Math-Related Courses Come First
Many courses like the math series and the statistics class are generally prerequisites for upper division courses as well as lower division courses so it’s advisable to start knocking those classes off your list early, saving you the trouble of dealing with them when most inconvenient.
Learn Excel
Much of excel is used in assignments or projects while taking your upper division and even your lower division economics courses. Getting accustomed to how excel is structured and used effectively before taking those classes removes the stress you would have and the time you would spend to learn excel within a deadline.
Get Involved
The campus has an abundance of organizations and clubs that involve the field of economics. To name a few, UCR has business fraternities, accounting clubs, marketing clubs and finance clubs. Joining any of these allows you to gain a better understanding on how that area of economics works and decide what works best for you. As a bonus, these organizations provide networking opportunities and workshops that teach you critical pointers for job interviews, resumes and internships.
Find Your Concentration ASAP
It’s important to note that many economics concentrations require a considerable amount of courses to take along with their considerable amount of prerequisites. Coming from personal experience, I strongly advise to research what classes are prerequisites for your concentration courses as well as WHEN these classes will be available throughout the academic year as some of them aren’t accessible in all three quarters. Talking to your academic advisor helps immensely if you ever have confusion.
Network and Make Friends
Working in a field as socially interactive as economics stipulates solid networking skills. With that said, being friends with or even simply being acquainted with your classmates in econ classes is a great way to start. While most of you will branch off in a variety of ways after choosing your concentrations, it’s reassuring to know that you have connections across all corners of economics.
