Should I do the hardest math possible?

Hey everyone,

I will be doing a premasters in Economics in west Europe this year. I want to work in Mgmt Consulting or potentially IB when I get my masters degree in two years. My grades are high, my extracurriculars are solid (varsity rower, F500 internship abroad and some other leadership things) and I have a BB IB internship this summer. My question is this: for the premasters they will give you a math test to assign you to the "proper" level of mathematics: Math I, II or III.

I test very high on standardised tests for analytical and calculus skills (top 1%) but I have little formal education in math (never taken uni level math course before, just 4 statistics courses). Should I:
a)bomb the test so I get placed in an easy math course and blow that out of the water virtually guaranteed;
or should I study hard, get into the highest level I can and then pass that with the highest grades I can even though it may not be an A?

And another question: Would the answer change wwhether I would want to work in mgmt consulting or IB?

4 Comments
 

If your calculus skills are good, I'd say study for the test and do as best as you can. Better to skip the stuff you already know than have to waste time taking classes you don't need. Also, what level of math are we talking about?

 

If you were able to score high enough to get waived out of taking the math courses in the masters programs then I would ace the exam. If all it meant was instead of taking Math 1,2,3 in your masters program, you now have to take Math 3,4,5... bomb that exam.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Why not just go straight into IB or consulting when you graduate, why do you need a Masters? Unless there is something I'm missing you are already in the competition if you landed a BB IB internships, seems like a retarded waste of time and makes you look like a career student. Not to mention that if you are going for those fields you may need an MBA later on to advance your career, so do you really want a Bachelors, Masters and then an MBA?

Insanity.

 

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