<p>How many current student would you say have qualified for USAMO or USPhO?</p>
<p>I don’t know that HS achievements are an accurate indicator of academic ability at all 
I went to IChO (chemistry oly) though xP</p>
<p>maybe. but every one of those I saw who excelled in these were really smart</p>
<p>None of these silly high school competitions accurately reflect academic ability. I looked at a few of the past USPhO tests, and they seriously have nothing to do with what you would actually be doing in a physics class, ever. Engineering, probably - but at a somewhat different level than the competition asks.</p>
<p>More relevant, really, are actual college classes. I don’t expect many other people to have been fortunate enough to have had similar opportunities to me in that regard (living near a top university, with professors always happy to allow high schoolers to audit their classes for grades, and having parents and school very open to logistic concerns is very nice).</p>
<p>I’ll back up
I never said they were relevant to real life.
I agree that most of the problems are not applicable to school or real life. But, I firmly believe that only the really qualified can tackle them.
They’re not really about what you know. They’re more about how you think.</p>
<p>That’s why I always look up to those competing in these competition.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if this may have sounded a bit rough.
I had to defend my case because this is really what I realized after working with some guys who were really serious about them.</p>
<p>
IAWTC (10char)</p>
<p>In Colorado, I’ve never heard of USAMO or USPhO. There are “MathCounts” contests (team and individual), but mostly done in the middle school (6th-8th grade) in our area. </p>
<p>If you are looking for a comparison factor beyond the normal SAT/GPA stats, post #4 about college courses is a good idea. Also AP courses (especially Calc BC) & IB courses (especially 2 yr “Higher Level” sequences - Math HL, Physics HL, Chemistry HL). Not all schools offer these courses, but the students who opt to take them are typically bright and motivated.</p>
<p>There’s a big difference between taking advanced classes and competing in these competitions.
Both show passion in a subject, but while advanced classes show that he went on to study more, competition show that he studied in depth enough and has the talent enough to think in a very analytical and creative fashion.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that those competitions are a must for smart students, but it’s definitely an indicator. I was just trying to see such “indication”, that’s all.</p>
<p>I can happily say no to those things. I was good at track? Yay me?</p>
<p>Most Mudders have not participated in those (most common would be the AIME), but relative to other colleges, quite a few of them have…enough for it to seem like a lot.</p>
<p>For the record, as a freshman, I did make it to the AIME (and got a 1.5), but was then sick and missed the AMC for the next 2 years (well, I may as well have done - I just did really badly). But frankly, I find these math competitions distasteful and pointless. Being able to do random algebra very well has no relation to, well, anything. You’re never going to be doing anything at all like that in the real world. And yes, linear algebra can help solve a lot of those problems, but expecting high schoolers to have already taken what is normally a second or third year college course in order to be able to do the problems sensibly is just silly. Which means that you’re left doing the problems by ridiculous elementary methods which, as I said, serve no purpose to anything.</p>
<p>I beg to differ that it relates to do with problem solving ability. Sure, being able to do well on these means that you are above some threshold for problem solving ability, but I don’t believe it necessarily means you are very good at it. I have a “friend” who is able to place in the top handful in state math competitions, and all he can do is memorize formulas (according to himself).</p>
<p>[/bitter rant] ;)</p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>I don’t know. I guess most people did not experience the inspiration I had…</p>
<p>Oh, well.</p>
<p>Here’s how HMC measured the admitted 2013ers’ “abilities” … no math contests listed here, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to see math contest winners.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Since we’ve already been accepted, I daresay that’s not very applicable… although, very, very interesting!</p>
<p>“giant green letters of fire spelling “PROM””</p>
<p>Good idea!!
I’m soo doing that this year</p>
<p>
Yeah, that was about the class of 2013 – the one before you. But I’m sure your class has a comparable range of fascinating experience to bring to Mudd. :)</p>
<p>Yeah, there was a story I had shared on another college app that in retrospect I would have liked to have put somewhere in my Mudd app… Oh well ;)</p>
<p>I think it’s every class before us isn’t it?</p>
<p>That seems too diverse for me to believe that those come from 190 students</p>
<p>Edit</p>
<p>Urr. I guess not. It says on the top, “2013”
Amazing diversity :)</p>
<p>Yeah, wrestling at the Olympic level while having academics fit for Mudd is pretty impressive. (There’s a girl who ice skates on that sort of level at my school, and she attends school even less than I do… obviously for very different reasons)</p>