<p>I'm a freshman applicant who's thinking about doubling in Economics and English/Creative Writing. Berkeley's economics program seems to have a generally strong reputation, but it also seems quite difficult to get into, especially because of the 3.0 GPA requirement for each prereq and the fact that it's one of the most common majors.</p>
<p>What is the difficulty of the Econ prerequisites? Are they graded on a curve? How rigorous is the workload in these classes? And how rigorous is the actual Economics major? I'd like to hear some feedback on what it's really like to prove (or disprove) the hype.
Thank you!</p>
<p>Except for Economics 1, the rest of the economics major prerequisites are math-oriented. Of course, you can choose heavier math options (e.g. Economics 101A or 101B instead of 100A or 100B, Statistics 134 instead of 20 or 21, and more advanced math courses), which are recommended for students intending graduate school in economics. So if you like math and are good at it, the economics major should not be especially difficult for you.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if math is something you dislike and struggle in (i.e. Math 16A strikes fear into you), then the economics major and its prerequisites are likely to be pretty tough for you.</p>
<p>I’m in econ 100A and there is a little differential calculus and a lot of algerbra. The work load is not too bad, we had 5 problem sets over the semester which took 5 to 8 hours each to complete. The curve is pretty forgiving, I think the average will be around a B+</p>
<p>Currently in 101A so a different point of view here. A lot of Calculus (it all boils down to Lagrangian) including almost everything in Math 1A, 1B, and the first two-three chapters of 53 (no DiffyEQ, no Green/Stoke/Divergence). Basically, you will need to carry out differentiation very quickly and very accurate, else you run out of time and/or panic during the test. Also includes some basic stats concepts like expectation, variance, uniform dist’, normal dist’, and optional material like order statistics. There is also some linear algebra involves during the early part of the course when we analyze consumer’s choice using the Hessian, and solving DiffyEq for a lecture in Auction Theory.</p>
<p>Workload: 8 Problem Sets total. The first 3-4 problem sets and the last one are insane, ranging from 10-20 hours and you can still have no idea what you are doing. There are a couple who are very easy and may take as little as 3 hours to complete, and are usually given during, or after midterm weeks so people don’t have a heart attack.</p>
<p>Exams are insanely hard, but here’s the fun thing. The breakdown is 20% problem set, 15% each midterm, and 50% final. If you do better on your mt2 than mt1, mt2 counts for 30% of your grade. If you do better on your final than both of your midterms, it counts for 80% of your grade lol. Sadly, I’m one of those who are betting on the final exam… The curve for this class is also around a B+, but nobody knows where he is standing right now since the final can turn the whole class upside down…</p>
<p>Having said that, if you are interested in graduate school in econ, or just want a challenging class, by all means take Econ 101A. It’s an all-around mind-blowing class. Both Card (usually in the Fall) and DellaVigna (usually in the Spring, but he’s leaving this semester so either Card or a GSI will teach it) are awesome. The GSI’s for this course are some of the best in the entire Econ department. Their English may not be perfect, but their knowledge and interest in Economics make up for everything.</p>
<p>sparkyboy spoke the truth. Although 101A is tough, it has nice curve and the professors and GSIs teaching it are the best in Econ department. I am also one of those who are betting on the final… :/</p>