Hey y’all,
I’m currently a high school senior who is going to be applying to engineering schools in a month or two. I feel like I have a respectable application, but I also have a bit of a unique math background that I can’t really figure out how to include in the application.
Basically, I started taking prealgebra in 3rd grade through the website Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), and took Prealgebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Programming with Python, and counting/probability classes through that website during 3rd through 7th grade. I also have a transcript that shows the grades I got in those courses through the website’s grading system (they were all As or A minuses). I would really like to include this as I feel like it gives me a certain hook for top schools like MIT or Caltech.
The issue is I can’t figure out where to best put this in the common app. I think I can include it as one of my 10 activities, but then I can’t attach the transcript and I don’t think 150 characters would really let me describe the experience very well. I could try to include it as another secondary institution but I’m not sure AoPS would qualify as that type of institution and I’m still not sure how I would attach a transcript.
If anyone has done anything like this before or has any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Thanks!
As far as college admissions is concerned, your life began in 9th grade. They don’t want your ECs from 3rd grade. Presumably, your HS transcript shows enough advanced courses to make it obvious that you had math acceleration.
You could weave the story into an essay, if you desire.
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You may be able to expand on your math background in the “additional information” section of the common app you feel that it would paint a more complete picture.
This isn’t completely uncommon for math-y people, and those I’ve known have shown their pre-9th grade background through their accomplishments in high school math competitions or classes. I love @skieurope’s idea of using it in an essay, although I’d recommend against pigeonholing yourself into a “math only” person in your main essay. Great topic for supplemental essay–eg. Brown has a supplement with the question “what brings you joy?”
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My D grouped all of her AoPS, AMC/AIME, PuMAC, HMMT, ARML, etc. into one Activity. I think “six AoPS courses” was as detailed as she got, and is probably sufficient.
I don’t think including a pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry transcript would be valuable, assuming you have Calc and other classes on your actual HS transcript.
Wouldn’t AIME/AMC go under awards?
No, I wouldn’t put taking the AMC or qualifying for AIME as an award. I suppose your could put “AMC Honor Roll” as an award, but IMO that’s redundant like listing the AP scholar awards.
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Go read this from MIT:
Then read this:
The latter refers to students piling on APs to ‘show’ their passion/talent to the AOs. In these posts, and many other places, MIT is pushing back against the ‘more is better’.
I am happy to accept that you are a math prodigy, and you took those courses that young b/c you loved math & your parents let you b/c they saw that you were happy doing them- but there are parents who would think ‘this is how I get my kid into MIT- I push this unusually able kid to do all these impressive things.’ MIT is clearly, explicitly saying “don’t”. So, showing that you could do advanced math really young is not, for them, a hook. They want to know that who and what you are now is a good fit for their university.
So AMC/AIME/USAMO go in activities?
What level of math have you actually completed during your HS years? You say that you started early, but it is clear where you finished.
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There aren’t many hard and fast rules about what goes where.
Yes, we put participation in math education, competition, etc, in Activities (AMC/ARML/MPfG/PuMAC/HMMT/JHMT/CMIMC/etc).
I’d put Winner/Honorable Mention at *AMO, prize winner at ARML (22 this year), and similar in the Awards section. But not HR/DHR/Achievement etc that are broadly “awarded”. Certainly not participation.