What is it like being an Economics major?
What are common misconceptions about ECO majors?
What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
How will Economics majors save the world?
Why would anyone want to date an Economics major?
Economics encompasses a lot of topics, including trade, competition, profit maximization, finance, economic and technological growth, and optimal public policy. In general, economics focuses on efficiency—how to get the best results (whether that be money, health, clean air, or anything else) at the lowest cost.
1. How to efficiently allocate your resources.
2. Statistics and modeling—something that is useful wherever you end up in life.
3. Basic programming from statistical modeling programs.
What is it like being an Economics major?
The department is one of Princeton's largest—which means it is pretty well organized but you have to put in a little extra effort to get to know your professors on a personal level. You have one year-long JP instead of several, but you have to put in more statistical analysis than is required by departments with several JPs. For the JP and thesis, you can choose to either promote your own economic theory or use existing data (Firestone has a lot of resources) to perform an empirical study (most people take the empirical route). You can choose just about any topic for an econ paper: one student's JP looked at the effect of health insurance programs on student achievement. It is more important to look at something that interests you from the perspective of an economist rather than deal with a "typical" econ topic.
What are common misconceptions about Economics majors?
Many think economics majors all end up on Wall Street at investment banks, but the truth is that economics majors end up in a variety of fields. Though the skill set acquired through taking economics courses is marketable towards investment banks, that same skill set is applicable to other areas as well. People are looking for students who have common sense and can think analytically in real world terms.
What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
We've had internships in newspaper advertising departments, in nonprofits, and at an economics/finance consulting firms. We've also worked for Princeton professors, the editorial section of news magazines, and the research division of investment banks. If you want to major in Econ and do a semester abroad, make sure to go in your sophomore year or schedule your core courses accordingly—the department requires that 300-level macro, micro, and econometrics be taken at Princeton. Summers are also a good chance to go and explore the economic and political situations of other countries.
How will Economics majors save the world?
Economics makes the world go around.
Why would anyone want to date an Economics major?
Why not? Look at how baller former department chair Ben Bernanke is these days. And you can discuss current economic/political events on every date!
