Math Path camps

[cdgni]

Has anyone's child attended Mathpath camps? (It's a 4 week summer math course.)

If so, could you tell me how well your child liked it?

This course is for children who are PG. My DD is bright (IQ 146) but not PG. I'm debating if the course would be too hard for her.

[Kathy in Richmond]

Both of my children are MathPath alums. My ds attended the first year of the program at Black Hills State in 2002; my dd attended at UC Santa Cruz in 2006. My son returned in 2007 as a counselor -something my daughter also dreams of doing in the future.

It was a wonderful experience for them. They learned oodles of advanced math in a supportive setting, where they were thrilled to find other kids 'like me.' The director believes in 'work hard, play hard,' so the kids' days are well-balanced with lots of physical activity, games, field trips, etc. My kids both made friends for life that summer and went on to attend the high school version (Canada/USA Mathcamp).

As far as determining whether your child is ready, I'd have her try the application quiz when it comes out later this year. If she can solve a good chunk of the problems independently, and especially if she enjoys completing the quiz, then she might be a good candidate (I wouldn't use iq scores necessarily to determine this). I'd also evaluate her ability to be in a dorm with age-mates for four weeks. Is she on the older or the younger end of the camp age limits? Has she had any experience staying away from home before?

If you have further questions, I'd be glad to answer:)

~Kathy

[cdgni]

Both of my children are MathPath alums. My ds attended the first year of the program at Black Hills State in 2002; my dd attended at UC Santa Cruz in 2006. My son returned in 2007 as a counselor -something my daughter also dreams of doing in the future.

It was a wonderful experience for them. They learned oodles of advanced math in a supportive setting, where they were thrilled to find other kids 'like me.' The director believes in 'work hard, play hard,' so the kids' days are well-balanced with lots of physical activity, games, field trips, etc. My kids both made friends for life that summer and went on to attend the high school version (Canada/USA Mathcamp).

As far as determining whether your child is ready, I'd have her try the application quiz when it comes out later this year. If she can solve a good chunk of the problems independently, and especially if she enjoys completing the quiz, then she might be a good candidate (I wouldn't use iq scores necessarily to determine this). I'd also evaluate her ability to be in a dorm with age-mates for four weeks. Is she on the older or the younger end of the camp age limits? Has she had any experience staying away from home before?

If you have further questions, I'd be glad to answer:)

~Kathy

This is great information! She would only be turning 11. She's a very mature, but I assume so are most of the kids attending this camp. So her maturity may not mean that much. She has frequently stayed away from me for the summer, but always stayed with extended family. She's never done a camp before. It would be an introduction to what boarding school is like. This is in her horizon in 4 more years.

Are the camps good at keeping the boys and girls in separate dorms? Did you ever hear of problems with drugs/alcohol? I'm assuming that this young age isn't a problem but I don't know much about it.

She isn't prone to appreciating kids slower than she is intellectually wise. Therefore, I think being with kids brighter than her might help her accept that everyone has someone smarter than themselves.

[Kathy in Richmond]

If she's just turning 11, she'd probably be the youngest child at camp (you must be between the ages of 11 and 14 to attend). Mine have both done better at this camp as one of the older campers. Middle school is a tricky age; 13 and 14 year-old boys are not the world's most mature creatures most of the time. I would have some reservations about sending such a young girl!

That said, the camp does have a two-week option for its younger campers. That might be a great way for her to start.

The academic level of the camp is as high as the child needs. She will not 'max out' by waiting a couple of years. The directors give the campers a test the first week to see what level they're at, and then they recommend an appropriate schedule of classwork. Believe me, it goes to an extremely challenging level! I have a mathematics PhD, and my kids both were able to teach me math topics I didn't yet know when they returned from MathPath.

As for drugs and alcohol, there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Even the counselors must agree to the policy of no alcohol use while they're in residence. I've spent a couple weeks personally at MathPath and have listened to my kids' stories of camp, and that has never come up.

Boy/girl issues: The camp houses boys and girls on separate hallaways, but often within the same building (that's what it was like for both of mine). There will be many more boys than girls at the camp! During the day there is a fair amount of socialization between sexes within the dorms. I've never heard of anything bad happening, but they ARE middle school age kids, and there will be a fair amount of the silliness common to that age. That's why I asked about your daughter's age - my daughter handled herself well at 14; I'm not sure what her experience would have been like at 11. Most of the girls enjoyed the camp immensely during the summer she attended, but there were a couple of younger girls who seemed overwhelmed.

hth,
~Kathy

[cdgni]

One more question..

How many years did your children attend math camps (age 14+)? I was thinking that she could do Math paths 2-3 years in a row (presuming she qualifies). Would this be a good idea or does the camp repeat itself each year?

Thanks again!

Cathy

[Kathy in Richmond]

Cathy,

Mine attended MathPath only once between grades 8 and 9, and Mathcamp the following summers. They do know some kids who spent up to three years at MathPath. The content is such that they will get something new out of the camp each summer. Some courses are attended by the whole camp (such as the history of math, how to write mathematical proofs, the guest lectures,...), but other times slots have several class choices at differing levels. The topics can change a bit from year to year, too, depending on the interests of the faculty.

Good luck to your daughter with her application!

~Kathy