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At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

quantamagazine.org

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Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#21

Post by gus_massa »

AtlasBarfed wrote: post #8

”Cairo applied to 10 graduate programs. Six rejected her because she didn’t have a college degree. Two admitted her, but then higher-ups in those universities’ administrations overrode those decisions." This is both unsurprising and shocking to me at the same time. For institutions of allegedly pure higher learning in a field where it's known that youth is where the advancement happens, the fact 80% axle wrap over a…

In my university, when someone is accepted as a graduate student of a different topic (let's say phisics -> biology) it's usual to include a few of the last courses of the major as a mandatory part of the Ph.D.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#22

Post by general1726 »

1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

Hey, you are not getting your degree without paying for it.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#23

Post by morleytj »

rahkiin wrote: post #20
1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

Normally you have a master of science as well. And for that you require a bachelors. So to do it directly you need to do it all at once?

In the US a doctorate usually doesn't require a master's, most people go straight from undergrad to phd.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#24

Post by xandrius »

kurthr wrote: post #10
AtlasBarfed wrote: post #8

”Cairo applied to 10 graduate programs. Six rejected her because she didn’t have a college degree. Two admitted her, but then higher-ups in those universities’ administrations overrode those decisions." This is both unsurprising and shocking to me at the same time. For institutions of allegedly pure higher learning in a field where it's known that youth is where the advancement happens, the fact 80% axle wrap over a…

A lot of programs don't want to have to babysit a teenager no matter how talented they are. Some of the more prestigious programs both have some experience with it and extra staff to (give profs warm fuzzies) handle any issues that come up. I'd expect it depends a lot on her interests and the particular professors that study that at any particular institution. Even as a student, I'd be more interested in which profes…

As if that was the reason.

Also, I've seen a great deal of adult babies in academia, so let's not be ageist here.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#25

Post by pinewurst »

1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

The interesting part is that two others admitted her but retracted after "higher-ups in those universities’ administrations overrode those decisions".

Was she not considered properly conditioned?

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#26

Post by pinewurst »

OutOfHere wrote: post #3

What is the general basis for skipping college and getting admission directly in a Ph.D. program? What does one have to generally do to qualify?

I knew someone who was admitted to a Masters program at Stanford sans undergraduate degree. His employer at the time was a large donor.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#27

Post by neilv »

AtlasBarfed wrote: post #8

”Cairo applied to 10 graduate programs. Six rejected her because she didn’t have a college degree. Two admitted her, but then higher-ups in those universities’ administrations overrode those decisions." This is both unsurprising and shocking to me at the same time. For institutions of allegedly pure higher learning in a field where it's known that youth is where the advancement happens, the fact 80% axle wrap over a…

> Two admitted her, but then higher-ups in those universities’ administrations overrode those decisions.

I've personally seen universities go both ways, and it comes down both to individuals, and to the culture of the department/university faculty and administration.

(Not to the culture of the student body, which is influenced by the administration culture, but has very little institutional memory, and almost zero power. If you draw an analogy to nations, there might be one with the most awful 'leaders' seizing and abusing power, but that's "way above the pay grade" of the many nice citizens you will meet -- who didn't know what they were being born into, and will do their best to be decent to each other, despite whatever bits they're unfortunate to learn about the upper powers.)

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#28

Post by whatshisface »

1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

Two out of ten is pretty good for anything involving individual decisions, just ask any salesperson.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#29

Post by skeptrune »

1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

I think the biggest flaw with higher education today is that we're pushing people into doing undergraduate degrees who are already well beyond coming out of self learning from high school or other experiences.

Re: At 17, Hannah Cairo solved a major math mystery

#30

Post by TheRealPomax »

1024core wrote: post #18

> Only the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University were willing to welcome her straight into a doctoral program. She’ll start at Maryland in the fall. When she finishes, it will be her first degree. Jeez... what a damning indictment of today's Universities. She could just use her publication as a dissertation and be done with it!

Conversely: if that's all it takes, there is no point in going to University just to get a piece of paper that says "you did the thing you already did".

University (for folks serious about continuing in academia after) is (obviously) about making sure you have the same base knowledge as everyone else, but also for you to come to terms with how academia actually works, who the bad players are, who the good players are, and who you need to know to get shit to happen for you. So in that sense, most Universities going "no" is literally the most accurate reflection of what life's going to be like on a continuous basis on the inside.

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