Query from a Parent - Economics at STD IX

[masiddiqui]

All,

Need feedback from all you seniors in Economics field.

Could you please all suggest if it would be better to elect Economics at STD IX for my daughter.

She wants to build a career as an Economist and wishes to go abroad for Graduation/Masters.

In her school most of the students electing Economics are the ones who would not get Science based on their marks.

She has been advised to take science now and change to Economics at Graduation/Masters/MBA level.

But I am of opinion that if one wants to make a career in economics then why not focus on that instead of spending time on Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance. God Bless!

[saumya singha]

In case her school isnt offering economics with science then ask her to take up economics as you sadi she really want to build a career in it. Its a nice subject ,she'll build a good base if she starts studing it from economics from school.

If she likes science, just let her do that with economics,reason is that science gives you an analytical ability which is what is the core thing required in economics. If she takes up science ,she'll be at an edge over commerce and other subjects in school which dont require much analysis.

If she just doesnt want to burden herself with too much of science in 11th and 12th, then chuck

[amalgamateking]

No. People suggesting her to take up Science are 100% correct. Even better she should prepare for the engineering entrances alongside her school studies (which in 11th and 12th should ideally be Physics, Chem, Maths, Economics, English) and when the college admission season rolls around, she should apply to her preferred Economics courses (while giving the entrances as well for engineering). Studying science is crucial for development of the ability to analyse situations (in Economics or otherwise) and ability in maths is becoming essential for any form of higher studies in Economics nowadays. My suggestion would be to NOT take up a humanities/commerce stream till school ends. PCM with Economics is best, followed by PCM with CompSci (if the first is not available).

[onionknight]

Science would be the way to go. School and even undergrad level economics is a cakewalk compared to the masters curriculum at the two most reputed masters programs in India (DSE and ISI). These courses tend to be highly mathematical and people from engineering backgrounds (or those who've at least studied science till 12th) tend to be more comfortable. With science,  your daughter is more likely to be around smarter people, she'd develop better analytical skills and would learn to deal with more pressure in general.

[Kannot]

Sharing my personal opinion (I am currently pursuing a Bachelors in Economics from a very mediocre college).

Miss, from the perspective of actually learning economics I do not think it is a problem if she does not opt for it, few students even undertake engineering or maths in their bachelors and are able to secure admissions/do well in universities such as DSE for their Masters.

Moreover, taking more scientific subjects might help build ones quantitative aptitude (mathematical rigor is something that grows to be very valuable in the traditional fields of economics).

Economics is definitely the most quantitatively intensive of the humanities, so a background in analytic subjects would be helpful (the same background might not be given by a high-school level Economics course).

I'm not sure how admissions into colleges for bachelors would be affected though, if admissions are not an issue then I think students could easily cope in an Economics bachelors programme even if they have no background in Economics, provided they put in slightly more effort and have the analytic skills required.

[dhruv]

All she require is knowledge of economics and skills of mathematics. I would prefer that she take economics with maths and other subjects according to availability and preference.

For graduation one has to achieve more than 95% marks in 12th board to get into prestigious colleges of Delhi University like Hindu College, St. Stephens, etc. Getting more than 95% would be easier for her if she take those subjects that interest her.

But for an economist post-graduation is must and for any entrance exam for the best P.G. colleges like ISI, DSE, IGIDR, etc. sound mathematical skills and ability to solve economics questions analytically is required, which one can obtain through proper preparation during graduation.

The path of science most often leads to engineering which is just a waste of time if one is not interested.

I am an engineer, and I can say that all I needed was proper guidance, which could have saved me at most 3 years.

Yes, it is true that if one take science then he/she have more career possibilities than any student of other field. But if one is determined and knows one's path then it is just a waste to wander in alternate routes.