Carnegie Mellon University

Adam Tucker

B.S. in Economics and Statistics


Beyond acquiring the hard skills necessary to get the job done, this program has given me confidence in myself. Being challenged is no longer daunting  because I now have life skills and career skills necessary to succeed.

Why are you studying economics?

I love that economics can provide fundamental insights to human behavior around scarce resources through the use of rigorous modeling and statistics.

Do you have a favorite economics course? If so, which one and why?

My favorite course was 73-315: Market Design with Professor Kesten. This was the first class that exposed me to more sophisticated mathematical methods to problems in microeconomics.

Do you have advice for incoming CMU students?

Try taking different classes because you never know what you might end up feeling really passionate about. Also drink more water!

Do you have advice for students studying economics?

Get involved in the Economics community as a freshman! It can be really helpful to have people in your classes to study with and all your teachers and advisors want to get to know you!

Describe your typical weekday morning

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I do not have any morning class, and I dedicate this time to research for my undergraduate thesis in economics and my corporate capstone project in statistics. On the other days, I wake up and play soccer before my courses. The one constant I have in my morning is that I usually eat one of the many wonderful muffins my mom always gives me.

Describe your typical weekday afternoon

The afternoon begins with taking a lunch break at my fraternity house and spending some time with my brothers before the evening work begins.

Describe your typical weekday evening

Typical weekday evenings typically consist of cooking and eating dinner with my friends at my house and then grinding out homework. At least once per week I will have a meeting for the CMU Sports Analytics Club and teaching R to students in 73-274 Econometrics I.

Describe your typical weekend

When I don't have to do work, I surround myself with my wonderful friends I've made at CMU and go from there.

Is there anything else that you would want to share about your "typical day"?

I am blessed that my typical day always includes interaction with my friends that have enabled me to thrive at CMU.