A Day at Mathcamp

In designing the Mathcamp schedule, we have two goals:

• To provide students with the maximal amount of choice and freedom in designing their own academic program;

• To give students the necessary background material and a solid support network for getting feedback on their progress, so that students can make their choices wisely.

During each class period, we aim to offer activities at different levels, on a variety of topics. We encourage our faculty to make creative use of their time and resources, and to make classes as interactive as possible, so that students will get an idea of what it is like to do mathematics, and not just to watch someone else doing it.

A typical working day begins with an interactive class or activity from 9 to 10. For the rest of the morning, students have a choice of attending a guest lecture and workshop by a visiting researcher or of staying in smaller classes with their regular instructors. Lunch is an important chance for the students to interact more informally with the faculty and mentors.

In the afternoon, there is a wide choice of classes and problem sessions on various topics, and plenty of opportunity for supervised individual and group learning. Free time before dinner is dedicated to individual work, rest, and organized sports. After dinner, there are lots of informal activities, both mathematical and non-mathematical. On the mathematical side, there are mini-lectures by the mentors on their favorite topics, review sessions, introductions to the following day's guest lecture, math movies, and team problem-solving competitions. On the non-mathematical side, many of the activities are organized by the students themselves: in the past we have had chess, Scrabble, and bridge tournaments, sports, music, a camp yearbook, and excursions to cultural events in the city.

Mathcamp often has classes on Saturday, but our work week is still only five days long. Each week we will take one day (sometimes a weekday) off for a field trip: for example, a nature walk, a baseball game, or a visit to a museum or an amusement park. The other day off is Sunday, with no scheduled all-camp activities. Often the mentors will take a group of campers to a movie or a walk around town, or give an impromptu talk on a math topic requested by the students; but generally it is a time to catch up on one's work or take a well-deserved break.

Sound interesting? You can find a more detailed description of a day at Mathcamp here.