Girls and Mathcamp

The first Mathcamp in 1993 had only two students: one girl and one boy. Since then, Mathcamp has always encouraged girls to apply, and has done its best to enable them to attend the program. (This year, for example, we're working on establishing scholarships specifically for girls.)

Traditionally, women have been in the minority in mathematics. At Mathcamp, we know it doesn't have to be that way! Every year, some of our best, most dedicated and inspiring students, mentors, and lecturers have been female.

Girls do form a sizeable minority among the campers--this gender imbalance reflects the gender imbalance among applicants to the camp. Yet the girls who do come to Mathcamp almost invariably have a wonderful time, learning mathematics and making friends. But why take our word for it? Let's hear what the girls themselves have to say!

(All student quotations are taken from our annual end-of-camp surveys.)

"The best summer of my life so far..."

"I come from a relatively small town, and there aren't many opportunities or programs that allow development of math skills at all. There are a few competitions in a year, but basically all exposure you get to math comes from school. This summer, getting to go to Mathcamp, I had I think the best summer of my life so far. It was so much fun. I was exposed to so many different aspects of math that I didn't know existed."

"As an international female, I had some doubts in the beginning whether or not I should come, because I had heard that there were few girls in the camp. But as soon as I went, I realized that there was no need to have doubts. It was my best summer I ever lived; so much fun and so much math at the same time sounded impossible at the beginning. But it was possible...."

"It made me want to know more..."

"One thing that this summer did for me was show me that I truly did have an interest in math... I was able to discover that math was more than an ability for me; it was something that I enjoyed."

"While it was disturbing at first, not being the smartest person in the class, it turned out to be a great experience. Being surrounded by so many people who knew more than me, made me want to know more..."

"You don't need to be a genius..."

"The people at the camp were great. The mentors were really helpful, willing to explain to me background information that I didn't get taught here. They were extremely nice, and I always felt that if I ever needed to, I could speak to them."

"The set up of the camp allowed me to go to everything I wanted to, and it didn't make me feel that I couldn't go to certain other classes because I wasn't smart enough or something."

"I thought most of the class topics were really cool, things I've never heard or seen before... You don't need to be a genius to enjoy them."

"I made awesome friendships"

"The best thing about Mathcamp was meeting many new, nice, encouraging, interesting, and weird people. I got to see a whole new world of people that I wouldn't have encountered around here or at school..."

"I made a bunch of friends that I still keep in touch with, and that means a lot to me. I was able to go places and do things to have fun all throughout my visit... There was always stuff to do."

"It turned out to be like a home to me. People were wonderful, and to see such a variety of people is great. I made awesome friendships, and learned a lot of math without even realizing it."

"I think it was easier for me to relate to the girls at first, and I was glad that there were as many as there were."

"There were a lot more boys, but I don't feel that this negatively impacted the experience... everyone was really sociable so there weren't any barriers."

"I got to find a little more about guys and how they handle things when they're away from home... I usually don't hang out with guys... but I found out that they're not so much different from us."

"I wouldn't change anything..."

"I would definitely recommend any female who likes math and wants to taste something totally different to go to Mathcamp at least once.... It made me gain a lot, both intellectually and personally."

"Even if I had the chance to change one thing about Mathcamp, I wouldn't change anything... it was unforgettable."

Last word

Dr. Judita Cofman, Professor of Mathematics, University of Erlangen, Germany, and Mathcamp faculty member in 1997 and 1998:

"During the past twenty years, I have conducted Royal Institution Master Classes in London, Saturday morning mathematics classes in England, Germany and Yugoslavia, organized International Camps for Young Mathematicians in Europe and recently led workshops for youngsters preparing for Junior Mathematical Congresses (in Hungary and in Germany). It was interesting to note that the ratio of the number of girls to the number of boys at these activities was always about the same: roughly 1 to 3. The girls felt by no means "out of place". They took their study very seriously. They maintained a high level of concentration, did not hesitate to ask questions, if necessary and took active part in the discussions. Most girls had a sound knowledge of elementary algebra; they were good at handling equations and deducing formulae. A fair number of girls showed good intuitive understanding of geometric patterns. They were especially creative at investigations related to open ended problems, often prompting all of us to look at certain questions from a totally different point of view. In the group of youngsters that I led to the Junior Congresses in 1996 and in 1998, there were four who obtained prizes for their contributions; two of them were girls.

At the Canada/USA Mathcamp, I have also met girls who were very keen to spend long hours doing mathematics. I would warmly recommend to girls (as well as to boys) to attend Mathcamp next summer in Seattle. The camp provides a great opportunity to meet a large number of like minded people, to stay together for a relatively long period, to exchange ideas on a wide selection of mathematical topics, and what is also very important, to make valuable friends."