> what is the purpose of studying maths? Mathematics is an excellent proxy for problem-solving / Mathematics embeds character in students / Mathematics is fun

> what is the purpose of studying maths? Mathematics is an excellent proxy for problem-solving / Mathematics embeds character in students / Mathematics is fun Those may be reasons to study maths (although, studying anything seriously probably yields comparable benefits) but doing a PhD and writing a thesis is not only about yourself: it's supposed to advance the field. It's something you do for the general community.