placing out of introductory econ (w1105)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Columbia University
1

<p>hey guys,</p>

<p>so im an incoming student, and i was wondering whether or not i should take the intro to econ class at columbia. i have a 4 and a 5 on the AP macro and micro exams, respectively. at the moment, i would say that my micro background is very strong, but my macro background can be improved. seeing as that is the case, should i take w1105 before taking the intermediate courses? i would probably start with intermediate macro, if that changes anything.</p>

<p>thanks a lot!</p>

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<p>… anyone?</p>

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<p>any help would be great really</p>

4

<p>econ at columbia is not hard, especially Principles. But with that said, why would you give up a free A in an intro class? the econ classes only get harder as you move up, and you really feel like putting in tons of work the first semester?</p>

<p>and btw, Principles is one of those classes comprised 90% of freshman, so its a good time to make some new friends.</p>

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<p>so would you say that i can take intermediate macro without having a very strong macro background? basically, is what you learn in principles terribly important for intermediate macro?</p>

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<p>Principles is a class that tons of non-econ majors take as an elective. If you have a 4 or 5 on the AP, you probably don’t have to take it. But if you want a refresher and an easy A, go ahead.</p>

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<p>Take it.</p>

<p>Qualification: With Gulati.</p>

<p>It’s a great refresher and I suspect that he teaches it at a more rigorous level than the standards of the AP. He’s also a very charismatic lecturer and can bring some interesting questions to the table that you wouldn’t consider if you just learned textbook economics.</p>

<p>I took Macro with Xavier (also highly recommended) who teaches the class with a greater emphasis on growth and development (read: calculus) in addition to the classic macro topics like leisure vs. consumption, consumption smoothing, AS/AD, IS/LM, etc.</p>

<p>Full syllabus is here: <a href=“http://www.columbia.edu/~xs23/columbia/ec3213/Syllabus_2009.htm[/url]”>http://www.columbia.edu/~xs23/columbia/ec3213/Syllabus_2009.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>truazn also makes a great point about using your time in Principles to meet new people (even though they’re econ and engineers).</p>

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<p>is it a one semester or two semester class? How difficult are intermediate micro/macro compared to AP (im in the same boat of exemption as the OP)</p>

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<p>Principles is one semester and from what I understand, covers roughly the same material as the Macro and Micro AP. Intermediate Micro and Macro are different from the AP tests and are more difficult (and require Calculus).</p>