is econometrics the hardest undergrad class i will ever take?

[dusty]

Quantum mechanics for me, at least conceptually.

 

[Connemara]

I actually got a B in that poetry class because, even though I turned in a paper that the professor wanted to use for his next book, I missed out on a few classes and he was the type who was personally offended by such behavior.

 

[Scrumhalf]

Originally Posted by dusty

Quantum mechanics for me, at least conceptually.

Isn't it amazing? Once you get it, it's almost like someone flipped a switch in your brain and it is the most elegant and beautiful thing every conceived, but until then if you don't have a good teacher explaining the quantum analogs of classical mechanics, it is hard work!

 

[Invicta]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Nothing is worse than analysis.

LIES! Analysis was a pleasing walk in the intellectual playground compared to harmonic analysis and partial differential equations. I remember combinatorics being unpleasent as well.

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

Now, particle dynamics, fluid dynamics, and frankly, anything with "dynamics" in it--that's a whole different level of ****.

While Harmonic and PDE were torturous, they were interesting and so I didn't mind them as much. My hardest, least rewarding class outside of the "core" liberal arts courses I took was Electricity and Magnetism. I still remember a homework assignment where I wrote up a 4-page solution to a single equation and the answer was "0". I had to work very hard not set my professor on fire for that one.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

I think that might depend on the Prof. I, for one, loved Game Theory in my Industrial Organization class. It had the flavor of Freakonomics.
I took it as a math, and not an econ course, fwiw. That was probably a mistake.

 

[surrender]

My university gave us the option of taking either econometrics or game theory. I was very, very glad that I opted for the latter

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I hated game theory. Hated it with an absolute passion. I think I lasted three weeks in that class. Oh, I never took econometrics in school, because I have an unnatural hatred for statistics.

I took game theory as an undergrad and loved it. It could have been harder. I taught it (even an honors version) and enjoyed it. But, again, it could have been harder.

My doctoral game theory was laughably hard. We left every single class confused. We prayed we would remember enough to get through the next assignment. It was so highly mathematical we were just swimming over our heads. Good times!

b

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by surrender

My university gave us the option of taking either econometrics or game theory. I was very, very glad that I opted for the latter

That seems like a cop out option (no offence to you, it sounds AWESOME as a student). How can you claim to have a credible econ program if you don't make people a fundamental class like econometrics? there isn't really much econ to econometrics, it is more of a stat class that tells you how to deal with data you might encounter in economics--it's a tool. Game theory seems much more optional...it's cool (and would also qualify as a tool) but seems unimportant when compared to proper handling of data sets

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by otc

That seems like a cop out option (no offence to you, it sounds AWESOME as a student). How can you claim to have a credible econ program if you don't make people a fundamental class like econometrics? there isn't really much econ to econometrics, it is more of a stat class that tells you how to deal with data you might encounter in economics--it's a tool. Game theory seems much more optional...it's cool (and would also qualify as a tool) but seems unimportant when compared to proper handling of data sets

It all depends on what you want to do. Econometrics is a core methodology in econ. You must be able to analyze data. But Game Theory is an equaly valid methodology. It's just theoretical (though it can be tested in a lab setting); it allows you to model behavior in an important way.

For most students the choice of game theory of 'metrics isn't much of a choice--they are both classes to be avoided. Though I'd think more would avoid game theory just because 'metrics seems more "useful." I could be wrong.

b

 

[rdawson808]

Originally Posted by DarkNWorn

I think that might depend on the Prof. I, for one, loved Game Theory in my Industrial Organization class. It had the flavor of Freakonomics.

I'm curious: how deeply did you get into it? I never got too deep into game theory when teaching IO because there wasn't time or the need. But a straight game theory class is much mroe in-depth (obviously).

b

 

[vitaminc]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I hated game theory. Hated it with an absolute passion. I think I lasted three weeks in that class. Oh, I never took econometrics in school, because I have an unnatural hatred for statistics.

maybe you should audit an information theory class @ cal sometimes. its fun and full of high level statistics that would make most economist's brain explode

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by rdawson808

It was so highly mathematical we were just swimming over our heads. Good times! b
This was my problem. I took it, as I said above, in the math department, so not only did it have almost no application, but when it did the applications included things like biology about which I know exactly zero. Anyway, that was only the first two weeks of the quarter, so I can't say if it got better after I quit. I didn't need to take it, though, and only started because the name sounded fun.

Originally Posted by vitaminc

maybe you should audit an information theory class @ cal sometimes. its fun and full of high level statistics that would make most economist's brain explode
Thanks, but I think I would prefer to be barbecued alive.

 

[ppllzz]

how much partial credit will i get for

"i know this is the wrong answer, but i ran out of time and wrote it so i could get some partial credit..."

i also messed up interpreting stata output, probably the dumbest mistakes i have made in my college career

i officially hate econometrics with all my heart, though i hear that the final will be easier since it will have a lot more application. sigh.

SIGH.

SIGH!!!

heres to hoping for a really, really, really, really huge curve.

and to the person who said there are harder econ classes than econometrics for undergrads, what are they?

 

[gnatty8]

Originally Posted by andyliu52

how much partial credit will i get for

"i know this is the wrong answer, but i ran out of time and wrote it so i could get some partial credit..."

i also messed up interpreting stata output, probably the dumbest mistakes i have made in my college career

i officially hate econometrics with all my heart, though i hear that the final will be easier since it will have a lot more application. sigh.

SIGH.

SIGH!!!

heres to hoping for a really, really, really, really huge curve.

and to the person who said there are harder econ classes than econometrics for undergrads, what are they?


For some, mathematical economics can be a fucken (sic) bruiser.. Econometrics (applied) can be intuitive, whereas using lagrange multipliers to optimize functions can be, somewhat less intuitive.. Also, advanced microeconomics that goes well beyond the stylistic interpretation of microeconomic principles and relies for heavily on mathematics was also fairly challenging, at least to someone who found econometrics generally intuitive..

 

[merkur]

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