Advice for the young, aspiring statisticians.

I think that the idea of starting early and polling often has already been emphasized enough by my classmates, so I can deviate slightly. While collecting a large array of data is vitally important, you should also make sure to choose a subject that you are passionate about. This is simple enough to say, but I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. It may be convenient to ask fellow students about trivial economic data, but remember that you will have to write a large paper about your results. With a topic that doesn't interest you, this can be an agonizing task. If you find your topic engaging however, the words will come with ease and analyzing your results will bring, if not joy, than at least a sense of satisfaction. It may sound odd coming from a student who signed up for the course merely because of its status as a prerequisite for other economics course, but with a topic that interests you, the homework becomes something of a passion. It may still be difficult to plunk yourself down in the library for countless hours at a time, but at the end of the day, you will have something to show for it; something to be proud of.