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MathPath 2015,
held at Lewis & Clark College
Portland OR
June 28 – July 26
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 several parents did send us
such a comment, and they are 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.
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When we sent our daughter to MathPath for the first time, we wondered if it would be overwhelming as we knew that the level of math would be quite high. The first night she called and the first words out of her mouth were, "I found out that I know nothing!!" but she said it with such excitement and glee that we realized that she was in absolutely the right place. While she has been markedly accelerated in her school's math curriculum and has participated in many math competitions and other summer programs, we realized she had never been challenged in quite this way - MathPath provides exposure to mathematical principles from a completely different perspective, in a fun environment with other high-achieving children with whom she could completely relax and be herself.
The other notable comment that she made when we arrived was, "Do the counselors actually know anything about math, or are they just counselors...." (which we now understand was her opinion of the other places she has been). That is also a unique aspect of MathPath - that everyone at every level from the youngest counselor to the oldest distinguished professor share a joy of learning in this field. It is a collective experience, and such a wonderful community to behold.
Many thanks
Lisa Park, MD and Daniel Lee, PhD
My son had a wonderful time at MathPath. Coming as he does from a small town, it was his first chance to be with a large group of other kids his age who love math as much as he does, and who are skilled at it, and who want to spend their time solving problems and thinking about math. He also felt he'd found his cohort on a social level--they got the same jokes, shared similar interests outside of math, and generally felt like kids he could completely relate to, which is not always the case at home. But just as importantly, he loved the quality of the teaching. He was thrilled to be learning from professors who love math, and who are skilled at sharing that love with their students. This is a rare opportunity, especially for middle school kids, who normally do not get exposed to such gifted and inspiring teachers.
Thanks for giving him a great summer!
Melanie Turek
Mathpath is the best math summer camp out there - at least in the USA among those I know of. If your child is passionate about math and wants to spend a summer with like minded kids - mathpath is the place to be. It was a wonderful experience for both my kids this year and last year too. Mathpath creates a love for math in your child's heart. It opens up the mathematical brain of your child. It's not the regular school math education. Its very much unlike it. I can't describe it much better - you need to experience it.
Purushottam Goel
[The following comment came in unsolicited eight months after MathPath 2015 ended. We always wonder what sort of lasting effect we have, and this is the sort of feedback which begins to answer that question.]
Math Path had a profound effect on Michael. He came home inspired and is constantly in contact with the friends he made there. Thank you for all the hard work that you do!
Libby Margulis
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If you child managed to complete the qualifying test, don't think twice: this is going to be the best experience your child will have had while in middle school. You son or daughter will say thank you for this.
Thanks to all enthusiasm of the professors and counselors involved in MathPath this was the best summer and mathematical experience our son has had. He is a great lover of mathematics, and having done our research, we suspected MathPath would be a good fit for him, but we were shocked to find out that he was not homesick a single day: from the very first day of the camp till the very last one, he kept on saying that he is sorry, but he doesn't want to go home just yet.
MathPath is a summer paradise for math loving kids. School math vs MathPath is like practising scales vs. joining an orchestra. My daughter was waiting expectantly for months before, and now is reveling in the memory of those glorious four weeks.
I think it's all about environment that MathPath creates - being surrounded by smart people is always beneficial, even if all you do is go to the beach, not mentioning working together on some nontrivial problems.
My daughter learnt mathematical theories and histories that were not taught at school. The math problems were challenging to her. But she can understand after teachers explained or after she thought it over. Besides academic achievement, she made great friends there.
I think the math speaks for itself. I'm grateful for the opportunity for my son to learn from such distinguished faculty members, and to be exposed to ideas and concepts about which he would never learn in his regular classroom. However, an equally important take-away from MathPath is the increased confidence I see in my son. The opportunity to spend four weeks with kids and adults who share his talents, abilities, preferences and sense of humor is priceless. It's life-changing for him to really understand that he's part of a group --- to embrace the label "math nerd" because math nerds "are awesome." That, as much as the mathematical knowledge, will help him succeed.
MathPath was a wonderful experience for our child to join a community of peers who love math, make life-long friends, and gain exposure to a broad set of advance topics in mathematics. The experience reinforced her belief that she is good at math and has deepened her love of mathematics. We are grateful for the staff and directors of MathPath for offering such a wonderful learning opportunity for our daughter.
If any parent asks me about MathPath, I will tell him like this: MathPath? I can't believe this, I won't call it a summer camp, this is a life changing event. Like magic, math is my child's passion and hobby now. He keeps talking about math problems and interesting activities in the camp to me and he wants to go back to the camp as a counselor in the future because he had too much fun. He also realized math is so interesting and useful, so he wants to do math related work to help people when he grows up. As a parent, I understand my child's wonderful experience is due to the effort from the dedicated faculty and staff. They are not only knowledgeable but also have excellent teaching skills, otherwise the children can't get the difficult concept. They are very considerate and caring, going out of their way to ensure that the campers have an enjoyable experience at MathPath.
It was invaluable for my teenage daughter to be with peers who are also passionate about math. She was inspired by how other kids challenge themselves, self learn, share learnings & participate in online math learning communities. Through the weekly electives and plenary sessions, my daughter also developed a broad perspective about the world of mathematics. We were also very impressed by the wide range of topics available and the quality of lecturers and counselors. We really enjoyed having her explain Knot Theory to us!
MathPath has been the single most profound experience in my child's life. He has come back with an even deeper love of the subject. The camp gave him a sense of belonging and not a single day passes by without him talking about his wonderful teachers and friends at the camp. I am glad that we finally found a community where my son can be himself. He looks forward to going to MathPath next year and thoroughly enjoyed being with people who understood him really really well!
Our daughter had a wonderful time at MathPath. She learned about many new Math topics, and made friends with other kids who also love Math. She has now interacted with Math teachers who passionately love the subject and are great at teaching, and will likely be disappointed when regular school starts soon :( I personally wish I had the chance to attend MathPath when I was her age.
My son went to John Hopkins CTY camp and AwesomeMath before. I'd say CTY is low-bar. AM is good. But what I, and my son, like about MP is that it's more about deep learning, as opposed to competition math. He got to learn the basic concepts in a number of areas and was challenged to do deep dives. This is more valuable than winning some competition. Also, MP camp is very well managed. He met many great kids and had a lot of fun. The fact that MP is a non-profit is an added bonus.
Our son had an amazing time at MathPath. From his enthusiasm, you would think we sent him to an amusement park, not an intense math camp! Additionally, He feels he learned a lot.
If your child lives, sleeps and breathes mathematics, this is the camp for you! MathPath offers a great balance of challenging instruction in math topics and super-fun off-campus activities, and of independence and supervision.
My children learned so much at Mathpath camp. They learned about number theory, geometry, algebra and topics that I've never heard about. They honed their mathematics skills while having fun. My children learned to be independent and take care of themselves. My younger daughter even learned to do laundry. All in all, this camp was a wonderful experience for my children.
Last updated March 5, 2016
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