Hi there,
I am a senior in high school. I am easily the most advanced math student in my school. However, I am wondering how I compare to high school math lovers around the US. Currently, I have taken AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, Multivariable Calculus at the University of Wisconsin, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations at Harvard, and Discrete Mathematics at Harvard. This next Fall I will be taking Abstract Algebra 1 at Marquette, Intermediate Analysis 1 at Marquette, and will be training to be on Marquette’s Putnam Competition team, which I will compete in later this year. In the Spring I will be taking Topology, Abstract Algebra 2, and some other math course at Marquette if all goes to plan. How does this compare to other high school math lovers from around the country?
“At Harvard” - do you mean online courses?
You are far beyond most math-loving seniors in the U.S. and I find it hard to believe you don’t already know this, so it sounds like a humblebrag.
No, I mean I am spending the summer at Harvard, studying Linear Algebra and Differential Equations and Discrete Mathematics.
I find it hard to believe you don’t know “how this compares”, and agree with above on what it sounds like.
“You have taken” (past) or “are spending the summer” (current) for LA/DE/etc.?
You’re aware that you’re only eligible to compete at Putnam four times, even if the first is before graduating HS? (assuming you’ve worked around the “The competition is open only to regularly enrolled undergraduates, in colleges and universities of the United States and Canada” eligibility criterion)
Yes, it’s further along than most students. Though there’s are 9th and 10th graders on the US IMO team, competing next week.
I met a kid going to Harvard this coming fall who has taken a lot of what MIT and Harvard offers in terms of math courses. Math 55 and beyond. Not sure how he did it, I imagine he knows some people and got permissions from the professors to go to all those classes. Anyways, he was home-schooled and this was pretty much all he did, and he got into Harvard of course, but he also had a compelling story.
Is it impressive? Sure, absolutely. Is that going to get you into an “elite” school - just loving and taking advanced math courses? No, absolutely not. High school students who only made it to Pre-Calc get in. The majority I believe get up to AB/BC Calc. I’m not sure what you’re looking to gain from making this post. One who does this sort of thing knows very well how advanced this sort of stuff is.