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MathPath 2012,
held at Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley MA
June 24 – July 22
Starting
in 2008, we have done an online anonymous post-camp survey of parents. We
asked for numerical ratings and for written answers. The numerical results are given here.
Some parents send us comments by email, identifying themselves. We have included those comments too, with permission, but this year all those parents asked that we anonymize their comments.
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A Selection of Comments
Our son says everyday that he wishes he could go back to MathPath. We're seeing how many days that will last. So far he's said it everyday. :)
My daughter loved being with 100 other math nerds. She came home convinced that it is not only OK, but cool to be a girl who likes math. MathPath has helped her form a very positive self-image and improved her self-confidence.
He found his tribe at MathPath.
My daughter attended this camp in 7th and 8th grades. She was in tears on the way back from the camp in her last year, because she would be no longer eligible to attend the camp.
Amazing experience. I hate to admit it but my son was happier at MathPath than being home! Extremely well run. The teachers planned everything down to the detail. If my son was ET, he found home at MathPath. Thank you!
Our daughter enjoyed the camp very much. When I asked what she liked about it, she said it is great not to be the smartest person in a crowd. To be with lots of smart kids who are highly motivated to learn and are still fun to be with is really fun.
Our son had the best time so far in his life. Finally, he was able to participate in a math class that challenged him intellectually!
Weekday activities and weekend field trips were a lot of fun. Math and fun were very nicely integrated. MathPath is surprisingly girl friendly – pink day, hair day, nail painting etc were all part of the fun, in addition to fun math. Counselors were great role models for these kids.
Our son made new friends and learned how to do laundry:-)
It is the best summer experience my daughter ever had. She learnt a lot of math, made a lot of friends, and had a lot of fun. In addition, MathPath is very girl friendly.
If you have the type of child that needs math in their life, and you know exactly what I'm talking about, then you need to send them to MathPath. My son was "with his people" there. He was "campsick" when he got home--never homesick.
MathPath was a great experience for our younger son, as it was for our older son before him. Interestingly, though both thrived on the mathematical learning that MathPath provided, what impressed us most about each of their experiences was somewhat different. With our older son, it was the thrill of the socially awkward kid who finally found a group of people where he felt he fit in. His excitement and enthusiasm for MathPath was perhaps more than we'd seen him show for anything in a long time. With our younger son, we had no concerns about his getting along with others, and we assumed he'd find plenty of interesting math to learn. Still, we were impressed by the enthusiasm with which he seemed to throw himself into all aspects of camp life, whether it was jogging up the hiking trail, writing multi-page solutions to the Problem of the Day, or having lunch and dinner with John Conway, Stephen Wolfram, or other professors so that he could continue asking them questions. Judging by the way MathPath inspired both of them, you're clearly doing something right.
Our daughter had a great experience at MathPath for a second year in a row. She loves MathPath because of the interesting topics that aren't covered in school, the quality of the teaching, and the shared interest and ability among the students. I emphatically recommend MathPath to all students that truly love math, especially those who actively seek additional challenges outside the school curriculum.
Just wanted to let you know some positive changes we observed at home since our son got back from MathPath. MathPath definitely helped to propel his interest in math and inspired him to explore and learn more. He has been using AoPs resources diligently. He is also less intimidated by the more difficult problems. I think this has to do with the wide range of topics he was exposed to at MathPath. Another change we noticed is that his grasp on new concepts seemed improved quite a bit. This observation was evident not only when he studies math, but also in his other activities (music, sports, etc). We are very happy about our son's MathPath experience. Thanks again for providing this excellent program for middle school aged kids.
My child enjoyed the camp greatly! The weekend activities were unmatched from the other camp my child attended. Dorm life is wonderful, having single occupancy room provided children a calm environment for good rests. The kids attending the camp all share great passion for math, this make my child feel at home right at the start of the camp.
MathPath provides excellent exposure to the wonderful world of math in all respects (topics, history, interesting problems and applications, and, most importantly, how to approach, write and explain an attempted answer). It has a few interesting instructors, great staff and volunteers all tuned in to the needs of the middle school aged children. This middle school focus is unique since these are the years when the foundation for a good mind in math can be achieved. Your child will come out in much enhanced love and appreciation for math and the MathPath experience.
Yes, I felt that it was a "good experience." It's not for the 99%ers. If your child is not advanced in Math and yearning for like minded peers, then this would be a frustrating and demoralizing experience. Also, it's quite expensive, even considering that it entails four weeks; there is no doubt that all of the money is directed back to the campers. That said, there are several lessons to be had at MathPath: 1) the independence, for a 12 year old, of being away from home/family for 4 weeks. 2) A very "college" type of experience; being on campus. 3) Extraordinary teachers, for Junior High kids. There is direct interaction with college professors, which gives them a real sense of what their future holds. 4) Counselors that are undergrads, in math, at math colleges. Again, this gives them a real sense of what their future holds. 5) Some of the excursions are Math leaning. 6) I want to reiterate the peer conneciton/interaciton. My child seeemed to know that there were kids "like her, out there" but seemed frustrated at not being connected with them. Although this seemed to be an extraordinary goup, I think that she now knows that this was a sampling of the kids in the world that are Math Thinkers like she is.
Or son said, "Math class can actually be fun when the other kids know what is going on!" When there were just a few days left in camp, I asked if he was ready to come home, and he said, "No, I want to stay here. So do all the other kids."
Page last updated September 4, 2012
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