Economics - "hard" major? Forum

[Total Litigator]

There are some biases in there. Respectable schools don't have a prelaw, or criminal justice major.

I know... I just really wanted to make a gunner joke....

[09042014]

There are some biases in there. Respectable schools don't have a prelaw, or criminal justice major.

I know... I just really wanted to make a gunner joke....

Ah, then precede.

[rundoxierun]

I do think classifying certain majors as "hard majors" isn't accurate because it ignores the fact that different people have different strengths, and that depending on where you go to college majors are taught differently, graded differently, and cover different material than they might at other colleges, and bring with them different levels and kinds of difficulty. That's one reason, besides being enormous number/ranking whores, that law schools can't really treat different majors differently, and shouldn't.

Except sociology. That shit should be an automatic ding.

Climbing Mount Everest isn't harder than swimming a lap, it's just different.

Yea thats what Im getting at with the "technical" reference. For me, engineering/chem/bio stuff comes fairly easily while I find some of the more abstract things in Econ somewhat difficult at times. Its a very different type of thought. Although I will say, nothing feels as good as getting an A on an upper-level chem/bio exam.

No I was making fun of that, Climbing a mountain is harder than swimming a pool lap, even if you are the best mountaineer.

Ehh well Im gonna dispute that(to an extremely limited degree.. a lot of majors are still a joke). I think you cant really create a hierarchy with engineering(I only have knowledge of MechE and ChemE so ill stop there)/bio sciences/chem/physics/finance/econ/etc. I grew up just naturally doing well in the sciences/math so by the time I got to college a lot of that way of thinking was kind of second nature to me.

Music(at most schools), english(at most schools), sociology, "xxx" studies, etc I will agree are jokes

[rundoxierun]

No, it's totally just different skill sets. In engineering you stay up till 5 doing bitchin' hard HW problems every night, while in econ you work on alcohol tolerance till the wee hours. Either way you go, getting up for class the next morning is hard.

I grew up in Purdue country my man.. if you were an engineering major and werent out with the econ majors you just werent doing it right.

[stratocophic]

No, it's totally just different skill sets. In engineering you stay up till 5 doing bitchin' hard HW problems every night, while in econ you work on alcohol tolerance till the wee hours. Either way you go, getting up for class the next morning is hard.

I grew up in Purdue country my man.. if you were an engineering major and werent out with the econ majors you just werent doing it right.

Shhhhh! We can't let the lib arts majors know.

[5ky]

.

[czelede]

FWIW, I think although some people can be categorized as more apt in engineering than the liberal arts, in general most people in engineering/hard sciences major will do worse, grade wise, than those who aren't given the same amount of time and effort. It's the way the classes are set up. This is before we take into account semester course load thanks to hours to graduation (always more) and grade deflation.

I do think it's worthy to note two things when looking at LSAT averages by major:

1. The rigor of engineering curricula can vary slightly between concentrations, and GREATLY from school to school. EE at my undergrad institution was notably harder than CivilE, though Civil wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. EE at a school like Southern Illinois is a joke compared to EE at MIT.

2. Engineers in law school are a very self-selected group. Those who would generally do better on the LSAT are not likely to go into law school at all. If you can suffer through a top 10 engineering program, most of the time it's because there's something about engineering that you like and would enjoy doing as a career. I would be willing to guess that of the top 20% of engineers, very few of them actually elect to take the LSAT - the converse could be said of many other majors.

[09042014]

2. Engineers in law school are a very self-selected group. Those who would generally do better on the LSAT are not likely to go into law school at all. If you can suffer through a top 10 engineering program, most of the time it's because there's something about engineering that you like and would enjoy doing as a career. I would be willing to guess that of the top 20% of engineers, very few of them actually elect to take the LSAT - the converse could be said of many other majors.

Yea this is why you see a lot of 3ish and below engineers on TLS.

[rayiner]

Lol no.

Not getting the funny part..

Most people at GT aren't even aware of the Ivan Allen College, and if they are it's only because the ridiculous grade inflation brought it to their attention. HTH.

[rundoxierun]

Lol no.

Not getting the funny part..

Most people at GT aren't even aware of the Ivan Allen College, and if they are it's only because the ridiculous grade inflation brought it to their attention. HTH.

LOL most people at GT also aren't aware of the existence of women.. so I guess Ivan Allen College is where the 10 women who attend GT hang out.

[rayiner]

Lol no.

Not getting the funny part..

Most people at GT aren't even aware of the Ivan Allen College, and if they are it's only because the ridiculous grade inflation brought it to their attention. HTH.

LOL most people at GT also aren't aware of the existence of women.. so I guess Ivan Allen College is where the 10 women who attend GT hang out.

The College of Management has hotter women, and those guys are actually employable.

[danquayle]

I keep hearing that the expectations for GPA are more lenient if you have a hard major (i.e. hard sciences) than an "easy" one (i.e. the "studies" majors). One of my majors was economics (the other was history), which is not quite a business major, not quite a social sciences major and not quite a math/science major. Do admissions officers tend to lump economics in with math/science/engineering or more with the liberal arts majors?

It really centers on what kind of economics program your school has. Some economics programs are more theoretical and intuitive, while some rely more on hardcore math. I know that the economics courses I ended up taking in my program ended up looking just like physics at times, with the overwhelming emphasis on hardcore regression analysis. I was actually pissed about this, because I had specifically left my previous focus on physics to get away from that crap.

But most people's exposure to Economics is only of the tamer Econ 101 variety of supply and demand... so I'm going to guess its viewed the same way they'd view like other social sciences like history or poly sci. Which is shame, because real Economics is infinitely more difficult than something like business or biology...

Edit: And I know for a fact that, yes, some law school admissions officers are more lenient with people they view as having science degrees. In their minds, the only people who have science degrees are those who can potentially sit for the patent bar. So, no, Economics doesn't grant you any kind of similar leniency.

[KibblesAndVick]

I keep hearing that the expectations for GPA are more lenient if you have a hard major (i.e. hard sciences) than an "easy" one (i.e. the "studies" majors). One of my majors was economics (the other was history), which is not quite a business major, not quite a social sciences major and not quite a math/science major. Do admissions officers tend to lump economics in with math/science/engineering or more with the liberal arts majors?

It really centers on what kind of economics program your school has. Some economics programs are more theoretical and intuitive, while some rely more on hardcore math. I know that the economics courses I ended up taking in my program ended up looking just like physics at times, with the overwhelming emphasis on hardcore regression analysis. I was actually pissed about this, because I had specifically left my previous focus on physics to get away from that crap.

But most people's exposure to Economics is only of the tamer Econ 101 variety of supply and demand... so I'm going to guess its viewed the same way they'd view like other social sciences like history or poly sci. Which is shame, because real Economics is infinitely more difficult than something like business or biology...

I couldn't agree more. Even within the core courses for my Econ degree there were difficult classes focusing on advanced econometrics in SAS and then there were bullshit classes that used no math and only a few graphs. There is a huge discrepancy between what different students go through when they study econ.

[rundoxierun]

The College of Management has hotter women, and those guys are actually employable.

Haha, thats like saying the women of Jasper, AR are hotter than the women of Parthenon, AR.. and if you cant get a job with an econ degree then it isnt the degree that is holding you back.

[danquayle]

2. Engineers in law school are a very self-selected group. Those who would generally do better on the LSAT are not likely to go into law school at all. If you can suffer through a top 10 engineering program, most of the time it's because there's something about engineering that you like and would enjoy doing as a career. I would be willing to guess that of the top 20% of engineers, very few of them actually elect to take the LSAT - the converse could be said of many other majors.

Yea this is why you see a lot of 3ish and below engineers on TLS.

Engineers also whine... a lot.

For whats it worth, at my undergrad Econ 101 was one of the main early weeder courses for would be Engineering and Business majors... some people just really struggled with the concepts.

[09042014]

2. Engineers in law school are a very self-selected group. Those who would generally do better on the LSAT are not likely to go into law school at all. If you can suffer through a top 10 engineering program, most of the time it's because there's something about engineering that you like and would enjoy doing as a career. I would be willing to guess that of the top 20% of engineers, very few of them actually elect to take the LSAT - the converse could be said of many other majors.

Yea this is why you see a lot of 3ish and below engineers on TLS.

Engineers also whine... a lot.

For whats it worth, at my undergrad Econ 101 was one of the main early weeder courses for would be Engineering and Business majors... some people just really struggled with the concepts.

They do wine a lot, and from what I see law students do too.

At least at my UG, the engineering majors worked a lot harder, just because of the way the courses were set up. I also think the material itself is harder to grasp than most degrees.

But hey, nobody forced us to be engineering majors, and that work does come with extra employment options. Even in law, engineering majors are more employable.

[danquayle]

2. Engineers in law school are a very self-selected group. Those who would generally do better on the LSAT are not likely to go into law school at all. If you can suffer through a top 10 engineering program, most of the time it's because there's something about engineering that you like and would enjoy doing as a career. I would be willing to guess that of the top 20% of engineers, very few of them actually elect to take the LSAT - the converse could be said of many other majors.

Yea this is why you see a lot of 3ish and below engineers on TLS.

Engineers also whine... a lot.

For whats it worth, at my undergrad Econ 101 was one of the main early weeder courses for would be Engineering and Business majors... some people just really struggled with the concepts.

They do wine a lot, and from what I see law students do too.

At least at my UG, the engineering majors worked a lot harder, just because of the way the courses were set up. I also think the material itself is harder to grasp than most degrees.

But hey, nobody forced us to be engineering majors, and that work does come with extra employment options. Even in law, engineering majors are more employable.

Engineering is a great UG major. Maybe the best. My brother went to a national T4 for engineering and started out making $60k... not bad at all.

[stratocophic]

Yea this is why you see a lot of 3ish and below engineers on TLS.

Engineers also whine... a lot.

For whats it worth, at my undergrad Econ 101 was one of the main early weeder courses for would be Engineering and Business majors... some people just really struggled with the concepts.

They do wine a lot, and from what I see law students do too.

At least at my UG, the engineering majors worked a lot harder, just because of the way the courses were set up. I also think the material itself is harder to grasp than most degrees.

But hey, nobody forced us to be engineering majors, and that work does come with extra employment options. Even in law, engineering majors are more employable.

Engineering is a great UG major. Maybe the best. My brother went to a national T4 for engineering and started out making $60k... not bad at all.

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

[09042014]

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

Yea but getting a funded program is pretty hard right?

[stratocophic]

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

Yea but getting a funded program is pretty hard right?

I don't know anyone from my ME class who tried and didn't... 1 dude had a ballin' GPA and went to Princeton (not common, of course), and at least 2-3 others went to GT. About 5-6 went to GT last year... and I'm pretty sure there were more besides. TBF GT seems to eat up Vandy grads, based on what I've seen from CO'09 and CO'10, and our class of ME's was pretty small (<60). I honestly had no idea it was hard

[09042014]

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

Yea but getting a funded program is pretty hard right?

I don't know anyone from my ME class who tried and didn't... 1 dude had a ballin' GPA and went to Princeton (not common, of course), and at least 2-3 others went to GT. About 5-6 went to GT last year... and I'm pretty sure there were more besides. TBF GT seems to eat up Vandy grads, based on what I've seen from CO'09 and CO'10, and our class of ME's was pretty small (<60). I honestly had no idea it was hard

I'm only familiar with top programs and they require a huge GPA (3.7+) and good research or industry experience.

The unfunded MS programs are easier to get into, but also cost a lot.

I don't think I could get into a funded program with my 2.8 and no research.

[stratocophic]

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

Yea but getting a funded program is pretty hard right?

I don't know anyone from my ME class who tried and didn't... 1 dude had a ballin' GPA and went to Princeton (not common, of course), and at least 2-3 others went to GT. About 5-6 went to GT last year... and I'm pretty sure there were more besides. TBF GT seems to eat up Vandy grads, based on what I've seen from CO'09 and CO'10, and our class of ME's was pretty small (<60). I honestly had no idea it was hard

I'm only familiar with top programs and they require a huge GPA (3.7+) and good research or industry experience.

The unfunded MS programs are easier to get into, but also cost a lot.

I don't think I could get into a funded program with my 2.8 and no research.

I dunno, I think one or two of the guys I know had research experience but that's about it. Yeah, unfunded's expensive, particularly given the ROI. I dunno, with both the WE and a top engineering undergrad I'd bet you could. May not be MIT/Caltech, but if you had a professor willing to go to bat for you GT/VT or somewhere like that would probably be amenable. Kind of a moot point when NU Law is on tap for you

[danquayle]

I don't know anyone who wanted an Engineering job and couldn't get one. Of course, I'm from a region where pretty much the only thing going are Engineering jobs...

[stratocophic]

I don't know anyone who wanted an Engineering job and couldn't get one. Of course, I'm from a region where pretty much the only thing going are Engineering jobs...

I suppose some of my classmates might have been overly picky/unrealistic + it's a small sample size... and not too many interested in HVAC. HVAC sucks.

[im_blue]

Maybe the best after graduation (6 maths + physics + chem = FML) Not sure if there's a "best" ITE though. Jobs are not forthcoming at the moment, as my friends quickly learned. They're all hiding out in grad school (which is a little bit different for them, as engineering grad school gets you paid if you're not doing it wrong).

Disclaimer: I'm not hiding from TE. I just hate engineering.

Yea but getting a funded program is pretty hard right?

I don't know anyone from my ME class who tried and didn't... 1 dude had a ballin' GPA and went to Princeton (not common, of course), and at least 2-3 others went to GT. About 5-6 went to GT last year... and I'm pretty sure there were more besides. TBF GT seems to eat up Vandy grads, based on what I've seen from CO'09 and CO'10, and our class of ME's was pretty small (<60). I honestly had no idea it was hard

I'm only familiar with top programs and they require a huge GPA (3.7+) and good research or industry experience.

The unfunded MS programs are easier to get into, but also cost a lot.

I don't think I could get into a funded program with my 2.8 and no research.

Almost every engineering PhD program requires a 3.0 just to apply, even at schools like San Jose State where the average accepted GPA is around a 3.3.