I am currently a second year undergrad double majoring in Economics and Political science. I unfortunately messed up on both my introductory math classes – pre-calculus and calculus – earning a C in both. Other than that, my grades are fine mostly As and Bs. I am passionate about economics and am considering a PhD program – I was planning to minor in Applied Mathematics to make up for the low grades in those classes and increase my competitiveness for grad school. Assuming I do well in the Applied Math track, would I have any better chance of getting accepted to a reputable econ program or should I consider another track for grad school?
You don’t need to rule out economics, but you can apply to more than one kind of program if your research questions can be approached from multiple angles. For example, as a senior there is nothing preventing you from applying to - say - 5 economics PhD programs and 5 public policy PhD programs. Many people apply to more than one type of program because their research is interdisciplinary and can be addressed in multiple departments.
When you do choose an area, though, be mindful of the career prospects in that particular area and what you plan to do with the PhD. A PhD in economics will have more versatility than a PhD in public policy. Salaries in that field are likely to be higher, too, if that is important to you.
You’re a second year; you have some time to prove your mettle in math. You still have 1-2 semesters left of calculus, linear algebra, diffEQ and real analysis to take if you want to be competitive, so just do well in those.
By the time I graduate, I’ll have quite a bit of experience : policy adviser for a city council campaign and if we win I’ll be policy director, I’ll be working for a leading economics think tank in DC next summer, I’ll have plenty of research experience with professors and on my own, and I’ll have worked for a think tank on campus that relates technological innovation to the economic outlook of the region. With those experiences comes STATA and Excel skills and hopefully I’ll be publishing my own econometric/statistical research starting next year. I do plan to catch up with my math skills and take the following Math classes: Calc 1 and 2(separate classes), Stats, Linear Algebra and DiffEQ (one class), Vector Calc, and Real Analysis.