<p>I'm getting my a BA in economics, and I really do enjoy it. I would like to do something regarding public policy; my dream job would be to be the legislative director of a congressperson. Other than that, I'm not exactly sure what I would want to do with my degree--I just like the way in which economics ties to politics. </p>
<p>However--I'm in my first quarter (trimesters) of my sophomore year, and I HATE calculus. It's awful. It just does not click in my head, and I'm terrified, because I need to take a full year of it in order to take econometrics, which based on what I've heard, I probably won't do well in, either. </p>
<p>So the questions is--if I stop taking calc this quarter after my requirement is met and focus only on the topics I enjoy (NOT quantitative economics), what doors would I be closing for myself? Could I still be a competitive candidate for a public policy masters program? </p>
<p>Believe me, I've tried to excel in calculus. I've spent hours in the tutoring office and in my professor's office hours. It's just not working for me. I don't know if my GPA can take a full year of this. </p>
<p>I’ve only taken AP Economics so don’t take my words of advice really seriously… but from what I know, you should know the quantitative side of economics. Its just part of the curriculum. You need to have a good GPA in order to get into a masters program. So just work a lot harder!</p>
<p>We are in the same boat! I LOVE econ as far as the theories and how it applies to real life, but not so much with the math. I will take it if I have to, but I too am looking at public policy programs. From what I’ve seen, some of the programs strongly recommend a lot of math, but doesn’t seem like many of them require calc and beyond.</p>
<p>What do you mean by economics that applies to ‘real life’ without mathematics? Economics is useful to the ‘real world’ because of powerful statistical tools. Economics without mathematics is not useful at all in the real world, specifically public policy.</p>
<p>An economics degree without a lot of math isn’t a vocational degree. You can’t be an economist with it and it prepares you for not job in particular. This isn’t a bad thing. An economics degree without math makes you a lot more marketable than virtually every other humanities or social science major as well as a good number of business majors. You just can’t get a true career in economics.</p>
<p>I think the other posters are doing you a disservice by ignoring the fact that you ideally want to be a Legislative Director, not a econ. of professor, researcher, trend analyst, ect.</p>
<p>Granted, a B.A. will definitely close some doors; you will be at a huge disadvantage if you later want to get a masters in econ, for example. But a B.A. in econ will be a great stepping stone to a masters in public policy.</p>
<p>I highly recommend you contact the offices of your state’s senators. I interned for one of mine and was able to work closely with Legislative Corespondents, and was able to see the duties that Legislative Directors performed. If you do get accepted, a two month internship should be able to definitively decide for you whether you would still like to pursue such a career path.</p>
<p>You could still get into a public policy program without taking econometrics. You may even do very well in a public policy program without econometrics. After that you may be hired as as a legislative assistant, but you will ultimately be a greatly handicapped legislative advisor (at least in terms of things relating to the economy). </p>
<p>The problem I believe will be that you won’t be able to read anything about economics done by qualified people. The goal of most BA programs now is not to make economists out of people but to at least give them the fundamental tools to understand what economists are saying (all that bullcrap about actually understanding the economy is obviously a myth perpetrated by people who don’t actually understand anything about economics). Then when you actually get a job you can read up and digest properly what people have written about the specific area of the economy you are working in (assuming you didn’t go to law school or get a PhD). If you can’t understand econometrics, basically, you’ll need an interpreter to perform your duties of interpreting for the legislator. It will be the incompetent leading the incompetent. Thus, America!</p>
<p>Higher level economics is VERY quantitative. If you do not like those things, then don’t plan on pursuing a graduate degree in economics. </p>
<p>As for graduate admissions, however, you will have no trouble being admitted to an economics graduate program after obtaining a BA in Economics, provided you have good grades and test scores. The above poster is grossly incorrect with regards to the graduate school, the degree, and what you may even do as a legislative assistant. </p>