<p>Last summer, I had the privilege of attending the Ross Mathematics Program at the Ohio State University for eight weeks. It was an incredible experience, one of the best I have ever had. I thought, as many rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors are starting to make their decisions about where to apply and attend for the next summer, I would give some of my own experiences, advice, recommendations, etc. for the masses.</p>
<pre><code> First and foremost, Ross is hard. While it's not a pressure cooker in the traditional academic sense, because ultimately there are no consequences for not doing well, the premise of Ross itself is intense. Eight weeks straight of math is a daunting idea, and if that doesn't sound appealing then warning bells should probably be ringing in your head right about now. Moreover, it's a different way of approaching math then the average high school class, focused on discovery on one's own rather than memorization or tests. On the one hand, the focus on discovery is extraordinarily freeing. When the only things you learn are what you and your friends can discover, they suddenly gain an extra layer of meaning. On the other hand, it can be hard. There were days when my friends and I got stuck on a hard set and couldn't figure out a single proof. There were proofs that required weeks of thought. But ultimately, we always made it through. The idea that comes to my mind thinking of Ross is that of drinking from a firehose. The sheer amount of mathematical ideas that are thrown at you on a set, which is followed by another set the next day and then another and another, is absolutely astounding. On the later sets, there will be times when you will receive a set and realize that every single problem is totally foreign to you. Keeping up on sets will require collaboration, because sometimes you won't have any idea how to do things. While that's scary, it's also incomparable in terms of the things you can learn.
My favorite aspect of Ross, other than the meal plan (we'll get to that later), is the freedom. Lectures are MTWThF and Seminars are MWF, so alternately there are either one or two hours structured in each day. Other than that, you are completely free to choose when you want to work. If you want to eat lunch early, you can. If you want to take a nap in the afternoon and work late, you can. If you want to work out, practice an instrument, [fill in your own activity here], you can, any time you want. Now the converse to that is with freedom comes a price. You have to work. Hard. Harder than you think you can work. Choose when to work, but expect to spend 8 hours a day at least on math (on many days, this will prove to be a conservative estimate). At Ross, unlike many other math camps, free time is not free time. It's math time. You will fall very very far behind if you only spend a couple hours a day on math. Of course, there are slackers who don't work, and those people still have fun at Ross. Mostly they just don't learn as much.
The next extraordinary aspect of Ross is the counselor interaction. Each group of 3-4 students is assigned a counselor and a junior counselor to work with. Sets are graded (not on a right/wrong basis; in fact, many times doing a problem right will prompt a "redo" because there are new things to explore related to the problem) by your counselor, and let me tell you they are not shy about giving you redos. Some sets, like set 14, may or may not be given a full-set redo (literally, redo every problem on the set). Other times, if you are lucky and/or absolutely amazing, you may get through a set or two without a single redo, causing you to feel like a god and a little bit too sexy for your shirt. The time you will learn the most at Ross is not lecture; rather, it is when you go over your sets with your counselor, which if you keep up and have a fast grader for a counselor, will be almost every day. Your counselor will push you to understand every aspect of the problems being asked, and if he/she feels you were faking your way through it you'll get a redo. Your b.s. goes out the window pretty fast. He or she will go through each of your proofs with a knife. You might get a redo because your proof isn't elegant enough, or neat enough, or concise enough. As mentioned above, you may also get a redo just because your counselor wants you to go beyond a problem. More than anything, these redos will help you learn exactly how to write a proof and really get something out of every problem, even a numerical (although everyone hates numericals, they're very useful).
Any discussion of the Ross Program would be remiss to forget the meal plan. At the Ohio State University, there are approximately four or five places to eat, including the dining hall called North Commons, Pizza at the Pad (they deliver!), Chinese at Marketplace, and snacks and great hot food at Fresh Express. Each is covered under the meal plan, which gives you way more meals than you need for the summer. As you approach the end of your stay, you'll find you have up to 30 or 40 meals left over, which you'll start spending quickly on many pop-tarts, ice cream, excess groceries, and larger pizzas. If junk food isn't your thing, Fresh Express has great sandwiches and healthier options. The point is, you'll never be hungry (although sometimes on weekends the better options are closed), and if you're smart and don't eat at North Commons too often you'll love your food.
Of the top of my head, these are the things that stood out to me in thinking back to my experience at Ross. Overall, it was extraordinary. I learned a ton of math, and I'm happy to say I'll be coming back as a junior counselor. It's very intense, even compared to other math camps, but the things gained because of it are the all the more valuable.
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