<p>Just a quick question, how effective is the USAMO/USAJMO on an application? Like what is the thought process for an admissions officer upon seeing this and how much of a plus is it?</p>
<p>There’s been a lot of discussion on this lol. But like most things, USAMO/USAJMO is helpful, but won’t guarantee admission. There are people that qualified for USAMO and got rejected, and there are people that did not qualify and got accepted. I personally tried very hard to qualify for USAMO (back when USAJMO didn’t exist) and never made it, but was still accepted to MIT.</p>
<p>There has been a lot of discussion but I’ve never seen any definite answer from anyone with close ties to the admissions office*. Although shravas’ answer is less definite than what you were hoping for I think it reflects the best available information.</p>
<p>*The best way to assess the effects of USAMO/USAJMO would actually be regression discontinuity by comparing applicants who fell just short of qualification and applicants who barely qualified. Because I doubt anyone has done the regression discontinuity opinions of admissions officials would be the next best thing. </p>
<p>Like most extracurricular activities, it is neither necessary nor sufficient. You should pursue your interests to the fullest and show them your excitement for your interests - if you’re into math, USAMO is one way to do that.</p>