<p>Does winning many math contests attract the attentions of MIT entrance officials? For example, i've heard that the MIT admissions form has a place for one to write one's AMC score or such... it seems they care really much about math. Also, is there a scholarship for winning the Harvard/MIT tournament in math? Thanks.</p>
<p>winning math contests is just one way to show talent and dedication to math, but not the only way. You could do research, or take very advanced courses, or do other things that would demonstrate the same thing. People who do math competitions generally like competing, and/or like being able to identify a peer groups of people with similar interest and talent.</p>
<p>You can't really set out to win some competition with the idea of impressing adcoms. Competitions serve to identify people who already have talent and passion in a particular area. People who win the really prestigious competitions do not come from out of the blue when it's time to think about college apps. They have been working towards that in some way for years. </p>
<p>(no scholarship for Harvard MIT Math competition. It's a very nice regional tournament, but does not draw from enough of the country to necessarily identify the best math people. AMC involves much larger numbers, all over the US and even some int'l schools).</p>
<p>Stated perfectly! :-)</p>
<p>Also, if you do well on the AMC - is it kinda unnecessary to do other competitions since they're all essentially saying the same thing - that you're good at math? Will competitions help only if you've sucked at the AMCs?</p>
<p>Hi, Simfish, different minds resonate to different problems. To reemphasize what Texas137 said, to Ben's agreement, the AMC contests are ONE way to show an interest in and ability in math. It's quite conceivable that some other competition, or some activity that is not competitive by nature, will be some other applicant's way to show a passion for math. The math competitors I know best have their ups and downs. The ones who have the most ups are doing many non-competition-related math activities too, so they keep deepening and deepening their understanding of math. I think MIT has its ways of detecting the math-avid applicant even when that applicant hasn't gained much experience in math competitions. (Regrettably, in the United States many kids who would like and thrive in math competitions learn about them too late to build up a lot of experience.)</p>
<p>I agree tokenadult. I was very reluctant to encourage my S to participate in math competitions when he was younger because I didn't want him to have the pressure or exposure. I remember the first time he came home with a copy of the AMC he was either 13 or 14 and I didn't like the idea of an individual national competition. Besides, his school didn't offer the exam. He took it for the first time as a junior in high school after I asked the school to offer it. Now I realize that someone with his ability should have been taking it earlier</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, tokenadult. :) And sadly, I've learned about math competitions far too late to build up any experience (learned about some first in 8th grade but got really discouraged, then only really started during 9th grade summer and barely qualified for AIME so I'll have to show interest through some other way if I choose the math route). And it is true that people may have a bad day on the day they take the AMC in which they'll have to rely on another method.</p>
<p>Simfish - </p>
<p>You're really looking at this backwards. Don't start with what you think colleges want to see. Start from what you think would best challenge and motivate you mathematically, and do that. The colleges like MIT that ask about AMC scores only pick that because lots of people take them and it provides a convenient, nationally standardized benchmark to compare them to each other. If it makes more sense to you to do something else mathematical in addition to or instead of preparing for AMC exams, than that's what you should do.</p>
<p>In terms of other competitions - the USAMTS competition is very different from the AMC exams because it involves proof-writing and is not timed. Mandelbrot and Math League exams are given multiple times thru the year, so your entire performance is not riding on one exam, plus you are getting regular practice with competion-style math. Mandelbrot also has a proof writing component. Regional tournaments, like the one at Harvard-MIT, are a good way for people to see their math peers from other schools and reinforce being part of a community of people who really like math. So there would be reasons to participate in all of these contests, even if you do well on AMC.</p>
<p>My bad - I stand corrected, texas. Very enlightening information!</p>
<p>So one should never hesitate from participating in more mathematics competitions - even if awards on some may not be mentioned on an application if there are limited slots, as awards in other areas can yield valuable information about the applicant.</p>
<p>just because there isnt a <em>specific</em> spot on an app doesnt mean you don't report it. just place it in the honors and awards section, or have it in the optional question for mit.</p>
<p>I write lots of rec letters for the students on my math team. I always list the competitions they have participated in, and specific mention of contests they've done well on. Like "Simfish has been on my math team for 2 years. He is an active participant, and has done XYZ contests. On Contest Y, he was 3rd in our region in toe-counting, in spite of having twice as many toes as the average person participating. He is always interested in new challenges in both math and science, even when they are difficult for him. He did such-and-such difficult project. He works well with others on the team, encouraging everyone, blah, blah, blah".</p>
<p>What tokenadult said up there is perfect.</p>
<p>There are lots of different kinds of people, lots of different kinds of math, lots of different kinds of competitions. Different subsets of these will match one another better than others. The fun is finding the best match for you and then really going for it.</p>
<p>When my S had his interview for MIT the subject of math competitions did come up. He was not asked about what competitions he had participated in or how he had done. The interviewer was familiar with the problems for a recent regional competition and asked my S how he had solved a particular problem. The discussion was one of two people who were genuinely interested in math discussing a solution to a problem. I was impressed. What a great way to get to know something important about a candidate!</p>
<p>As far as the importance of competitions goes, I got the impression that most college professors value the study of advanced math topics more than competitions.</p>
<p>My MIT son didn't have scores for the AMC, and while he did some of the above mentioned math contests, I don't think he won anything. But he loved participating (and playing cards on the bus rides to out-of-town competitions). I think he enjoyed the company as much as the competitions. If your passion for something comes through I wouldn't worry about these competitions.</p>
<p>You shouldn't compete to win always. That is just a bonus. I went to College of Charleston 2005 Math Meet, where I won 1st place for combined scores for top 4 ppl from CMC. The thing that I went there for was for:
A) Fun
B) meeting others, and learning new stuff.</p>
<p>Trust me on this though: You can tell you are good when you prefer solving a tough problem that introduces something new, rather than anything else... ;)</p>
<p>"You shouldn't compete to win always"</p>
<p>Now this isn't right. You go to competitions to compete, and by definition that means trying to win. But at the same time, it is this act of competion that is fun, that builds character, that builds friendships. You never go into a competition and not try to win.</p>
<p>Okay, compete for fun, but don't compete to lose.</p>
<p>I mean, isn't it fun to win? Therefore, go for fun, and win.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, math competition is not any sort of prerequisite for admissions. I did not report AMC scores or participate in any uber-math competitions/teams and was admitted.</p>
<p>I am talking about ppl like my friend. They know they have to get like 90 something on CofC test, but can only make 50. So they guess on everything else, hoping to somehow get above 90. </p>
<p>Sure, I go to win competitions. But a trophy shouldn't be the only thing you bring back.</p>
<p>Hmmmm..... interesting</p>
<p>But I didn't go to get like a 90 something</p>
<p>My goal was to make a 50.
You're overexaggerating, you're the one who wanted like a 90.</p>
<p>And I got around 60.
Which isn't much lower than what you got.</p>
<p>I went for the experience and knowing what to do for next year.</p>