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MathPath 2014,
held at Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley MA
June 29 – July 27
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.
For
written answers, we first asked parents if they were willing to send us
separately a statement about MathPath where we could quote them by name
or initials.
This year one parent sent us
such a comment, and it is first below. Within
the anonymous survey, we also asked how they would explain MathPath to
others who ask. In most cases, parents said we could post their answer. A selection of their answers are farther below.
Also, one parent from Moscow sent us a lengthy essay of how MathPath looks from a foreign perspective; that report can be found here.
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Our daughter had the time of her life immersing herself in Math, solving challenging problems and proving some pretty hard problems, and finding amazing teachers and like-minded young budding mathematicians. You have developed an amazing math camp for middle schoolers and our daughter told us that this was her best summer ever. Every time we saw her on weekends during camp, she told me, Dad, you missed out on so much of math fun when you were growing up :-) ..
Again, my congratulations to you and thanks for a wonderful math filled summer for our daughter
Ruchir Puri (PhD, IEEE Fellow)
It's a place where a hundred math geniuses spend four weeks in paradise.
If this was a Facebook post, you should press the "Like" button.
The opportunity to expose my math-obsessed kid to other kids like him from across the country and around the world, and to explore topics in mathematics he might not have in school, was priceless.
MathPath is a residential math camp for talented Middle School students. While it is true that other middle school math camps have popped up since MathPath was established, there's nothing quite like it and overall there are fewer "serious" options for talented Middle School Math students than there are for High School aged students. I felt like my daughter came away convinced that she would spend a lot of her future time studying mathematics. That is a very positive thing.
MathPath is a feast for the mathematically hungry middle schooler. If your child loves math, thrives on challenging material he or she has to work on to "get", and wants to be surrounded by other kids that feel the same way about math, MathPath will be the best four weeks of his or her summer. It was a great experience for our child, both mathematically and socially, because MathPath does a nice job of striking a balance between both aspects for kids in this age group.
MathPath is not only a camp for mathematically gifted kids, but it is also a place to let your child's horizons expand to new ideas and friends.
My daughter had a blast with other nerds. She was challenged because all of her peers were as smart and the teachers were pushing them past the learning for their age range, yet the kids were allowed to be kids too. They played hard and worked hard and I would recommend it to any parent of a child who loves and is talented in math.
MathPath shows the kids the whole beauty of math, gives the opportunity to explore areas many kids woudn't even hear about without going to this camp.
My daughter summed up why she liked mathpath: Four weeks of doing math and playing soccer, what's not to like? My impression of her point of view was that it was "Four weeks of doing math, playing soccer and hanging out with lots of really cool new friends who also love math, what's not to like?" It was a great experience for her and a great introduction to a wide range of math, from combinatorics, to math puzzles to topology. And a great introduction to a wide set of girls who like math as much as she does.
It is one of the best camp that I have sent my child to. It is very well organized and staffs are responsible. MathPath updated how kids did on the website or emailed parents so parents could imagine how our kids spent their time. I did not worry about my child while he stayed in the MathPath.
Introduces your child to mathematical topics that are absent in the school syllabus. Exposes your child to a mathematical culture of exploration, discovery and creativity that is independent of "practice-tricks-so-you-don't-have-to-think" math competitions. If you live outside certain major urban areas, your child has zero chance of exposure to this culture - in the company of other kids - except at Mathpath.
One of its kind math summer camp - for kids that love math. I loved its focus on math enrichment, rather than speed tests, or simple curriculum acceleration. He learnt things he would probably have never learnt otherwise. And he developed interest in many mathematical areas such as group theory and graph theory. And yes, he also learnt how to eat a variety of meals, and also do his laundry... though he did not change his bed linen two out of three times!
A quote from my daughter after camp: "Just because there aren't as many nerds in the world as non-nerds, it doesn't mean there is only one. So nerds are NOT alone. And when one nerd meets another, great things happen. Now imagine 105 nerds meeting each other and spend a month together discussing math, the "nerdy" subject. By the way, nerds are cool."
I asked [my son] "How is MathPath going?" He said "Great. I am with my people now." My son believes his time at MathPath to be up there with the greatest times of his life. MathPath changed my son's life. My son's greatest passion is now math.
MathPath is an extraordinary camp that exposes children to a variety of fun and challenging mathematical material while fostering social growth by inviting children from all around the world to experience math and recreation together.
Page created September 20, 2014
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