Many bright students naturally have a propensity toward “hard sciences” that are technically challenging, such as math or physics. In India, economics is often classified with the liberal arts, and is perceived as a subject that cannot be approached scientifically. Modern economics, however, feels very much like applied mathematics or physics in its tools. Indeed, many successful professors have undergraduate backgrounds in pure mathematics, physics or engineering. The modern economist is an applied mathematician who develops and tests precisely formulated mathematical theories using a wide range of statistical methods. Economists now speak in the language of experiments as do natural scientists, and develop models of the economy much as physicists develop models of nature. Economics is a difficult science because one cannot easily run experiments on humans and because the economy is a very complex system. But the scientific approach to economics is immensely valuable, because every economic policy decision the government makes affects the welfare of millions of people immediately. That is what makes this field fun, challenging and important.