The recent placement record of Princeton's economic department. Harvard's.
A short video advertisement for a graduate economics textbook. (Who knew Recursive Macroeconomics could sound so interesting?)
And this, worthy of a research project: "Can any older professors give perspective on all this grade whining?"
One of my wife's students will begin Harvard this fall. He plans to major in economics so he wrote to her and asked if I had suggestions for "Ways to learn material, books to read, important classes to take?" Here's what I sent her to send to him, for anybody who might find it useful.
On courses, five suggestions:
Most places require majors to take an introductory course--often titled "Principles of Economics" or something similar--and then a second course in microeconomics, often titled "Intermediate Microeconomics". That second course in micro is absolutely vital. I'd tell him to ask around at his university to find out who the best instructor is offering that course. Neither the easiest nor the friendliest necessarily, but who has the best mind and who best expresses that mind. I'd tell him then to concentrate hard on that course. Do well in it, and the rest of the major should be easier and more fun.
Take as much econometrics as he can stand. It is very important and useful. If there is only one undergraduate course, strongly consider taking a graduate course if there is one (and take additional statistics courses). And learn either Stata or R.
If he plans on trying to get a Ph.D., take a lot of math. A full year of calculus and a course in linear algebra is the bare minimum. Most grad econ departments want students to make an A in the second-level calculus sequence (usually called "Analysis" or "Real Analysis"). Here are Davidson's suggestions: https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/current/preparing-for-grad-school Here are suggestions from Harvard: http://kuznets.harvard.edu/~athey/gradadv.html
Take at least one course that teaches students how to write well.
Junior or senior year, write at least one long, research-oriented paper, probably in a seminar course or maybe as an independent study, under the supervision of a good instructor. Examples of what he should aim for are here: http://www.elon.edu/e-web/students/ipe/default.xhtml
On books:
Good introductory books (these can be read before starting coursework, even this summer):
Tradeoffs by Harold Winter
The Armchair Economist, by Steven E. Landsburg
The Economic Way of Thinking, by Paul Heyne, et al.
The Economics of Public Issues, by Roger L. Miller, et al.
Spin-Free Economics: A No-Nonsense Guide to Today’s Global Economic Debates, by Nariman Behravesh
Good Intermediate Micro textbooks
Price Theory and Applications, Steven E. Landsburg (the most recent edition is the 8th, and the 9th is due soon, but any edition is excellent).
Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach, by Hal R. Varian. Complements Landsburg.
Exchange and Production: Competition, Coordination, and Control, by Armen Alchian and William R. Allen. Not strictly an Intermediate Microeconomics text, but it’s so good, who cares?
Others:
A Conflict of Visions, by Thomas Sowell
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor, by David S. Landes
Robust Political Economy, by Mark Pennington
The Myth of Fair and Efficient Government, by Michael L. Marlow
The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics, by William Easterly
The Death of Common Sense, by Philip K. Howard
Getting Rich in America: Eight Simple Rules for Building a Fortune and a Satisfying Life, by Dwight R. Lee and Richard B. McKenzie
A Guide to Econometrics, by Peter Kennedy
Eat the Rich, by P. J. O’Rourke
Readings in Applied Microeconomics: The Power of the Market, edited by Craig M. Newmark
On studying: if he doesn't know how to study by now, I can't help him.
Superb. Funny yet so close to the truth the author didn't want to use his or her name.
ME Studies
The department of English invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor in ME Studies, starting Fall 2014. Applicants should demonstrate a sustained scholarly engagement with ME. Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas is preferred: research I care about, topics I've been focusing on for years, theories I am familiar with, practices I approve of, and debates already settled by ME.
I hope this guy's life insurance is paid up:
The state of North Carolina appropriates $5,660 per student per semester, so that, in the fall of 2010, taxpayers were charged $5.5 million extra for students who took extra time to graduate, from just one cohort.
Much of that $5.5 million was waste from taking too long to complete school. Multiplied by several cohorts over many semesters, and at 16 schools, the cost becomes enormous.
Stille’s list of recommendations to improve the current situation is short, simple, and sensible: state universities should not enroll freshmen who have SATs below 910 (or ACTs below 19), who graduated in the bottom half of their high school class, or who require remedial education before they can handle college-level studies.
(I'll use this as an excuse to note that one of my formers colleagues told me about a popular cheer at Brown: "What's the color of shit? Brown, brown, brown!")
