Steven G
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2014
- Messages
- 14,406
Why are the top American math students from decent universities able to get their four year degree (because they are the top students!) but they can't survive the PhD math program at the same university. I know that back in the early 90's Buffalo University was trying to figure this out. At the same time foreign students at Buffalo University were graduating with their PhDs most times with ease.
I was a graduate student at The City Colleg of New York (CUNY). It was a top notch program. I sometimes felt that the goal of the professors there was to make us fail, but with their expert lectures we all passed. I have never seen a college with such high standards. With a few exceptions we were all American students. Some of us were quite bright (not me!) but when we went onto the CUNY Gradate Center for our PhDs we ALL failed at earning that terminal degree. I am still bitter at why it is so hard to earn that degree in math. We all had much much more talent then a typical high school teacher but that was not enough. It seems that in other programs you just have to be better than a high school teacher and of course do the work for that degree.
So my real question is what I stated at the beginning. Why are top American undergraduate math students failing out of American PhD math programs?
I was a graduate student at The City Colleg of New York (CUNY). It was a top notch program. I sometimes felt that the goal of the professors there was to make us fail, but with their expert lectures we all passed. I have never seen a college with such high standards. With a few exceptions we were all American students. Some of us were quite bright (not me!) but when we went onto the CUNY Gradate Center for our PhDs we ALL failed at earning that terminal degree. I am still bitter at why it is so hard to earn that degree in math. We all had much much more talent then a typical high school teacher but that was not enough. It seems that in other programs you just have to be better than a high school teacher and of course do the work for that degree.
So my real question is what I stated at the beginning. Why are top American undergraduate math students failing out of American PhD math programs?