To be frank, I don't get what you are up to. I sense a lot of anger, mixed with somehow chaotic notes. > why the 1st year grad school program is virtually iden

To be frank, I don't get what you are up to. I sense a lot of anger, mixed with somehow chaotic notes. > why the 1st year grad school program is virtually identical everywhere in the world Certainly, it isn't. In the US usually starts with heavy regular coursework. In many European, there is some coursework. Unlike undergraduate physics, which is less varied, the subjects vary heavily on the place (specialization, the focus of concrete groups). In my case, it was purely research, no classes or teaching (it is less common, though). Source: quite a lot of my friends did graduate-level physics in various places worldwide.