I’m just wondering exactly how much they would care if you made USAMO and whether it should be my hook if I do make it(plan on majoring in CS, only other “big” thing I do is USACO)
@EpicFireRage It is a big deal. When applying to places like MIT and Stanford which receive applications from many of the most brilliant kids, things like USAMO can really make you stand out from the sea of qualified applicants.
It’s an amazing accomplishment, especially because no one gets to that level without natural talent + tons of hard work. That being said, it is a very far cry from guaranteeing admission to top colleges. Yes, Caltech/MIT will love it, but I’ve known a lot of USAMO kids from my school and surrounding ones that have gotten rejected from all their reaches.
Don’t know about Stanford, but MIT asks for AIME scores. Even if you just missed USAMO, they can tell you are a strong math student from the AIME scores.