<p>Question, perhaps more for those of you with kids already in college...regarding math...</p>
<p>S is a good but not great math student...B/B+ in AP Calc A/B and gets about an hour of tutoring each week. Is considering a major in Econ and one of his schools will require Calc I, Calc II, Linear Alg, and MV Calc and Diff Equations in addition to the standard stats and econometrics courses. Based upon his background, is he biting off more than he can chew? did any of you have OK high school math students major in something quant heavy? </p>
<p>I got a C in Calc (BC though) and am doing two quant majors. I also minored in Math. AP classes will vary in difficulty between schools, despite having the same curriculum, and he may not even know how his school’s Calc class compares to others.</p>
<p>Some schools offer economics options with heavy math and light math. The heavy math option would be for those intending to go on to PhD programs in economics (or just like math) and typically requires the math courses listed in post #1, with recommendation to take additional advanced math like real analysis and more advanced statistics courses. The light math option typically requires just a year of calculus and introductory statistics. The options may have different intermediate economics and econometrics course options based on math prerequisites.</p>
<p>A student who like economics but is not sure of his/her math ability may want to consider a school which has both heavy math and light math options for the major.</p>
<p>My son got a B- in AB Calc last year and a 5 on the AP exam. He is a math/economics major now and he got an A in Calc 2. Calculus is a new way of thinking and many students struggle the first time they encounter it. That does not mean they will never get it. We have this idea that struggle is bad, but struggle is where real learning occurs.</p>
<p>My math level in high school was about 3rd grade level but that did not prevent me from getting four engineering degrees… </p>
<p>Keep in mind that college math is nothing like high school (in the US). There are good teachers out there that make things easier to comprehend, study groups, and the like. DD1 inherited my math skills and actually enjoyed her year of calculus in college (architecture major). </p>
<p>You also learn to cope. Realizing that I could not do math as fast as needed, I got to learn how to write computer code for engineering analysis (structural and surveying mostly, and also numerical analysis). </p>
<p>There are Econ schools that do not need this heavy math, but most do. I know Purdue requires a serious dose of math like that you described for Econ’s.</p>
<p>Economics is not one of those majors that takes up most of your schedule, the way engineering does.</p>
<p>A person who’s planning to major in economics can take the initial courses toward that major and prepare for another major – perhaps one that’s less quantitative – at the same time. </p>
<p>So your son doesn’t have to make a decision quickly about whether or not to major in economics. He can give it a try and see what happens. He just needs to have another option in mind in case it does not work out.</p>
<p>My son was a B math student, but wanted to take a college calculus class over the summer. I called the college he was going to go to, and they said don’t worry about it…it could be he wasn’t feeling challenged or any number of things. He took the college class, and got an A. Now he’s a freshman math major. Your student can always change his mind if he finds it too hard.</p>
<p>S2 was a B math student in HS, got a 4 on Calc AB and a 5 on Stat. Has taken three econ courses so far and has been fine w/the math. Is contemplating taking econometrics, too. Same kid, who has avoided comp sci like the plague, took a GIS software course this semester and liked it. </p>
<p>S2 was convinced he wouldn’t be good at math/CS because he compared himself to his brother (who is a math/CS guy with some pretty extreme skills). He has started to realize that the more quant skills he has, the better the job prospects. I have also noticed that when he has the chance to apply math/CS to subjects he likes (IR/Econ/strategic studies), he likes it and is good at it!</p>
<p>I think the bigger question is how is he enjoying the class? If it is too stressful and not fun - look for something else to do. But if he loves the challenge - even though it is hard - and enjoys what he is learning, then pursue it. It is about studying something that you enjoy even if it is hard.</p>
<p>S struggled through bc calculus, now is a second year engineering major and doing well. Took calucus as a freshman - repeating the second half of what he learned in high school. Much easier the second time around and he had a great foundation for the engineering courses.</p>
but that did not prevent me from getting four engineering degrees… </p>