<p>Hello fellow CCers,</p>
<pre><code> I am a freshman soon-to-be a sophomore next year. I have excelled in math over the years and am interested in applying to ROSS and PROMYS, two very nice summer programs, to foster more of a mathematical ability in me. But, my only concern is the application quiz. I'm taking Precalculus this coming year. I took a look at this year's quiz and it seems that there is a lot of probability, number theory, and a little geometry. To remedy this I am going to follow through with sophomore math and read A LOT. I mean I'm going to try to read all of the AOPS books on Counting & Probability, Geometry, and Number Theory. To top it off I'm attending a Number theory course this summer for a month or so. Sed ad quem finem? Yeah, I just used some Latin. Will this be enough. Also, are there any other books, classes etc. that I should read or take. I want to attend this camp very much so. Given that I'll be a sophomore next year I really don't have to big a window of time to apply (only twice). Oh, by the way, before I finish, let me just say the quiz on the application is very proof based and books to help build my proof skills will also be most appreciated. Thank you and have a nice day.
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<p>P.S. How many should be answered correctly for admission?</p>
<p>Hello,</p>
<p>Oh dear, I can’t believe that you have been neglected for this long! Don’t panic, I have credentials. I entered the program during the summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years with very, very little knowledge of number theory or combinatorics. I am of the conviction that the Ross program looks for potential ability in their candidates, not the capacity to study up on something and pass a test. I believe that the Ross program is looking to see how the applicants deal with new unique problems that have no context at all. That being said, I would highly highly recommend three books to read before entering Ross: The Art and Craft of Problem Solving, Problem Solving Strategies and How to Solve it. These books are extremely potent and easy to read. I procured them all after attending Ross, so it is possible to get in without reading them. In regard to the number of problems that one should answer, I haven’t a clue. Personally, I answered all of the questions without any knowledge of the fancy math that I now know. Thus, my recommendation would be to answer as many as you possibly can. Of course, this will be made complicated because you are also applying to PROMYS and therefore have twice the number of problems to answer. I would recommend focusing in on one program and allocating your resources to get in to that one program. If you do manage to get into Ross, I wouldn’t mind hearing about it as I will be a JC at Ross this coming summer and would definitely be seeing you there.</p>