A. No government or eduational body
issues accreditations for camps, even academic camps.
So you are not really asking the right question. We feel the right
question(s) is:
(i) Does the program provide a safe environment? (ii) Does the
program suit its gifted clientele? The answer is "yes" at MathPath.
You could say Safety + Math enrichment for the highly gifted +
Fun = MathPath. MathPath students go on to become national champions
and/or top finishers in the annual Mathcounts national competitions –
see some pictures. )
Your point about accreditation still quite relevant, for, in
time, there will arise more programs for the gifted middle school
students and accreditation would ensure that at least the accredited
programs meet the standards. However, I am not sure if it will raise
eyebrows even if the student attended the top summer program for the
highly gifted in mathematics. It is personal achievements
attained only by a few that raises eyebrows. For the applicant to a
university, such attainment can only be in the form of pointers to
extreme talent or significant potential. Here is the eyebrow-raising
university applicant accomplishment in mathematics: A media report of
the student's solution of a famous long-standing unsolved mathematics
problem. However, this is very rare, if not unheard of, due to the
fact that long-standing mathematics questions have been worked on by
mathematicians, and a student solution using the elementary
mathematics the student knows is unlikely. Therefore, high
achievements for university applicants are the following: Qualify to
be either on the US International Math Olympiad Team, or among the
top ten in the Mathcounts National Competitions, or complete a
substantial research project while still in high school. A
substantial research project is not one that discusses or explains
another's discovery or an illustrated essay on a topic, but one that
produces a non-trivial result. It would takes us too far to discuss
this but I will end this by saying that a trivial result would be like
an immediate corollary of a known theorem. And that is about
achievements on the theoretical side. Achievements in art, music, or
social advancement also count. We are not discussing athletics!
The concern about raising eyebrows is the wish to see that
the student is accepted. Since the mathematical ability of a
MathPath attendee is far above that of the average math student at
any university in the world, it should be the case that the Mathpath
student's future application to the most selective universities would
be successful. I have observed this for a generation of students who
went through the Canada/USA Mathcamp, the high school program that is
closest in structure to Mathpath. Finally, while the concern for
raising the eyebrows of the folks who determine the university
selection is natural, future greatness in mathematics is achieved not
by all who become stars in national contests or who shine early;
there are equally able students who do not like to be involved in the
rat race of problem-solving nor are the national contests held in all
schools.
We would like to point out that
the purpose of sending a student to MathPath is to provide the
student with the opportunity to be at a suitable summer program for
the highly gifted middle school students. MathPath is held in
answer to this question: What is the enrichment experience
appropriate for the student who loves mathematics?
