Mathematical

To those of you who responded meaningfully to my posts, I seriously thank you for your advice and input. I concede that I was gullible for buying into the "royal society" image and community of scholars. My point is that many of my undergraduate professors propose(d) that same image of graduate school, and I see it's clearly not the case. And yes, my post is very serious. To those of you who have simply made strawman arguments or just accuse me of being profoundly narcissistic, please note that I have not boasted or condescended to anybody. All I was claiming is that I found that college wasn't challenging to me, I didn't think the environment was super academic, and, after serving in active duty military, came back and found that it was still just as easy. If I'm going to be accused of boasting or I wanted to be the arrogant jerk I have been made out to be, I would have easily boasted about the myriad of academic publications I managed to get while most of my peers were struggling with algebra in middle school. The responses have been eye opening and I am now more convinced than ever that graduate school is the same game. It was very naive on my part for buying into the hype, and I'm seriously very thankful for the honest replies.I don't think my grandfather was absolutely right, because a lot of you guys aren't what I would consider "suckers" but don't have a romanticized image of graduate school. However, I will not be going. It doesn't seem like it's for me. I will also not be checking this website or this thread anymore. Seriously, the guys and gals with honest replies have been very helpful.

SeeingEyeDuck, Thank you for the well thought out response. Although I do find a little bit of what you wrote to be contentious. If I had this luxury, I would have done so in the first place. I have friends who are in some of the Ivy League schools and they claim it is the same, but obviously this is only anecdotal evidence. As aforementioned, I grew up very poor and most of the "top level schools" I've have seen I would not be able to afford. One of my bigger points is that I am affected because the university standards seem to be "low-balled." If it's atypical to have a desire be in class, much less read the material, the standards consequently plummet. I did mention that I was working full time while in school and was in the military beforehand. I have plenty of real world experience, and this was one of my issues with the extended adolescence of college. Please don't make me out to be some kind of Aspie. As I mentioned, I have an active social life and date frequently. My social skills aren't lacking. My point was simply that the academic environment wasn't very academic. And at this point, that seems like not rotting in graduate school. Thanks for the advice.

You clearly didn't read anything I wrote. Also, by strawmanning my point and not understanding my use of the word "myopic," you're only further proving my point.

Greetings, I understand that this is not going to be a popular post, so I will try to keep it as tactful and brief as possible. I just ask that people who are willing to respond to it don't try to "read between the lines" and will respond simply to what I am asking. I also felt that this was the most appropriate place to post this. If it is off topic, I apologize. My Story: I graduated high school (with a diploma) very early, took the SATs when I was twelve, and enrolled in university when I was fourteen years old. I came from a very underprivileged household and school system, so the idea of someone excelling so far academically at such a young age solidified in everyone's mind that college was the place for me. Inspired by the work of Descartes and Spinoza, I have always been very eager about learning. I ask that you would take me at my word when I communicate that I feel as if I am living the highest quality of life that I can when I am engaging knowledge. When I went to college I found that nobody took it very seriously. Not even a legal adult, I was a much more disciplined "scholar" than many graduate students I met. Furthermore, I found all the classes very easy and continued with a 4.0 until I eventually became a full time student at seventeen years old. Discouraged after a single semester as a full time student, I did not return to university and joined the military. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, I returned to college as a full time student. I finished two majors and a minor in under four years, graduating with honors and research. As an undergraduate, I was given special permission by department heads to tutor graduate level math classes (even though my majors were not in mathematics). Once again, I found the culture to be completely nonacademic and juvenile. My experience was that most students saw college as an extended adolescence and retained some false "student-teacher" dualism that held over from high school. Students complained about going to class, wouldn't do readings, wouldn't understand the little that they sometimes read, and generally wouldn't try. Please, know that it is not the case that I have some kind of condescending attitude because people "just can't keep up with me." Rather, I was very frustrated that most people weren't actually interested in fulfilling the academic roles that they would later puff out their chests and embrace on graduation day. I felt like I was at a band camp, not a college. Similarly, many professors would inform me about how excited they were to have a such a serious student while I was conducting research, yet would simultaneously completely lower all of their standards in order to receive high evaluations from students – ergo retaining higher odds as scoring the tenure positions they were all at each other's throats for. I have had several classes where everyone got an A with no tests and no assigned readings. I have caught several professors giving me incorrect grades out of miscalculation. All of these were changed after I contacted department heads, but not without getting an angry cursing phone call from one English professor about how "Ya didn't have to call my F%*king boss, @!%hole." Very professional environment. I have also seen students who clearly do not understand basic material being passed because they retook the course several times and were supposedly trying hard. Moreover, I have caught several professors teaching material incorrectly or not reading the assignments they were teaching on. I never found school particularly challenging and, honestly, I feel that I have learned much more reading on my own in the past few months after graduation than anything school has had to offer me. Having someone shoot mortars at my FOB was very stressful. Memorizing math formulas for a test that I've had all semester to memorize is not stressful. Getting phone calls about close friends from my unit getting killed in Iraq while I was college is something that was stressful for me. Reading a book and generating maybe one or two original thoughts about it for finals week is not stressful. I met some serious students and befriended many professors, but I found that the academic environment was still anything but. I surprised my professors and peers by refusing to walk at graduation and leaving the departments on no uncertain terms. I concluded to them that my "college experience" was an exaggerated, false rational category where high school kids show up and pay for a degree. I was not special, and got absolutely nothing out of my time at university besides what I did myself. Standards are demonstrably getting lower and lower, and my experience dictates that most people affiliated with university are responsible for this condition. Firstly, I feel that most (but not all) college students are part of the problem for having no real desire to be at university in the first place (beside perhaps basic utility) and therefore lowering standards. Secondly, I feel that professors were responsible for simply paying lip service regarding their discontent regarding lowered standards yet sitting on their hands while the situations get progressively worse. Finally, I hold administrations responsible for seeking expanding profits instead of meeting the educational values they claim to hold. And to top it all off, my degree doesn't even say my majors or minor on it. Many of my professors are pleading that I apply for graduate school, with these great, high expectations of how wonderful the experience will be. Indeed, several of them are offering to pay for all my exams and applications if I simply do it. However, I am still very skeptical that it is any different from the undergraduate experience and, as I meet more graduate students through dating or other social mediums, I find the same myopic and undisciplined demeanor. I keep meeting the archetypal middle class social climber who had the luxury of college handed to them and, happy to embrace the identity of a scholar, is more in love with the pride of believing they are part of some elite academic smart people club than possessing a love for learning. With fond, self-congratulatory memories, they often boast about the super stressful test they "worked" so hard to pass or how the experience was so hard that they're on anxiety medication now. After browsing this site for a few weeks, I am not certain that I have seen anything that convinces me any differently. Please note, these are not sweeping generalizations of everybody in school, because I hold no illusions that I can speak for people I have not met. I will unabashedly communicate that this has been my experience. Also, so there's no confusion, I have so far gone to four different universities. Three were state schools and one was private. My parents are deceased and I am therefore receiving no financial support from them, nor did I receive any support from them when I began college full time after the military (life insurance was spent to cover their stuff years prior). I worked 35 hours a week and took out loans after the G.I. Bill was cut in 2011. I currently work an entry level position and make a little more than minimum wage (no degree required). My Question: Can someone give me a no nonsense answer if graduate school is worth going to? Is it really different? Moreover, I keep meeting people with PhDs and Master's degrees working at Starbucks or other entry level positions. I did some basic research and I get mixed answers about job placement. A lot of things I have read seem to indicate that, if I were to get a PhD or Master's Degree, standards are going to be compromised so much by the time I finish that it will be just as hard to find a job. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd be curious to hear some input. PS - I understand the title is inflammatory, but the reason I chose it is because it's one of the last things my grandfather told me before he passed away.