<p>Can anyone who's taken either offer a recommendation? I'm leaning towards m/n, because I imagine more intensive math will offer better prep for grad school, but I'd be curious to know how different they are.</p>
<p>The math intensive courses at UCSC are just like the regular econ courses at say, Harvard. The M/N series really offer not much challenge, therefore, and you will only fall behind if you do not commit to it. Also, the M/N series offer small class size (15~20 people) so it gives you the chance to work closely with your professor and fellow econ enthusiasts.</p>
<p>Both series use the same textbook, so it will be easier to find cheaper books. At the end of each chapter, there is an “additional” section that focuses on the calculus. Each is about 3 pages long. As for the prep, I would recommend a good working knowledge of Calculus I & II, if you can get up to calc III then thats a HUGE advantage, since the math intensive econ course (particularly micro) use partial derivatives to say, find the cost minimization using the method of Lagrange. The regular courses are intended for students who prefer to not learn the essential components of economics. The math is extremely hard: high school algebra coupled with statistics. I wouldnt recommend it if I were to contonue on to grad school.</p>
<p>On a note, i would recommend that you consider doing the combined major math/econ, as it is designed specifically for those who wish to go to grad school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the in-depth response. I’m taking calc III this semester and, based on you’re info, I think m/n sounds like the best route. </p>
<p>I looked at the combined major, but the list of required classes from each department doesn’t leave a lot of flexibility to take courses not on the list, and there are several classes (like game theory) that are not listed but desirable to have when applying to programs. </p>
<p>There’s a very active community of phd students and applicants on the testmagic message board, and they generally agree that a combined math/econ major is less advantageous than loading up on math as electives. That being said, it’s still something I’m considering. I’m hoping to talk with an advisor at the spring spotlight about it.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the response, it was very helpful.</p>