As you may have heard, the choice of school and the pursuit of a degree are extremely important in determining your success in economics. Just about every school offers macro economics and microeconomics courses, but to really get ahead, you'll want to get into a graduate school with the best department of Economics you can find. The best schools may offer more passionate teachers, better internship options, more extensive areas of study and the sort of prestige you'll need when looking to start your career in the competitive labor market.

Stanford University is considered one of the best economics university institutions in the nation for both undergrad and graduate students. In February, the department reviews more than 700 graduate applications each year to choose the 50 best students for admittance next fall. Another school with a highly-regarded Economics department is Princeton University, which admits 25 students per year out of 800 applicants. To be considered, students will need a GRE score of 780 to 800 and above. The University of Wisconsin (Madison) will admit 25 to 30 students to their graduate school. Other prestigious schools in education economics include MIT, the University of Chicago, UC-Berkeley and Yale. If your grades weren't top-of-your-class caliber, then you may want to try a middle-ranked school like Penn State.

When choosing classes from a school's department of Economics, the best advice is to take more math courses! It can be easy to fall behind in your studies if you aren't crystal clear on the statistics, calculus and mathematical concepts. When you were trying to get your bachelor's degree in economics, you were likely scanning the course options for "easy electives" and ways of pulling your GPA up. However, graduate schools care most about what hard classes you've taken and how well you did in them, rather than your GPA as a whole. Be sure you take real analysis, calculus and econometrics, as these classes will be vital to your understanding.

A department of Economics is rather rigorous, compared to other areas. Many individuals start off seeking a degree in economics, only to switch to business, finance or an easier degree. The best way to keep ahead is to take as much as you can; hard math, too. Keep reading economics books and publications like The Economist or the Wall Street Journal. In the summers, seek out internships and peruse the Job Openings for Economists (JOE) job board at www.aeaweb.org/joe. To be successful in any field, you must love what you're doing, as well as eat, sleep and breathe it.

As a leading expert in the field of anxiety disorders and panic attacks, Beth Kaminski is always on the lookout for how to anxiety or panic attacks. Visit her site for more information on her how to deal with panic attacks and much more.

Tags: home based business, starting a business, women entrepreneurs