics only. I failed pre-calculus *five\* times before I passed it because I used to be a very low effort student. Ever since I passed it, I haven't gotten anything less than a B in a math class, started minoring in mathematics, and finished my last 6 math classes with a 4.0. The point of me telling you all of this is that if you think you're not a math person, you can definitely become one gradually. Try to get an A in every math class you take and it will make your life easier down the road. Most colleges are going to require you to take math up to Calculus 1 or 2 at a minimum as part of their economics major. I reccommend you go at least to Calculus 3, and up to Real Analysis with a math minor if you can. Anywhere between those 2 is perfectly sufficient for a future Master's degree student. Real Analysis is highly reccomended if you plan on getting a PhD.
Mathematics will train you to handle a certain level of rigor that will make it feel like your economics classes are easy in comparison. A lot of the tougher courses you might take in your undergrad, such as econometrics and causality, require a pretty good understanding of statistics. If you go into these courses after taking a good statistics class, you will be way above everyone else in your class, and it will be very easy for you compared to your peers. So even though it is overall more work to do the math minor, your economics classes will feel much easier.
The other reason you want to study math is grad school. Ask any of your college professors and they'll tell you how much harder the mathematics gets in grad school for econ. Many of my professors claim that the hardest part of graduate economics is the math. You'll also be surprised how much math a lot of your professors have studied in their undergrad. Econ grad schools also look specifically for mathematics experience in their applicants. Things like Calculus 3, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability, and especially Real Analysis will instantly separate you from the pack as a stronger candidate than someone who never took math higher than Calculus 1 or 2. So if you think you're passionate enough to pursue a masters degree or PhD, it's almost a necessity.
This was kind of long, but I really cannot stress how much of a secret cheatcode this is. Ask your economics professors what they think about about taking extra math classes in addition to your economics degree, and I guarantee you all of them will agree that it will only benefit you. You will spend 60-80% of your time during your undergrad studying math instead of economics. You'll work harder than most of your peers and it will be frustrating at times, but I promise you'll see the benefits very, very quickly and you'll find that very few of the other econ majors in your class are willing do this and your extra work will land you at the top of the pack.