I was planning to major in economics at Duke and I heard it’s one of the most popular majors there. I know that the majority of people who go to Duke are motivated and intelligent but how hard are the economics classes specifically? I know it’s not going to be a walk in the park but if I study, will I be able to manage an A? I’ve heard stories of students who were at the top of their class in high school but when they went to Ivies/top ranked schools, they fell behind because everyone there was much smarter than them. At Duke, are the classes in general “do-able” as long as you study and work hard? How hard is it to maintain a 3.6+ GPA.
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I’m a humanities major (pre-law) with a 3.96 at the end of my sophomore year, so I really couldn’t tell you how rigorous economics is at Duke. But I have heard horror stories from some of my friends who’ve been through a few weed-out Econ classes here. If Econ (or better yet “Duke Economy,” check the memes page for all the humor surrounding the misprinted shirts at the majors fair this year) is something you are really interested in, not something you’re just pursuing because it seems like the most marketable major at Duke, then by all means go for it though.
It’s impossible to say how easy it will be for YOU to maintain a 3.6+ GPA as there is such a broad range of people at Duke. For some, it’s a walk in the park. For others, it’s nearly impossible. And, as a top university, you better believe everybody majoring in economics “will study” and not everybody gets As. I know that doesn’t help you much, but my advice is to just go in with an open mind and learn good time management skills. Duke definitely provides the resources and opportunities for you to succeed, but that doesn’t make it easy. Duke doesn’t have a cut-throat atmosphere within the student body so everybody is out to help each other. But test averages in weed out courses can be in the 50s (which they then curve up). Yes, economics at Duke is definitely one of the most popular majors and it will set you up well for a variety of post-graduate options, including kicking off your career.
I didn’t take econ, but my chemistry and math courses were always curved to at least an 80 (so the B-/C+ border). The final grades tend to be higher. The average GPA at Duke is something like a 3.4 but that’s across ALL majors so it’s not very indicative of how that might be for a particular major. So, Duke certainly isn’t at the top of grade inflation across the country, but it’s not at the bottom either.
Good luck!
Econ 101 at Duke is a weed-out class, so it’s definitely difficult. The major also requires Stats 111 and Multi for Econ which can be tough (especially Stats–office hours are mandatory if you want a good grade in that class). The other Econ major courses can also be a little tough, but the electives are pretty easy honestly. Econ is super doable if you actually study. I was surprised to see how many Duke Econ majors don’t really care about their grades that much; many don’t put in a lot of effort to prepare for the tests. If you do, you’ll be fine.
Just curious, why do you want to major in Econ? To reiterate what ldoc97 said, if it’s because you actually like Econ, definitely do it. I would however strongly advise against majoring in Econ if you want to go into finance (or consulting for that matter). Many Duke students do this, despite the advice from Duke finance profs and Duke Wall Street alums/recruiters that unanimously tell them major doesn’t matter for Duke finance recruiting, and end up getting a lower GPA in a less satisfying major. I seriously can’t stress how important it is to major in something you actually like. The Duke alumni network is fantastic and will get you that job but they can sniff out lukewarm passion a mile away.
I’m more interested in the finance track in terms of banking and consulting. I do like economics but I would rather major in finance which isn’t an option at Duke so I’ll have to minor. Do you guys have any advice on which majors I should consider rather than econ if I want to go towards the banking/consulting route? @allthelamps @ldoc97
Math/Econ double major rising junior with a 4.0 here. If you’re quantitatively oriented, Econ isn’t really that hard as a major.
Possible alternatives to Econ for people with your interests are Stats, Math, Engineering (if you’re quantitatively inclined) and Pub Pol, History, Sociology (if you’re less quantitatively inclined). But seriously, how do you know you’re interested in those kinds of careers already? Keep an open mind and explore.
@jpls23 Econ is fine as any major is for banking or consulting. MBVLoveless included good options as well, but TO REITERATE your major doesn’t matter for either field. PLEASE study what you want to and keep an open mind. Focus on getting a high GPA (and take Accounting if you’re interested in finance).