University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Doctoral Dissertations University of Connecticut Graduate School 12-17-2015 An Examination of the Factors and Characteristics that Contribute to the Success of Putnam Fellows Robert A. J. Stroud University of Connecticut - Storrs,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Stroud, Robert A. J., "An Examination of the Factors and Characteristics that Contribute to the Success of Putnam Fellows" (2015). Doctoral Dissertations. 985. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/985 An Examination of the Factors and Characteristics that Contribute to the Success of Putnam Fellows Robert Alexander James Stroud, PhD University of Connecticut, 2015 The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition is an intercollegiate mathematics competition for undergraduate college and university students in the United States and Canada and is regarded as the most prestigious and challenging mathematics competition in North America (Alexanderson, 2004; Grossman, 2002; Reznick, 1994; Schoenfeld, 1985). Students who earn the five highest scores on the examination are named Putnam Fellows and to date, despite the thousands of students who have taken the Putnam Examination, only 280 individuals have won the Putnam Competition. Clearly, based on their performance being named a Putnam Fellow is a remarkable achievement. In addition, Putnam Fellows go on to graduate school and have extraordinary careers in mathematics or mathematics- related fields. Therefore, understanding the factors and characteristics that contribute to their success is important for students interested in STEM-related fields. The participants were 25 males who attended eight different colleges and universities in North America at the time they were named Putnam Fellows and won the Putnam Competition four, three, or two times.