Questions about Math/Econ major at Wesleyan (suitable for D?)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wesleyan University
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<p>My daughter is taking a gap year before attending Wesleyan in fall 2012 as a freshman (she was accepted with an early letter in March 2011).</p>

<p>D discovered a real interest in math as a high school senior studying Calculus AB (A+, 5/5 on AP), and is currently completing the standard three-course calculus sequence at a local JC (ending in multivariable calculus) during her gap year to give herself a head start toward completing the requirements of the Math/Econ major at Wesleyan.</p>

<p>However, she's not too excited about the Economics half of that equation. </p>

<p>D took an Gov/Econ class during her senior year of high school, and though she loved the teacher, she didn't love the part devoted to basic Economics. She just dropped an Environmental Economics class at the local JC because of time constraints (jobs, math tutoring, etc.) and a less-than-stellar teacher who tended to ramble off topic seemingly all the time (she felt she wasn't learning anything in the class). The cumulative effect so far has been that D now views Economics as "dry and boring," and so she's questioning whether or not to do the Math/Econ major at Wesleyan, after all.</p>

<p>D's affection for various academic subjects is highly influenced by the quality and enthusiasm of her teachers (I think this is rather common). I imagine that through study under world-class Econ profs at Wesleyan, she may discover a similar affinity for Economics (or at least a tolerance for it) that would enable her to complete the Math/Econ major at Wes.</p>

<p>I believe the Math/Econ degree offered by Wesleyan could be a very good choice for D, in that it may offer her an excellent balance of employability (especially since women are underrepresented in both fields) and engagement in fields of personal interest (the math part, at least).</p>

<p>My general advice to her about selection of her undergrad major has been to choose a major mainly for the purpose of employability (even if classes in that major might be a bit "dry" and not very interesting), a minor in an area of great personal interest and passion (e.g. the Writing Certificate ... she loves to write), and then a bunch of other classes with dynamite teachers entirely for the purpose of pursuing areas of individual academic interest and personal growth (e.g. D loves languages, is not the physical science type, loves people, is bi-cultural and enjoys learning about foreign cultures, is a voracious readers and talented writer, and is passionate about the environment), perhaps on a pass/fail basis whenever possible, to reduce stress.</p>

<p>I'd love to get more info from people "on the inside" at Wesleyan about the Math/Econ major offered at Wes. </p>

<p>It would be particularly helpful if any students currently in this particular program or others "in the know" could comment on the Math/Econ major at Wes, how someone who likes one of these two fields but not the other can still manage to make it through, the names of some great teachers in these two departments under which D should try to study, other pertinent info and/or words of advice regarding the Math/Econ major, etc.</p>

<p>Thanks, very much, for your consideration.</p>

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<p>Funny because I’m sort of in the opposite situation of your daughter, pertaining to knowledge of Math and Econ. I myself am I prospective “Meco” major from the class of 2015 and will reassure you that the intro to econ classes offered at Wes will give your daughter a good background if she were ever to major in Meco.I know for a fact that the econ department at Wes is really strong and I got a 7 on my IBHL Economics exam so I’ve got that covered, however I found my first sem of math in Calc 1 Part 2 as quite challenging (I’m sitting on a B+/B now) and I’m taking multi-variable calc next semester to try and “test” the waters.</p>

<p>I’m already enrolled in a Quantitative economics class for next semester, which is one of the required classes for the major, as well as an introduction to programming class. I hope that by the end of my sophomore year, I’ll know whether I want to go down the path of Meco, because I’m aware that it’s a potentially lucrative major path, or whether I choose to econ based on my limitations in mathematical understanding. Good luck to your daughter, Wes is an awesome school</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for your reply.</p>

<p>What is it you love about economics? What originally got you so interested in the subject?</p>

<p>My daughter didn’t have a really great intro to econ in high school. She did take a required gov/econ class as a senior, but it was really light on econ and I don’t think she learned much … she certainly wasn’t bitten by the “econ” bug, as you seem to have been.</p>

<p>Since you’ve uncovered a real interest in economics, I wonder if you could share with me the reasons you find the field so interesting. I’m trying to find ways to spark similar interest in my own daughter.</p>

<p>Are there any “dummies” books or other books about the whole subject of economics and why it’s important and interesting and relevant that you could recommend? She’s an avid reader (voracious), and eats books for breakfast, so if I can find a good one I figure it might ignite an interest in her.</p>

<p>My daughter responds (as do many people, I think) to teachers as much or more than subjects. I’m sure there must be some GREAT econ profs at Wesleyan (knowledgeable, approachable, interesting, enthusiastic, etc.). </p>

<p>Who would you recommend for her Intro to Econ class at Wes? Can you recommend a couple of names? The intro class will be critical, I believe; if she has a good experience in that class, it could make all the difference for her, and may encourage her to seriously consider going forward as a MECO major.</p>

<p>I’m not hoping for a miracle, here. She’s really the reading/writing/English/languages type, who also happens to love math, so I figure she may be able to at least tolerate Econ enough to get through the courses required for the MECO major, while simultaneously taking classes in other departments purely for the love of learning, getting to know great Wes profs and students, making social connections with kindred souls, etc.</p>

<p>Looking forward to your response, and also to feedback from any other prospective or actual Wesleyan MECO majors out there in CC land!</p>