<p>Ok I am taking Econ 401 this fall as a sophmore... I got AP credit for 101 and 102 and took 310 in the winter semester of my freshman year. How hard is this class realistically? I'm in the engineering school and I've heard its not very hard... just uses a lot of application from Calc1 which seems to trip up a lot of LSA students.. anyone wanna clarify and preferrably those of you who have taken the class?</p>
<p>nobody on here knows much about econ 401? haha i find that a little hard to believe…</p>
<p>The math isn’t hard, it’s a lot of derivatives and algebra. It’s a lot of work though. There are two problem sets every week, but as an engineer, I’m sure you’re used to that type of thing.</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any more questions.</p>
<p>401 is a moderately difficiult class. The material is relatively easy, but the way it is “delivered” is tricky.</p>
<p>I keep on hearing Econ 401 is hard. Is it becuz most kids who find it hard bc they are instaters who gets 500 on SATs, or is it truly hard even for oos kids with high SATs and GPA?</p>
<p>Not many Econ majors get 500 on their SAT. Econ majors tend to be pretty smart. Like I said, the 401 material is not that hard, but the presentation and structure of the class is tricky.</p>
<p>Alex, can u explain “the presentation and structure”?</p>
<p>Number 1, I mean the way in which the material is presented and the structure of the tests. Like I said, the concepts themselves are relatively easy to grasp, but the way it is taught and the format of the tests are not straightforward, which is good if you ask me. Economics is supposed to be analytical.</p>
<p>^^ OP, This reminds me of my Northwestern days when I had to take macro and micro for my major. The material presented in the lecture seemed straightforward, but the exams could literally screw you (exam problems tested students at a much higher, analytical level).</p>
<p>I believe that’s what Alexandre means by “presentation and structure of the class is tricky.”</p>
<p>The class is considered “hard” because there is so much material. You cover everything from slutzky equations to game theory. It covers a full scope of subjects in microeconomics and goes into a certain level of detail. You need to put in a lot of work for the class. There are so many different concepts and with all the math mixed in, it’s easy to confuse them.</p>
<p>Sachmoney, how hard is the math part of the class? I’ve already finished Calc1-4… should I be good?</p>
<p>For Econ 401, Calculus I is sufficient. Calc III, Statistics, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations is all you will ever need for Econ, even at the PhD level.</p>
<p>^Yea I keep on hearing the same thing about Econ 401, and I’m concerned because I’m planning my SS sequence so that it’s 101 –> 102 –> 401/402 (though I have a total of 4 SS AP credits from AP Econ). If Econ 401 is that hard, I’m worried about it trashing my grade point. In addition to it having a lot of material, is it hard because of how they grade it and the competition in the class to do well? What does it take to get an A in these classes?</p>
<p>I always feel that econ 401 is one of those easy classes that are hyped up to be super hard. And the funny thing is just out of the people I know, the people who have problems with the class are the actual econ majors.</p>
<p>There’s no difficult concept. Not much analytical/logical skills is required. Things are really straightforward. You either understand it or you dont. The math is really trivial. The only thing I dislike is the homework which is really boring/useless and required.</p>
<p>"What does it take to get an A in these classes? "
a little bit of mathematical/analytical sense and the drive to actually do the repetitive homework</p>