Why graduate schools are a complete disaster — and how to fix that

[jack63]

I started this thread several months ago in response to PhD comics. It is relevant to this discussion.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/1731970-the-times-are-changing-is-phd-comics-still-relevant-p1.html

The are things that Leonard Cassuto says that are not true. Some of these counter arguments I made in this previous thread, but I will make them again.

1. Leonard Cassuto says...

   The length of study for the PhD is outrageous, and it’s a relatively recent development, born of the increasing competition for jobs over the past 40-plus years."

This is wrong…The time it takes to get a PhD decreased significantly from 1988 to 2013

By over a 1 year across all fields-> http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2013/data/tab31.pdf

1. Leonard Cassuto says...

   Now imagine first of all that half of them will never make it. That’s a 50 percent attrition rate.

Where is this figure coming from? Again, it is wrong. In 2008 the national attrition rate was 57%.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/04/01/graduate

This number has been improving, and it is as high as 70% to 80% at some universities.

https://record.umich.edu/articles/changes-rackham-help-boost-doctoral-degree-completion-rate

1. Leonard Cassuto says...

   The training takes about seven years for scientists

Exaggerated for scientists and engineers → http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2013/data/tab31.pdf

Life Science - 6.9 years
Physical Science - 6.5 years
Engineering - 6.6 years