Constrained Bliss Point

Yesterday I visited Princeton University so their admissions committee could get a better look at me. I would summarize the trip and associated interviews as “A+++++ Would Buy Again Great Shipping!!!”. Princeton’s campus is a glorious place, and I totally walked past Paul Krugman’s office.

Here are a few things that may come up if you find yourself in a similar interview in the future:

• The integral of x * e^x is (x-1)*e^x. You need to use integration by parts (or “inverse chain rule” as I like to call it).
• Know how to prove that the derivative of x^2 is 2*x using first principles.
• Don’t ramble on about the behavioral critique of the Walrasian general equilibrium without really knowing what you’re talking about.
• You may get bonus points for knowing how to solve a Master Cube.

Also, I got to thank Alan Blinder for holding the door open for me. I think that puts me two steps away from Bill Clinton if you use really tenuous links to determine your Bacon number.

Addendum: Integration by parts is not the “inverse chain rule”, as I previously thought, but instead “inverse product rule”. It appears my math-fu could use some practice.