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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We are immigrants and clueless. Our URM DS is interested in a midsize school, urban or suburban, he is into economics/math and public health. Grades are average (3.6UW in rigorous private high school in DMV), SAT is 1480. Panic on board because deadlines are approaching and we still don't know where he would have any good chance of getting admitted. Help.[/quote]

Especially if he’s full-pay, he could probably increase his odds by saying he’s a sociology major. If he’s a sociology major, maybe a place like Case Western or the University of Rochester would welcome him with trumpets.

Maybe he could also try applying to a place like Howard University, GWU or American University, then use the consortium to deal with any curriculum gaps. It seems as if being in D.C. or near the CMS headquarters in Baltimore, or near the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, might be better for a would-be health economist than going to the best health economics program. [/quote]

I'm a previous poster:  Anyone planning on a specialty in economics as a career would just focus on an economics degree (with strong math courses as a supplement) in undergrad. Graduate school is where the specialty would come in (Michigan, Hopkins, Wisconsin come to mind as having strength in numbers).

OP mentioned a quantitative econ and this sort of degree would be helpful for anyone interested in using economics later to study public policies (or anything data related in business too).  Undergrads can learn strong economic theory and the mathematical and analytic tools that would be used in a job or an internship (statistics, econometrics, regression analyses, programming, data management, etc.).  This is why I noted earlier that finding a school that has strong econ and public policy is a good option - if you have the econ skills, you can then apply them to study the policy.  The tools needed are often very similar across policies - the specialty comes in (at grad school) in learning the literature of what has already been done.

Starting with an econ degree (or "maybe" a public policy degree with strong economics/analyses background) reflects better what current health economists did as undergraduates. People generally don't go to a health econ undergrad program. There's too much to learn in economics....maybe there will be a health econ course, just like there will be a labor econ course, on ones in development econ, environmental econ, game theory, etc (sticking with micro policy theme here...not macro since the interest is public health).
 [/quote]

+ 1000  public health as an undergraduate major is new and sounds good but those kids graduate with zero skills. [/quote]

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