Seventeen year old earns doctoral degree

[sigp220.45]

This thread is simultaneously a new high and a new low for this forum.

 

[Sam D]

This thread is simultaneously a new high and a new low for this forum.

Proves not all kids sit home in front of a TV playing video games, or has their face buried in a cell phone.


I know I'd be busting at the seams if one of my kids had her credentials.

 

[WardenRoss]

This thread is simultaneously a new high and a new low for this forum.

Proves not all kids sit home in front of a TV playing video games, or has their face buried in a cell phone.


I know I'd be busting at the seams if one of my kids had her credentials.

Speaking of "busting at the seams"...

My oldest son is a Criminologist. He was in college for a total of eleven-years to get that doctorate. All while being married with two kids. Couldn't be more proud.



,

 

[MelvinWalker]

No snarcasm intended but you seem perturbed by her earning a PhD.

May I ask why?

There are STILL many core mathematics that have to be fulfilled before the major is completed and the degree granted. That goes for ANY degree....Fairly advanced algebra and trig.

Again, it's what I said earlier....And I have a late 1980's liberal arts degree that I have left off my resume' because it means nothing now....There were and are parts of the core education portion that are not basket weaving.

 

[Rustyt1953]

^^^^^

I don't recall directing my query at you.

 

[rwsmith]

I think....

^^^^^

I don't recall directing my query at you.

I think Mr. MelvinWalker was reinforcing your point than no advanced degree is a cake walk.

 

[Onomea]

Snarcasm! A new word for me:

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[CajunBass]

Well, I'm 71 years old and I can't spell PDH, so I'm pretty impressed.

 

[TXBryan]

Earning a masters or doctoral degree isn't about how much math one has to take. Sure, the classroom has something to do with it but at it's core graduate degrees are about formulating an original hypothesis, testing it, and defending your results and conclusions.

Reasoning and an ability to finish what you start are the hallmarks of graduate degrees. My PhD happens to be in a scientific field but the classroom stuff was less than half the effort. Publishing a peer reviewed piece of scientific work was the real deal. She did that, and having a freshly-minted 18-year old at home, my son, I can hardly imagine the hard work and dedication this fine young lady has behind her at her tender young age.

I spent nine years in college and a year of post-doc work before I was forced to work.

Bryan

 

[MelvinWalker]

I think Mr. MelvinWalker was reinforcing your point than no advanced degree is a cake walk.

That is correct....I meant it positively in that parts of a degree are not easy. The poster in question indicated these degrees are just given away and they are not. The STEM portions of any degree can be difficult and then there is the doctoral dissertation, which is basically a self published book.

 

[03hemi]

...and they said our youth's of today have the mental capacity of a guava.

 

[MelvinWalker]

My wife is busting her tail to do everything perfectly (she has a 4.0 through three semesters) and stressing herself out doing it. I keep telling her, "It's good enough, half of the students are illiterate!"

Your wife should be proud though because she has an INNER code of excellence that she wants to do the absolute best that she can...That's always a good employee.

I have a good friend that is a physician and his wife and my wife went to dinner recently and he asked me a question...He said "what do you call a doctor that graduated with a 2.5 GPA? I said "I don't know, what".

He said you call them "doctor" just like the ones that graduated with a 4.0.

 

[taz666]

It's young people like this that will, one day, save all our asses.

 

[BC38]

I have to admit that the accomplishment is pretty impressive for someone so young. Reminds me of the old TV show Doogie Howser!

But at the same time it is certainly true that a doctorate in physics, mathematics, chemistry, or any of the other "hard sciences" is an order of magnitude more difficult to achieve than one in Liberal Arts.

Nevertheless, that doesn't minimize her accomplishment of earning ANY kind of doctorate degree at 17. That alone means she is head-and-shoulders above 99.9999% of her peers.

Certainly something worth celebrating! She deserves all the accolades she can receive!

 

[Onomea]

...But at the same time it is certainly true that a doctorate in physics, mathematics, chemistry, or any of the other "hard sciences" is an order of magnitude more difficult to achieve than one in Liberal Arts....

Well, I dunno about that order of magnitude comment.

It took me ten years to get my liberal arts PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a major in modern Japanese history, from beginning graduate school in 1976 and finally finishing in 1986. At the time, the average amount time spent to obtain the degree in my field was 12 years.

One reason that it took so long was that in addition to requiring sufficient competency in an East Asian language to do research — Japanese in my case — one was also required to pass formal reading tests establishing that one had the ability to read in a second East Asian language— classical Chinese, in my case — and also in one non English, European language — French, in my case.

There were a bunch of other requirements, too, of course, including a lot of coursework, an "orals" exam by a panel of professors on all the stuff one had studied and all the hundreds of books one was supposed to have read, and, finally, a dissertation, 416 pages, in my case, based on original research and its successful defense before — being grilled by — a panel of subject matter expert professors.

I don't doubt STEM PhDs are hard work to achieve, but my liberal arts PhD was no cakewalk

IMHO.

 

[WardenRoss]

Well, I dunno about that order of magnitude comment.

It took me ten years to get my liberal arts PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a major in modern Japanese history, from beginning graduate school in 1976 and finally finishing in 1986. At the time, the average amount time spent to obtain the degree in my field was 12 years.

One reason that it took so long was that in addition to requiring sufficient competency in an East Asian language to do research — Japanese in my case — one was also required to pass formal reading tests establishing that one had the ability to read in a second East Asian language— classical Chinese, in my case — and also in one non English, European language — French, in my case.

There were a bunch of other requirements, too, of course, including a lot of coursework, an "orals" exam by a panel of professors on all the stuff one had studied and all the hundreds of books one was supposed to have read, and, finally, a dissertation, 416 pages, in my case, based on original research and its successful defense when before, and being grilled by, a panel of subject matter expert professors.

I don't doubt STEM PhDs are hard work to achieve, but my liberal arts PhD was no cakewalk

IMHO.

Preach on brother! Folks need to hear what you are saying.



,

 

[BC38]

Well, I dunno about that order of magnitude comment.

It took me ten years to get my liberal arts PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a major in modern Japanese history, from beginning graduate school in 1976 and finally finishing in 1986. At the time, the average amount time spent to obtain the degree in my field was 12 years.

One reason that it took so long was that in addition to requiring sufficient competency in an East Asian language to do research — Japanese in my case — one was also required to pass formal reading tests establishing that one had the ability to read in a second East Asian language— classical Chinese, in my case — and also in one non English, European language — French, in my case.

There were a bunch of other requirements, too, of course, including a lot of coursework, an "orals" exam by a panel of professors on all the stuff one had studied and all the hundreds of books one was supposed to have read, and, finally, a dissertation, 416 pages, in my case, based on original research and its successful defense before — being grilled by — a panel of subject matter expert professors.

I don't doubt STEM PhDs are hard work to achieve, but my liberal arts PhD was no cakewalk

IMHO.

OK, so "order of magnitude" was a bit of an overstatement.

Getting any kind of doctorate is certainly a lot of work, but I think most anyone would a agree with the general statement that getting a STEM degree is significantly harder than getting a Liberal Arts degree. I see the fact that Liberal Arts graduates outnumber STEM graduates by more than 4 to 1 (82% to 18%) is pretty strong evidence to support that premise.

FWIW, I got my B.S. in Engineering in under 3 years (11 quarters) by taking 16-18 credits per quarter (12 credits was considered a "full load") and taking classes year-round with no summer breaks. I was only working part time (30-32 hours per week) while I was in school full time.

BUT, it would probably take me at least 15 years to get your degree - if I could ever even get it at all. I have no aptitude for linguistics. The one non-English language class I took (Spanish) I got the worst grade of my entire college career. I barely squeaked out a C+ (I still graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.7 GPA).

 

[Doug M.]

People self select into fields. Those whose minds work well in STEM might for good cause avoid non-STEM fields (and classes) to the greatest extent possible. Most of the lawyers I know, including myself, avoid STEM stuff for good cause. I had to take an undergrad stats class to qualify for my MPA program. It was miserable. I had not had a math class since the middle of high school.

An earned Ph.D. can be quite an accomplishment - my wife has one. But: both she and I have met some with allegedly earned Ph.D.s who are are utter dullards, and I bet at least 20% of the lawyers I encounter are too.

 

[Rustyt1953]

A discernable personality isn't a requirement for a sheepskin.