Ross vs. PROMYS vs. HCSSIM

<p>Is it worth the time to apply to all three of these math camps? I hear they're all pretty competitive. I've completed 6 (out of 8) of the Ross application problems already, and the PROMYS and HCISSM ones haven't been released yet. I'm not applying to Canada/USA Mathcamp because it seems too unstructured to me.</p>

<p>MathCamp is by far the best, (and hardest to get accepted to), there is a good forum comparing them all, which I will post when I find it, </p>

<p>yes it’s worth it to apply to all of them</p>

<p>Ross/Promys are very similar except for pricing, length and location, however Ross is easiest to get accepted to, and I recommend making sure to prove your questions in multiple ways, since they were made easy for a reason, to more analyze your though analysis. HCCISM is more of a quirky math program, for really cool obsessed math nerds, :smiley: Ross is outright number theory to the max, </p>

<p>there are other’s as well, such as AweSomeMath, which is olympiad prep, and Utah Math Honors summer math program, that one ain’t as prestigious but it really decent, free and runs during a time when none of the others run, except the 6 week programs, or 8 week ross program.</p>

<p>There is also the Honors Summer Math Camp at Texas State (it’s free). And SuMaC at Stanford is also fairly good.</p>

<p>I agree with shushugah - MathCamp is the best because there are a variety of topics you can explore, whereas in ROSS you have to learn number theory. It is also the hardest one to get in (<25% admit rate).</p>

<p>Ross, PROMYS, HCSSIM, and AwesomeMath are also great programs. Look through their websites and pick the one whose topics most interest you.</p>

<p>I personally am applying to all of them and others, because I dont know where Ill be accepted or not, and F/A is big concern as well.</p>

<p>Maybe I should have phrased my question better… if I solve 7-8 questions on the Ross Application thing, should I not bother applying to the other two and wasting hours solving their application questions? Like, am I guaranteed admission to Ross if solve said number of questions correctly? Hopefully they don’t have any diversity nonsense…</p>

<p>Most likely, as long as you don’t write like a 4th grader or something on your essays.</p>

<p>(I went to AwesomeMath, and it was pretty enjoyable, but too short…)</p>

<p>If you don’t know about the site already, I’d suggest posting this on Art of Problem Solving, where a larger % of posters have attended these camps.</p>

<p>^Truth, and Ill post a link here, though fortunately they’re not as nasty as some CC’er’s can be, but they are really top league and their standards of easy are not the regular. Many are in the top 6 of their entire country and are really really dedicated math lovers. They do the questions to all of the camps for fun, and no, Ross Camp admittance is not automatic, think about it… if x+y students fill all 10 questions for x positions…y students will be rejected, and the questions are purposely easier, just don’t think you can rush through, proof your conjectures through multiple ways, preferably intuitive, </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1070260-ross-2011-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/1070260-ross-2011-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/844832-ross-program-2010-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/844832-ross-program-2010-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/635701-ross-mathematics-program-2009-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/summer-programs/635701-ross-mathematics-program-2009-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>[View</a> forum - Other US Contests & Programs • Art of Problem Solving](<a href=“http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/viewforum.php?f=136]View”>http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Forum/viewforum.php?f=136)</p>

<p>Arguably, Ross, Promys, MathCamp, and HCISSM are comparable in terms of selectivity or prestige - in most cases, you don’t hear about one without hearing about the other three. </p>

<p>PROMYS and Ross are most similar, since PROMYS was intended to be a continuation of Ross in the event that the Ross program was canceled. Ross is rumored to “easier” to get into, since fewer people apply due to length and location, but the crop of students at both camps are very competent :slight_smile:
MathCamp receives the most applicants every year, and I’ve heard only positive things about it!
HCISSM is the smallest camp out of all the four, and it attracts a slightly different group of campers, but supposedly it’s very good as well.</p>

<p>It’s very difficult to compare the camps and rank them, but most people claim that Ross and PROMYS more closely resemble the “graduate” experience while MathCamp resembles the “undergrad” experience in terms of how the camp is run. If you think you can enjoy delving into one topic for 6-8 weeks straight, then I would highly recommend Ross or PROMYS. MathCamp and HCISSM offer a greater variety, but still delve deeply into the topics covered.</p>

<p>If you solved the majority of the problems for the Ross application, you probably have a reasonably good shot at acceptance. Don’t forget to make sure your logic is rigorous :slight_smile: If you’re dead set on attending a math camp this summer, I would recommend applying for at least one other camp since admission is never a sure thing. </p>

<p>Don’t worry about affirmative action or the like, although girls have a slightly better chance at acceptance.</p>

<p>^True about admissions. I was rejected from the Texas math camp (similar to PROMYS and Ross, except without application problems) and PROMYS (I had full or partial solutions to most of the problems, but they were kind of bashy) last year. Thankfully, I made it into AMSP and had a good time.</p>

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<p>^AMSP or AwesomeMath Summer Program is more geared towards math olympiad specifically, and is darn expensive with little F/A. :(</p>

<p>i am an 8th grader applying to PROMYS. I solved 10 out of the 10 problems. However, are there any 8th graders at PROMYS?</p>

<p>bump 10char</p>

<p>I cannot afford Promys or Ross, CTY, etc. but could just eak out Stony Brook. Any thoughts on rigor/quality?</p>

<p>I don’t know anything about the Stony Brook program (sorry), but if you apply to PROMYS, don’t be afraid to ask for financial aid. I have a friend who only had to pay a couple hundred dollars for PROMYS because of their financial assistance.</p>