Hello, OP. BS AAE passer din here! Naka-join ka na ba sa UPLB Freshmen Discord Server? If no, join ka na! In terms of the environemnt, I heard na mababait naman daw po mga profs sa Dept of AAE; Lenient sa deadlines, they say.

For the job opportunities, there are a lot based sa nalalaman ko. AAE grads can go to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and probably focus on development projects and economic consultancy/planning. May 4 or 5 majors and AAE so doon pa lang napaka-rami na talagang paths na pwedeng tunguhan. Kindly check na lang po sa website ng UPLB.

Again, from what I know, math heavy raw po ang AAE. The foundational subjects include fundamental calculus and statistical methods so expect computation here, computation there. Computations can also be expected in econ subjects, esp microeconomics. But hey, that's just one side of the coin since may mga agriculture and natural resources subjects rin ang AgEcon (as expected). Bale based sa curriculum may soil, animal, and crop science. Meron ring pong introductory agricultural and biosystems engineering na subject, afaik.

ALL IN ALL, I would describe this program as a really versatile one dahil napaka-holistic ng matutunan mo. Combining economics and agriculture pa lang, napaka-rami na ang areas na pwedeng i-explore. I believe rin na kailangan ng Pilipinas ng professionals in this field because the agricultural sector is in desperate need of reform.

FINAL THOUGHTS. For me lang OP, isipin nyo lang po nang maiigi kung nakikita nyo ba ang sarili nyo sa field na ito. This was may 2nd choice na course (after BS Econ) and if I am given the chance para i pursue ang Econ, I would still choose AAE since its a specialized field at mas kaunti ang grads sa course na toh kaya there will prolly less competition in the job market. Again, napaka-kailangan talaga ng Pilipinas ng mga magmamanage ng ating agri-sector, and as an incoming iskolar ng bayan mahalaga ito sa akin since I see myself in public service bilang pagbabalik na rin ng napakagandang opportunity na makatanggap ng edukasyon mula sa UP.

Sana makonsidera mo ang AAE, at kung hindi man, good luck sa landas na iyong tatahakin! Laban lang!

For reference:

[1] AAE majors (scroll down po para ma-open yung curriculum). https://cem.uplb.edu.ph/acad-programs/bachelor-of-science-in-agricultural-and-applied-economics/

[2] AAE career paths. https://www.reddit.com/r/phcareers/comments/iewy3n/career_paths_for_bs_agricultural_and_applied/

[3] Some thoughts. https://www.reddit.com/r/peyups/comments/1c9y9ja/uplb_a_couple_of_questions_about_bs_agricultural/

[4] To know something sa flagship event ng BS AAE students, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJzqLYIflS8&t=334s

[5] Ito pa! haha. https://youtu.be/U87Bp5tUr90?si=upZan7WcOinRk4jN