Math for math’s sake

The Center for Women in Mathematics at Smith College has started a post-bac math program for women who are considering graduate studies in math. It’s the first such post-bac math program in the country, and I really hope the idea spreads. For some, the program offers a transition to grad school after time away from academia. For others, the program offers an opportunity to build confidence and develop a more solid foundation for graduate studies. For students who do go on to a degree program, the post-bac year offers a new set of connections to other students and professors. Those connections can be invaluable during grad school in providing mentoring possibilities, maintaining external support, and easing the too-frequent isolation that grad students experience.

The program can also be a great resource for the undergraduate students in the math department. The post-bac students enlarge the math community at Smith, and are integrated into the student side of the department rather than positioned oppositionally to the undergraduates as grad students in a university setting are.

I hope this is part of a larger reworking of the academic model in this country. The academic career path toward a tenured position will likely continue to narrow and lengthen, and the resulting pressures on graduate students will worsen the competitive nature of too many graduate programs. As teaching shifts from a collegial occupation to a commuter one, the ideals of study for the sake of learning and collaboration for the sake of community should still have a place.