How difficult is economics at university level?
I've got a few questions, because I'm thinking about changing from straight politics to politics with economics. Basically how much maths is involved (as in, having to figure things out for yourself as opposed to being given set formulas to work with) and should I even be considering this having never studied it before?
Original post by HRH2
It depends if the course is more theory based or practice based. But shouldn't be too different from school level.
I'm guessing you haven't studied economics at university level? It's nothing like school level.
I would say to chloeeee tread with caution, if you're a newcomer to the subject who is not especially mathematical then you will find it hard.
It's impossible to answer accurately 'how difficult is it' because everybody is different but I think most student regard economics as a fairly tough subject.
'Politics with Economics' suggests only 1/3 is Economics. In my course, I'd do the more mathematical economics, but it'd make sense with your course to do the political economics modules. It's not something we can answer; you'd have to show us module specifications in order for us to tell you, as straight Economics will be very different to the (small amount of) Economics on that course.
Original post by HRH2
I study Economics as part of my course at university as well as have a degree from Harvard in a short Economics course (see signature). I know what Im talking about. Some universities practice a more theory based approach while some don't. I won't say you are wrong. It it different. But my school taught me Economics in a university format because I did IB. I was comparing it to my school education. Maybe the A levels Economics are different. I wouldn't know.
You're post did not answer anything lol. What are you getting at?
Original post by OSI
Original post by OSI
Economics is pretty much a maths degree.
Not it really isn't.
Original post by HRH2
I study Economics as part of my course at university as well as have a degree from Harvard in a short Economics course (see signature). I know what Im talking about. Some universities practice a more theory based approach while some don't. I won't say you are wrong. It it different. But my school taught me Economics in a university format because I did IB. I was comparing it to my school education. Maybe the A levels Economics are different. I wouldn't know.
Economics at undergrad is very different to economics at IB/A Level. Macro and Micro are completely different at both levels. The difference is the maths which is involved. If you're being taught a course that is similar to A level then I'd be very worried.
Original post by yoyo462001
Not it really isn't.
Economics at undergrad is very different to economics at IB/A Level. Macro and Micro are completely different at both levels. The difference is the maths which is involved. If you're being taught a course that is similar to A level then I'd be very worried.
Economics at undergrad is very different to economics at IB/A Level. Macro and Micro are completely different at both levels. The difference is the maths which is involved. If you're being taught a course that is similar to A level then I'd be very worried.
Warwick Economics undergrads I am sure will argue differently.
Original post by OSI
Original post by OSI
Warwick Economics undergrads I am sure will argue differently.
Warwick undergrads flatter themselves as do many other economics students.
(edited 13 years ago)
Original post by yoyo462001
Not it really isn't.
Economics at undergrad is very different to economics at IB/A Level. Macro and Micro are completely different at both levels. The difference is the maths which is involved. If you're being taught a course that is similar to A level then I'd be very worried.
Economics at undergrad is very different to economics at IB/A Level. Macro and Micro are completely different at both levels. The difference is the maths which is involved. If you're being taught a course that is similar to A level then I'd be very worried.
I don't know who said Eco is a Maths degree. Thats stupid. Anyway, I was saying since I don't do a pure Eco course maybe its different for me. And I didn't do A levels but IB.
(edited 13 years ago)
There isn't half some crap talked on this forum sometimes. People who haven't actually studied an Economics degree (that includes you, A level students) come giving advice about stuff they don't actually know about.
To claim you 'know what you're talking about' about an economics degree you should be able to go through a full undergraduate micro textbook like Varian, Perloff, Katz & Rosen etc and understand all the topics in there, and a full macro textbook like Mankiw, Blanchard, Burda & Wyplosz and understand all the topics in there. Economics graduates will have done other topics as well depending on what they have specialised in, but what will be common to both is that micro and macro, which is pretty standard wherever you go because it is taught from standardised texts that are used in the US and here.
People who have studied business, management type degrees with some economics in it might have done some theory of the firm but they haven't studied economics properly.
I find A level covers only a small part of micro and although they cover quite a lot of macro topics, they don't really go in to them properly, A level is a discussion based course, you don't really need to understand much theory. I don't know whats on the IB curriculum but I doubt it is taught in a 'university format' - does the micro do preferences, indifference curves, the first/second theorems of welfare economics, and teach you to do 2x2x2 diagrams to analyse markets in general equilibrium as well as partial? If it doesn't do that then it's not university format because those are the basic principles on which university micro is based. University micro is stuff like choice under uncertainty, intertemporal choice, asymmetric information, principal agent contracts, factor markets - if the IB is faffing around with MR=MC stuff then its not university format.
Similarly with macro, does the IB cover equilibrium in the labour market, does it do the ISLM model? Does it do the money supply-money demand model? It probably covers the Phillips Curve but do you use a Phillips Curve equation and combine that with Okun's law and the AD relation equation to be able to solve problems looking at how nominal money growth influences unemployment and inflaton? Does it do growth models like the Harrod-Domar and Solow models? When you do open economy stuff do you use the uncovered interest parity condition and Marshall Lerner condition? I am not picking advanced topics to make it sound hard - these are all the bog standard bricks and mortar of macro, all the economics undergraduates on here will know what I am talking about.
So basically if you have just looked at that list and thought....hmm wtf are those....then you haven't done a course which is equivalent to university level economics.
To claim you 'know what you're talking about' about an economics degree you should be able to go through a full undergraduate micro textbook like Varian, Perloff, Katz & Rosen etc and understand all the topics in there, and a full macro textbook like Mankiw, Blanchard, Burda & Wyplosz and understand all the topics in there. Economics graduates will have done other topics as well depending on what they have specialised in, but what will be common to both is that micro and macro, which is pretty standard wherever you go because it is taught from standardised texts that are used in the US and here.
People who have studied business, management type degrees with some economics in it might have done some theory of the firm but they haven't studied economics properly.
I find A level covers only a small part of micro and although they cover quite a lot of macro topics, they don't really go in to them properly, A level is a discussion based course, you don't really need to understand much theory. I don't know whats on the IB curriculum but I doubt it is taught in a 'university format' - does the micro do preferences, indifference curves, the first/second theorems of welfare economics, and teach you to do 2x2x2 diagrams to analyse markets in general equilibrium as well as partial? If it doesn't do that then it's not university format because those are the basic principles on which university micro is based. University micro is stuff like choice under uncertainty, intertemporal choice, asymmetric information, principal agent contracts, factor markets - if the IB is faffing around with MR=MC stuff then its not university format.
Similarly with macro, does the IB cover equilibrium in the labour market, does it do the ISLM model? Does it do the money supply-money demand model? It probably covers the Phillips Curve but do you use a Phillips Curve equation and combine that with Okun's law and the AD relation equation to be able to solve problems looking at how nominal money growth influences unemployment and inflaton? Does it do growth models like the Harrod-Domar and Solow models? When you do open economy stuff do you use the uncovered interest parity condition and Marshall Lerner condition? I am not picking advanced topics to make it sound hard - these are all the bog standard bricks and mortar of macro, all the economics undergraduates on here will know what I am talking about.
So basically if you have just looked at that list and thought....hmm wtf are those....then you haven't done a course which is equivalent to university level economics.
Original post by OSI
Warwick Economics undergrads I am sure will argue differently.
They are clearly not well informed.
I haven't been to school since 2007 but I have completed numerous qualifications and training. About economy; refreshing my maths would have helped but its not necessary unless your doing higher level I dived into principles of economics anyway with no prior uni subjects before as an entry pathway. The exams are 50% of your grade so you really have to learn and remember a lot. There is heaps of concepts and words that were new to me, including even drawing graphs. The questions are made to be tricky you need to be able to learn the concepts and interpret them correctly to get the right answer ts not something you can skim by. That being said somehow I managed to get through with a credit with not that much effort and leaving things more or less to the last minute (don't do what I did you will likely fail)... overall it's moderately difficult I guess? Everyone thinks differently but above all if you put the time and effort into it the concepts are easily understandable.
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