Studying Economics at Harvard FirstYear Orientation August 2020

Studying Economics at Harvard First-Year Orientation August 2020

Welcome to Harvard! https: //economics. harvard. edu/

Advising Team: https: //economics. harvard. edu/advising Anne Le Brun Thomas Baranga Kiran Gajwani Kate Baier Undergraduate Program Coordinator Gregory Bruich Judd Cramer Andrés Maggi Jeffrey Miron Director of Undergraduate Studies

Why Study Economics? • Tools to understand predict behavior of people and societies • Applicable to a huge array of interests (see electives list and past thesis titles!) • Draw careful conclusions from data • Develop skills useful both for life and work • Contribute to original research with faculty or individually on topics you care about • Connect with your peers and be part of Harvard’s biggest concentration

How to Study Economics: Concentration • 11 required courses (15 for honors) • First-Years: Ec 10 a, Ec 10 b, Math 1 a, Statistics (eg Stat 104, Ec 20) • Sophomores: Ec 1010/11 a, Ec 1010/11 b, Ec 1123, Ec 970 • Juniors and Seniors: three econ electives • For honors: Math 1 b, Math 21 a, and thesis or two additional electives

How to Study Economics: Secondary Field • 6 required courses • Ec 10 a, Ec 10 b • One of Ec 1010/11 a/b • Three econ electives

How to Study Economics: Applied Math/Econ • Concentration offered by School of Engineering and Applied Sciences • 5 required econ courses, 9 -10 required math courses • Ec 1010/11 a, Ec 1011 b, econometrics (eg Ec 1126), 2 electives

How to Study Economics: Social Studies • Flexible interdisciplinary mix of social sciences • 2 -6 econ courses (if focus), plus other social sciences/theory

Many paths with similar starting points • Exploring econ as a first-year opens up many possible paths for future study • Any path studying economics will build on a foundation of economic principles, intermediate economic theory, and statistics. • By taking some of these classes now you will learn if you want to go further, and they can also satisfy Gen Ed requirements

Ec 10: Principles of Economics • No previous background in econ or math required • Students with 5 s in AP micro/macro, As at A-level, 7 s at IB, etc may be ready to go straight into Ec 1010 a/b • Personal decision: eg balance difficulty of rest of course load • If you skip Ec 10, replace requirement with Ec electives • If unsure, should be easy to move from Ec 1010 to Ec 10 after a few weeks

Ec 1010 vs Ec 1011: Intermediate Ec Theory • Ec 1010 a/b have Math 1 a (single variable calculus) prerequisite • Ec 1011 a/b have Math 21 a (multi-variable calculus) prerequisite • Applied Math/Econ allows Ec 1010 a but requires Ec 1011 b • If unsure which is best fit, start in 1011, as it is easier to move from 1011 to 1010 after a couple of weeks than vice versa

Sophomore Tutorial vs Junior Seminar Both focus on discussing, reading, and writing about economics research. Ec 970: Sophomore Tutorial • Required of all concentrators • Capped at 10 students • Prereqs: Ec 1010 a, Stat 104 (or similar) Ec 980: Junior Seminar • Elective course • Capped at 18 students • Prereqs: Ec 1010 a, Ec 1010 b, Ec 1123

Sign up for the First-Year Economics Listserv! • Receive Econ Department Newsletters • Hear about upcoming events • Stay in the know with job opportunities, College updates, and Department information • Also at: https: //economics. harvard. edu/undergrad-listservs

Learn More Advising Office Hours • Monday – Friday, one-on-one, no appointment needed • See https: //economics. harvard. edu/advising for our schedule • Hope to see you there! Our Website • Heaps of information: https: //economics. harvard. edu/undergraduate