RUME 14 (Volume 1)
2011
Portland, Oregon
AN EXPLORATION OF THE TRANSITION TO GRADUATE SCHOOL IN MATHEMATICS
Page: 227
In recent years, researchers have given attention to the new mathematics graduate student as a mathematics instructor. In contrast, this study explores the academic side of the transition to graduate school in mathematics—the struggles students face, the expectations they must meet, and the strategies they use to deal with this new chapter in their academic experience. I will identify several resulting themes—Isolation vs. Community, Academic Relationships, Role of the Department, and Realizations of Self—from semi-structured interviews with mathematics graduate students designed to explore multiple aspects of the academic transition to graduate school. I will also use the social theory of legitimate peripheral participation (Herzig, 2002; Lave & Wenger, 1991) to discuss potential implications for graduate students.