<p>I’m looking at transferring out of NYU, and one of the places I’m looking to transfer into is Brown University. I’ve taken two summer programs when I was in middle school at Brown and so socially I know Brown is a good fit for me, but academically I’ve (obviously) changed since middle school. </p>
<p>I’m looking at majoring in economics now, and I was wondering if there’s grade inflation or if there’s a strict curve? Are the professors kind and helpful? I’ve looked at the economic course catalog for both fall and spring semesters at Brown, and then looked up all the professors on rate my professor. The results weren’t too great. Are there any economic (or COE) students on this board who could guide me?</p>
<p>I know there is at least one econ concentrator here, so they can give you more info. My student at Brown has taken a number of Econ courses and is considering adding a second econ concentration. The feedback I have heard is that for them, econ courses are actually quite easy, but it appears that some other students find them harder than they thought. Apparently for my student the difference is 1) having a strong and also intuitive math background and 2) having listened to the economics segments on NPR almost every day going back and forth to school for the past 6 years or more before college! (Neither parent is any sort of business major, we just like NPR.)</p>
<p>Econ classes at Brown are generally pretty easy, although it obviously depends on the particular class. For example ECON 1130 (Mathematical Micro) is substantially harder than ECON1110 (Micro). It depends on what difficulty you want to have in your classes. As an econ major though, I can tell you the classes are quite easy, but are also applicable in real life, which is great. Yashuara is generally regarded as one of the more difficult professors in the department, so it’s good to be aware of this going in.</p>
<p>The people who have trouble in econ usually have a poor math background from my experience. If you have a solid background in basic math (usually just Calc BC and maybe some prob/stat) you’ll be fine. Granted, you’ll still need to put in some work – but it’s unlikely you’ll feel completely overwhelmed.</p>
<p>^^as for curves, there is certainly some grade inflation. Most teachers don’t follow the 90/80/70 rule seen at a lot of schools. For example ECON1130 certainly doesn’t follow this rule (maybe 75% for an A? you really can’t tell since you generally don’t get your final back). The same is true for econometrics roughly…perhaps an 80% for an A. It’s not unusual for 1/3 of the class to get an A. </p>
<p>I can really only speak for the mathematical econ classes though (corp finance, econometrics, investments, mathy micro, accounting, etc.)</p>
<p>I’m an Applied Math-Econ concentrator, and all I can tell you is that really depends.</p>
<p>I know a lot of people love Dror Brenner and say he’s an easy professor, but I really just don’t mesh whatsoever with his teaching style and I’ve found his classes perhaps more difficult than the average person would say it is.</p>
<p>Yasuhara is an incredibly difficult professor. Every alum I’ve talked to (all in investment banking fields) have asked if he’s still teaching and sighed when I said yes.</p>
<p>But there are a bunch of good classes out there. From what I can gather, I would say that Brown is a little weak, professor-wise, in more mathematically inclined economics classes, but excels in more qualitative ones.</p>
<p>Oh, and the curve is all over the place. Honestly Yasuhara wouldn’t be nearly as bad if a 90% wasn’t required for an A (his problem sets, due every class, are rather challenging).</p>
<p>Amadeuic - That’s really interesting! I’m currently a sophomore at NYU looking to transfer to Brown because I need a more intimate environment. I looked up Brenner and he’s got a solid review. I looked up Yasuhara, and wow I would never want to take his class. ( I’m not a masochist whatsoever…) It’s interesting how you mention investment banking. I’ve heard the recruiting at Brown is getting better every year, but can you comment on this? </p>
<p>Also, do you mind telling me about the requirements of COE from your perspective. It’s a much more structured undergraduate business program than plain economics, and it seems really interesting. (especially business economics.)</p>
<p>I mean, honestly I can’t evaluate how good a job Brown does with recruiting until I find out if I get an internship–then I can have a nice bias. </p>
<p>But seriously, I feel like it’s pretty strong. There are many, many resources and information sessions and Brown gets more professional each year. It seems like a very strong system.</p>
<p>Being completely honest, COE is what you make of it. Generally, people here view it in a lesser light, fair or unfair, because it tends to be more athlete-dominated and, while all the tracks have many requirements, there are very few brutal classes in the lot. But it’s really a matter of preference.</p>
<p>In case you’re interested in finance, as you seem to be, I’ll PM you a list of courses here that a former professor here drew up to give you a solid background.</p>