<p>I'm at Swarthmore, but I'm a junior transfer. I've never taken economics before, but I am planning to take many classes. My advisors are telling me that I probably won't be able to major in it, because I have very little time left. But they also told me that it really doesn't matter...they say that if I want grad school, it really doesn't matter that I didn't major in it, just that I have the background (e.g. the classes) they are looking for.</p>
<p>Swat doesn't offer a econ minor (fyi) but I can make it my honors minor (if I so chose to complete the honors program). </p>
<p>I just wanted to hear from some of you: as far as grad school and employment, does it really matter what your major is when applying for positions or grad school? Or am I never going to get any decent job in economics (if i chose to) with an unrelated BA?</p>
<p>What do you mean by “job in Economics?” What is it you want to do with an Economics background? Also, graduate school economics is MUCH different from undergraduate school economics. Undergraduate economics, depending on your school, area of focus, and electives, has comparatively little math. Graduate school economics will <em>intensively</em> dive into advanced mathematics. They focus on math so much that graduate schools for economics prefer students with undergraduate degrees in mathematics over those with undergraduate degrees in economics. Many of the top economics graduate programs will reject economics undergraduates if they do not have adequate mathematics courses in their undergraduate economics program. Of course, I am sure they also like to see SOME undergraduate economics courses as well, even with the math majors.</p>
<p>So if you did not/are not going to take a lot of advanced math in undergraduate school, you’re going to be looking at poor graduate school choices. If you are positive you wish to go to graduate school, delaying graduation and taking the math courses that economics graduate programs want would be a good idea. As for employment straight out of undergrad, no I don’t think a bunch of economics courses without it being a full double major or minor will be worth delaying graduation. Are they atleast better electives than non-quantitative courses, for employment prospects? Yes.</p>