<p>What does it take to gain admission to programs (in general)? Is Agricultural Econ easier than regular econ typically? </p>
<p>I have about a 3.60 culmulative GPA as an Econ major at a well respected liberal arts college</p>
<p>I have taken Intro to macro (A) and Intermediate Macro theory (A-). I’m signed up to take intro to game theory and intermediate micro theory next semester as well. I will also take a few more (3 or 4) 300 and 400 level Econ courses including econometrics before graduation. I have taken Stats I (A), and will take Stats II next semester. I have also taken Calc I (B), and am thinking about whether or not I should take Calc II over the summer…Any advice on whether or not that’s neccessary? And also I have a second major in accounting and a finance minor, are taking those classes helpful to me in any regard, or can it only hurt me if I don’t do well?</p>
<p>Ag Econ is a very specialized field of study. If you aren’t interested in the ag industry, do not even consider it. Back when I was a grad student in soils, I started an ag econ class and was utterly baffled by it. The people with pure econ backgrounds dropped out even before I did.</p>
<p>^ While there certainly are aspects focused on the ag industry, current ag ec depts are much broader in their scope and interests. Many depts address topics such as environmental/natural resource economics; international trade and development; poverty; commodity trading/finance; etc. I think these depts. very much warrant a close look by students interested in economics, and, due to the applied focus of these depts, they very well might be a better choice for many students who study econ. For students who are not econ majors (e.g, environmental studies, public policy, business, international affairs, anthropology, etc.), they also have much to offer as a minor or simply for relevant coursework.</p>
<p>i was actualy a little vague in my economics interest, it is definately geared more towards ag econ, specificly oriented more towards grape production/vineyard management. I know there’s a handful of Ag Econ schools that deal with this as my dad has worked with some economists in their research on this stuff. I was just wondering how tough it is to get into those programs (relative to regular MA econ programs). I particularly know that Washington State, Purdue, UC Davis, and Cornell do this research, and I believe that a handful of other schools do this type of research as well.</p>
<p>If you know your target universities, you can find out more about their specific admissions standards. It is OK to email the grad programs and ask what they are looking for.</p>
<p>when would be an appropriate time to email these programs to ask what they’re looking for? Would it be sometime in my junior year? or would it be earlier (since it may influence course selection junior/senior years)</p>