<p>I tend to be quite a <em>quantitative</em> person, so I'm not sure whether Harvard is the right place for me- am I just thinking stereotype when I think that Harvard is quite artsy/qualitative? I've got a few different choices, including the Jerome Fisher Management & Technology Program at Penn (dual degree between Engineering & Wharton), and a course in Engineering, Economics and Management at Oxford... </p>
<p>I am however, interested in the Applied Math major, in particular the Economics focus - is there anyone that has done it/knows anything about it?</p>
<p>Hey radiopost - I’m not sure where you’ve heard the stereotype that Harvard is “artsy/qualitative”, but that’s definitely not the case. Harvard has some of the best undergraduate math students in the country (we won the Putnam this year!), and students tend to divide pretty evenly between quantitative and qualitative majors. (In fact, in another thread, someone was commenting that during their visit everyone they met seemed to be a math/science type!).</p>
<p>I have a few close friends who are Applied Math: Economics. They seem to like it a lot – it’s challenging, but you get a great grounding in stats, modeling, and economic theory. If you’re interested in quant jobs - like working for a hedge fund or doing quant work for an investment bank, they are definitely available through on-campus recruiting (assuming wall street doesn’t explode entirely before you get here).</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply =) That’s reassuring… </p>
<p>While I want to study something quant, I also want it to be quite practical if you know what I mean- (therefore e.g. a PURE math major might be too theoretical for me). So the obvious choice was initially engineering, I’m not entirely… convinced by Harvard’s engineering school 
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<p>Applied Math seems to be a popular major - is it quite <em>practical</em> though? Real world applications and all that? (Dont want to get too caught up in the details of complex numbers and lose track of what to do with them in life for example…) </p>
<p>Also, I was curious- why are Applied Math, Applied Physics etc all Bachelor of Arts degrees? Shouldn’t they be Bachelor of Science degrees if theyre quite quant…?</p>
<p>Have you checked out this page: [Harvard</a> School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Undergraduate Study - Applied Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.seas.harvard.edu/academic/undergradstudy/appliedmathematics/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.seas.harvard.edu/academic/undergradstudy/appliedmathematics/index.html)</p>
<p>The Undergraduate Guide (PDF) looks particularly useful.</p>
<p>Beyond that, I’m probably at the edge of my knowledge. Send me a PM if you’d like me to introduce you to one of my Applied Math concentrator friends!</p>