<p>I'd like to go into business when I graduate, and I hear economics is one of the best ways to do so. How does Smith's program compare to others?</p>
<p>Sorry, I can’t help you there. I hope someone knowledgeable will weigh in, but when I think of the people who post on CC, I’m not aware of anyone or anyone’s daughter who has/had it as a major or minor. Have you talked to the chair of the department? Good luck in getting your question answered!</p>
<p>I can’t quiet help you either. My D didn’t major in Econ but took several Econ classes and will probably go to grad school in Econ. She says the department is strong and she got a job as Econ Research Assistant for her first job out of college…one of those one person chosen out of something like 100+ resumes kinds of things, so Smith can’t be regarded too badly.</p>
<p>Two of the Econ professors are among D’s “call on me any time” references…very accessible.</p>
<p>I hesitate to go along with your premise about Econ being the best prep for business. As a precursor to an MBA, the quant skills will come in very useful. However, there are lots of degrees that are fine for either business in general or as prep for an MBA. Quant skills are essential and being able to write well isn’t far behind.</p>
<p>I wasn’t an econ major, but like most government majors I took several econ classes (Econ Major/Gov Minor or Gov Major/Econ Minor are VERY common combos, especially in the current economy). </p>
<p>I didn’t do very advanced classes in econ at Smith, but I was in general impressed with what I got. The profs in the econ department are very fun, very caring people and they run the political gamut from super conservative to super marxist/leftist, a kind of diversity that you don’t always see in Smith professorial circles (or LAC professorial circles in general). Also, you can learn about econ in a lot of its different aspects, Smith has classes in sports economy, it has classes in food security and the marketplace, game theory and many other areas. It’s a strong, varied department, and very accessible to newcomers (people like me who had never taken an economics class pre-Smith). </p>
<p>One thing I will say though is that if you plan to be an Econ major you’ll need to be prepared to take math classes along with it if you don’t already have a calculus/stats background. For Intro Macroeconomics and Intro Microeconomics you don’t need any kind of advanced math skills (adding, subtracting, dividing, basic equations and using a calculator are all that’s required), but the further you go in the department the more quantitative skills are a necessity.</p>
<p>To amplify on what S&P said, D was a Math major and it helped a lot. She was waived through two of the Econ pre-reqs…Intro Micro was one, forget the other…on the basis of her Math background and Intro Macro performance. She’s found her heavy Math to be an asset all along the way. </p>
<p>Despite, he mused, never having had a course in Differential Equations, of which she says, “yeah, I’ll pick it up some day.”
Too “applied” for her at the time.</p>
<p>My D, an '06 Smith grad, was an econ major. The choice of major was somewhat serendipitous – she had expected to major in government or perhaps sociology or anthropology. But her first year she took an intro econ class and one day in the gym, ran into the prof, who, while chatting with her, said, “You seem to have a talent for the subject. Would you consider economics as a major?” D figured why not give it a second course, and did end up taking that route. That story, to me, exemplifies the interactions and support that can make such a difference at Smith.</p>
<p>A couple of years after graduation, while employed at an economics consulting firm, she suggested doing some recruiting at Smith and, through the CDO, she screened resumes of the graduating econ majors. She returned to Smith to interview, and recommended an applicant, who then was invited for further interviews, and snared the job. D was thrilled to have another Smithie in her heavily male work environment, and they subsequently participated together in the area’s Smith book group. </p>
<p>D is now in grad school studying applied economics. </p>
<p>Re differential equations mentioned above, D never took it, but her younger brother, currently a sophomore engineering major for whom it was the last required math class, has offered to teach it to her. (I had told him that the test of mastery of a subject is if you can teach it. Teaching it to his sister will be the ultimate test. ;))</p>
<p>Fortunately, I’ve forgotten what I ever knew about DiffEQ and am in no danger of teaching it to D.</p>
<p>Jyber, the experience of looking at resumes from the other side of the table is, in an of itself, a great education.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, can you say which prof it was?</p>
<p>
^The prof was Karen Pfeifer, who subsequently became D’s advisor.</p>
<p>Ah. Well, I think Mahnaz Mahdavi has been mentioned on these boards several times. I got a chance to drive her from her hotel to a Smith Club gathering a couple of weeks ago and she’s great, I understand why she’s one of D’s favorite profs, as is Roger Kaufman.</p>
<p>I’m an Econ major, so I’ve taken my fair share of Economic courses. :)</p>
<p>The Econ department at Smith is very strong, and the impression that I get is that most people tend to dabble in the department whether they major or not. The professors are very helpful and engaging, all of our basic classes also have student tutors, often picked by professors from the courses they previously taught. </p>
<p>As S&P noted above, be prepared for higher level math. The only requirement that the department has is Calculus I, however, if you want to continue on to graduate school in Economics it’s highly recommended to take up to Calculus III, along with Linear Algebra. That being said, Smith’s approach towards Economics is much less quantitative than school in other countries say, Western Europe, classes tend to focus more on Economic theory in my opinion (except for Microeconomics). </p>
<p>If you’re aiming to study abroad this is something to keep in mind, since you’ll definitely want a strong background in math if you’re planning on going to a school like LSE. I’m currently taking Intermediate Microeconomics and up until just recently there were certain points in time where I felt like I was in a math class instead of an Econ class, so Calculus is a must (most Econ Smithies choose to double major in Math).</p>
<p>As far as the strength of the program it’s definitely one of the strongest offered at Smith in my opinion (though I am a major). As I mentioned before, many people decide to take a course in Econ even when not majoring, often with professors such as Randy Bartlett or Mahnaz Mahdavi who are both fabulous teachers. </p>
<p>Within the Econ department we often hear of alums who after graduating go on to study either in Business or in Econ (if not working), usually at well ranked grad schools. An recent Economics major graduate I know got called into the final round of interviews for Deutsche Bank, though the job eventually went to an Ada Comstock Scholar who was interviewing at the same time, who I also believe was an Econ major. So, generally speaking, we usually tend to do well for ourselves :).</p>