From: verbit@widder.harvard.edu (Mikhail S. Verbitsky)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Aspirantura vs grad math (in Russia)
Date: 13 Apr 92 19:48:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc3.1992Apr13.154814.11051
Distribution: world
Organization: Dept. of Math, Harvard Univ.



In article <1992Apr13.165534.7728@beaver.cs.washington.edu> misha@cs.washington.edu (Michael Rabinovich) writes:
>In article <1992Apr13.022927.5919@physics.ucla.edu> viznyuk@physics.ucla.edu (Viznyuk) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr12.222601.18117@watdragon.waterloo.edu> plcheck@daisy.waterloo.edu (Paul Check) writes:
>>>Dear Reader,
>>>
>>>   I am interested in information on studying graduate level mathematics
>>>in Russia.

[deleted]  

>>>1. Do these or other universities in Russia take foreign students?
    They do: there are many very talented students
    from Bulgaria and Poland, along with Hungary...
>>>2. Is it possible to study at these places with 1 year of Russian
>>>   background?
    Yes
>>>3. Does anybody have the e-mail/realmail addresses of these places?

[deleted]

>>>Paul Check
>>>plcheck@daisy.waterloo.edu
>>
>>  Steklov Institute is non-educational institution. The same
>>is true probably about Novosibirsk Math Institute.
>>So I think you would not get any math courses there.
    That's true.
>>Try to get to Mechanical-Mathematical Dept of Moscow
>>State University.
>>S.V.
>
>True, both institutes are non-educational. However, in the xUSSR,
>graduate students (aspirants) are commonly accepted to such non-educational

    Sorry, Michael, but graduate students and "aspirants"
    are two different things. Aspirants could be compared
    with grads with MA degree who are writing PhD thesises,
    but PhD in math is much more simple than "kandidatskaya
    disseratsiya" and there are more math graduate students
    here than "aspirant"'s in Russia. 
    
    "Aspirant" course is a good choice if you have PhD
    in math or could have, but not for a former undergraduate
    student.
    
    Undergraduate course (4 years) of mathematics in America is equal 
    to the first 2-3 years of undergraduate in Russia,
    mostly because the school program in math here 
    is about first 5 years of school math in Russia.

    Anyway, if you can pass the entrance exams in "aspirantura"
    you probably can study there, but these exams are very
    difficult comparing, say, with Harvard graduate qualifying exams
    (which are supposed to be done *after* 4 years of graduate studies).

>research institutions. They are all supported (I do not know about
>the size of the stipend now), and generally no teaching duties are required.
    150 roubles - *less* than undergraduate stipend!
>Basically, these people are considered staff members. 
    true
>Steklov Institute (and it's Sp. Peterburg's division, Leningrad Division
>of Steklov Mathematical Institute , LOMI) are among the most prestigious 
>places to do math in Russia.
    yes, and Steklov's accept around 10 "aspirant"'s per year
    which mostly were former komsomol's bosses
>Unfortunately, they 
    not LOMI, as far as I know.
>                  used to be notorious in denying admission based on
>national origin (specificsally, to Jews).

[Speculations about role of antisemitism in the development of sciences
deleted]

>
>Misha.

Misha Verbitsky.
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