Is taking intro econ worth it?

<p>I've been looking over the Yale threads trying to answer this question, and not finding a direct answer, I wanted to pose this question to any current Yale student. Picking up on the general consensus, it seems that Intro to micro/macro econ is one of the least enjoyable Yale courses someone can take. I took AP Macro/Micro in 11th Grade, and received a 5 on both of the exams. In the Freshman Handbook, it says that one can bypass intro classes if you receive a 5 on both Econ exams and a 5 on Calc BC (I haven't received my results yet, but I'm reasonably confident I will). However, I'm worried that taking intermediate economics would be biting off more than I can chew, as I want the chance to enjoy my freshman year of college. </p>

<p>Any thoughts or takes on this issue would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>I don’t know what’s covered in the AP test and course but my suggestion would be to talk to the instructors of mid-level Econ classes or speak to the Director of Undergraduate studies in the Econ dept. My intro econ classes seemed to be bumps in the road – basic stuff, some drudgery until I got into upper level classes. Some of the mid level classes aren’t so technical but some are (econometrics, intermediate Micro, etc.). If you plan on majoring in Econ, make sure you don’t shy away from the more math-oriented stuff. It’ll serve you well later on.</p>

<p>uh, definitely take intro. we covered the entirety of high school econ in the first few weeks of micro. there were plenty of people in my micro and macro classes that took AP micro and macro and got 5s, and they struggled at times. but of course, you can shop both classes, check out the syllabi and see what feels better.</p>

<p>My S recommends taking the freshman seminar in econ.</p>

<p>I concur about shopping specific sections. The ability of the instructors varied. For some peculiar reason of timing, I ended up taking intro Macro at about 3PM MWF and the section only had six students and a very enthusiastic instructor. Although his Chinese accent was heavy, he made the class enjoyable – not a common thing in early Econ courses.</p>

<p>Thanks for all your perspectives, guys. T2- are you planning to major in Econ? My intended major right now is the dual Economics and Mathematics major. </p>

<p>Anyway, yeah, I’m thinking I should probably take the intro courses. I don’t really want to study over the summer for intermediate economics, and the freshman seminar idea does sound interesting. I’ll talk to the Economics director and my RA about bypassing intro when I get to Yale…</p>

<p>LOL: I’m an alum. I graduated with Econ/PoliSci (which is now Econ/ethics/Politics). An Econ & Math combo is very sought after. Wall Street will have calmed down by the time you graduate.</p>

<p>Take the freshman seminar if you can. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t recommend skipping out of intro, since my prof actually used an intermediate micro textbook for 115. Yale’s a crazy place.</p>