UCLA Econ 187 Class Application
Advocating for yourself in a competitive academic environment
This past spring quarter at UCLA, I took this very interesting class called Econ 187 — Applications of Economic Theory.
Basically, it was a small research class where the professor personally walked us through the economics research process so that we students could write a mini research paper at the end.
The class was taught by one of the best professors at UCLA, Chris Surro, and had a competitive application process to get in (applying for a class was a foreign idea to me). I wanted to share my application here after I stumbled upon it in my Apple Notes this morning because it was fun to both write and read.
I hope it’ll inspire you to hype yourself up when you’re applying to classes, too, and maybe even encourage you to take that class yourself!
After the application itself, you’ll also see my response for the “final evaluation” submission, which was used to help determine your final grade.
The final grading for this class was very interesting — each student submitted a final self-evaluation form where they explained what grade they believed they had earned and why. The professor submitted a similar form and if the grades matched, you earned that grade. If not, you had a meeting with the professor to determine what it’d be. (my final presentation was about how tariffs affect trade between countries)
The big thing here I wanted to share was that I would’ve been happy with a B+/A- grade in the class, but decided to push for an A because I’d regret not trying for it. If I asked for an A and got a B+, I’d move on quickly. But if I asked for a B+ and got it right away, I’d wonder what would’ve happened if I set a higher goal for myself. I pushed for the A, and it ended up working out!
For both the application and my final feedback form, the questions are in bold and the answers in normal text. Enjoy!
Application:
List all economics classes you have taken so far at UCLA (you may also list non-Econ classes if you think they would be relevant - e.g. stats or programming classes).
Econ 1, 2, 11, 41, 101, 102, 103, 106I (Organization of Firms); Stats 20 (Intro to Programming in R); Com Sci 31, 32 (Intro to Computer Science I/II), M146 (Intro to Machine Learning); Studied abroad at Sciences Po in Paris last fall and took International Finance and Trade, Labor Economics, and Corporate Governance.
I have already enrolled in Econ 104 and Ec Engr M148 (Intro to Data Science) for Spring 2024, and would love for your Econ 187 to be my third (and final) class!
Have you taken any classes with me? List them below and include the quarter you took it.
Yes! I took Econ 11 with you during Winter 2022 (and received an A).
What do you like about economics as a field? What topics or questions are interesting to you? What classes have you found the most appealing?
I like economics because at its root, it studies why and how decisions are made across all aspects of human behavior. This translates to many forms of human interaction — markets, trade, but also conversational interactions, personal negotiation, and convincing leadership. Learning the theory behind economics during my time at UCLA has made me appreciate the science behind understanding human behavior and has encouraged me to learn more. I apply these theories when meeting new people, and use them to better convey the story of UCLA during my campus tours (I’m a tour guide at UCLA!).
In particular, I’ve really enjoyed my Organization of Firms (OoF) and International Finance/Trade (IFT) courses. The OoF class was interesting because through weekly Harvard Business School case studies, we learned and debated more practical aspects of business decisions, such as hiring practices, performance pay, and employee motivation. The IFT course was interesting because I had never considered the trade imbalances and advantages between countries, and developed a deep appreciation for the privilege I have of having the citizenship, currency, and linguistic mastery of the dominant and most powerful country on Earth (America!). I had never formally studied exchange rates either, and found it incredibly interesting to learn how central banks act interdependently with each other to craft policies most helpful for their countries. Taking that course in Paris was especially interesting, as I learned about the European Central Bank and Eurozone while living in a country under its influence (and where I would buy espressos in Euros after class).
The most interesting topics for me are those regarding education and its impact of employment, wages, and happiness long term. As a first-gen student, I have a deep appreciation for the doors that have opened for me as a result of attending UCLA, and have found it very interesting to read about how education is the most important tool to increase one’s social class. The positive impact of higher education, in particular, is my favorite thing to share on my campus tours of UCLA. In your Econ 187 course, I’d love to study more about the impact of education of employment and earnings, how the government could encourage more students to pursue higher education, and learn more how to quantify and measure these impacts long-term (from an economic research perspective).
Outside of classes, do you have any experience that relate in anyway to economics or skills useful to economists? (internships, clubs, research experience, books you have read, etc.)
Internships:
I've previously interned at First Republic Bank (within their lending services department during their last ever summer internship program) and The Kraft Heinz Company (within their digital supply chain division), during which I learned how to work in a professional environment, ask thoughtful and direct questions, and so much about banking, finance, supply chain, and the consumer packaged goods industry. I've also worked at a number of startups at UCLA, mostly in marketing and operations roles.
Clubs:
I'm an advisor and senior consultant in The Bruin Group, where we do pro-bono projects for startups and non-profits in the LA area. I've worked on 2 startup projects (for user growth and marketing strategy) and most recently for the LA Olympic Committee, where we provided recommendations on how to better incorporate UCLA and its students into the Olympic Games (since the dorms will be the Olympic Village and many events will be hosted on campus!). Through these experiences, I've learned how to conduct accurate and thorough research, manage a team, and understand how market forces affect businesses. I'm also a tour guide and have developed strong public speaking and presentation skills through that job. Most importantly, I've mastered the ability to tailor and refine a vast amount of information to the specific needs and interests of very diverse groups.
Books/Reading:
I read 40+ books a year, with sci-fi and adventure as my favorite genres. Some economics-related books I read last year include Carrot Principle (how to effectively manage and motivate employees), Millionaire Fastlane (about entrepreneurship), and Freakonomics (what an interesting book that was!). I'm currently reading The Hard Thing about Hard Things, which discusses how difficult it is to actually run a business. I read the Morning Brew business newsletter every day and frequently read WSJ and NYT articles related to business, politics, and law.
For more detailed information about my background, here is my LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-gavrilenko/
Why are you interested in taking this class in particular? What do you hope to get out of it?
My motivations for taking this class are very practical. One, the economics classes at UCLA are very theoretical, and I would love to learn how to apply this theory in a more realistic, hands-on, problem-solving approach. Secondly, not to flatter you or anything, but you have been the best economics teacher I’ve had at UCLA so far, and I want to take another one of your courses before I graduate from UCLA (your Econ 165 class filled up instantly, and I’m not too interested in the Fed Challenge class).
From this course, I hope to gain a deeper appreciation for the theory I learn in my other classes as I learn how to apply it to real problems. I also look forward to meeting other top economics students in an application-only class, who are similarly ambitious and curious enough to apply to an upper-division research class and who want to go above and beyond what we learn in other courses.
What are your future career plans? What skills do you think will be most important in carrying out those plans? If you already have a job or grad school lined up for post-graduation, please list that here.
This summer, I will interning as a summer intern for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in their Seattle office. Currently, the plan is to pursue consulting for a few years, then transition to tech into either a business strategy/operations or product management role. I’m also very interested in entrepreneurship, and see myself working for or creating my own startup in the future.
For these career plans, curiosity, hard work, and strong communication skills are essential for success. I work extremely hard, have mastered communication through several years as a tour guide, and have honed my curiosity through many random conversations, reading dozens of books, and serving in leadership positions in the various clubs I’m in. Professionalism and thoughtfulness are important as well, and I have practiced being both professional and thoughtful through 2 past summer internships and professional networking interactions since I’ve started at UCLA. I will bring these skills, and continue developing them, in your Econ 187 course.
Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself or your interest in the class?
I am an extremely curious person, love learning, and often ask questions. I am fascinated about many subjects, and am always excited to learn more and contribute in class. I will bring this energy and enthusiasm to your Econ 187 course.
Final self-evaluation:
Briefly explain what you learned from doing the final project (either in terms of the question or in terms of the research process as a whole).
The final project showed me that finding good data, and preprocessing said data, is an extremely important yet challenging task. In economics or business courses, students are typically provided nice, clean data and are taught how to analyze it; in your class, I learned how to do that analysis, but also how to find the data as well (thanks so much for that!). I changed my research question twice this quarter based on the availability and quality of data, showing me the importance of having good data. I eventually focused on finding good data, and then creating a research question based on that! This is a tremendously valuable skill I learned since being able to find good data and then analyze it properly is crucial to being a well-informed citizen and productive professional.
I also learned that trade is extremely complex and that the interacting factors that govern how, why, and how much countries trade with each other are more than any human can ever comprehend or understand. We can only hope to model such interactions and draw conclusions from that. I have a greater appreciation for trade economists and the research process as a whole since I ran into so many hiccups and challenges from just this introductory, small-in-scale research project. I can hardly imagine what writing a full paper is like!
Briefly explain what you learned from the class overall.
The main things I learned in this class were how to analyze data, adapt quickly, and be resourceful.
Analyzing data: The first few weeks of the course were very interesting, as I learned practical ways to analyze datasets and economic patterns that I had not yet encountered. Indicator variables, instrumental variables, and diff-in-diff were all new to me, and it was interesting to see examples of these methods in action and fun to use them myself.
Adapting quickly and being resourceful: There were many hiccups that came up during the process of doing my research project, specifically about finding a good dataset and accordingly, a good research question. Twice, I found what I thought was a nice, clean dataset, and upon further examination, it turned out to be mean and dirty (especially that tariff data, oh my!). In many ways, finding good data, creating a research question I was excited about, and conducting the relevant analysis felt like building a bridge while driving over it. I learned how to adapt quickly and be resourceful in solving these problems over the course of these past 10 weeks. It was also just super interesting to see how economic research is conducted. I now have a much deeper appreciation for this work!
Explain why you think you deserve the grade you gave yourself. Be as detailed as necessary. If I agree with your overall assessment, then this is the grade you will receive in the class. If I don't agree with your overall assessment, we will have a conversation about what your actual grade should be (could be higher or lower than the grade you give here).
I believe I've earned an A from my hard work and enthusiasm over the course of the quarter. I completed high-quality assignments throughout the quarter, was enthusiastic and engaged during our group meetings, and volunteered for (and did well in!) the mock interview in front of the entire class. I asked thoughtful questions during your lectures, chatted with you often after class, and made an effort to learn the research process in your class.
There were some weeks where I didn't do as much work as was expected or was traveling extensively around the US (the solar eclipse trip at the beginning of the quarter, and my cousin's graduation toward the end). However, I made up the work and expected hours afterward.
At the end of the day, I learned a lot in your class, participated often throughout the quarter, and delivered a final paper and project I'm proud of. I faced many challenges, overcame them, and came out the other side a better student and economist. From this, I believe I've earned an A.
Thanks for a great class and a great quarter! Have an amazing summer, and see you in the fall :)
That’s all from me! See y’all soon :)
Best,
Dennis