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<p>MIT does do well in the Putnam, just not if you look at the team ranking, so I’m not sure what this means. It is true that most MIT students, apart from those taking the freshman problem solving seminar, do not study for the Putnam. But they still do well.</p>
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<p>You might still be able to get on the waitlist. Unfortunately, the Putnam seems to be only publicized in an e-mail to math majors and those taking the freshman problem solving seminar.</p>