<p>Kudos for doing so well on the Putnam exam. Maybe you should talk to the math department and see if they let you take it next year (if you have not graduated by then, that is).</p>
<p>I agree that any subject can be taught arbitrarily hard. But math, by definition, is axiomatic - that’s just not how most colleges teach it. It seems that most colleges make it easier than it is on purpose by omitting the very essence (and imo beauty) of the subject.</p>