booboo777

So I had a few questions about Grinnell's Economics program.
First of all, here's what I am looking for in an Economics major. It should provide me with a background in business and finances, as well as education on a practical level; something I can use in everyday life. I also think it should give me insight into international economics (I want to pursue a career in international business, or at an international NGO. Not necessarily immediately after finishing my education, but somewhere down the line). If possible, I would like to pursue a concentration in international economics. It should have a REASONABLE amount of math in it.
Here's what I think I could do at Grinnell with respect to my aspirations. I could double major *gasp*. Economics with Global Development Studies. But the problem with this is that Global Development Studies is all about development in LEDCs. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't think that that's something I would want to study. I could double major Economics with Political Science, but this focuses on American policy making. Again, nothing wrong with it, but not something I want to do. Now, I heard that at Grinnell, I can tailor my major to fit my needs. If this is true, do you think I could tailor the Economics major to suit my idea of what an Economics major should be? Are there enough courses in Economics offered which focus on international business, international trade, etc? Also, can Grinnell provide internship opportunities for an economics student which are relevant to my career aspirations?

Thanks everybody

PS: I plan on calling Grinnell and asking the same thing, but I was hoping that a Grinnell student or a parent of a Grinnell student could answer with first hand experience

booboo777

Oh, I know this doesn't relate to economics, but I also wanted to ask how the music scene at Grinnell is. Is it easy to find people to jam with on a casual basis? Is it difficult to get into a formal music group? Will dorm mates yell at me for playing music too loudly ?

mels88

Wow, you certainly are more decisive than the average Grinnellian.

You should:

1) Look in the course booklet they send to all prospectives (You can also find courses offered online, Grinnell Homepage > Academic) and look at what sort of classes they offer in terms of the kind of development you are interested in--don't look just under GDS, the only way to know is to look under all the disciplines.
---ALSO, look at the major requirements for economics.

2) If you come to Grinnell, ask an economics professor.

From my experience here, I can tell you that I think the Economics major is very very flexible. If you take one economics class a semester, you'll fulfill your requirements for the major. There is a HUGE emphasis on the international perspective at Grinnell (NO international economics concentration, but I really don't think it should be a problem, you will get plenty of international perspective). Calculus I is the only math requirement - although if you plan on Economics grad school, econ profs reccommend you complete course levels at least through Linear Algebra. Basically, the major is as mathematical as you want to make it.

AND, you're right that GDS here is focused on the developing world. In my opinion, that's where we should be focusing

Will Grinnell help you achieve your career aspirations? absolutely! Although remember that liberal arts education generally means GRAD SCHOOL.

P.S. I think the music scene here is great!

tetrishead

I went through most everything Grinnell has on the subject and spoke to a professor. I basically came away with the best option being a semester or year abroad for some applied work and making sure to take managerial + financial accounting and corporate finance.

There are very few "vocational" courses, outside of those Wilson classes, so you're not going to see any atypical business adminsitration stuff--although I think applied game theory would probably be useful. I were you I'd do at least one semester off-campus at a school that would fulfill what you're looking for. I've been looking at the LSE GS year long program.

A liberal arts major typically means grad school.